I lived in Italy for 5 months as a student, and fell head over heels in love with it! I still speak enough Italian to get by, but the thought of planning a wedding, even with the little experience I have, is a bit scary. I have huge admiration for Michelle Jacobs, owner at Elegante by Michelle J and the UK’s very best Italian wedding planner. (I also love scrolling through the stunning photos of weddings in Italy on her socials – they’re always breathtaking.) I spotted a blog by Michelle where she talks really honestly about the reality of planning a wedding in Italy from the UK. It’s brilliant, super useful and I wanted to share some highlights with you on here (with Michelle’s permission of course).
I have huge respect for wedding planners. No luxury wedding should ever be without one, and I honestly believe planners are worth their weight in gold. The cost of hiring a wedding planner will vary based on experience, style and approach. We’ve done a little research into how much wedding planners cost – with help from luxury UK and destination wedding planner Elegante by Michelle J. Read on for an honest look at wedding planner prices and helpful tips in finding the best wedding planner for you.

Avington Park wedding by Elegante by Michelle J | Pippa Mackenzie Photography | Paula Rooney Floral Design
Header image by James Mason Photography
In my 15 years of writing about weddings, I’ve learned that the cost of a destination wedding depends very much on location, guest lists and styling. But in all of that time I’ve never had a detailed insight into all of the factors which can affect costs of getting married abroad. Today, that changed! I’ve been reading a fabulous article by Michelle Jacobs (luxury destination wedding planner) which really explains everything you should consider when you’re weighing up the relative costs of UK or destination weddings. (Read How much do destination weddings cost? The 7 deciding factors here.)
Today’s blog is inspired by luxury wedding planner Elegante by Michelle J. Having worked with some of the UK and Europe’s best wedding florists to style stunning weddings, Michelle shared her expert and insider tips on choosing a wedding florist on her blog. I loved the advice she gave, and wanted to share it with you!
Aside from how utterly stunning today’s featured wedding is, one thing really struck me when I read about Corine & Neil’s wedding celebrations: the time of day they made their vows. This wedding was sent in by luxury wedding planner Elegante By Michelle J, who says “We always recommend later ceremony times at destination weddings in hot countries – no one wants to say ‘I do’ under the burning mid-afternoon sun!” I would love to see later ceremonies become a summer wedding trend here in the UK as well!