And so it happened that strapping English gentleman, Paul, and ow, so pretty Irish lass, Aimee, met at a bus stop in Sydney, Australia, of all places, two adventure seeking explorers, with a shared cheeky sense of humour and a drive to live life to the fullest.

So it is no wonder that the engagement of this bright, sparky couple happened in on a nameless secluded beach in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, a place that the couple have now titled “our beach.”

When first hearing of Paul and Aimee’s travel love story it was clear that they wanted to create an incredible celebration and holiday not just for them but for their family and friends too. It would be the one utterly thrilling adventure the couple took with everyone they loved most involved.

And it was just that. A holiday in the Cinque Terre topped with a wedding unlike any other. The ceremony was held in front of the Mediterranean Sea, the aperitivo overlooking the medieval fishing village and the reception with live music and signature cocktails in the vineyard saw the party continue into the wee hours.

And to match the contagious energy of the couple’s we helped create a wedding setting with bright playful colours, wild care-free flowers and rustic down to earth features. Even village personality, who we endearingly call “Comandante”(The Commander), got caught up in their festive celebrations trying his luck in the Italian superstition of kissing the bride to bring good fortune.

In the spirit of the five lands of the Cinque Terre, get your peepers ready for Aimee and Paul’s top five tips on planning their wedding here and top five and a bit pics captured by the talented clickers at Pure Wedding Photography.

Why a destination wedding to celebrate your travel love story?

From a young age I always knew I wanted to get married abroad. I’ve always liked to do things differently and luckily Paul was happy to go along with my dream. He loves Italy, almost as much as his dad Geoff who we must admit is Italy’s biggest fan. Also, we have lived abroad (Australia, Canada and currently New Zealand) for our entire relationship and so when it came to planning our Wedding we knew that having all of our loved ones together in one place for a week would be extra-special. We love to travel, having visited over 40 countries together, so, I guess we wanted to share our love of travel and exploring new places with the most important people in our lives.

Why a destination wedding in the Cinque Terre, Italy?

The town of Manarola in Cinque Terre was my first ever screensaver on my computer (and continues to be to this day). When I first saw it I thought it was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. Years later when Paul and I were planning a long holiday to Italy we decided to include a stop in the Cinque Terre. We stayed in Manarola for 4 nights and when we were there I said to Paul “if I ever get married I want it to be here”. So, when Paul proposed in 2018 I knew our wedding had to be in Cinque Terre.

How was the planning process?

Surprisingly very easy, we are living in New Zealand and were worried the time difference would make things more stressful. But, Melina was perfect – so organised, honest and down-to-earth. She made something that can be very stressful seem like a breeze.

Best part of your destination wedding day?

The Ceremony – Matteo was the perfect choice for celebrant and he put so much thought into the ceremony. It was very emotional and our guests still to this day comment how exceptional he was. Some have even requested the script for his speech, which he kindly provided after the ceremony. I think Matteo may have been the star of the show.

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding brides and grooms?

Keep it calm, this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. It can be easy to get caught up in the stress of it all, but remember why you’re doing it.

For more information on celebration your destination wedding in the Cinque Terre contact us. 

Written by Melina Nicholson.

The post Bright Summer Wedding in Italy: A Travel Love Story appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

Canadian couple, Annick and Nick, embody the classic elegance and beauty once reserved only for the black and white Hollywood screens of yesteryear. And they are as graceful and beautiful as they look.

So we were surprised to hear that they met while sweating it out in their hometown gym (though granted their gym aura is probably a tad more refined than our red faced, sweaty betty, smelly melly ones). Anyway, one day while on adjacent machines, Nick struck up a conversation with Annick, starting with the not so classic pick up line: “Is Daniel your brother, you look very similar?” To which, Annick responded with a quick, witty “Yes, but I am much better looking, right?”

After that moment, they rarely spent a day apart. A shared sense of humour and a common gentle spirit saw their friendship grow into a love that would take them to the City of Love – Paris, for their magical marriage proposal.

And after falling in love with the French Riviera, their love story continued into the Italian Riviera, where we were honoured to help realise their romantic and elegant destination wedding in the Cinque Terre.

So if you are dreaming about a romantic and elegant wedding in the Cinque Terre, prepare your peepers for Annick and Nick’s real wedding story where, in the spirit of the five lands of the Cinque Terre, they share five tips and five and a bit pics by photographer of the moment: Pure Wedding Photography. And don’t forget to watch out for the romantic floral compositions by every floral buds’ best buddy Fior Deco and making the beautiful ever more beautiful, the hair and makeup by Malino Beauty.

