Hayley doesn’t believe in love at first sight. For humans that is. Quite rightly. We figured, there were a possible 450 sightings, between Hayley and Evan over the years, at university, fraternity parties and even actual private dates. But it wasn’t until years later, after they had parted ways and changed cities, that true love hit – a chance meeting in a Karaoke Bar, where Hayley was singing the Spice Girl’s “Wannabe” – zigazig ah!

Aside from 90s pop, this beautiful loved up couple, also share a grand passion for world travel. Together they had visited London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Paris and the Cinque Terre. Out of all these places, in all the world, it was on seeing the Cinque Terre for the very first time that Hayley and Evan experienced “love at first sight.” So we were thrilled that they decided to return to the Cinque Terre with their families, for a wedding surrounded by love and kindness, to become husband and wife.

In the spirit of the five lands of the Cinque Terre, get your goggles ready for a deep dive into Hayley and Evan’s top five tips on planning their destination wedding in Italy and their most beautiful and intimate moments snapped by Pure Wedding Photography.

Why a destination wedding?

Evan and I never imaged a big wedding for ourselves. It seemed that a big church wedding with 100+ people was something that was socially “expected” versus something we really wanted. There were many benefits to having a destination wedding. It is cost effective, it is more intimate, the location is unbeatable, and we both knew that we wanted to share our love of traveling with the people that are the most special to us, our families.

Some may say that a destination wedding does not fall under the category of a “traditional wedding”, I disagree. I believe that this experience was more traditional as it focused on our marriage and the blending of families together. This destination wedding was a trip of a lifetime for both families and the opportunity for our families to connect on a much deeper level.

Why the Cinque Terre in Italy?

In 2016, Evan and I took a day trip from Florence to visit all 5 villages of the Cinque Terre, and it was love at first sight. Each village has its own distinct beauty and charm that left a lasting impression on us both. When we got back to the US, we continued to rave about the location to family and friends. Once we got engaged in 2017, within a couple hours we decided the Cinque Terre would be the place where we would become man and wife.

How was the planning process?

I could not have asked for a better planning experience. I have been a bridesmaid 7 times over the course of the past 10 years and I saw my friends stress and obsess about every detail of their wedding to the point of exhaustion, frustration, and tears. As someone very “A-type” and prone to stress, I knew that I could not plan a wedding that way. We searched online for wedding planners and found Cinque Terre Weddings. After speaking with Melina and Sarah, I knew that I had a great team of ladies working to plan our dream day. I developed a very solid and trusting relationship with these ladies 4,900 miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean, and with a 7 hour time difference. I knew that I could email them at any time and they were very quick to respond to any emails/concerns/etc. It was the highlight of my mornings to wake up and see emails from Sarah on next steps in the planning process.

The wedding packages offered by Cinque Terre Weddings are flawless and come with everything needed for the big day. There is no need to fly over extravagant decor, as the scenery of the village is more than enough to make your day perfect. Cinque Terre Wedding listened to my wishes and hopes and incorporated these details into our wedding. In addition, I want to note that the vendors that Cinque Terre Weddings works with are all professional, talented, and easy to work with. It is obvious that Cinque Terre works exclusively with these partners and that a strong platform has been established.

Best part of your day?

As the bride, I loved being able to enjoy the day of my wedding. Cinque Terre Wedding set up a cute lunch for the ladies and kept the schedule of events while I was able to sit back and enjoy the time with my mother, mother-in-law, and matron of honor. There was no need to worry about the time of appointments, where to be, needing to pay vendors, etc. The day was so much fun and full of laughter.

Once it was time for the wedding, Evan and I were able to take in each and every moment. Having a destination wedding meant that we were relieved of pressure to entertain guests. The families could all sit together and enjoy the special day without “feeling like we had to” do anything. It was the most special day for us and we will carry these memories with us forever.

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding Brides and Grooms?

For those considering a destination wedding, always know there is a level of uncertainty and there is not room to control every single detail, but Cinque Terre Wedding takes the time to develop a relationship with you and coordinate the most highly anticipated day of your life. The uncertainty will quickly transpire into astonishment the day of your wedding.

For more information on what your Cinque Terre Wedding contact us.

Wedding Planner Sarah Pozzi from Cinque Terre Wedding.

Written by Melina Nicholson.

The post Love at first sight in the Cinque Terre appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

Some people think that finding love online involves two strangers meeting in cyberspace but for Londoners Paola and Sergio while they met online they were far from strangers. Not only did they have mutual friends, Sergio’s godfather actually tiled Paola’s family bathroom when she was just 12-years-old! With both their father’s from the north of Italy and both spending family vacations in Monterosso in the Cinque Terre, it seemed that Paola and Sergio’s paths were destined to cross no matter what.

Lucky for us, this beautiful, bubbly and hilariously witty couple, decided to return to the spot of their childhood family vacations in Monterosso on the Cinque Terre, where they sealed their path into married life in the Buranco Vineyard – smiling and laughing all the way!

Why a destination wedding? We chose a destination wedding as both of our fathers are Italian, we liked the idea of building new memories in a place that we hold so close to our hearts.

Why the Cinque Terre Wedding in Italy? The Cinque Terre, Monterosso in particular, was the nearest (and prettiest) beach town to where our fathers grew up.  Little did we know, we had actaully been to the same beach many times in the summer months during our holidays in Italy. I remember always saying to my sister I wanted to get married there one day!

How was the planning process? The planning, from the moment I contacted Melina, to the last dance, was executed with such precision. Melina managed to understand exactly what I wanted and more. From the barbers to the make up artists on the big day, to organising a dinner the night before the wedding so all our guests got to meet each other. There really was nothing more we could have asked for.

What was the best part of your Cinque Terre Wedding in Italy? The best part of our day (apart from actually tying the knot of course) was the intimacy of spending the day with our nearest and dearest in such a breathtaking setting (closely followed by the food!)

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding Brides and Grooms? Top tips for couples planning to marry in Cinque Terre would be not to go too crazy on decorations, the beautiful setting is the best backdrop you could wish for. We felt so relaxed on the day because everything was taken care of, we almost felt guilty!

Written by Melina Nicholson

Photos by Facibeni Fotografia.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

wedding in monterosso al mare, cinque terre, italian riviera.

The post Paola and Sergio’s Cinque Terre Wedding appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.