SPRING IS ON THE HORIZON and as anyone in the wedding industry will have noticed, the wedding season is well and truly on its way. Here in Italy, this is when there are lots of fairs going on, each city hosting their own fiera per gli sposi. I’ve been doing my best to get to as many as possible, and must say that this year, crisis or no crisis, the fairs were packed.

Germaine Stafford
EDITOR

WELCOME to
– Dream Italian Weddings! –

SPRING IS ON THE HORIZON and as anyone in the wedding industry will have noticed, the wedding season is well and truly on its way. Here in Italy, this is when there are lots of fairs going on, each city hosting their own fiera per gli sposi. I’ve been doing my best to get to as many as possible, and must say that this year, crisis or no crisis, the fairs were packed. On my rounds, I’ve seen some incredible wedding dresses: white (of course), red, pink, blue, lilac and even black! The black one was truly stunning and I could absolutely see why a brave bride might choose it. But on the whole, it looks like 2009 is going to be a sparkling year for brides, with many dresses embroidered and enriched with crystals, sequins, glass and even tiny mirrors. Lines are long and very sensual and it looks like backless is back this year too. Bows abound, but they are sophisticated and perfectly positioned for a classy, romantic effect. And it was great to see some short dresses too, some flapper style, others boasting an eye-catching asymmetric cut, for brides looking for a less formal way to dress up for their big day.

And then of course there were suits galore for grooms, and lots of accessories, from shoes and ties to buttonholes and cufflinks. There was no lack of ideas for wedding lists either, or for wedding favours, rings, honeymoon destinations, or house decorating. I also enjoyed picking up some etiquette tips: how to choose flowers suitable for your particular church and how it is good manners to leave the flowers afterwards as an offering; when during the service your organist should play and your soloist sing; and how rice should be thrown outside of the church and only with the priest’s consent. Small touches that respect local customs and help your day run smoothly.

Talking of wedding days running smoothly, this month we talk to four Love&Lord wedding planners whose working life revolves around achieving just that. While brides and grooms are fretting about getting their lines right at the altar, what are wedding planners worrying about? Read our feature and find out, after which you’ll probably have a newfound admiration for planners, and rightly so! Then we head down to the pretty town of Santa Maria di Castellabate where Amore Wedding’s Lisa Crotti helps one couple organise not only their wedding day, but the holiday of a lifetime.

For brides approaching their big day with a few pounds still to shed, don’t miss our Ask The Experts feature where Janey Holliday of Fit for a Princess offers some fabulous last minute tips for getting into shape, and into the dress! Janey runs a series of popular bridal bootcamps across London – so she’s seen lots of anxious brides on their quest to de-stress and lose weight before their wedding day. And while she works participants hard, it’s encouraging to see she is adamant that her clients eat properly and enough. And don’t worry if you’re not in the London area as Janey’s website has lots of tips and ideas for those further afield too.

And along with our regular features like Fashion, Weddings Gifts and Honeymoon Hotels, this month, in conjunction with London's La Dolce Vita Event, where you can visit their great Weddings Pavillion, we are offering two standard tickets for £19, saving you £9. Simply enter the code DIW01 when you book your tickets on www.ladolcevitaevent.co.uk or when you call 08712305589. And if you want to have a look at some of our Dream Italian Wedding back issues, don't forget you'll find them all at italymag.co.uk

A presto

• Making the most of 'the dress'
• That's Amore
• The Dream Team
• From wish to reality
• Gourmet honeymoon hotels
• Once upon a time...
• A Sense of Place
• MatriMovie
• Ask the Expert
• Kitchen Confidential
• A Sense of Place