A Fairy Tale Wedding Is Not a Cliché: Destination Wedding

Barely back from China, we had two weeks to pack for our trip to Florence for our niece Ashley Lund’s wedding to Nick Jacob. Although we didn’t coordinate our travel, we found 16 of our relatives on our flight to Rome. We accidentally ran into friends and relatives every single day of our trip including the time we were in Cinque Terre. Which really is the joy of a destination wedding–sharing family time in a phenomenal location. We were able to rent an Airbnb between the Duomo and the train station with our nephew Ryan and his wife Liberty.

Supremely romantic, Ashley’s wedding was at Castello de Vincigliata, a castle from the 11th century, right outside of Florence. Destination weddings are usually smaller for obvious reasons, and there were 60 attendees which made for an intimate occasion with a 5-course meal in the elegant courtyard. Our favorite was the gnocchi with truffle shavings. The cake was created right before our eyes. The table setting was personalized and stylish.

Interview with Ashley

For those of you are interested in an Italian destination wedding, the following interview is quite enlightening.

Penny: How did you choose a destination wedding and how did you choose Florence?
Ashley: Both of us have always loved Italy. We were torn, since both of our families live in California, but Nick pushed us towards the choice of having a destination wedding. Nick went to school in Italy and his grandfather’s side is Italian, so he felt even more attached to the country. Since we lived and worked in Amsterdam, it was easy to travel to Florence.  Italy is also one of my favorite countries and what American bride wouldn’t dream of getting married there!? We chose Florence for it’s beauty, romance and accessibility. Tuscany is one of our favorite regions in Italy. We both love the people, wine and scenery. We knew it would make the perfect landscape for a romantic wedding. Having an airport close by made it that much easier for our guests.

Penny: What drew you to Castello de Vincigliata?
Ashley: Vincigliata was actually the first venue we saw with our wedding planner. We were both hesitant that we might not be far enough out of the city to embrace the Tuscan countryside, but when we saw it, our hearts stopped. It was perfection. Don’t get me wrong, every one of the 5 locations we saw were all stunning, but the castle itself was gorgeous without even being decorated. It was over 1,000 years old and had a special history. I also knew that not only I loved it, but also our guests would love it, and we wanted it to be a magical experience for them as well. The staff was so accommodating, and we were even able to provide guests with wine from their own vineyards, which we loved. The location was very closely located to the city center, which meant guests could stay wherever they liked and still have the convenience of visiting the sites in the city.

Penny: How does pricing work in Italy vs. the United States?
Ashley: I was very surprised to learn that pricing was much more affordable than I thought. You would think that if you wanted to get married in a castle in Italy, you would have to pay a million dollars, but it was actually more inexpensive than the wineries we were looking at in California. We worked closely with our wedding planner ahead of time creating a budget. She only showed us venues and vendors who would be able to fit into that budget. Certain things were more affordable than the U.S., such as the photographer, the wedding planner and the flowers. But it really helped that our wedding planner was a local Florentine, and she found us an authentic Italian crew for everything. Europeans, in general, spend much less money on a wedding than Americans, so prices tend to be lower. You have to be careful though because their knowing that you are an American, they can quickly raise the price on everything! Having someone mediate, really helps. Also with destination weddings, they tend to be smaller, so that really helps fit into your budget. But you do have to be reminded, that your guests will be incurring huge costs to travel there.

Ashley and her father

Penny: Was there any behind the scenes drama?
Ashley: From the planning, to the day of festivities, we really had a pretty smooth experience. Although, we definitely had some added stress being an overseas wedding, both on us and our guests. We weren’t able to include everyone in the planning process and I know that was hard for both of us. Some people were not able to make it, which was tough as well, but ultimately, you can’t please everyone. There were also a few moments we struggled with some of our vendors. Not everyone was used to working with Americans, so the communication was not always clear. But overall the process was relatively smooth. You hear everyone say that planning a wedding is so stressful, but we really didn’t feel like that. The great thing about getting married overseas is that everything has to be planned and done ahead of time. We didn’t have as many choices as well, so it actually eliminated a lot of issues. Also, having a man who helps partake in every decision and gladly managed talking to our vendors, really helps for a bride!

Penny: What were the highlights?
Ashley: The most amazing part of the experience was being able to have all of our family and friends together in a foreign country. We were able to spend genuine time catching up with our guests since it was not just a one day event. Everyone had traveled from so far, and we were able to plan a few activities to see people. Seeing our guests’ faces the night of the wedding was the best. I remember looking around the room and every single person was smiling. We really wanted to give everyone the best experience possible since they had traveled so far. Ensuring their happiness was the best gift.

Penny: I know you work in fashion, and you have worked for Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, Pacsun and All Saints. Your wedding dress was stunning. Would you share some of the details?
Ashley: The designer was Martina Liana, an Australian designer. I chose an all over lace fabric with a slight fit and flare bodice. I loved the romantic look of the fit and the fabric. I really wanted an off the shoulder detail, so I bought lace and had the small shoulders straps sewn on. The sheer lace on the back with the buttons clasps was my favorite detail. It brought an updated feel to a classic dress.