Planning a Sicilian Wedding From Abroad
Most of the couples I work with don’t live in Sicily. They live in New York, London, Toronto, and they’re planning a wedding six or more time zones away from every venue, every vendor, every decision.
That distance is the actual problem. Not the wedding itself.
I grew up in Sicily. I also spent ten years living and working in the US, as a jeweler and goldsmith running my own brand in New York and Los Angeles, before I moved home. So I’ve sat on both sides of this: I know what it’s like to want something from far away and not be able to just drive over and look at it, and I know Sicily well enough to go look at it for you.
What “planning from abroad” actually requires
A wedding in Sicily has the same moving parts as any wedding: a venue, a caterer, a florist, music, photography, a timeline that holds together across a full day or a full weekend. What’s different when you’re planning from abroad is that you can’t verify any of it in person as you go. You’re relying on someone else’s eyes, someone else’s judgment about whether a venue photographs the way its listing photos suggest, whether a vendor answers emails on time, whether a quote is actually complete or missing three line items you won’t discover until the invoice.
That’s the role I play. I go to the venue. I sit down with the vendor. I read the contract before you sign it. You still make every real decision, you just make it with someone on the ground doing the legwork and giving you a straight answer.
Video calls for the big decisions, email for everything else
I use video calls for anything that matters: choosing a venue, agreeing on a budget, working through a vendor shortlist. For day-to-day updates and details, I prefer email, so there’s a written record we can both refer back to. That split isn’t a formality. Destination planning generates a lot of small decisions over many months, and email is what keeps them straight for both of us.
What I actually do
- Venue and vendor sourcing, selection and management
- Budget guidance and payment tracking
- Timeline, logistics and guest experience planning
- Full wedding planning and design
- Wedding day coordination
You pay your vendors directly, and I don’t take commissions from the people I recommend. I’m not steering you toward a caterer because they pay me to. I’m steering you toward the caterer that’s right for your wedding, and I tell you when it isn’t.
If you’re staring down a wedding in Sicily from somewhere else entirely, tell me about it. I’ll tell you what’s actually possible for your budget and your timeline, honestly, before you spend a single euro.