Guide to a weekend long extravaganza!

photo courtesy Thorsen Photography

Hosting your wedding in Italy allows you to offer your family and friends a fun filled mini holiday! Remember it's no longer just a wedding -- it's a weekend-long extravaganza. Here's a Friday to Sunday guide to keeping guests out of trouble.

Warming Up the Crowd

You have sent out the save-the-date cards, set up a web site, given your guests all of the information to make the trip to Italy as easy as possible for them. Your guests arrive and the party begins!

Cocktails on the Grand Canal in Venice

The Prewedding Party

On the Friday night, a welcome cocktails or a BBQ is a great way to break the ice and your guests to meet each other. If you can make this the Thursday night even better but if time does not allow for that then Friday is fine.

However if your guests are arriving on the Thursday then use the Friday for a intimate immediate family and wedding party members dinner party.

Playtime...

Photo by Alfonso Longobardi

Schedule some extra events... Vespa tours, cooking classes, wine tasting, golf days, spa days to name but a few of the possibilities! Send out the ideas to your guests in advance to get the numbers together for people who are interested in taking part. Usually guests are expected to pay for these outings themselves. Just be sure they know who is financing the escapades before you sign them up.

The big day

Offer your female guests the option of booking a hairdresser; again let them know the costs involved. Normally the person paying for the wedding covers the cost of the hairdresser for the bridesmaids and mothers of the bride and groom.

Photo by Milestone images

Put on transport not just to and from the ceremony to the reception but back to their hotels at the end of the nightif not all of your guests are staying at the venue. It is for this reason you want to try and keep your guests staying in the same hotel.

The post wedding brunch

Brunch on the beach

Every spectacular needs a grand finale, think fireworks and operas! The post wedding brunch is a perfect chance to go over all of the events of the day before, to spend time talking to the guests you did not have a chance to talk to on the big day, relax and before you know it you are saying  good bye as everyone heads home....