In February 14th many people all over the world celebrate Valentines – the day of lovers. Probably that’s why (besides Christmas time) this is one of the very few periods in winter when it might be a bit more difficult to schedule the desired venue for your wedding.
But how usually do the Valentine Weddings look like? To figure it out, I asked three managers of the top wedding countries in Europe:
Nada Tizzano – wedding planner at Belmare Weddings & Events in Sorrento, Italy.
Marija Delibasic - Assistant Director of Sales at Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel.
Ece Pir – the founder of Weds & All event agency in Antalya, Turkey.
The memories about Valentine Weddings and Honeymoons:
Nada Tizzano had an opportunity to organize a Valentine wedding a few years ago in Sorrento. The couple came from Ireland and they got engaged exactly one year before:
‘This special day was held in the hall of mirrors of the Correale Museum, just a few yards away from the hustle and bustle of the festivities, and the decorations were chosen respecting the Valentines' theme. On that occasion my trusted designer florist really surpassed himself by creating simple and elegant floral arrangements using color in a very elegant way with just a touch of red making sure nothing was too garish very within the taste of our bride who was not very fond of using the usual red as a preconcerted color for this day dedicated to lovers! The bride was delighted!
The flowers we chose to use for the compositions were obviously the red roses, (But not too many ) the undisputed symbol of great love and passion together with eucalyptus leaves, a symbol of protection and good wishes because some superstitious touches must never be missing.’
Since Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel opened, Marija Delibasic has been thrilled to organize the settings for proposals, weddings, and honeymoons. Once she hosted honeymooners during Valentines:
‘We have guests coming here for their honeymoon throughout the year – but there was one couple who came around St Valentine’s Day, which was particularly memorable. They were from the UK – and they were enchanted by the whole place and the dreamy atmosphere - and that here they were, together, in one of Europe’s best secret romantic destinations.
The design, the relaxed style and comfort of the hotel, and our beautiful spa are really appreciated by honeymooners. And of course the gorgeous location on the Bay make Regent Porto Montenegro the ideal base to explore the most southern European fjord - and to hear numerous stories of our love legends.’
Ece Pir doesn’t remember just one celebration like this. She used to host couples from different parts of the world such as Germany, Russia, or overseas countries such as the USA, Canada, or Australia.
What is the program?:
Planning your Valentine Wedding with ‘Belmare Weddings & Events’ you definitely won’t forget, you are getting married around February 14th. Just read below, how Nada Tizzano has organized the celebration for the mentioned newly-weds:
‘The reception was held in the 4-star hotel Tramontano, which is just a few yards away from the Basilica of St Antonino and also the main square.
The table decorations also reflected the day, with its designated color red again used tastefully, the menu reflected the season using local produce, and the cake was a triumph of red fruits and cream!
After the reception, the happy couple together with their wedding guests enjoyed the rest of the evening watching the fireworks display (these are dedicated to the Saint and laid on by the town council) from a strategic viewing point this resulted in an ideal way to finish off this special day!’
If you value the luxury, then you must consider the offer of Regent Porto Montenegro. Marija Delibasic mentions the Extraordinary Valentine Package, the husband booked for his spouse during their honeymoon stay:
‘The package included:
The trip created lifelong memories for the couple and the Regent team was proud to be part of such a special trip for them.’
If you consider elopement or a small wedding, but you appreciate some adventures, celebrating in Antalya with ‘Weds & All’ agency will be definitely the perfect choice:
‘Our Valentine’s Day weddings are usually intimate and micro celebrations with a lot of romance. Sometimes we climb to the top of a picturesque canyon or we set up the most romantic picnic table on a beautiful sandy beach at the sunset. Music is a very essential criterion for a heart-warming Valentine’s Day wedding. A classical music trio performance, welcome music by a solo violist/pianist, or a cheerful jazz band; all are great music options for a memorable Valentine’s Day wedding.
In terms of the decoration and styling, we try to create personalized themes and decors while sticking on the romantic floral designs. In our arrangements, we use the flowers that represent love and romance such as roses, peonies, sunflowers, or tulips.
A cute little music box or a tiny bouquet of dried flowers can be examples of the wedding favors on this very special day. We also make sure the favors have a little touch to remind of the venue or the city. Once we prepared love checkbooks to be given as favors, another time all the guests received little seed packets with a note of “let the love grow’
The food and beverages are selected upon the couple’s choices but chocolate fountains styled fruit buffets, and deserts always remain as the most preferred food in Valentine’s Day weddings. – Ece says.
What romantic to see?:
According to our planners, winter in the mentioned countries is very mild and the rain isn’t really common there. For example, in Antalya, the temperature reaches even 16 degrees in February! That definitely makes sightseeing easier. We can read about the popular places in the tour guides… But which romantic places are recommended to see around?
