{"id":20208,"date":"2023-11-26T18:01:55","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T15:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wowitaly-weddings.com\/moya-bolshaya-italyanskaya-svadba-podgotovka-i-organizaciya\/"},"modified":"2025-03-22T06:22:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T03:22:28","slug":"moya-bolshaya-italyanskaya-svadba-podgotovka-i-organizaciya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wowitaly-weddings.com\/en\/moya-bolshaya-italyanskaya-svadba-podgotovka-i-organizaciya\/","title":{"rendered":"My Big Italian Wedding: Preparation and Organization"},"content":{"rendered":"

We got married on September 23, 2016. On that day, our friends Lesha and Olya were joyfully dancing at our Italian wedding and hadn\u2019t even planned on becoming parents. By August 23, 2017, they were already taking care of their adorable two\u2010month-old daughter Sofia, while we had just gone to collect our wedding photos \u2013 almost a year after the celebration\u2026 That\u2019s how things work in Sicily; here they don\u2019t like to rush or stress over deadlines (southern mentality, why hurry on a paradise island?).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\u0418\u0442\u0430\u043b\u044c\u044f\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f
\nI was heading to meet the photographers, fuming and ready to scold them in rubles<\/del> euros for missing every possible deadline. But when I saw the results, I burst into tears. The photos turned out to be wonderful!<\/strong> So emotional\u2026 Every time I look at them, I mentally return to that endlessly happy September day when Ludovico and I became husband and wife before God and people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Article Contents:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. An Italian-Style Proposal<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Welcome to Sicily! Or How Many People Should Be at a “Proper” Italian Wedding<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  3. The Easiest Question \u2013 Who Will Handle the Organization<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Our Ideal Wedding Venue<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  5. The Design Concept of Our Italian Wedding<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Italy \u2013 It\u2019s Not a Country, It\u2019s a Song<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Dress Code at an Italian Wedding<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Challenges<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  9. The \u201cAmazing Hands\u201d Crew<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The article features photos from the wedding of the agency founder Marina and her husband Ludovico. <\/span><\/strong>
    \n\u00a0<\/p>\n

    <\/a>1. An Italian-Style Proposal<\/span><\/h2>\n

    \"\u041f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u043b\u043e\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435
    \nBut in the beginning was the word. And even a few words in Russian\u2026 \ud83d\ude42 Ludovico proposed to me in the most romantic way\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

    No, it didn\u2019t happen by the sea and not exactly as I had imagined in my rosy dreams, but perhaps that was for the best, because it was unexpected, genuine, and full of intense emotion.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Imagine: the Sicilian town of Noto with its opulent Baroque buildings, a romantic dinner, and then the evening continuing on a hotel balcony. Night, stars, the moon\u2026 Ludovico asks me to pose for a photo against this fairy-tale view, and of course, I gladly agree. I assume a graceful pose, gaze mysteriously at the town\u2026 totally insta-ready \ud83d\ude02 Then Ludovico asks me to turn around. I think, maybe it\u2019s for another stunning shot. And then I hear again: \u201cMarina\u2026 Marina\u2026\u201d. I wonder, what\u2019s wrong this time?? I\u2019m standing beautifully, aren\u2019t I? \ud83d\ude00<\/span><\/p>\n

    I turn, and there is Ludovico on one knee with a ring in his hand, muttering something in a language I don\u2019t understand\u2026<\/strong> \u201cWhat? What? What? What? What?..\u201d It turned out that Ludovico was trying to say in Russian: \u201cWill you marry me\u2026\u201d (and he had even learned this rather tricky phrase!). Somehow, I heard him asking for my hand in an Italian way \ud83d\ude42 A thrilled \u201cYes!\u201d, a pause with the ring \u2013 but on which hand should I wear it? And just like that, I became officially \u201cfidanzata\u201d (that is, bride in Italian). So, it\u2019s partly a myth that with an Italian you must live in a common-law relationship for years before he finally proposes. True love doesn\u2019t need extra time for \u201ctesting feelings.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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    <\/a>2. Welcome to Sicily! Or, How Many People Should Be at a \u201cProper\u201d Italian Wedding<\/span><\/h2>\n

    \"\"
    \nLudovico proposed to me in August 2015, and a year later we got married. In Italy, it is absolutely normal\u2014and even welcomed\u2014for a year or even longer to pass between the engagement and the wedding. And now you will understand why.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I never wanted a big wedding; I always thought my special day would be intimate, surrounded only by the closest and dearest people. Although\u2026 that\u2019s exactly how it turned out. On my side, there were only 16 people \u2013 my mother, my sister, and friends. <\/span><\/p>\n

    On Ludovico\u2019s side, there were also only close relatives and best friends \u2013 in total\u2026 just\u2026 103 people!!!<\/strong><\/span> An Italian wedding for 100 people is considered very modest. A wedding with 200 guests \u2013 100 from the bride\u2019s side and 100 from the groom\u2019s side \u2013 is the norm. And 40 years ago, it was customary to celebrate the formation of a family with 300\u2013400 guests. For example, at Ludovico\u2019s parents\u2019 wedding, there were 400 guests: a buffet table and Sicilian fast food (rice balls arancini and local focaccia pizza). Simple, yet delicious and fun!<\/span><\/p>\n

