Affordable DIY Wedding in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna Region.
Costs is one of the most popular and hotly debated topics in our closed facebook group. With this in mind, we have created a section where couples planning their wedding abroad can see the real destination wedding cost breakdown from real couples.
F & A – Forli & Meldola, Italy
UK couple F & A wanted a relaxed, country wedding that felt more like an amazing party, and with family ties in Northern Italy, Emilia-Romagna felt like the perfect choice for their wedding abroad. Their civil ceremony was held in Forli Town Hall followed by a reception at La Nuova Brocca Villa Restaurant Meldola.
Pearls of Wisdom: In Italy if you stay away from tourist spots it is VERY reasonable and your money goes a lot further. Don’t try and take everything with you. Local florists have flowers that are true to the region and season which gives a more authentic experience. Let the location do the work. We paid very little for decorations because the restaurant had panoramic views of the countryside – all of our guests were wowed!
Wedding Cost: £4,500
Details
Location: Forli & Meldola Italy
Date: 11 August 2018
Number of Guests: 98 including 19 children
Ceremony Venue: Forli Town Hall (Legal Civil Ceremony)
Reception Venue: La Nuova Broca Villa Restaurant, Mendola. The venue is sooo beautiful and a Pinterest dream that I only added flowers as decoration.
Number of Days at Wedding Location Prior to Wedding: 5
Number of Days at Wedding Location: 1
Pre Wedding Activities: Guest met at a nearby public swimming pool for drinks, sunbathing and to meet each other. Evening meal for groom’s party.
Post Wedding Activities: Sunday Recovery BBQ at family house nearby & Monday wine tasting at a local vineyard €8 per person with bread, cheese and meat.
Planning Method: DIY – Self Planned, booked all suppliers direct
Located in the heart of Romagna, between the sea and the Apennines, La Nuova Broca sits on top of a hill with beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. Our 7 course meal included free flowing wine, beer, prosecco and aperol spritz, grappa and limoncello. The venue has a secret garden, rustic selfie booth, hay bails for guests to relax on, a small play area for the children to play and a 1000 year old tree that a heart is added to with the names of the newly weds to remain there forever.
Budget Breakdown
Ceremony Venue: €70 (Euro)
Wedding Paperwork & Legal Fees: £160
Reception Venue Rental: £3500: €55 (Euro) per adult and €15 (Euro) per child
Catering: Included in venue rental
Beverages: Included in catering
Wedding Cake: Included in catering
Photography: £250
Wedding Flowers Bridal Party: €80 (Euro)
Wedding Flowers Ceremony & Reception Venue: €100 (Euro)
Décor & Event Rentals: €250 – Fireworks (Euro)
Wedding Band: €800 (Euro) I found an incredible jazz/funk quartet called Nalis. They played as we arrived and had the apperitivo, we had a playlist for the meal and then after the meal until 2.30am
Wedding DJ: Playlist included by the Band
Transportation (Wedding Couple): €50 (Euro) rented a classic fiat 500 from a local man
Transportation (Wedding Guests): €300 (Euro) taxis home
Wedding Stationery: £15 paperless post
Post Wedding Activities: £250
Transport & Accommodation
Flights: £250
Accommodation: Free – family home
Additional Information
Did you manage to stick to your budget? No
Did you spend more or less than you thought? More
Would you recommend your method of planning? Yes
What were you not willing to compromise on? Music & Venue
Honeymoon & Home Party
Honeymoon Location: Budapest
Cost of Honeymoon: £500
Did you have a Home Party: No
Above Wedding Photography: by Wedding Guest
Understanding wedding abroad costs in more detail
Get a better insight into what it costs to get married abroad and how to breakdown your budget.
Watch the conversation I had with Destination Wedding Planner Nadia Wood from Amulet Events. We look at how as a wedding planner how she approaches the question “what does it cost to get married abroad”, the elements of a wedding abroad that will typically be your biggest spend and the best ways to maximise your budget.
Find out More
See more Real Wedding Budget Breakdowns or use our FREE Destination Wedding Cost Estimator to obtain a ballpark figure of what you can expect your Destination Wedding to cost.