Why a destination wedding?
We couldn’t picture ourselves getting married in a wedding hall. We wanted a wedding that was intimate and romantic, while still very elegant. We also wanted to be surrounded by our closest family and friends. A destination wedding met all of these criteria, and it gave us an opportunity to travel somewhere beautiful with our entire family.

Why a destination wedding in the Cinque Terre in Italy?
We got engaged during a trip to France, and fell in love with the French Riviera – Cinque Terre reminded us of our engagement. Cinque Terre Weddings was also recommended by a friend, so we knew we were going to be in good hands.

How was the planning process?
Super easy! The Cinque Terre team sent us emails with choices regarding venue, music, decor, menu, etc… and everything was put together perfectly on our wedding day!

What was the best part of your day?
Marrying each other with the most stunning and romantic background in the world, while surrounded by our closest family and friends. We also really enjoyed walking around Monterosso and taking pictures in the most beautiful places.

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding Brides and Grooms?
Relax and enjoy the ride! The Cinque Terre team are amazing and you can be certain your special day will be exactly like you envisioned it.

Wedding Planner Sarah Pozzi from Cinque Terre Wedding.

Written by Melina Nicholson.

The post Romantic and Elegant Destination Wedding appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

So decide on what your overall budget is and then simply breakdown your budget into these categories to discover your spend for each item.

No idea where to start with your overall budget? Well industry leading wedding blog, The Knot, places the average destination spend at US$27,227, which we think is a realistic guide to follow.

Though here in the Cinque Terre you may be suprised to know that the average wedding budget is well below this figure. For instance, if we look closer at Cinque Terre Wedding Fun Facts we see that the average destination wedding budget here in the Cinque Terre is just €14,646*. If we break it down further, weddings with under 50 guests spend an average of just €7,644*.

This does change slightly when looking at weddings with 50 guests or more, this is when we come closer to the industry average, with Cinque Terre Wedding couples looking at an average budget of €28,419*.

So now you have the budget and an idea of costs, next question, who’s paying?

Well, if it was ancient Roman times payment responsibility for the wedding would completely be in the hands of the bride’s family. Traditionally, when parents were negotiating the arranged marriage, the bride would be presented with a valued dowry. As the bride and groom most probably did not know each other at the time, the healthier the dowry, the more attractive the bride to the potential groom. And the dowry didn’t just include money but also household items, like furniture, linens and even animals. So a bride with a chicken, may be less attractive than a bride with a pig. And a bride with a cow?  Next level, completely.

So in ancient Roman times both the dowry and payment of the wedding celebrations were all covered by the bride’s family. In return the groom and in-laws would take on the responsibility of providing for the bride till death do them part.

So depending on where you lie on the traditional fence, and since you are marrying in Italy, why not try using the: When in Rome… line and see how that flies with the parents of the bride (though you didn’t hear this suggestion from your wedding planner of course)?

Alternatively, if you are looking to do something a little bit more millennial, you will probably be looking at paying for your own wedding. Here at Cinque Terre most couples do cover the wedding costs themselves, with some also benefiting from help from parents depending on individual circumstances.

One way of approaching this topic with parents who do wish to contribute is to have them cover a category of your day, like catering, music, or photography. Or even breaking it down further into things like cake, open bar or ceremony music. This is a great way to make your family feel involved in the wedding and give them ownership over a special part of your day.

And once you know your overall budget, how much to spend on each category and who will foot the bill, you’ll be set.

For more tips and ideas on what the budget for your destination wedding in the Cinque Terre could look like contact us.

Photo by Pure Wedding Photography

Written by Melina Nicholson.

*Statistics are from Cinque Terre Wedding Fun Facts, based on 89 destination weddings held in the Cinque Terre. And please note the above budgets exclude travel costs, accommodation, attire and bridal jewelry and accessories.

The post Wedding Budget – how to budget for a destination wedding appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

It was Christmas in Edinburgh, celebrating the completion of Lisa’s PhD, when Tom popped the big question. They had plans for a meal at a Michelin starred restaurant followed by a Ben Howard concert. In hindsight they decided it would have been better for Tom to propose before the meal – he didn’t eat a thing. But Tom’s empty stomach was worth it – she said “Yes!”

