I have to say, I love everything about Italy and as a wedding destination it’s one of my absolute favourite locations.
For our first wedding anniversary my husband and I had a romantic trip to the Amalfi Coast and at the time, we both agreed that if had not had our dream wedding in France, we would have definitely chosen to get married in Italy.
At the beginning of June, we were lucky enough to be back in Italy again but this time in Venice. We had a short break courtesy of the Hotel Principe (highly recommended, if you are looking for a great hotel or wedding venue).
In truth, as a wedding location in Italy, I had never given serious consideration to Venice. I have always been allured by the magic of Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and Rome. However, after spending three incredible days wondering around what felt like every square inch of Venice, I have to say I completely fell in love!
For me, as well as choosing a wedding destination that you personally love as a couple, I believe it’s extremely important to choose a location that will charm and entertain your guests and this I believe, Venice will deliver many times over!
As well as being a stunning place in its own right, what I see as an added bonus of Venice is that it’s surrounded by beautiful countryside which is dotted with gorgeous Italian Villas. This gives you the option of having a multi faceted wedding …you can immerse yourself in the culture, history and romance of Venice and then only a short drive away you can have a private wedding reception or additional celebrations in an authentic Italian Villa. We visited Villa Braida which was approximately 20 minutes from Venice… Frederico, the Villa’s owner was fantastic and very passionate about his Villa and the attention to detail of the weddings he plans is second to none.
With a new camera in hand, my husband put his photography to the test and literally snapped, snapped, snapped away, capturing our three days in Venice…keep scrolling to enjoy a little of our trip…but don’t worry, I won’t subject to all 250 photographs…but I will try and give you a little flavour of what Venice has to offer!
We took a very affordable flight with Ryanair from London Stansted to Venice Treviso. Alessandro, the lovely owner of Principe Hotel had organised a transfer for us from the airport, the journey took approximately 30 minutes. You can also fly into Venice’s main airport which is closer to the city. The option of having two airports in Venice makes it cost effective for wedding guests and transportation from both airports is easy to arrange.
Once we arrived at the Hotel, we were completely blown away by the view of the Grand Canal that we had from our room, it was quite magical. The following morning, it was lovely being woken by the sounds of the Canal and watching people take their daily commutes to work via the water.
For us, one of our favourite experiences when travelling is the food. Having grown up with an Italian grandmother, Simon in particular loves the freshness and flavours of Italian cooking. Our first day was spent exploring whilst on the hunt for fabulous food! We literally spent 3 hours after lunch looking for an Italian Gelateria which was recommended as one of the best in Venice… my feet were incredibly sore but it was well worth the trek!
On our first evening, we dined in the hotel’s restaurant, Ristorante Il Principe. We chose the seafood degustation menu… the food was fantastic and the particular highlight was the Squid Link Lobster Linguine, it was absolutely divine! The service was impeccable and the view was stunning, it was very romantic with a live singer playing on the terrace whilst we ate. Without any bias, we both agreed it would be fantastic spot for a wedding reception or drinks. The hotel also has a beautiful reception room where they host approximately 50 weddings per year.
On our second day, we travelled to Villa Braida. It’s an incredibly popular wedding venue for Italian couples and would be an equally fantastic venue if you’re looking to get married abroad in Italy! Here you have the option of having your reception indoor or outdoor… or a combination of both. I loved the idea of their garden weddings but if you were caught out by the rain, the two reception rooms inside the Villa were both beautiful. There is plenty of accommodation here, so you can have a party that goes into the wee hours and your guests can literally stumble back to their rooms perfect in my view!
In the afternoon we took a boat over to the island of Murano…famous for its glass. We wondered leisurely in and out of lots of beautiful glass shops and we had our eye on a few lovely piece…unfortunately they were a little out of our price range and our purchase for the day was two toy mermaids for our little daughter…plastic not glass! I figured mermaids may swim in the Venetian canals…so an appropriate souvenir(!)…and these had been on her toy list for quite some time, so she was overjoyed when we returned home!
On our final day, we put on our walking shoes yet again (in fact, I wish I had taken better walking shoes…) and found the most gorgeous little streets and squares, this is what really captivates me, I could spend hours wondering around hidden alleyways, imagining what it would be like to be a local.
We then headed for the fruit and vegetable market (always a must for us!) and whilst buying some local produce to sample, we chanced upon a bride who was making her way to her wedding ceremony. The bride was treated like a celebrity with cameras being snapped left, right and centre…myself, being one of the main culprits, I did feel a bit like the paparazzi! The bride was getting into the most beautiful gondola with her father and it looked like the most magical start to a wedding day.
As you may be able to see by the photos below, I think I need a bit more practice before the magazines start buying my photographs!
As well as stopping by the famous St Marks Square again, we visited the Accademia the main art gallery in Venice. And of course no trip to Venice would be complete without a romantic Gondola ride!
So my final thought…if you’re thinking of Venice as your wedding destination, I think you’ll love it!
Christina and Avedis travelled from Los Angeles to share their wedding day with family and friends in the Armenian San Lazzaro degli Armeni monastery and gardens, Venice.
Their fabulous cinematic trailer which was shot by Venice based wedding photographer and videographer – AV Photography, is full of love and laughter and not only showcases the magic of this romantic location, but also highlights the importance of friendship and family values.
Videography by: AV Photography
If you would like further information in respect of the wedding services provided by Hotel Principe or Villa Braida, simply click on the relevant name below.
Find more information and inspiration on destination weddings in Italy
