Florence, Italy (AP) — James Atkinson and Samantha Fortino toured Tuscan vineyards and learned to make pasta and bolognese sauce with family and friends in Florence. Atkinson discovered a preference for Chianti, but Fortino fell to Hugo Splitz in Italy.
Italy has hosted many star-studded weddings over the past decade, but recently Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Venice’s luxury. Away from the spotlight, tens of thousands of ordinary Americans have been aiming at the country for special occasions in recent years.
“A wedding in America can be a little too grand, a little too big, and that’s not really about couples,” said Fortino, 28, a newborn nurse from Skaneartel, New York. “We both really wanted something intimate and meaningful.”
According to a market study by the Florence Tourism Research Center, more than 15,000 foreign couples got married in Italy last year, up 64% from the previous year of the pandemic. Growth was led by US couples, which account for almost a third of that total.
Italy was the top international destination for post-Mexico American couples, according to The Knot, a Maryland-based wedding planning website.
For many Americans, Italy embodies the simple and beautiful romance of a bygone era. The weather is refreshing and the scenery is stunning, from the sea to the mountains. The food is familiar and delights the crowd. But perhaps the biggest driver of recent rise is enough opportunity for a variety of excursions, and along with wedding events, you will be captivated by the exploration of unique and memorable moments that are part of a consumer trend called the “experience economy.”
“In the US, everything is more expensive than one night and I wanted to gain experience, so I stayed here for two nights,” said Atkinson, 31, who owns a specific company. “To us, doing that and traveling with family and loved ones seemed more valuable.”
“No one will cancel”
Guests who had never visited Italy were reluctant to ask about the invitation, took part in a side trip, first to Venice and then to Sinque Tele with their wedding crew. Another Gary Prochina rarely attended due to her work piling up at his paving company. He finally came and put the floor in the venue. The 15th century villa offers a large view of Florence and its famous Duomo.
“I got married in the US and our venue was very kind. Up until this moment we thought we had the best wedding,” said Prochina, 68.
Mercy Blum, a well-known and luxurious event planner based in Manhattan, said almost 90% of the weddings she plans to be in Italy.
“The reason Italy is so popular is that it’s where your guests want to go,” she said. “We’ll send you invitations to get married in Capri or Positano. Everyone will come. Everyone. They want to come. Everyone will cancel.”
Embark Beyond CEO Jack Ezon, a luxury travel and destination event service based in Manhattan, said 60% of his company’s events were outside the US before the pandemic. Today it’s almost 90%, and almost everything is evenly divided between Italy and France.
The tariff threat under President Donald Trump has fueled the wedding of destinations. Eison moved six events from the US to Europe this year. Because people were afraid that tariffs on alcohol would explode the bar bill.
Cost comparison
The transition to destination benefited planners with a network of Italian and local vendors. According to Wedding Italy, the couple’s team that performed Atkinson’s wedding, American clients spend three times as many Italians in their lineup over the next few days with more elaborate wedding decorations and other events.
According to the knot, the average spending at a wedding in my hometown in the US was $32,000 last year. In comparison, foreign weddings in Italy cost an average of 61,500 euros ($70,600) and usually have dozens of guests, the heart of the tourism research of Florence data shows.
In the garden where Atkinsons worshiped, the cypress trees swayed in the wind and glowed in her lace mermaid silhouette gown. She walked down the aisle as the speaker played the Star Wars theme song. Making the groom cry was her sleazy trick and worked like a charm.
Before the exchange of rings, their host said before the lovers threw their arms at each other:
“Traditionally ask: Is there a reason why this couple shouldn’t marry? But we all fly to Italy and can’t get back the points!
Cheers everywhere.
