A sunny, bright day at Lake Garda was the setting for Avril and Des’ Italian Lake Wedding.
Avril dove into a DIY Italian Wedding head first. She researched vendors on her own and contacted them personally to secure all the details she wanted. Language became an issue when she tried to ask for ‘cupcakes’ instead of a wedding cake.
To ensure the legal side would go smoothly, she hired Bonnie Marie to take care of paperwork, translating and interpreting.
I 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)
My all time favorite for Italian wedding gowns is Atellier Aimee’ (pronounced a-tell-yeah em-ay). They have three collections: Precious Princess Glamour, Young Romantic Dreamer, and Sophisticated Chic Elegant. Their idea for young brides is a bold statement: springtime patterns, vivacious colors, sensual fabric. The 10 year anniversary album shows off slendering corsets and fluffy up-dos, plus classic lace and tender pinks. Yummy!
As 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. 
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…
A tribute to some of the faces we see as Wedding Planners in Italy
Forever Love
Comfortable Love
Fatherly Love (courtesy www.jarradlister.com)
Innocent Love (in the Roman Forum)
Breathtaking Love
Passionate Love
Big Love
Ok, the last one isn’t Italy, it’s Sea World in So. California …. but it’s still love 
I couldn’t believe it when I walked into her room – there she was, big as life, one of my all time favorite movie stars!
Tuscany holds endless secrets that visitors and locals alike try to uncover. The harvest season brings up two of them, one of which is the secret behind making an award winning Brunello wine. (the other one we’ll talk about soon, after a good day in the woods 
As grape harvesting ends this week, a visit to the producer of 20% of all Brunello wine was a must. Brunello and Banfi are not just two names – they are Tuscan history, tradition, and a one of a kind success story. In 2010, Brunello is once again chosen as the world’s best red wine at the International Wine Challenge and Banfi carries forward this fine wine tradition with a young and vibrant co-CEO Cristina Mariani-May.
Where does the secret lie: in the hand-picked grapes? in the hybrid barrels? in the innovation inspired by the youthful managers?
Your call. Good excuse to come to Tuscany and find out
Hand pickings
Each barrel yields 16,000 bottles of wine - salute!
If 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.
