Ciao From Italia

Ciao from Italia! As most of you know by now I've been planning a destination wedding (and a little trip for myself) for about a year now. And finally, finally, it has all come together! We are almost half way through our trip right now and heading to the Amalfi Coast. So far we have seen Venice, Florence and Scansano. It has been absolutely amazing. I'll be sharing more of my favorite shops and restaurants when we get back but suffice it to say, you should all go to Italy. Here are a few snapshots from my Instagram. There is so much more where these came from.

Recently Pinned \\ Amalfi Coast

I'm headed to the Amalfi Coast in a few short weeks. In preparation for our trip, I've been doing a lot of research on Italian destinations, must-see locations, and beautiful hotels. There are so many amazing ones, but the challenge is finding one that is under $1,000 a night! Maybe it is the fact that we are booking last minute, or that staying on the Amalfi Coast is a little pricier than I thought it would be. I'm not sure, but I've been really discouraged about the whole thing. Hopefully I can find something affordable but just as beautiful as these options! I'm pinning tons of Italian recommendations on my travel board this week. Isn't it amazing how Pinterest has changed the way we search for recommendations? I'm loving it.

Anyone else planning a trip to Italy? Honeymoon perhaps? Let's here your plans!

{Travel Help} France, Italy & Croatia

Alright bloggities! I'm beginning to plan a trip to Italy this coming September, and I need some recommendations! I am planning & designing a destination wedding in Italy, and since I will be over there, I am hoping to make the most of it. But I need your help! Here is the route we currently have mapped. Getting excited just looking at it.

Here is the rundown:

Credit

Before heading to Italy, we are going to spent a little stint in Paris. The plan is to fly from SFO to Paris and stay there for 2 or 3 days. Yes, this is going to be crazy. Any hotel recommendations?

We will be flying into Rome but will only be there for a day. I'm not into Rome, but my husband really wants to poke around and look at buildings. So fine. We will spend one night there and head to the wedding venue the very next morning. Since we don't have much time I'd like to have this portion planned very well so we see the cool stuff and don't waste any time. Favorite Rome spots?

The wedding is in a small town called Scansano. The nearest big city is Grosseto which looks pretty cool via Google Images. They have some amazing beaches and wonderful little downtown spots tucked into gorgeous scenery.

We will be in the Scansano/Grosseto area for about 5 days. Since it isn't the traditional "tourist" spot, I'm looking forward to exploring in places that aren't as well traveled. The photo above of Scansano is actually the wedding venue, gorgeous isn't it?

Anyone know of anything cool that we should definitely check out?

We will leave bright and early Saturday morning and head from Scansano to Venice. This is a 4 hour drive but we are expecting to take our time and visit some of the cities and towns in between. Breakfast in Siena, maybe a little trip for Tuscany (is it worth it to drive out of the way to visit Tuscany?) lunch in Florence, and dinner in Bologna. This will be the most jam-packed day of the entire trip, but it is the best way to visit so much and still keep the trip going.

Ok, this is where things get good. After a crazy trip of small stints in each location, we will be spending the most time in Venice. I'm sure there is SO much to see, and I doubt we will have time for it all, but I'd love some must visit locations as well as your favorite hotels in the area!

What? Oh ya, we are going to Croatia too. The ferry from Venice to Croatia is only a few hours so we plan to spend at least an afternoon there but I'm thinking about extending and spending a night there. What is the best city to go to? They all look amazing.

I just don't have the time to research the bejesus out of the country so I'd LOVE any help you can offer. Favorite spots, favorite hotels and must see things! Thanks a million billion for all the help!

Engaged & Inspired Takes On Italy!

Planning a Bay Area wedding was challenging enough, but things are about to get a whole lot different! Through the last few years I have learned about every vendor and venue in the San Francisco Bay Area and have loved every second of it. But I may as well throw all that knowledge out the door right now, because I swear I am starting at square one here with this wedding.

I have been asked to be the Maid of Honor for my bestie, Michelle. And of course, she wants to get married in Italy! I can not wait for the wonderful trips, gorgeous views and basically the time of our lives living it up in Italy! BUT, and the big fat but right here is that I literally know nothing about destination weddings in general, let alone Italian weddings. Oh and let's not even get started on the language barrier.

I'm super excited to get to start at square one again and treat this experience like when I started this blog, knowing nothing, and wanting to be enveloped in every inch of it. I can't wait to look at all the amazingness Tuscany has to offer. It is going to be such an amazing day!

So my question for today is, who is having a destination wedding? I know all the logistics are so much different (how do you bring boxes and boxes of detail awesomeness across the country, let alone even just a wedding dress!) and the language barrier is going to be quite a fun one.

Credit, Simply Bloom Photography, Credit

I won't be all consuming in Destination weddings, but I will be blogging the journey from time to time as we make it to the Italian alter. Let the Destination Diary begin....with some amazing venue love.