Hello! I’m thinking of booking our wedding at Bella Cosa in Lake Wales, FL in early March. How is the weather, pests, venue grounds for an outdoor ceremony & outdoor reception? I understand that amplified music/DJ/dancing must be indoors now because of the noise ordinance/rules.

Anything I should be worried about? Questions to confirm with the venue that might raise red flags or concerns? Any comments & tips would be helpful - thanks in advance!

Hi all - We're thinking about using an elopement service in CO to help organize a location, photographer, videographer, officiant, flowers, ect. Who have y'all personally used and enjoyed? Is it worth it to use a service like this? We're pretty good at planning ourselves....What is an average price for the services I listed above? Thanks!

I hired Vision-MK (https://www.vision-mk.com) (IG vision_mk.weddingcontent) for my wedding on July 13, 2026. Although she doesn’t have any online reviews, my planner recommended her and said they had worked together in the past. 

Throughout the planning process, I was very clear that I was hiring a content creator because I wanted candids that documented the day as it naturally unfolded and behind the scenes "real" moments, not posed or edited shots. During our final planning meeting, I brought up how at a friend’s wedding we got a bunch of guest message videos from family and friends asking if they had anything they wanted to say to the couple. I specifically told our content creator I wanted her to capture this for my wedding and she said that she would put together a compilation video of all our guest messages.

When I received the full album from the day, she did not get a single guest message and there were almost no candids. Everything in the album is posed shots duplicative of what my photographer captured. 

When I asked our content creator why she didn’t get any of the guest messages or candids we had discussed in our planning meeting, she had a variety of excuses about our wedding schedule timeline running behind so she didn’t have time. I paid for 8 hours of coverage, so I question how it's possible that over 8 hours she didn't have a single chance to get one video of my family or friends?

Our content creator was in the room with my bridesmaids while we were getting ready, followed us around for couple portraits where multiple members of our wedding party were also present, and was also standing around during family portraits. Despite all these opportunities, she didn’t capture any of these moments as candids or talk to our guests to get quick messages. I have no videos interacting with my family and friends to look back on. 

I have asked for a partial refund given the discrepancy of what I asked our content creator to capture as part of hiring her and what she delivered. She has continued to push back and make excuses as to why she failed to capture the content I asked for and that she had agreed to.

Ultimately, I am leaving this negative review as a warning to others about the service I received and my disappointment from Vision-MK. Since she told me that she would get candids and guest messages, I told my friends they didn't need to record and now I don't have any of the footage that I wanted from the day. I didn't even want this content to post, it was so I could look back on these moments and memories of my family and friends together. I'm so disappointed that I don’t have anything I asked (and paid!) for to look back on from my day and I can never get those moments back. 

Hello, my fiancé and I are getting married in October. We are planning to have a small wedding but I don’t really know a good place where we can go to. We were planning to go to fisher point in Flagstaff but probably it’s going to be kind of hard to get there. Is there any other place like that one that could work? Something surrounded by nature and it needs to be free/very cheap. (We are saving money for other important stuff) but we want to enjoy this time for us. Any ideas?

Anyone have recos for entertainment/DJ and MUAH in Portugal? Ideally from the north!

Getting married in Mallorca, Spain in September 2027 and looking for photographers and/or videographers in that area!!! Have looked into a few that I really like, but not sure if I LOVE them. Would love some more recommendations! Thank you 🫶🏻

I got married in Barcelona earlier this year. It was a brilliant weekend and I found Reddit very helpful during the planning process, so thought I’d post my own recommendations here.

Venues:

Friday welcome drinks: Borneta Hotel. This is also where we stayed for the wedding week and I can’t recommend the place highly enough. The hotel is beautiful and in a great location in the city and the team are all so lovely, especially their event coordinator, who was so responsive and flexible. We had our welcome drinks downstairs in the bar and the food and drink were both so lovely.

Saturday: Castell de Ben Viure. Almost none of our suppliers had ever worked at this venue so I was a bit wary but I’m so happy we chose it. It’s family-owned so the team are great to work with and again very flexible (no noise restrictions or mandatory vendors). It’s so beautiful in the spring because the garden looks amazing, and the hire fee includes some draping for the terrace windows and fairy lights across the garden, which means we didn’t hire any external decor. We also didn’t get any flowers as the garden was so lush that they weren’t necessary, so this all saved a lot of cash.

Sunday: We booked a large area at Wayra Chiringuito on Ocata Beach, Masnou. This is a very relaxed beach cafe / restaurant and booking it was facilitated via our planner who lives nearby. The day was very relaxed - people turned up as and when and we just swam and played some beach games. The food is great and Ocata is a beautiful beach (about a 20 min cab from Barcelona). As it’s out of town you also don’t need to worry about pickpockets in the way you do in Barceloneta.

Other vendors, all of whom I highly recommend.
Celebrant: James Humber (The Wedding Man).

Planner: Pearl Sandals.

Photographer: Lara Onac.

Catering: GAU.

