Destination weddings or destination weddings are becoming more and more popular every year also for Latvian couples. Newlyweds increasingly want to escape from the stress of organizing a wedding and instead choose beautiful locations around the world, where they say their "I do" words alone or in the circle of their closest people.

This solution is also offered by a tandem - wedding decorators MINTDECO , wedding agency in Italy - Italian Boutique Weddings and photographer MIKS ŠELS , stating that the only things the new couple should put in their suitcases are wedding dresses and rings. The rest will be provided by Italian nature, climate and them.

Europe is becoming increasingly popular as a wedding destination

Telling about how the cooperation with the Italian wedding agency Italian Boutique Weddings , the decorator Iluta Piternika / MintDeco says that there are no coincidences in life. "Santa Vigante, the creator of the agency, has been living in southern Italy - in the Apulia region for many years. Santa has always had an interest in organizing beautiful events.

Our chance encounter led us to the idea of organizing and decorating a wedding in Italy. We combined the research trip with creating photo sessions.

That is why both we and the wedding photographer Miks Šēls are ready to return to Italy to create and capture the wedding," says Iluta Piternika.

Iluta is convinced that the trend of going to European countries to get married will become more and more popular.

When people become interested in organizing a wedding in Latvia, they understand that to do it tastefully, a sufficiently large wedding budget will be needed. "Often, the young couple has to obligatorily invite their relatives to the wedding, whom they would rather not meet at all on their wedding day. But family decency forces them to do so. If there are no assistants in organizing the wedding yet, then at some point the couple decides - we don't want all that jandali, let's go and get married, for example, to Italy as a group of four or with ten of our closest friends. Not only one couple likes this idea, but they do not dare to implement, because they do not know who could help them do it.

Hundreds of questions arise - exactly where to get married, who will make the bride's bouquet, who will decorate the place of the ceremony, how we will communicate with the Italians, since many of them do not speak English, in which places to look for photo sessions, who will photograph our wedding, where the festive dinner could take place, and so on. For these reasons, MintDeco in cooperation with Italian Boutique Weddings has decided to offer such a service - to offer weddings in Italy not only to couples from the Baltic countries, but also to Russian couples," says Iluta about the concept of organizing a wedding in Italy.

For each couple – an individually created program

In addition, the specific region of Italy - Apulia - is becoming more and more popular as a wedding destination. It is also said to be much more financially accessible than, for example, the Tuscan region. And the cheap air traffic between Riga and Bari is also an important aspect.

"So that the couple can really enjoy their wedding in Italy at a leisurely pace, we will offer an individually tailored program:

• finding all wedding locations, including ceremonies and celebrations;
• photo session places;
• decorating;
• making daily plans;
• communication and cooperation with Italian partners,"

explains Iluta. Santa's excellent knowledge of Italian is definitely a big advantage when communicating with local cooperation partners, who really often do not speak English.

Apulia – a region of Italy with its own charm

Santa Vigante / Italian Boutique Weddings says that this is exactly how everything happens in Italy - one acquaintance recommends another.

"In Italy, acquaintances are very important. If you need a DJ, you call that friend, if you need to rent a car, you call another friend.

This is our advantage - I am local and can help with any contacts," says Santa. Also, another no less important advantage for weddings in Italy is definitely the climatic conditions. "If in Latvia we can only dream of wedding tables under strings of lights due to the unstable weather, then in the south of Italy it is everyday life," says Iluta Piternika.

Santa Vigante also agrees with this, stating that although this region of Italy is visited by many tourists, it has managed to retain its charm. “The beauty of this region of Italy lies in its simplicity and understated elegance. That's why people like it here. Here there are no Venetian gold or the elegant villas of Tuscany, but there are well-kept fields of olive trees and white houses with blue-gray windows and doors that you want to return to," said Santa.

The best time for a wedding in Italy – spring and early autumn

Couples from Latvia should consider that a small wedding in Italy should be held in spring or autumn. Italy is very popular as a wedding destination, so there are a lot of weddings there, which means that local service providers are not very interested in small weddings during the busy season.

"In recent years, Latvians have already forgotten about hot summers, so we do not recommend holding a wedding in Italy in July or August, when the air temperature tends to be very high there - it could be tiring for the wedding day," advises Iluta.

Santa Vigante agrees that July and August are indeed the most popular months for weddings in Italy. "It is really very hot here in the summer, and we must admit that from the point of view of prices and availability, July and August will be the most difficult months, especially during the holidays. Consequently,

hotel prices are increased - the peak is around August 15, when all Italians are on holiday. Therefore, the best time I can recommend for couples is spring and early autumn," says Santa Vigante.

Wedding of feelings

Iluta says enjoying Italian food and wine at your wedding is a wonderful experience. "While on a research trip to Italy, I really fell in love with this country. As a wedding organizer and decorator, I am very good at visualizing how a wedding could take place there - completely leisurely, full of pleasure, emphasizing only the essential and not the seemingly mandatory. I could define this type of wedding as a wedding of feelings. The only thing that the new couple would have to put in their suitcases would be wedding dresses and rings. The rest would be provided by the Italian nature and climate, and us," so Iluta Piternika.

PHOTO: MICK SCHEL