r/DestinationWeddings

Hi everyone! 🤍
My fiancé and I are planning our destination wedding celebration for April 21, 2029, and we’re currently searching for beautiful venues throughout Europe!
While our current interests are Italy and the South of France, we are absolutely open to exploring other European destinations and haven’t ruled out any locations. We’d love recommendations from couples who have gotten married in Europe or are currently planning their weddings!
We’re especially drawn to romantic, historic venues such as French châteaux, European castles, Italian villas, vineyard estates, and beautiful gardens. Our vision is an elegant, timeless, romantic wedding with stunning architecture, lush greenery, manicured gardens, and a candlelit evening reception.
Here’s what we’re looking for:
Date: April 21, 2029 (Saturday)
Guest count: Approximately 70
Budget: $20,000–$25,000 USD for the wedding celebration
Preferred locations: Italy (especially Tuscany and Umbria) and the South of France (especially Provence and Occitanie)
Other locations: Open to absolutely anywhere in Europe!
Venue style: Château, castle, historic villa, vineyard, botanical garden, private estate with landscaped gardens, or another beautiful and unique setting
Accommodations: Ideally on-site or nearby, with guests paying for their own rooms
Packages: Preferably all-inclusive or offering comprehensive wedding packages with catering, drinks, coordination, and other essentials
We’re hoping to find somewhere that feels luxurious and romantic without spending an absolute fortune. We’re also very interested in lesser-known venues, hidden gems, and destinations that might offer better value for our budget.
If you’ve planned a wedding anywhere in Europe, I’d love to know:
Which country and venue did you choose, and would you recommend it?
What was your approximate total wedding cost and guest count?
Did your venue offer wedding packages, or did you book vendors separately?
Were guests able to book and pay for their accommodations individually?
Were there any unexpected expenses or things you wish you’d known before booking?
Bonus points for venues with transparent pricing, beautiful gardens, outdoor ceremony and reception spaces, accommodations, and an indoor backup option!
We’re still in the early stages of exploring our options, so we’re keeping an open mind about destinations. While Italy and the South of France have caught our attention, we’re more than willing to fall in love with somewhere completely unexpected!
I’d really appreciate any recommendations, personal experiences, photos, or advice. Thank you so much! 🤍

hi! my fiance and I got engaged about two months ago and would like to have our wedding in Portugal! (spring 2028) - We’ve talked to a few wedding planners over facetime but it’s so hard to tell what the actual experience and results will be like from these calls and their marketing materials. we would LOVE if anyone could provide some real word experience of who they liked using in portugal!

the details:

- 75-100 people (maybe up to 120)

- ~may 2028

- we’d love everyone to be able to stay onsite! or at least close by

- thinking close to lisbon or porto, ideally within an hour or so from the airport to make it as easy as possible for our guests

- budget of ~$100k

- we are based in the US, so minimal ability to travel to portugal many times before the wedding

- want a full-service planner (venue, food, photography, accommodation, transport, etc.)

let us know if there’s a venue that you loved, or a wedding planner you enjoyed working with! anything would be appreciated ❤️🔅