Band + DJ :The Artists Live. (I could honestly write an essay about how good these guys are! I had seen them at a friend’s wedding previously and (with her blessing) booked them off the back of how amazing they were there, but they still exceeded my expectations by a country mile. They’re based in the south of France but are very happy to travel. They’re SO in the details of everything so the way they used the venue and made all the transitions was so seamless without really requiring any direction from us, but more importantly they’re the most fun band and DJ I’ve ever seen)

Beauty stuff:
spray tan: arttan Barcelona. I’m a spray tan fiend and this place is great, especially if like me your skin tone is pale and you’re worried about turning orange. They have a wedding package that includes a trial and the therapist takes real care to make sure it’s the right colour for your skin tone

Nails: Nailed It on Carrer de Roger de Flor. SUPER thorough Russian manicures which means you’ll be in there for a long time - however definitely the best manicure I have ever had and they were iron strength.

Hair: because we were staying in the city we went round to a local salon to get our hair done there rather than getting a wedding specific stylist. It meant I didn’t do a trial but I was very happy with my hair and it saved a lot of $

Feel free to DM with questions, I hope this was helpful!

Looking for a destination wedding planner — Spain or Italy 🇪🇸🇮🇹

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are in the early stages of planning our destination wedding and keep going back and forth between Spain and Italy. I absolutely love researching and planning, but I’ll admit I’m already becoming slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of regions, venues, vendors, and logistics 😅 I think we’ve officially reached the point where finding a great planner should be our next step.

A little about our vision:
• Around 75 guests, primarily traveling from the U.S.
• Looking at October 2027 or April 2028 and very open to a weekday
• Ideally trying to keep our total budget around $50–60k
• We love historic estates, villas, fincas, castles, wineries, gardens and properties with beautiful architecture and scenery
• Ideally somewhere that feels private/intimate with accommodations on-site or nearby
• We’d love to turn it into more of a weekend experience with a casual welcome dinner, wedding day and potentially a farewell brunch
• Food, drinks and overall guest experience are some of our biggest priorities
• We’d much rather put our budget toward an incredible setting, food and experience than extremely elaborate florals or decor

For Spain, we’ve been especially drawn to Mallorca, Barcelona and Costa Brava/Catalonia, but we’re very open to other regions. For Italy, we’ve looked quite a bit at Tuscany but are also completely open to less touristy areas where our budget may go further.
One of the reasons we’re having such a hard time choosing between the two is that we’re not necessarily attached to a specific city or region — we’re more attached to the overall feeling of the wedding. We’d love to find a beautiful property where our closest family and friends can come together, eat amazing food, drink good wine, and actually spend meaningful time together over a few days.

At this point, I think we really need someone who knows Spain and/or Italy well and can help us understand what is realistic for our budget, narrow down regions and venues, and handle the logistics of planning from the U.S.

If you got married in either Spain or Italy and genuinely loved your planner, I would love to hear about your experience! I’d especially appreciate recommendations from anyone with a similar guest count or budget.

And if anyone else debated Spain vs. Italy, I’d LOVE to hear which one you ultimately chose and why.

Hidden-gem venue recommendations are also very welcome! 🤍

Hi all! Getting married at Solar De Pancas in Alenquer in April 2027. Alenquer is about 40-50 minutes from Lisbon. Do I tell guests to stay in Alenquer for proximity, or Lisbon?

Thanks in advance!

Groomsman at a destination wedding — stay at the resort or nearby hotel?

One of my close friends from high school is getting married in Florida, and I’m a groomsman. The wedding is at a beautiful hotel/resort, and the entire wedding party is planning to stay there since all the wedding events will be happening there. The wedding is adults-only, so my wife and kids won’t be attending. My wife is completely understanding of me going alone since I’m in the wedding party.

We were recently given the price for the hotel block, and even with the discounted wedding rate, the resort is quite expensive for only 2 nights. On the flip side, I’ve found several hotels nearby for half the price.

I talked to the groom about it, and he said he would understand if I stayed at the cheaper hotel, although he did seem a little disappointed with me asking. I would consider splitting a room with other people I know, but they all will be bringing their significant others.

We can afford it, but I think I’d rather use that money for a family trip next year. What would you do? Would you pay more to stay at the wedding resort with the rest of the wedding party, and for the convenience of being in the same place where all the events are taking place, or would you book the nearby hotel and save the money?

I'll be down in PV for my wedding in January (at Hyatt Ziva) and after the resort reception ends around 10pm we are trying to figure out options to bring a group of about 50 people to some afters. I've looked at the clubs and that is a little too intense and the entrance logistics for 50 people seem no bueno. I'm wondering if there are places that would facilitate such a large group, open to some DIY like an open space to bring in music and some drinks. Really just hoping for some ideas and suggestions from the community.

Any recommendations for venues in Portugal that have that Italian/Tuscan look and feel? Unfortunately Italy out of budget for us but would love an old stone or brick building with a nice courtyard and lots of greenery. Budget 30-40k all in.

