Italian Wedding Themes
Your wedding can take any mood you want with the right setting, flowers, party favors and reception setting. You don't have to have Italian blood to deserve an Italian theme. Some wedding couples choose an Italian theme because they have visited or studied in the country, or simply love the romance of this beautiful European country.
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Italian Wedding Traditions
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Give your wedding an Italian theme by incorporating traditions practiced in Italy in your ceremony or reception. You can invoke the spirit of Veneto, Italy by walking to the church or wedding chapel together as bride and groom. Wedding couples who are rugged and adventuresome can cut a log in half together in front of the church, or on their way to it, with a double-handed saw as an expression of their commitment to the partnership.
Ceremony and Reception Traditions
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Other, more simple Italian traditions include wearing a veil (a tradition which began in Italy), the groom carrying a piece of iron in his pants pocket or cutting a ribbon matching your wedding theme colors from in front of the church doors before you walk into the chapel together to be married. You may also choose to have small twists of fried dough covered in powdered sugar, called wanda, tossed as you leave your reception. Candy-coated almonds are another Italian wedding tradition, so even if you'd rather not have them thrown as you leave the church, place bowls of them on tables at your wedding reception.
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Food and Drink
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Italian weddings traditionally feature a cocktail hour immediately after the ceremony. Dance your first dance as a married couple, followed by the members of your wedding party and then sit down and allow your guests to feast. Start your reception meal with an antipasto salad filled with salami, mushrooms, olives, calamari and proscuitto. Don't shy away from multiple courses as up to 12-14 courses are common at traditional Italian weddings in Italy. Serve a variety of pastas, soups, salads and meats as well as fruits and desserts. Consider showcasing your desserts on a Viennese table. A traditional party favor is to give wedding guests their own tulle bag filled with sugared almonds. Welcome cries of "Evviva gli sposi" from your guests which means "hurray for the newlyweds." When you hear the traditional Italian cry, respond by kissing each other as husband and wife.
Location and Colors
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Where you choose to hold your wedding can also evoke the imagery and feel of Italy. You can plan a destination wedding in Italy or you can incorporate Tuscan imagery into your wedding with wine-cork themed name tags for guests' seats at the reception or by giving small bottles of red wine or balsamic vinegar to guests. Choose colors like olive green, burnt umber and rustic red to communicate the feel of a Tuscan vineyard. Or, you can actually marry at a vineyard.
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References
- Photo Credit Tuscany image by doraemon from Fotolia.com
