A Groom With A View... 11 weeks to go!

Mike, our groom with a view with his beautiful bride to be.  

As the days and weeks tick by bringing us rapidly closer to our main event, it appears that weddings are all around us. While the analysts and commentators devoured every royal detail of a very royal wedding, Amber and I found ourselves in the beautiful village of Sneem in Southern Ireland, attending the last family wedding before our own.

And so our plans are being finalised amidst a backdrop of wedding fever. I have enjoyed watching Amber get excited by the events of the last few weeks, she loves everything about it from the fashion to the fairy-tale and the regal tradition to the romantic love stories.  Our coffee table is burdened more than usual with Hello! and OK magazines, Sunday supplements, bridal pull-outs… There is certainly no shortage of inspiration to spur her on as she immerses herself in wedding research. Her attention to detail is second to none and I love the pride and sense of perfection she displays as she realises a real desire to make our day everything that it deserves to be.

Whilst Amber has given her wedding day a lifetime of thought, I have allowed myself just the 14 months since popping the question to prepare. The bitter reality is that young boys do not devote much thought to their wedding day (in the fear that it may get in the way of climbing trees, kicking footballs against brick walls, or falling out of trees). So here I am, less than 3 months to go, with an overriding feeling of being about 30 years late to the wedding planning party. With the logistical stuff taken care of, I find myself stepping things up a gear in an attempt to be all I can be on our wedding day. There is a realisation that all eyes will be on us, we will never have been photographed so much, and from so many angles as we will be that day. So, with a nervous excitement, I embrace my pre-wedding regime in an attempt to do justice to my beautiful bride. Note to self: Nails clean, shoes polished, stomach in, chest out, stand tall, relax, smile…..

Both the weddings in Westminster and Sneem received universal acclaim, the bar has indeed been set very high. But, with Amber thriving on the challenge, and with more than a little help from our friends, I’m convinced our happy day will surpass all expectations. We may not be televised live across the globe but, in our minds and in our memories, it will be Treviso and not Westminster that hosts the wedding of the century.

Mike

 To read our July Grooms other posts please click HERE

Laura and Chris's Tuscan wedding part 2

Laura and Chris's stunning wedding in Tuscany was split over two days, click here to view their civil wedding in Italy.  Laura is an inspiration, she not only hand made her first wedding dress she also made her bridesmaids dresses! Their wedding was full of beautiful personal touches, Laura's attention to detail and her personal style shines through on her very special day!  Let's not forget the Groom who was looking dapper in an Aquascutum suit and Ferragamo shoes (a nod to the owner of Il Borro!) for the civil ceremony!



Laura looking radiant in a dress by Emma Hope

I just adore her bouquet by  Noosheens’ designs florists from Rome 

Chris and his grooms men wore suits from from Hire Wear Direct. He also bought a waistcoat from Favourbrook which made his outfit different from the others. Laura's mother in law made all the men cravats from the same fabric as the bridesmaid dresses.

Please click this link to view part 1

Beautiful photos by Butler Madden Weddings

Also featured in Before the big day

Wedding in Tuscany: Laura and Chris

Depending on your religion or type of additional ceremony you would like to celebrate your marriage, you may have to get married in the town hall before your church or symbolic ceremony.  

Laura and Chris hosted their wedding in Tuscany, celebrated with two ceremonies, giving the bride a wonderful opportunity for two beautiful wedding dresses (one she made herself!!)  before a fabulous reception at Il Borro.

Photography by Patrick from Butler Madden Weddings, who {by the way} is fluent in Italian, so perfect for your destination weddings.

Laura and Chris celebrated their  civil ceremony on the  Friday at Commune di Arezzo followed by a ‘traditional’ wedding ceremony and reception on the Saturday at Il Borro, both in northeast Tuscany, Italy

Please click this link to view Part 2

Their beautiful was captured by Patrick from Butler Madden Weddings
Also featured in Before the big day



Top 5 reasons for a destination wedding



Wedding in Rome



Not that you need 5 reasons to have a destination wedding in Italy but we thought we would post this anyway...

