The Journal.
Destination guides, costs and planning notes, written by Thomas van der Bruggen.
The Destination Wedding Countdown: A Planning Timeline
A destination wedding timeline in the right order: what to book first, when to tell guests, when to settle the legal route, and what to leave to the final weeks.
Read the story →Every piece.
Long-form guides, honest budgets, head-to-head comparisons and the legal bit — filter by section.
Olive, Terracotta & Bone: A Mediterranean Colour Story
How a single coastal palette travels from the invitation to the last candle of the night: olive as the base, bone for breathing room, terracotta as the spark.
A Wedding in Puglia: Masserie, Olive Groves & the Heel of Italy
Where to get married in Puglia: the region’s masserie, the towns of Ostuni, Lecce and Polignano, when to go, and how to reach the heel of Italy.
A Provence Wedding: Lavender, Light & Limestone
Getting married in Provence: bastides and wine domaines, the Luberon villages, timing the lavender bloom, the mistral wind, and reaching the region by TGV.
Feeding a Mediterranean Wedding: Menus That Belong to the Place
How to plan a Mediterranean wedding menu: letting the region write the food, the long lunch versus late dinner, the vital aperitivo, and the cake question.
The Case for a Smaller Wedding Abroad
Why an intimate destination wedding often beats a big one: what you gain by cutting the guest list, how the costs really change, and how to tell people kindly.
Marrying on the Amalfi Coast: A Romantic’s Practical Guide
The Amalfi Coast for weddings: Ravello, Positano, Capri and Sorrento compared, plus the boats, stairs and steep towns nobody warns you about.
What a Mediterranean Wedding Actually Costs
A 2026 map of where the money goes on a Mediterranean destination wedding: venue starting prices and per-head catering from Tuscany to Mykonos, and the line items couples forget.
The Most Beautiful Wedding Venues in Marrakech
Eight Marrakech wedding venues compared: palace resorts, a private villa, a golf resort and two Atlas kasbahs. Guest numbers, rooms and what each one suits.
The Most Beautiful Wedding Villas in Mallorca
Five Mallorca wedding venues we would book: a palace hotel above the Bay of Palma, centuries-old possessions in the olive country and whole estates you can take over for the week.
Symbolic or Legal Ceremony Abroad: Which Do You Need?
A symbolic ceremony abroad has no legal force; a legal one does. Here is how each country treats couples who live elsewhere, and the simple route most take.
The Legal Bit: How to Actually Get Married in Italy, Spain, Greece & France
A plain-English guide to the legal requirements for a Mediterranean wedding: civil versus symbolic ceremonies, residence rules, and the paperwork by country.
When to Marry on the Mediterranean
A month-by-month guide to light, heat and crowds, from the green hush of May to the amber quiet of late October.
Wedding Weather, Month by Month: Where the Light Is
A region-by-region look at when each of the world’s great wedding coasts is at its best — the months to chase, the winds and rains to plan around, and the shoulder seasons that reward the brave.
Looking After Your Guests Abroad
How to host guests at a destination wedding: the welcome, the weekend shape, accommodation and budgets, the wedding website, and the questions they’ll all ask.
An Andalusia Wedding: Cortijos, Haciendas & Moorish Light
Marrying in Andalusia — rustic cortijos, eco-fincas, white-walled haciendas and garden estates from Seville to Ronda, with costs, the legal route, the heat and when to go.
A Corfu Wedding: Green Island, Venetian Grace
Marrying on Corfu — grand seaside resorts, historic Venetian estates and olive-grove venues, with costs, the legal route and when to go.
A Lake Como Wedding: Villas on the Water
Marrying on Lake Como — grand lakeside villas, intimate relais and a castle above the water, with costs, boat logistics, the legal route and when to go.
A Crete Wedding: The Wild End of the Aegean
Marrying on Crete — Cretan farm estates, beachfront resorts and seaside design hotels, with costs, the legal route, the heat and when to go.
A Catalonia Wedding: Costa Brava, the Empordà & Barcelona
Marrying in Catalonia — seaside palaces and castles, rustic masías, Empordà estates and botanical gardens, with the costs, the legal route, the best months and how to read the region.
A Sicily Wedding: Baroque Towns, Etna & the Sea
Marrying in Sicily — grand palazzo hotels, restored baroque estates, wine baglios and seaside resorts, with costs, the legal route and when to go.
A Sardinia Wedding: Costa Smeralda & Beyond
Marrying in Sardinia — Costa Smeralda glamour, east-coast resorts and beachfront estates, with costs, the legal route and when to go.