The blissfully loved up couple went on to dance the night away at the Ben Howard concert, with the encore song being their favourite: Gracious.

Gracious was their first dance song at their Italian destination wedding and gracious the couple were. Perfectly gracious, tender-hearted and beautiful.

This gracious spirit flowed into the style of the wedding with a spritz of bohemian sunshine adding a colourful friendliness and a relaxed warmth to the day.

The couple were surrounded by lifelong family and friends as they tied the knot here in their Italian destination wedding on the Cinque Terre – childhood passengers becoming husband and wife.

Tom and Lisa have been kind enough to share their love story and their wedding experiences along with some of their favourite photos by super photographer Alessandro Ghedina with us below. Enjoy every moment – just as they did.

Why a destination wedding in Italy?

We both love travelling, and Lisa’s a bit of a sun worshipper, so we figured that a wedding abroad would allow us to start the rest of our lives together in a warm and wonderful way – as well as giving us an excuse to have a big family holiday!

Why the Cinque Terre in Italy?

We love Italy – its beautiful terrain, people and food. After deciding to explore the Cinque Terre as a potential destination last winter, we knew instantly that it had everything we wanted for our big day when we visited for a few days in February. Even in the pouring rain, Buranco looked stunning, as did Monterosso itself.

How was the planning process?

The planning process involved minimal stress – Melina did a wonderful job of preventing Lisa turning into Bridezilla. There was help on offer for literally everything, from filling in the big scary paperwork to sourcing pins for flowers and dresses on the day!

Best part of your day?

Other than the ceremony, which was breathtakingly beautiful (the vows were so touching), we’d both say that the best part of our day was when we escaped to stroll around Monterosso together after the ceremony. We were really shy to begin with, blushing at well-wishers and locals who clapped as we went by; however, by the time we were ready to head up and meet our guests back at Buranco we were loving the attention! We felt like celebrities!

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding Brides and Grooms?

Visit the region before committing to it; if you’re hesitant about it being the right location before visiting, we guarantee you won’t be by the time you leave. Monterosso was, without doubt, the perfect location for our family and friends. The locals were fabulous and made our time away extra special. Definitely take the time to get to know them. We can’t wait to visit again soon and tell them about our latest news as newly-weds.

Photos by Alessandro Ghedina

Written by Melina Nicholson

The post Ever so gracious Italian destination wedding – real wedding feature appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

American, Anne, and Norwegian, Christopher, first met as international students at the University of Southampton in the UK, where a karaoke duet of Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer sparked a special love that would span the globe. Moving from the UK to America together, it was while hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains, south of San Francisco, that Christopher proposed to Anne. And for this beautiful, creative and very innovative international couple who love travelling, healthy living and good food (check out Anne’s delicious food blog: Waffle Hearts) a destination wedding on the Cinque Terre was the perfect spot to bring together their family, friends and cultures from both sides of the Atlantic to tie the knot.

Why a destination wedding? Being from two different countries it was difficult to choose which one we should get married in so we chose neither. That’s when we began our search for a country that we both felt a connection to, as well as one that would be enticing for our guests to come to.

Why a Cinque Terre Wedding in Italy? We had vacationed there once while dating, and fell in love with the landscape, the food, the people and the towns. We knew our guests would love it there as well, and that it would make a great family vacation for everyone.

How was the planning process? The search for a wedding planner was difficult, but once we found Cinque Terre Wedding the planning process was very simple and straightforward. For each decision that had to be made a small but ideal selection of choices was presented for us to pick between. All we had to do was make a few decisions and Melina did the rest.

What was the best part of your Cinque Terre Wedding in Italy? The whole day was so amazing that it is hard to pick a specific moment, but we fondly remember the ceremony and especially sharing our vows with each other and all the guests.

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding Brides and Grooms? Make sure to dedicate enough time before the wedding to see all of the Cinque Terre area. We invited all of our guests to join us for the week leading up to the wedding, and were able to spend lots of time with them seeing the local sights. Our wedding venue was in Monterosso at the Buranco winery, which also has several little cottages that can be rented as accommodation. We rented out all of them for the week and had the entire wedding party staying with us, which was ideal having everyone in one place and being able to use the dining facilities on property. We would often pick up food in town and bring it back to the winery so we could all eat together. Many of the restaurants are quite small which would have made this difficult.

Written by: Melina Nicholson

The post Anne and Christopher’s Cinque Terre Wedding appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.