1) You Actually Spend Time With Your Guests - At a destination wedding, your guests typically stay a day or two, so there is more opportunity to interact and spend time with them compared to a standard 5-hour wedding at home.

 2) Cost - Destination weddings are not as expensive as you might think. In fact, most destination weddings are considerably less expensive than traditional weddings (assuming you are not paying for travel for your entire guest list). You should also keep in mind even if it compairs to the costs of a wedding at home you get so much more for your money hosting your wedding in Italy!

 3) Every Wedding Requires Travel Now - When was the last time you went to a wedding and nobody had to travel?  No matter where you hold your wedding, over half the guests would have to travel somewhere. So why not have everyone travel to Italy? The location for your wedding shouldn't just be where it's convenient, it should be where you want to get married.

  4) You Like To Travel - If you are a person that wants to see the world, travel and experiance other coltures why not make it a part of your wedding? Few things in this world could be more romantic than a destination wedding in Italy. The country's natural beauty, rich cultural history, and fantastic food lend itself perfectly to a destination wedding.

 5) It Minimizes Tensions - Once you've made the big decision to have a destination wedding, everything else is easy. There's less to fight about with fiancé or parents or future in-laws. Really. I promise.


So, my recommendation to everyone is to have a destination wedding. Take a leap  of faith and be prepared to have the most amazing day of your life!

15 good reasons to get married in Italy

                                          Wedding's in Italy

I read the following list in Joanne Dunn’s wedding photographer’s blog and well could not have put it better so I am borrowing it!


15 good reasons to get married in Italy...
1. Weddings are an institution in Italy and therefore are super organised. Large Italian weddings are notorious all over the world (they take their traditions with them where ever they go). So everybody from wedding planners, venues, hairdressers and florists work a lot. Practise makes perfect and so it’s safe to say Italy offers some of the world’s finest wedding service providers.






2. Italy is seriously beautiful from Lake Como (where George Clooney lives) to Sardinia and everywhere in between. It seems to have many worlds contained in one, so no matter what your taste; your desires can be satisfied.



3. The food is amazing and is so varied from one neighbouring town to the other. Johnny Depp can be quoted as once saying “it hard to get a bad meal in Italy”.



4. It’s about as romantic as it can get. From the old architecture to the old folks sitting watching on the piazza. Can’t really beat Italy for a little bit of “amore”.



5. If you like fireworks Italy has a long fireworks tradition and just about any venue can organise a fireworks display.



6. The live music which is available is quite astounding even in little towns like Ravello. You can find just about anything imaginable from classic to jazz, from Opera to Hip Hop. Just as Justin Timberlake discovered last summer when he was caught getting down to the tunes of the local Ravello DJ at Villa Cimbrone.



7. Delicious wine and “prosecco”.
 8. Some of the most beautiful cities in the world are in Italy. Cities adored with amazing architecture and art. The streets bustle with life and history. Hours can be spent sipping wine at the café on the piazza.



9. The weather is mild and a delight with most of the rain coming in Autumn and winter. But we do not recommend August because it can get very hot.

10. Venues which are quite sublime, there is with something for everyone.



11. It’s a great people ‘weeder’. The reason so many couples choose destination weddings, is that for the same price of having a big ‘come all’ wedding back home, they can have a smaller wedding with only those they really want at the wedding.
 12. All your guests will be in a holiday spirit and way from their reality. They are therefore far more likely to let down their hair and kick off their shoes. SO not only will you be giving your guests a dream wedding to attend but also a little holiday in the mix.
 13. Italians understand and love, LOVE. The have written, sang and died in the name of love for centuries. They are a passionate and emotional bunch, if you are in love you will feel at home.



14. Italians are warm and very hospitable. They welcome foreigners and pride themselves on being friendly. Doesn’t hurt that the men are shall we say sensitive to a girls need for a little attention.



15. Italians are known for their style and taste. Which will naturally be infused into your wedding and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.