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    <\/a>3. The Easiest Question \u2013 Who Will Handle the Organization<\/span><\/h2>\n

    \"\u041e\u0440\u0433\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0437\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f
    \nThe question of who would organize our wedding wasn\u2019t even raised. Ludovico has been part of the organizing team of Sanremo, Italy\u2019s largest music festival, for eight years. And I have been organizing events since school, even making a career out of it by handling both local events and national conferences for several thousand people in different cities of Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Organizing an event for 116 people, who were coming to Sicily from various cities in Italy, Russia, Belgium, Germany, the UAE, arranging accommodation, ensuring transfer, and entertaining them, didn\u2019t seem like an insurmountable task. However, I do not recommend trying to replicate our virtuoso trick by organizing your own wedding if you are not professional organizers: it\u2019s an extremely stressful endeavor that won\u2019t allow you to enjoy every moment of your special day as a couple. Be the bride and groom, celebrate your new status to the fullest, and leave all the organizational details and nuances to a wedding coordinator<\/a> with excellent recommendations.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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    <\/a>4. Our Ideal Wedding Venue<\/span><\/h2>\n

    \"\u0421\u0432\u0430\u0434\u044c\u0431\u0430
    \nWe quickly decided where to hold our grand Italian wedding \u2013 it was hard to imagine a better or more convenient option than     Sicily<\/a>. Hidden among the picturesque Sicilian hills is the tiny village of Pezzolo, where my husband\u2019s parents live during the summer. That was where our wedding ceremony was to take place.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And our ideal venue for the wedding dinner was found by chance: we were out viewing yet another villa devoid of soul and history, and at a traffic light, we noticed an old, worn-out advertisement. Despite its appearance, my intuition told me this was what we were looking for. We called the number on the poster, and within two hours, we were touring Castello San Marco.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Castello San Marco is a hotel housed in a medieval castle, featuring a luxurious park area, a swimming pool, and a private beach. We fell in love with it immediately because it had everything we were looking for \u2013 history, atmosphere, and all the facilities needed to create an unforgettable wedding day<\/strong>, from a magnificent hall for the welcome aperitif to a digestif by the pool and an after-party to the sound of the surf.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Initially, we planned to hold the entire event outdoors, but the unpredictability of autumn weather\u2014even in sunny Sicily\u2014forced us to adjust our plans. In the end, we decided not to take any risks and arranged the banquet on a covered summer terrace that would shield us from potential rain.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    <\/a>5. The Design Concept of Our Italian Wedding<\/span><\/h2>\n

    \"Castello
    \nBy the way, the venue for the wedding dinner set the theme for our wedding. A castle\u2026 A princess descending from the heavens in a balloon\u2026 A prince on a white horse\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

    No, we could no longer indulge in such childish fairy tales in the age of a maturing king and queen<\/span>\ud83d\ude0a. Instead, we fell in love with the \u201cGreat Gatsby\u201d style and the roaring twenties with their chic attire and an atmosphere of unbridled fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

    “Pff\u2026 What\u2019s with Gatsby? That movie hit the screens like 5 years ago. The theme is long outdated!” \u2013 commented my friend (love her \ud83d\ude18).<\/span><\/p>\n

    In conservative Italy, where weddings are traditionally all about eating\u2014and then eating some more\u2014a Great Gatsby-style wedding party was incredibly fresh and interesting.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    I searched for inspiration for the visual concept of our wedding in the treasure trove of the internet \u2013 on Pinterest, and our wow-designer Irina Samoylova helped bring all the ideas to life. Here\u2019s what we achieved.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    \n\u00a0<\/p>\n

    <\/a>6. Italy \u2013 It\u2019s Not a Country, It\u2019s a Song<\/span><\/h2>\n

    The most important thing was that my then-fianc\u00e9 completely supported the idea of a Gatsby-style wedding, something not exactly standard for an Italian wedding. Ludovico immersed himself in the theme with me and helped bring various creative ideas to life.<\/span>
    \nI remember on one of his days off, while we were editing our wedding video, I sat next to him, looked at his focused and beloved face, and thought:<\/span><\/p>\n

    “Thank you, Lord! He is exactly as I envisioned my ideal husband: open, creative, kind, caring \u2013 my support and rock in everything.”<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Yes, yes! You have to \u201cplan\u201d and imagine the man of your dreams, envisioning his looks and the qualities he should possess. \ud83d\ude42<\/span>
    \nAnd what about the video? Our wedding simply couldn\u2019t be without songs that both Italians and Russians love. So we came up with an interesting idea \u2013 to edit a musical video featuring our family and friends.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The unifying song turned out to be “Felicit\u00e0” performed by Al Bano and Romina Power, a hit in both countries. I handed out two lines to each of our Russian guests, while Ludovico made his guests sing the entire song \ud83d\ude42. I remember the uproar afterwards \u2013 “Why do Italians sing by reading off a paper, isn\u2019t this their native language??” By the way, the Russian crowd even expected Italians to sing in Russian. But I couldn\u2019t let that happen\u2026 they would have later reminded me of such an execution.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In the end, Ludovico edited the happiest video ever, which graced our evening, became a delightful gift for us, and a surprise for our guests. Every time we watch it, we return again and again to that happy day when we called each other husband and wife.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n