DESTINATION wedding in italy with a non religious fun CELEBRANT ceremony!
Stunning WEDDING ABROAD in Lake Como, Italy with a CEREMONY BY A UK Celebrant -
Photos by Juanlu Rojano
When I first started as a celebrant, I decided to manifest an abroad wedding, something I was desperate to do, but didn’t know if it was realistic or not.
At the end of September, a year an a half after putting it out into the world, I had a DM from an amazing fellow wedding supplier (who, I’ll admit, I have a huge girl crush on) explaining she was having a wedding abroad in Italy in less than a month, and the only thing she wasn’t happy with was her ceremony. She didn’t want religion, but she was struggling to connect with any officials out there, from a bit of a language barrier to the general less personal feel for it.
Having worked with her on one of my first ever weddings, Sammy had thought of me, and asked whether I would have any interest in being flown out to Lake Como, Italy, to write their personal, funny and very romantic wedding ceremony, and perform it infront of all of their friends and family on the lake
She had me at Lake Como.
It was a quick turnaround, but as with any other wedding I got to know her and Matteo through questionnaires and a meeting over Prosecco (naturally!), and came up with a wedding ceremony that had some gorgeous personal touches, but was centered more around their love and romance, with a real traditional feel to it. Naturally, with me at the helm, it of course included a shot of Limoncello at the end, because when life hands you lemons, you just gotta say “Screw the lemons, bring on the limoncello instead’
The wedding was at the breathtaking Villa Regina Teodolinda, where we had the ceremony on the lawn by the lake, and dinner was served outside on the level above, with the villa as a backdrop, looking out onto the Lake. It was simply perfect.
Sammy and Mateo chose the venue because it was Sammy’s ultimate dream villa (which she had to convince Matteo was definitely in their budget… it wasn’t!) , and it was in a town close by to a lot of Matteo’s family, and where he grew up. And oh my goodness, the grandeur, the beauty, the utter charm.
The dress code for the wedding was glam, tuxes and cocktails dresses, and people delivered. I got involved and treated myself to a fancy new floor length velvet dress, and I felt like a million dollars stood by the lake with my prossecco
Matteo had his own Groom’s entrance to the Bond theme tune, as with him and his groomsmen looking as dapper as they did…why would they not?!
Sammy.. what can I say, looked like a Hollywood Star - a GODDESS, an absoloute dream boat.
During the ceremony, there was also a surprise reading in Italian that Matteo had no idea about, from his oldest childhood friend, and it was such a special moment. Whilst the rest of the wedding was in English, it was gorgeous to be able to have a nod to his Italian family
After the ceremony, guests showered Sammy and Matteo with white rose petals, as they walked down the stairs to board a boat, which took them off for photos across the Lake, looking like absolute movie stars. Whilst this was happening, guests were treated to an INCREDIBLE Italian spread of cheeses, meats, fruits… just literally everything you would imagine at an Italian wedding, all whilst being serenaded by the dulcet tones of a guitarist Alan.
Into the evening, there were pyros, a saxophonist, a champagne fountain, lots of dancing (and I imagine lots of drinking - I had unfortunately left for my own Italian adventure by this point)
I was lucky enough to bring my lovely husband along for the ride (thankfully he coached me through driving for the first time on the other side of the road - he handled it extremely well and turns out I’m now a very nifty driver abroad - who knew!) - We then carried on our own little holiday, in our convertible Fiat 500 visiting some more of the Italian Towns along Como, including Menaggio and Bellagio.
We drank a lot of red wine, ate. A lot of Italian food (though they just call it food there) and had the best time
If you’re getting married abroad, but still want a wedding ceremony that is special, meaningful, personal and fun, then why not bring a celebrant with you? The price of flights and accommodation for this Italy trip was actually less than some of my UK weddings coming up, and I am MORE than happy to travel. It means you can get to know the person doing your wedding whilst you're at home, go through the planning process with them, know you have that connection with them, and have the day you imagine and bloody deserve! That way you still get the benefit of having a mate up there with you during the ceremony, knowing and trusting it is in safe hands.
A lot of the suppliers were brought over from the UK, because the couple knew who they would love to work with, and knew they would have a relationship with everyone to make their dream day a reality - it was the best move.
It was an absolute pleasure to work with all the following suppliers - check them out!
SUPPLIERS
Celebrant - Me - obvs!
BRIDE: SAMMY TAYLOR (Who in herself in an INCREDIBLE photographer)
Photographer @juanlurojano
Wedding venue @villareginateodolinda_lakecomo
Videographer @rixweddings
Second photographer @msanzphotographer
Second videographer @jakeburgessfilms
Florist @michelecastelnuovo_flowers
Dress & Skirt @suzanneneville
Jewellery @tillythomaslux
Stationery @papermillcalligraphy
Hair stylist @merita.hair
MUA @noemipescialli.mua
Saxophonist @jamesburwellmusic
Guitarist @alanoliverweddingguitarist
Caterers @sunlake.catering
Co-ordinator @millsburgess_
If you’d like to chat about your destination wedding, and whether it’s something you’d like me to be a part of, please do get in touch - drop me an email at hello@bexthecelebrant.com or drop me a message on my ‘Contact me’ page. I can’t wait to hear your plans
Take a look at some of these STUNNING photos from Juan below!
And check out my reel on Instagram from the day - I make one of these for every wedding, meaning you get some great footage and memories whilst waiting for the official photos and videos - a great way to relive the day and share with others.
Abroad wedding - Destination wedding - Wedding ceremony abroad - Non religious ceremony - Ceremony in English abroad - Celebrant wedding abroad - Italian wedding with UK celebrant
