Weddingbee Blog

In today’s globalized world it is more and more common for couples to be international. I think that having a partner who is from a different country is a great way to expand your horizons and to get to know different cultures. However, there are many drawbacks, like having to choose where to live, what language to raise your kids in, and…where to hold your wedding.

This was the first not so easy planning decision we had to make. I am a half-American/half-Italian living in Germany. He is from Belgium, living in Germany with me. We nixed the idea of having separate receptions in each country and considered each option.

1. Germany

Germany would be the most convenient option, both logistically and for the budget. But dealing with German vendors is very difficult for us because of our limited knowledge of the German language and because they are in general not very flexible. Plus, neither of us is from Germany. We decided this was not the right country for us.

If we had decided to remain in Germany for the wedding, we would have probably gone for the Schloss Gartrop as our venue and with Katja Heil as our photographer. See both in action below and here—so lovely!

Source photo 1 and 3, Source photo 2

2. Belgium

I love Belgium for the chocolate, the French influences on the food and style, and the Dutch influences on the architecture. It would have been fun to incorporate it all into our wedding. On the other hand, I’m not much of a fan of the Belgium wedding style: the food is way too expensive and me speaking neither French nor Flemish would have left all communication up to Mr. Carousel. Um…maybe not!

We did check out some venues and photographers. We were impressed by the Chateau Presseux, which you can see photographed by the talented Kristen Wood.

Source photos 1 and 3, Source photo 2

3. New England (eloping option)

When I saw this wedding on Style Me Pretty, I was floored. I LOVED it, to say the least, and a small part of me wished to have a wedding like that! If we had chosen to elope we would have organized our wedding in New England during the foliage season. I am also pretty sure we would have chosen the Berry Manor Inn. It’s such a lovely, beautiful bed and breakfast, with a staggering amount of positive feedback on Trip Advisor!

In the end, we realized this option would not work for us as we did want to celebrate our marriage with our family and friends. Still, we’ll try to stay at the Berry Manor Inn during our honeymoon!

Source photo 1, Source photos 2 and 3

4. Lake Garda, Italy

We knew Italy would be the best option for our wedding from the start because of the beauty of the area I come from and the quality of food, service, and entertainment. We were holding back on the decision because we were scared of having to plan everything long distance.

But once back in Italy for a visit, we knew we wanted to have our wedding there as soon as we were reminded of just how wonderful Lake Garda really is.

Source photo 1, Source photo 2, Source photo 3

Sigh…What more can someone dream for?

I sometimes question this decision: was it the right one? Doesn’t it put too much pressure on my family? Will our guests be willing to travel all the way to Italy to be with us? What if it rains and we don’t get to see much of the area anyway? Aside from these doubts, I am very happy with our choice and can’t wait to share our wedding with our guests.

Are you in an international relationship as well and trying to decide where to hold your wedding? How did you reach your decision?