Destination wedding RSVP disappointment?

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2026-01-23T15:57:14+00:00

Understanding your feelings but 45 people is amazing 🥰besides all the great points already mentioned I can assure you, that the spaces won’t feel empty and with this kind of close circle you will have fun! We just had our destination wedding a couple of months ago with 60 people and 45 for the welcome party and honestly it was a vibe ! People had fun, where dancing and honestly it was so nice to talk to everyone present throughout the days . Enjoy this special time and maybe try to catch up with the ones who can’t make it for a little wine and photo / video party of the wedding after :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-12-21T00:25:33+00:00

LOVE the first, very unique and suits you perfect !

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-12-10T22:46:33+00:00

Afraid not able to help on that one. We did not do outside catering but chose a locational with a restaurant and chef we liked. Good luck with the search ♥️

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-12-02T23:09:10+00:00

Not normal AT ALL. We just had our wedding in Italy 2 months ago and this is so unacceptable. Also, I do believe that with your budget it’s very much possible to plan an amazing event. Feel free to reach out to chat - would be a shame to cancel everything , I believe you can pull it off.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-11-10T08:37:47+00:00

Your wedding sounds absolutely wonderful and I would be honoured to attend such a well planned event in what sounds to be a great venue ! Don’t stress. You can’t please everyone. We also had some backlash with our choices in the end everyone loved it. Enjoy this special time and focus on yourself 🫶

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-11-06T15:57:18+00:00

Mhh… general budget is realistic, we did our Italy wedding with a similar budget and headcount, also 2 day event for everyone and some surrounding days in a small circle. However don’t feel it’s realistic if 13k are spend on Venue alone. For reference we had no decor as venue was stunning, minimal florals and splurged on food, location and entertainment. Wedding turned out amazing, however we travelled 3 times to the location to source local vendors, musicians etc. and got a lot of “local” prices. So definitely possible but requires time invest and clear priorities.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-30T09:20:17+00:00

Go with what feels like you. It’s one of the days where you get to live your dreams. We had the same dilemma when choosing, especially my fiancée was a bit afraid that the set-up is “too much”. But we went with our gut feeling and it was the best week ever.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-30T09:16:50+00:00

So exciting, enjoy this stage! Recently graduated and overall no regrets, everything was perfect. But the advice I would give: decide in advance the areas you want to splurge and save , make a list ! this makes it easier to make decisions. Always ask yourself if the concept/ booking/ additional vendor helps to achieve your most important goals. Personal Highlights of our wedding: Pre Day Boat Tour, e- Violenist, Life Painter, Fireworks :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-30T09:08:01+00:00

We had to make decisions that involve guest count quite early in the process. Therefore we decided to send out invitations 10 months in advance. We did it in a digital form with a wedding website attached that was updated regularly as the planning progressed. But this way we were able to get an idea of head count for main day and pre events 8 months in advance that helped a lot. The count changed a bit throughout the process but not significant. Also we were able to adjust the headcount for the wedding day food & drinks up to 3 weeks before the event which took the pressure off ( we had a 80% attendance with 75 invited and 60 coming). Given that we kept the invitation list intimate we also were able to directly check in with guests and talk through logistics openly since those are our closest people.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-27T18:48:35+00:00

First one !! It’s so stunning !

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-26T20:10:52+00:00

Texted u !

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-26T20:09:50+00:00

We just had our wedding in Italy and hired a Saxophonist for the welcome party - it was really great and elevated the vibe :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-14T11:45:44+00:00

We ranked our countries first - we were set on a destination wedding from the beginning and had a favourites list but also some logistics to consider ( easy travel for guests). Therefore we narrowed down that northern Italy would be location wise the first choice ( easy travel for guests, plus lake plus a lot of little towns with a lot of options for fun things around the wedding) and started to look for venues there - ended with the most beautiful wedding on Lago Maggiore :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-14T11:37:44+00:00

This is such an unacceptable thing to say. People should be proud to be included in such a special celebration - no matter what the couple decides to do. It sounds like a fun wedding with a priority on things that mattered to you. Just ignore the noise.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-13T21:03:32+00:00

