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Your wedding day may be something that you have been thinking about your entire life. With every relationship and celebrity crush, you may have thought what your outfit would look like, where it would take place, and who would be in it. Groomsmen and bridesmaids all changed with the ebb and flow of your friend group, and you may or may not have picked out names for your children. In the end, you have found the one, and you are going to be planning your wedding for real. There are so many places to choose from, but there are certain locations that just scream romance and beauty. One of those places is Lake Como, Italy, and if you are in the business of having your wedding be a destination wedding, here are a few ways you can make your Italian wedding dream come true.
Don’t Expect a Huge Turnout
First and foremost is to know that you are not going to have a wedding so large that you will make the front page of the newspaper. With most destination weddings, the turnout will be smaller because not everyone will be able to make it due to finances, work, and responsibilities. Once you understand that, you can start to plan. Create a save-the-date so that you can alert everyone to your plan, and then people can start to figure out if they can make it or not. The save-the-date should go out one year before you are planning to get married. That is ample time to know who is going to make it and who is not going to make it, then you can send invitations to those who are seriously considering coming. That will save you money that you can use towards other expenses.
Pick the Correct Season
A lot of times, Lake Como is chosen because that specific place offers something during the year that you want as a backdrop to your party. A specific time of year can affect what food is in season so you can have the food menu you have always wanted. The season, of course, affects the weather, so you may want to choose a time where the weather will be what you are looking for, and the season also affects what festivals or events are happening when you choose to book your wedding. Make sure you pick the time of year that will do the most for making your vision come to fruition and also will be the best time for your family and friends to travel.
Choose a Photographer That Is Local
Not only is it cheaper to find a local photographer (mainly because you won’t have to pay for them to travel), but a local photographer also knows the best places to shoot your photos. If you are getting married in Lake Como, Vittore Buzzi wedding photographer is one of the best for knowing how to shoot Lake Como and at what time of day is the best for light. If you know one year in advance that you are going to be married at this location, then you will want to book your photographer then. Life changes fast, so if something comes up and you have to find another photographer, you will have time to find a backup in case you need one.
Visit Your Destination First
Yes, Lake Como is gorgeous all year long, but it is worth it for you to travel there first to make sure it is exactly what you want. You may want to get married there because so many people talk about how great it is, but if you go there and see it for yourself, you will get a better understanding of what your wedding will look like and how you can make it work. A trip there also allows you to check out the local accommodations so that you are not sending your guests into a bad situation. Your first hand experience will answer a lot of the questions you may have and will help you plan everything flawlessly.
Help Your Guests Turn This Into a Vacation
Since your guests will be traveling to attend your wedding, help them make a vacation out of it. Some of your family and friends may be using saved up vacation time to attend your nuptials, so let them use their time effectively. While at Lake Como, there are several things for your guests to do. If you are staying in the city of Como itself, there are great restaurants to see as well as some of the greatest sunsets in the world. In other towns around the lake there are museums of great art that have been found from excavations of the area. There are also small villages to walk through of narrow alleyways and stairs. Inform your guests that they may want to look into renting a car so that they can freely travel from town to town taking in the culture and the food. They will have to fly into Milan, so renting a car will give them the freedom to explore as they see fit.
Have Fun
Weddings can be stressful, but take a moment to soak it all in and have fun. Remember, you are going to be in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Take your time and enjoy one of the most poignant days of your life. One of the reasons to have a destination wedding is to take a lot of the stress off of having to do a lot for a lot of people. Instead, you get to bring the closest people in your life to a magical place. Take in the history, take in the art, and take in the grand splendor of the lake and the surrounding towns that are so charming and will give you memories that will last a lifetime. If you need to hire an Italian wedding planner to make it more enjoyable, then go ahead and do it.