Hurray!! Delta and Alitalia announced they are reinstating a non-stop flight between the Leaning Tower and the Big Apple. Six flights a week during summer up to October 28th. Get your tickets now (starting from $995/E840)!
Italian Ideas
-
New York – Pisa: fly direct to your Wedding in Italy
June 30th -
Italian Wedding Confetti Extraordinaire
April 14thI was frantically looking in the thesaurus for a word to describe these …. delightful (too weak) …. gorgeous (not enough) …. amazing (close, but no cigar) Italian Wedding Confetti.
Can you imagine someone – namely Francesca from Dolce Creazioni – hand-decorating each single petite candy-covered almond by hand? Outstanding (still not there …)
P.S. Special thanks to Atelier delle Amiche for posting about Francesca on twitter xxoo
P.S.S. I included a pic of bride and groom cookies because they were too cute :0)
-
If the Choo fits, give it away
April 2nd
You have the gown you’ve been dreaming of since you were a little girl, so don’t stop now:
GET THE SHOES!
If you want to feel better about spending sooooo much on a pair you may only wear once, well then go and clean out your closet and give your gently worn wear-no-more shoes to Sole4Souls and they will make sure someone who needs them, gets them.
If you’d like to spread more of the love, ask your maid of honor to host a shoe drive at your bridal shower and have your girlfriends donate too.
Just think: there are over 300 million children without shoes. So there’s an idea for your baby shower too
http://www.sole4souls.org
http://www.facebook.com/GiveShoes
-
Irresistible Italian strawberries and cream
April 1stI just couldn’t resist. The markets are full of crates upon crates of strawberries. How could I not make some simple vanilla pudding to put my fresh cut and sugared strawberries on? So I made two, one for me and one for my hubby (he should really go on a diet!)
fresh strawberries sprinkled with a little cane sugar, no lemon, no wine
Freshly made pudding
Recipe for the pudding:
Whisk together 2 egg yokes in a bowl. Pour 1/4 sugar, 2 T cornflour, pinch salt into saucepan and stream in 1 cup milk while stirring over medium heat. When mixture thickens pour about 3/4 cup into bowl with yokes, whisk and transfer back into saucepan. Cook for a few more minutes, fold in 1tsp vanilla, let cool then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
-
Father’s Day in Italy celebrating St. Joseph
March 15thMarch 19th is Italian Father’s Day, celebrating the Catholic Saint Joseph as Jesus’ supposed father.
And when Italians celebrate there’s always food involved! Dad’s sweettooth is satisfied with scrumptuous donuts, fried or baked, filled with cream, rolled in sugar.
Mmmm, Mmm, finger-licking good!
Thanks to blog.maremmaonline.it
Thanks to stickygooeycreamychewy.com
Thanks to becuoco.it
-
What to wear to an Italian Wedding (with real Italians)
March 3rdAs a sequel to 5 Style No-no’s, here’s what you ought to be wearing to an Italian Wedding with real Italians:
For the boys it’s easy – always black tie (tuxedo, no tails), three piece suit, or formal two piece suit; no flowery ties or socks, no pin stripes. Suits should be dark blue or gray, no patterns, socks match the color of the suit, black shoes. Elegance for Italian men means initials on his shirt, cuff links and an expensive watch (most married Italian men get a Rolex from the in-laws). Go easy on the rest of the jewelry, if he wears an earring, just a stud. Mandatory black tie should be mentioned in the invitation (in Italian it’s called a ‘tight’) but it may be common knowledge based on the venue. Gala venues are usually in a ‘palazzo’, sometimes a ‘villa’.
(accessories courtesy of Brides of North Texas)
For the girls, weddings are a great excuse to go shopping and buy a new dress – NEVER wear the same dress to two weddings unless they’re held in different countries and no one you know will EVER see the pictures of BOTH!!
If it is a gala dinner, full length evening gowns are a must. If it’s not a gala, women have a much greater selection of outfits to choose from. If the wedding is catholic, shoulders and neckline should be covered in church. Headware is not mandatory nowadays, though some traditionalists will wear a hat or light veil.
Funny as it may seem, pantyhose are not mandatory. Legs should however, be waxed and tanned. Italian women usually wear heels, even when there’s a lot of walking to do and EVEN if it’s on cobblestones (they will go to great lengths for style).
Colors: no black, white or purple. Clutch, no shoulder bags. Lots of tasteful (expensive) jewelry.
-
Spaghetti and meatballs
February 22nd
Somebody twittered me @weddingitaly and asked, “why’d you call your blog spaghetti and meatballs? I thought you did weddings in Italy… ”And I answered the same thing I always do and said, “I bet you think spaghetti and meatballs is Italian, right? Well, it’s not.”
Sometimes it’s hard to explain what it’s like living abroad, but this morning I came across a really cute blog post via Italytutto by a fellow-Californian who lives in Venice. Italy to Los Angeles and Back is an easy read and consolation for expats. Thanks Marie :0)
To get back on topic, spaghetti and meatballs is an attempt to tear down the cliches about Italy and Italians and bring out the truth about what goes on in Italy, how Italians act and think, and anything else readers are interested in finding out about before they visit or get married here. The information on this blog comes from Italy itself, from people who live here (like me), and from real eye-talians.
Now here’s what Italians say about spaghetti and meatballs plus two other tourist menu favorites: caprese and spaghetti with tomato sauce: Continue reading…
-
Say it with flowers for your wedding in Tuscany
January 29thThe best part about planning weddings in Tuscany is seeing how talented people put together a bride’s colors, ideas, and style to create the most wonderful works of art for a magical ceremony and reception setting. And of all the details, the flowers are the most personal and the most awe-inspiring for family and friends who travel so far to be part of the unifying moment. There is nothing as memorable as the bride’s bouquet and there is no other detail that projects her feelings like her flowers, sprinkled like pixie dust throughout every room and at every stage of the celebration. Here are samples of the finest in Tuscany, young and vibrant Francesca from Franci’s Flowers.
-
Green bouquet
December 2ndNow THIS is a green bouquet!
Green Calas for a Bride in Florence
-
3 good reasons to have a New Moon Wedding in Italy
September 13thIf you aren’t a Twilight fan now, you will be after you spend a little time in the Italian town of Montepulciano which was the set for New Moon, the second saga in the series. The sunlit square Edward Cullen walks out into is Piazza Grande and the clock tower in the background is the one on top of the town hall where weddings are held and where bride and groom can climb up to for a Hollywood-style photoshoot.
Without the Hollywood crowds, surprisingly enough. Although a well-known destination for wine-lovers, downtown Montepulciano is never really packed. You and your wedding party can leisurely stroll the streets without having to elbow your way through hoards of tourists, mouths gaping in awe at the beauty of the place.
Piazza Grande panorama by Uwe Buecher c/o 360cities.net
There’s plenty of room for your photoshoot as Piazza Grande is just that: GRANDE! Your photographer will have no trouble dodging strangers who don’t belong in your album. Less editing people out with Photoshop too.
No crowds, great photoshoots, so what’s number 3?
While it’s not the price of the civil ceremony (a whopping 1,000 euros), it is the price of accommodations nearby. Plenty of wonderful stone farmhouses where you can enjoy fine Tuscan food and the local noble wine.