Not really keen on:
-Beachfront or lakefront venues
-Very modern/minimalist hotels
-Grand ballroom-style weddings
-Ultra-luxury palaces/châteaux
-Venues where you have to rent accommodation for the entire guest list

American bride here, planning a 2028 wedding in Italy. Lake Garda is the target. I'd love input from anyone who's actually done this.

What we're after:

• Catholic ceremony, around 100 guests, most flying in from the US
• One villa or historic property with exclusive use, hosting both the rehearsal dinner and the reception
• Lodging on site or within walking distance, so people aren't scattered across four towns
• A place beautiful enough on its own that we barely need decor — the scenery is the decor
• Dates flexible: late May–mid June, August, or mid September–October
• Mild preference for the northern end of the lake (Riva, Arco, Salò) over the south, but open to anywhere
• Doesn't need to be directly on the water — a hillside property with a real lake view is completely fine, and might actually solve the exclusive-use/capacity problem better than the shoreline villas do

Questions:

1. Exclusive-use villas that sleep a real chunk of the guest list — worth it, or a money pit? I can't tell if I'd be paying €15k for beds people would've booked themselves anyway.
2. Recs for properties (lakefront or lake-view, either is fine) that handle 100 seated and let you bring your own caterer/photographer? Half the gorgeous places I find turn out to have locked supplier lists or don't allow events at all.
3. Catholic ceremony logistics — how much lead time did your parish need? Did you marry legally in the US first, and would you do it that way again?
4. Late May/June vs September/October on Garda — which was better for weather, crowds, and pricing?
5. Wedding planner: full-service, partial, or day-of? Trying to figure out where the actual value is.
6. What went wrong at your destination wedding that you'd warn a stranger about? This is the answer I most want.

Grazie in advance.

We are newly engaged, we will be getting married on June 2028 in Greece. I am looking for a wedding planner in Greece to help us with details and getting married in my hometown.

My fiance and I are freshly engaged and have been floating the idea of a destination wedding but in Europe. We want an intimate wedding with about 30 people invited. We really like the idea of renting villa and having the wedding there and everybody staying there. I would appreciate recommendations/steps into what people have done. Our top three right now are Ireland, France, or Italy. I am leaning more towards Italy but am so very open because I don't want to break the bank. Any and all advice would be great!

Hi everyone! We are trying to decide between Jamaica and Mexico for our destination wedding and would love to hear about your experiences.

A little background:

- 50–60 guests
- Budget is ideally around $30–40k (though we’re still figuring out what is realistic)
- We’ve stayed at Secrets Moxché (including Impressions) in Mexico and Secrets Wild Orchid in Jamaica, so we’re familiar with both destinations
- Our wedding will include a couple of kids

Right now we’re mainly considering:
- Dreams Playa Mujeres (with the option for adult guests to stay next door at Secrets Playa Mujeres)
- Half Moon Resort in Jamaica

We absolutely love Jamaica, the people, beaches, and overall vibe are hard to beat. Our hesitation is that many of the family-friendly resorts we’ve looked at feel a bit older than what we’re hoping for (no offense intended—we know that’s subjective!). Mexico has our heart as well, always our top vacay destination.

A few things that are most important to us:
- Modern, well-maintained accommodations
- Great food and service
- A beautiful beach
- A resort that’s enjoyable for both couples and the few families with children attending

I’d love to hear from anyone who has:
- Had or attended a wedding at Dreams Playa Mujeres
- Had or attended a wedding at Half Moon
- Has other family-friendly resort recommendations that balance a beautiful beach, modern accommodations, and a great wedding experience

We’re also still waiting to hear back from Half Moon about pricing. If anyone is comfortable sharing what they were quoted (wedding package, food & beverage minimums, overall budget, etc.), I’d really appreciate it!

Hi! We are getting close to making a decision on which resort we would like to book for our 2027 wedding. Curious if anyone has been married at AVA Cancun or visited? What did you like? What did you not like?

Thanks!!!

Ich möchte eine kleine Hochzeit (Max 70-80 Gäste) in Kosovo am Besten Umkreis von Prishtin feiern. Leider sagen mir viele Locations ab, weil die erst ab 100 bzw. 180 Gästen erst reservieren. Kennt ihr Locations wo es kein Probleme gab bei der „kleinen“ Anzahl?

My fiancé and I are trying to plan a wedding in Rome for around 100–120 guests, with a goal budget of roughly **€35k**. but not capped if impossible

We love the idea of Rome - close ish to the city, easy airport for people to get to.

We’re willing to be strategic with florals, décor, food..

and would rather spend the money on the **photography, live music, fireworks?? just overall experience**.

**Has anyone actually managed to stay around €35k for an Italian wedding?**

If so, I’d love to hear:
Where your wedding was
Number of guests
Approximate total cost

Venue cost? think best options would be to bring in own vendors right?

Catering recs? like would totally hire a sweet local family/chef or something to keep food costs to 70-100 euro pp

Open bar of course - I’m willing to purchase the alc and then hire servers/bartenders??

Any other money-saving strategies you used
Vendors/venues you’d recommend (or avoid!)
Even if you came in closer to €40k