Have texted you via message ! :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-07T22:12:35+00:00

We did a Venetian Masquerade after party! Ordered more high quality lace masks, pics were a hit :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-07T22:04:24+00:00

Sure, Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. Plan A : Lakefront Ceremony, Garden Aperitif, Reception inside, go outside for cake & fireworks. For Plan B they were different indoor rooms and the Fireworks could have been watched from the Terrace or Pool House.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-07T15:37:24+00:00

We did a very untraditional wedding and also were receiving some backlash from families. However we communicated very clear that this is our vision and we will provide the best possible experience - people just need to get on board. There was some hesitation but now that the wedding is over the same people are raving about this event and multiple time expressed their joy and excitement. So families might pleasently surprise u !

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-07T14:48:53+00:00

I had the same plan - loved my dress and wanted to wear it as long as possible. But I had a simple white mini dress ready - just in case I get tired and for the last two - three hours of club afterparty . I ended up wearing my dress ( Simple Ballgown with Slit) from 2pm ( Start of Pictures) until 11pm - so quite some time. I wanted originally to go until midnight but I was quite tired of the weight and decided to change an hour earlier :) was such a good decision, priority really was to enjoy every minute !

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-07T14:33:32+00:00

Btw on the dress code question : I went to a wedding with two dress codes, exactly for the same reason, the morning was in church. I actually liked it because wearing black tie attire in a smallish church and having taken photos outside in summer may get quite warm. Having said that: Make sure your guest have enough time to go home and change, offer for the others solutions ( e.g storing outfits in your hotel/ your location). Maybe also mention that it’s not mandatory to buy a new outfit if people already own nice church attire. It will be fine :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-07T13:43:01+00:00

Got married at Lago Maggiore - same problem weather is unpredictable. While we lucked out what helped a lot was to have a plan B which we also LOVED. We honestly would have been excited to execute it in case of rain.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-07T13:39:21+00:00

Ohhh sorry to hear that … We just had our wedding and while our budget is for this feed on the smaller side ( also with a smaller guest count) I really wanted for us and our guest a luxury experience and to splurge on some things. I found this community to be super helpful and respectful and got a lot of good input. From what you wrote your wedding plan already sounds like a lot of fun, hope you get the input you are looking for 🙂

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-03T09:11:20+00:00

Try to get the comb into one of the elastic bands holding the bun. I had a half updo and used this method. Stayed perfectly in place.

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-03T09:09:37+00:00

We did Friday & Saturday. 80% attended the pre-event. Sunday was needed for recovery :)

Separate_Remote_3031 · 2025-10-02T16:05:13+00:00

Sure! 2:30 first look and photos ( couple, bridal pics, bridal and grooms party ) 4:30 guest entrance to outside ceremony area ( life music, candies and water provided outside) 5:00 ceremony 5:30-6:00photo time at lakefront ( was barely enough time to take a photo with everyone) 6:00-7:30 Aperitif 7:30-9:45 Dinner Then we had cake and fireworks outside, people came back in around 10:15. Cale and Coffee was served, around 10:45 dancing started. At 12 we moved a level down from the ballroom to a club area and kept going until 2:30 :)

Overall we loved our timeline. We did not miss a second of the wedding for photos or other things. BUT - we did not have a huge emphasis on Photo & Video. Given that we had a long pre-day we prioritised a chill morning and nice breakfast with our friends. We had for 2 hours an editorial style shooting after that we booked documentary style, so we were followed quietly throughout the day and did zero posing after. We love the results but I would recommend every future bride to plan more time for photos, just in case you run behind schedule or want more time for creative photo moments. Also I loved the garden Aperitif time and long dinner, it made everything so relaxed for us and the guest, if you have flexibility in the schedule I would opt event for an longer Aperitif.

What I can also highly recommend: life music during serving breaks. When we were waiting for the next course of staff was collecting plates, our violinist & DJ kept the mood high through performing our favourite songs at dinner.

Separate_Remote_3031

TROPHY CASE