A Paros Wedding: The Cyclades, Quietly
Marrying on Paros — design hotels, private villas and seaside estates on the Cyclades’ most stylish quiet island, with costs, the legal route and when to go.
A Tuscany Wedding: Vineyards, Borghi & the Val d’Orcia
The definitive guide to getting married in Tuscany — restored borghi, hilltop castles, Chianti vineyards and country houses, plus costs, timing, the legal route and how to read the regions.
An Umbria Wedding: Tuscany’s Quieter Neighbour
Marrying in Umbria — hilltop castles, restored borghi, country estates and converted monasteries, with costs, the legal route and when to go.
A Santorini Wedding, Beyond the Caldera Cliché
How to marry in Santorini and do it well — caldera-edge suites, cave venues, private villas, the real cost of that sunset view, the legal route, and when to avoid the crowds.
An Ibiza Wedding: Cliffs, Fincas & the White Island
Marrying in Ibiza — clifftop resorts, rustic fincas, the quiet north and beach venues on the coves, with the real costs, the legal route, the crowds and when to go.
A Mykonos Wedding, Without the Crowds
Marrying in Mykonos beyond the party — beachfront resorts, design hotels, private villas and beach clubs, with the real costs, the wind, the legal route and when to go.
A Tulum Wedding: Jungle, Reef & the Slow Caribbean
Marrying in Tulum — barefoot beach clubs, jungle venues and boho-luxe hotels on the Riviera Maya, with the seasons, the sargassum question and how the legal bit works in Mexico.
An Occitanie Wedding: Vineyard Châteaux & the South of France
Marrying in Occitanie and south-west France — restored wine châteaux, vineyard domaines and country mas from the Languedoc to Gascony, with costs, the legal route and when to go.
How Much Does a Wedding in Italy Cost? (2026 Breakdown)
What Italian wedding venues charge in 2026–27, what each price covers, three weddings worked through, and what to ask the venues that price on request.
How Much Does a Tuscany Wedding Cost? (2026 Breakdown)
What Tuscan wedding venues charge in 2026–27, what each price covers, and two weddings worked through to the euro.
How Much Does a Provence Wedding Cost? (2026 Breakdown)
What moves the price of a Provence wedding: caterer rules, rooms on site, private or shared estates, and what to give a venue so its quote compares.
How Much Does an Amalfi Coast Wedding Cost? (2026 Breakdown)
What moves the price of an Amalfi Coast or Sorrento wedding: private or shared venues, in-house kitchens, music hours and rooms, and what to ask for a quote.
How Much Does an Ibiza Wedding Cost? (2026 Breakdown)
What moves the price of an Ibiza wedding: minimum spends, open bars, packages and rooms, with real rates from an Ibiza beach venue and what to ask the rest.
How to Legally Get Married in Italy as a Foreigner
The practical legal route to an Italian wedding — civil vs symbolic, the documents you need, the timeline, and why most couples choose each path.
How to Legally Get Married in Spain as a Foreigner
The legal reality of a Spanish wedding — why most couples choose a symbolic ceremony, what a legal civil marriage actually requires, and the documents involved.
How to Legally Get Married in Greece as a Foreigner
The legal route to a Greek-island wedding — civil marriage requirements, the documents you must translate and apostille, and why many couples go symbolic.
How to Legally Get Married in France as a Foreigner
Why a legally binding French wedding is hard for non-residents — the residency rule, and how couples marry in a Provence or Languedoc château anyway.
How to Legally Get Married in Australia as a Foreigner
Australia is one of the most straightforward countries in the world to marry in legally as a foreigner — the Notice of Intended Marriage, the one-month rule, and why a vineyard or beach ceremony can be the real, legal wedding.
How to Legally Get Married in Ireland as a Foreigner
The practical legal route to an Irish wedding — the three-month notice, civil vs symbolic, the documents you need, and why so many couples marry for real at the castle.
How to Legally Get Married in Switzerland as a Foreigner
The legal reality of a Swiss wedding — why civil marriage is genuinely open to foreigners without residency, the registry-office rule that catches couples out, and how many pair a short registry ceremony with a blessing at the venue.
How to Legally Get Married in the United Kingdom as a Foreigner
The practical legal route to a UK wedding — how England and Wales's notice-and-approved-venue system works, why Scotland is the more flexible option, and why many couples still choose a symbolic ceremony instead.
How to Legally Get Married in the United States as a Foreigner
The practical legal route to a US wedding — how the county-by-county marriage-licence system actually works, what foreign couples need to bring, and how to get it recognised back home.
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The Destination
Wedding Edit
Once a week, a single dispatch — a destination worth knowing, a few venues we would shortlist, a real wedding. No noise.