Ece Pir from ‘Weds&All’ can count the romantic beauties of the Turkish Riviera hours. It’s not so surprising – each corner of Antalya Province has something special to see!
TURKEY according to Ece Pir: 'Antalya is the luckiest city of all and there
is a strong possibility of having an outdoor wedding despite being in the
middle of the winter season.
With its beautiful
coastlines, panoramic cliffs, historical beauties, and amazingly warm winter, no
doubt Antalya is one of the best destinations for Valentine’s Day weddings.
Kaş Peninsula, Kaleiçi Old City Harbour, Tazı Canyon, Side Ancient City, Alanya
Castle, Kurşunlu and Düden Waterfalls
are only some of the options in terms of romantic places in the city.
Antalya city airport is one of the busiest airports year-round and it has
direct flights to/from many countries and this gives another good reason to the
clients to plan a wedding in here.'
Nada from Belmare Weddings & Events highly recommends islands on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
ITALY according to Nada Tizzano: 'I obviously recommend visiting Sorrento. This city in February is lovely, especially during Valentine's day. All the Streets of Sorrento on this day are set up with illuminations adorning the overhead of the main Corso Italia right down to the road that takes us to the Basilica of the Patron Saint, Antonino. The roads are also lined with market stalls scattered around the main areas, these stalls offer local produce, sweets, nuts, torrone, jewelry, clothes, and odds and ends. The illuminations take us through to the evening, a very romantic setting, very suggestive and the day ends with fireworks, a very special day indeed.
The couple we served also took a trip to Ischia for 2 days. Ischia is the bigger of the islands in the Campania region, not as famous as Capri but equally worth staying. It’s called the Green Island because it’s of a volcanic formation, hence its lush vegetation and thermal baths scattered around the Island. On Ischia, the couple took advantage not only of the thermal baths but also visited the beautiful gardens. They stayed in a beautiful hotel that had its own private baths, the Mezza Torre hotel, and resort 5 star deluxe. With its lush entrance, exclusive park, and endless gardens, various pools some in private cottages, rooms, and luxury suites come with their own private hot tubs filled with thermal waters. They totally relaxed here taking advantage of massages and treatments total escapism! We totally recommend a stay on this lovely Island in the winter months and of course during romantic St Valentines.'
Marija from Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel will take you on a journey full of legends.
MONTENEGRO according to Marija Delibasic: 'No visit to Montenegro is complete without experiencing Kotor Old Town and Our Lady of the Rocks island. Only a short drive from the hotel, couples can tour the fortified small city of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which dates to Ancient Roman times and has layers of fascinating history and architecture. With its Venetian inspired architecture, visitors can stroll hand in hand through this beautiful old city on a private guided tour and weave their way through the narrow cobblestone streets and alleyways, accompanied by a private photographer to capture their most romantic moments. For the perfect romantic moment, if you happen to be on the water at night with your loved one, the reflection of Kotor in the water forms a heart shape.
The island of Gospa od Skrpjela is one of two captivating islands in the Bay of Kotor, in front of the UNESCO protected old town of Perast. According to legend, Our Lady of the Rocks began as a small pile of rocks created by two fishermen in July 1452 who discovered an icon of the Virgin Mary on a rock on July 22, 1452. Over time as the island was maintained and grew - and sailors kept bringing stones to shore up the island. We now do this as an annual tradition held at sunset on 22nd July to mark the anniversary of the discovery almost 600 years ago.
On the island, there is a small and incredibly charming Roman Catholic church which was built in 1632 (where marriages are still held every year) and a small museum dedicated to the history of the town of Perast. Visitors can explore the museum's most famous exhibit, the tapestry, embroidered by a woman from Perast named Jacinta Kunić-Mijović who worked on this tapestry for 25 years, all this time waiting for her darling to return from a long journey. Sadly, he never came back – but her tapestry remains as a souvenir of her love and devotion.'
***
Many thanks to Nada, Marija, and Ece for sharing their experience and tips with us! I hope, you enjoyed the inspirations from our wedding planners. If you decided to organize your wedding or honeymoon during Valentines with experienced and romantic people who know where and how - check the mentioned venues and suppliers below.
Belmare Weddings and Events (Sorrento, Italy): https://www.wherewedding.co.uk/planners-celebrants/belmare-weddings-events
Regent Porto Montenegro: https://www.wherewedding.co.uk/wedding-venues/regent-porto-montenegro
Weds & All (Antalya, Turkey): https://www.wherewedding.co.uk/planners-celebrants/weds-all
Did you get married during Valentines'?
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Prepared by: Ilona Güllü
© Photos: Ranko Maras
