Picture this.
You’re standing in the garden of a 15th-century villa, high above the rooftops of Florence. Cypress trees sway softly in the breeze. The sky is that perfect pastel blue you can’t describe — only feel. And the bride? She’s walking down the aisle to the Star Wars theme song, in a lace mermaid gown, grinning like she knows she’s won the lottery.
Because in a way… she has.
And here’s the thing no one wants to admit:
Most weddings back home? They’re bloated, chaotic, and weirdly impersonal.
Everyone’s stressed. Someone’s always mad about the seating chart. The couple barely remembers the day because it flies by in a blur of vendor schedules, speeches, and trying to make sure Aunt Carol isn’t sitting next to that one cousin she hates.
Now compare that to making fresh pasta in Tuscany with your family the night before your ceremony. Or sipping chianti with your best friends while the sun sets behind rolling hills. Or dancing under a thousand string lights in a garden older than your hometown.
It’s no wonder more and more Americans are saying: Let’s just go to Italy.
Last year, over 15,000 foreign couples tied the knot in Italy — and nearly a third were American. That’s not a trend. That’s a movement.
And it’s not just celebs like Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez renting palazzos in Venice. It’s couples like James and Samantha from New York, who ditched the typical wedding circus for a three-day celebration in Florence with 40 of their closest people.
They didn’t want a show. They wanted an experience.
And that’s the keyword here: experience.
Here’s a stat that'll make you blink:
A hometown wedding in the U.S. averages $32,000.
A destination wedding in Italy? The average is €61,500 (about $70,600) — but with way fewer guests, and often spread over multiple days.
So yes, it’s more. But the value? Off the charts.
You’re not just throwing a party.
You’re creating a once-in-a-lifetime memory — for you and your guests.
One guest at the Atkinsons’ wedding tacked on trips to Venice and Cinque Terre. Another almost skipped it because of work… then showed up and literally said he thought his U.S. wedding was the best — until that moment.
Now he’s begging his daughters to get married in Italy.
Think about it. You send out invites that say “We’re getting married in Positano.”
Guess what happens?
Everyone says yes. Nobody cancels.
They’re not just attending your wedding.
They’re checking a dream trip off their bucket list.
That’s not pressure. That’s leverage.
As Marcy Blum — one of Manhattan’s top luxury planners — puts it:
“The reason Italy is so popular is because that’s where your guests want to go.”
And between the weather, the food (pasta > rubber chicken), the wine, the views, and the vibe… who could blame them?
Here’s what most couples won’t say out loud:
They don’t want their wedding to feel like a production.
They want it to mean something.
Italy is where that happens.
Because everything there — from the wine to the architecture to the conversations around long dinner tables — slows you down, pulls you in, and makes you feel more human.
And when it’s time to say your vows, you’re not standing under a rented arch in a hotel ballroom.
You’re surrounded by lemon trees. By family. By joy.
And suddenly, it’s not just a wedding.
It’s a story your grandkids will tell.
Welcome!
