HAVING BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH to attend lots of Italian weddings, I am constantly blown away by the innate sense of style that characterises these occasions, each one unique and personalised, each specially designed to reflect something of the bride and groom and provide an unforgettable celebration for the guests.

WELCOME to
– Dream Italian Weddings! –

HAVING BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH to attend lots of Italian weddings, I am constantly blown away by the innate sense of style that characterises these occasions, each one unique and personalised, each specially designed to reflect something of the bride and groom and provide an unforgettable celebration for the guests.

I’ve been to exquisite small ceremonies in country churches with more posies of wild flowers than guests, grand celebrations in elegant villas with white liveried waiters and an unending supply of Italian bubbly, and one unforgettable wedding in Naples where, after the Church service, the groom whisked the bride off on his Harley Davidson, a caravan of exuberant guests in their cars tailing them all the way to their hidden town garden which had been transformed into an open air restaurant for dinner under the stars, and where their Dalmatian, Oliver, cut a dashing figure with his red neck sash that matched the bride’s bouquet and the table centres.

There’s no doubt about it: Italians know that it’s often the small details that make the biggest difference – a few dramatic splashes of colour, a well dressed Dalmatian, an unusual ‘soundtrack’ to the big day... and they certainly know how to think out of the box, using lemons, sunflowers, apples, coffee beans and even chilli peppers as table decorations or as part of the bride’s bouquet. As long as the idea is compatible with the overall theme of the day, it seems like the most natural thing in the world. There’s no reason you can’t do the same thing, remembering that the more these features reflect your gorgeous Italian destination, the better! Or how about inventing a special signature cocktail for your big day along with your fiancé, treating guests to a real ‘first’. Place cards and menu cards are also easy to personalise – you could hand write them or even rope some children in the family into helping you decorate them. Ribbon and swathes of fabric are also a great way to brighten up anything from wine glasses to food stations and the backs of chairs. And the million and one things you can do with flower petals... Really, there’s no excuse for not making your big day absolutely unique.

This month, to help jump-start your creativity, Love & Lord planner Lucy Foord has come up with some pointers on how to make little details work for you on your big day, and ensure that your wedding is as individual as possible. We also feature the wedding of rugby player Paul Gustard to his fiancée Nina Rennie in the small seaside town of Maratea, where the bride organised their beautiful ecofriendly wedding, complete with arrival to the venue in a rowing boat! Then wedding planner Marion Hunter gives some fabulous advice on how to beat the credit crunch while planning your dream wedding in Italy, suggesting some clever ways on how to cut corners without sacrificing any of the day’s panache.

Bonnie Bates tells the story of couple Andrea and Maria who met at the Millennium Jubilee and tied the knot last year in the beautiful baroque city of Lecce in Puglia, and for brides wondering about the choices available for wedding stationery, our Ask the Experts feature with Arianna Gnutti of Pineider offers some valuable tips on invitation etiquette and protocol. And of course we also have our regular Honeymoon Hotels feature with some suggestions for elegant destinations offering couples a variety of activities, our Wedding Fashion feature, this month with fashion house Atelier Aimée whose gorgeous models combine elegance, modernity and a judicious use of colour, and our Wedding Gifts spread featuring some irresistible offers from Italian designers Alessi.

And don’t forget to tell us about your own dream Italian wedding – who knows, maybe you’ll end up as our cover girl! – and if you want to have a look at some back issues, you’ll find them all at www.italymag.co.uk

A presto

• Atelier aimée
• A Maratea marriage made in heaven
• Joined by the jubilee
• The art of detail
• Active honeymoon hotels
• Fighting the credit crunch
• A Sense of Place
• Ask the Experts
• Alessi Style...
• A Sense of Place