So you’re decided to get married in Tuscany, as a wedding planner here are some useful tips for creating a stress free enjoyable wedding.

Top 10 tips for Tuscan Weddings

1. If you don’t speak Italian, don’t expect that all the suppliers will speak English and reply to you quickly in relaxed Italy “Domani” (tomorrow) is a well known delay tactic and you could also find that you’re paying over the odds for services. Find a good wedding planner, they are worth their weight in gold, not only will they do all the legwork for you, get you the best deals and save you money, you’ll be free to enjoy your day a whole lot more and spend time with your guests without worrying where suppliers are.

2.  Check what documents you need and when you need to get them by, a good wedding planner will advise you about this, if you don’t have the right documents then sadly you won’t be able to get married. if you don’t have a wedding planner who can collect documents for you, then be prepared to come out early to get them, you’re papers need to be in order for the Verbal Declaration which generally takes place at least 2 days before the actual wedding day.

3. Decide on your wedding date, generally in Italy civil marriages can not be booked for the following year until the end of the current year when the town hall opens it’s diary. for popular locations make sure that you have a 1st/2nd/3rd choice for times just in case your first choice has already been snapped up. If neither of you speaks Italian you’ll need an official interpreter for the wedding ceremony.

4. As soon as your wedding date has been confirmed, send out your “save the date cards” this will give your guests lots of time to save up and plan their trip.

5. Think about your location, if you haven’t been to Tuscany before then you need to think about what place best sums you both up, countryside, small hilltop town, coastal, famous city, castle, villa, farm holiday, wine resort or hotel. Big or small there is something for everyone, and booking early could save you money. If you’re unable to visit the area before your big day, and you don’t have a wedding planner check out Trip Advisor for previous guests comments on the venue that you have chosen.

6. Consider alternative accommodation suggestions for your guests if you have chosen an expensive venue, that way they will feel happier about making the journey to share your special day.

7. Consider setting up a website for your wedding including lots of helpful information about your destination wedding venue, flights, transfers, things to do to help your guests make the most of their time here. If you have a wedding planner they will help you with this information.

8. Do think about perhaps incorporating some of the local traditions into your wedding day, give your guests a “bombonieri” a small gift with sugared almonds, a bottle of wine or olive oil as a keepsake for your guests.

9. Although we do generally have lots of sunshine, do have a back up plan in case of rain a venue with an inside option is always a good idea as marquees are expensive. If you are thinking of getting married in July think about having a late wedding to avoid the scorching heat during the day.

10. Attention to detail, create mood boards for your wedding/wedding theme it will help you get your ideas together of how you see your day and as you want your wedding to stand out don’t scrimp on things like flowers, flowers put the finishing touches to the wedding and your guests will remember them.