Debra Biagini is an english speaking, internationally trained floral designer. Professional, Creative and available are the best adjectives to describe Debra. After years of working in corporate settings in New York, Bermuda, Chicago and Milan she transferred to Rome to follow her passion for art in the world of flowers.

Debra unites her skills as artist and seamstress to create one of a kind designs using flowers and many other materials.

Her attention to detail can be seen in her creation of Bridal bouquets for some of the most important fashion designers in Rome.

Siobhan and Debra do many weddings together and we can highly recommend her skills and professionalism, get in contact with her and tell her we sent you.

Make sure to share your ideas and needs with Debra in order to assure a memorable wedding day.

Email Debra – debraflowerdesign@gmail.com
Her English blog site: www.debraflower.blogspot.com

I will be meeting people for the first time and I will need help rounding people up. This is normally the job of the best man and it is also advisable to give a list to him or a bridesmaid. I am more than happy to photograph everything you want on the day but I cannot be held responsible for missed photos if I haven’t been asked to shoot them.

Below is a general guideline of photos to expect, again you might be happy to have less of the images listed below which is absolutely fine as long as I know this beforehand.

Preparation shots
Bride getting ready with girls.
Bride alone.
Bride and bridesmaids.
Bride with parents.
Walking or arriving at the church.
*If the boys are getting ready at the same venue then I will also include the boys here, otherwise I will get the boys at
the church waiting.
The wedding vows and signing of the register.
Outside the church guests and newly weds congratulations and confetti!
Bride and Groom with parents of the bride.
Bride and groom with parents of the groom.
Bride and groom with brides family.
Bride and groom with grooms family.
Bridal party together.
Groom and grooms men
Bride and bridesmaids.

Other combinations from here include just the bridal party and bride and groom alone.
I also include shots of the table set ups, menu cards and guests mingling.

Once again, if there are other shots you would like on the day then please just ask and make a list, I am more than happy to shot what ever you want, as long as I know.

Click here to download this post in pdf form

This has been a long time coming. I am writing to give people some hints and tips to getting married in Italy, well a small part of it!

I am simply putting down some advice or things to think about which has come from my experience working here. Firstly…

Firstly, it is one of the most beautiful countries you could choose to celebrate your wedding. There is so much choice from the countryside to the cities. It is up to you what you feel you can accommodate for all the friends and family that will come to see you tie the knot.

I have been very lucky and met some great people who can make this day a bit less stressful for you from a car/driver which is a big priority in Rome especially, and some tips on hair, which can be such a big rip off in Rome, and a very nice video bloke! who doesn’t make you do groovy stuff! Also it is important to remember these are my opinions and taken from my experience which I feel might help a bit especially if you are nervous about everything happening abroad.

I suppose the first thing is location. If you feel you want a wedding in the countryside then the first thing to think about is getting from A-B. Lots of people go to Tuscany which is fantastic and the main airports are Florence and Pisa. You need to think of how far people need to travel to get to your location. If you have found your Villas / hotels the staff are very helpful in this area. Or if you have organised a planner then this will be sorted. At the end of the day they all have pretty good websites and google maps is a great resource for planning on how to arrive.

The big thing for me here is if everything takes place within the same borgo (little town) or if we need to drive to a town nearby for the actual ceremony. It is possible to have everything happen in the same place. Lots of the villas have churches on site and can organise a priest for you. If you decide to stay in one place, get married in a nearby town and then reception in another venue then you need to organise transport which can be done through the accommodation.

Just remember you need to put all these people back on a bus after seriously nice wine and grub for a journey back so don’t make it too long!

ROME

I do a lot of weddings here and they are fantastic but also I have a lot of people frustrated with quotes for hair dressers. A lot of hairdressers will quote you 150+ Euro if you say it is for a wedding! I am talking about the mothers of the bride and guests that just want something simple. Please don’t fall for this as it is possible to get it done so much cheaper and just as good, and dont by shy to tell them where to go!

Get your prices upfront and if they are too much say thanks but we’ll go somewhere else. They’re never going to see you again so don’t feel bad! Also I have met a lot of brides frustrated and panicking because they have spent 3 hours at the hairdressers and have less time to get ready so it makes them more nervous.

Try and meet them beforehand and let them know the wedding times I say tell them an hour earlier. I hope to have some links of hairdressers soon to help with decission making.

Wedding Bands

Many couples ask us for recommendations for a wedding band and DJ’s. We are happy to recommend these guys, The Italian Wedding band. They perform classic Italian and American swing tunes from the 50s and 60s. They specialise in weddings for Irish and British couples. Their founder, Marino lived in Ireland for several years and speaks very good English! Contact them directly for more information, tell them we sent you.

Well, we can highly recommend an Irish girl who is a great hairdresser / make-up artist and is based in Rome, she will travel as well. Her name is Louise Faulkner and you can contact her by email at

louise.faulkner@yahoo.ie

If you contact her tell her we sent you and she will look after you if she is available and you can stop worrying about your hair and make-up.

NOTE: PLEASE CONTACT LOUISE THROUGH HER PERSONAL EMAIL SHE CANNOT REPLY TO COMMENTS LEFT ON THIS SITE

And another …

We can also recommmend another girl, Her name is Janita Helova, she is Finnish, resident in Rome and speaks perfect English, she is also very talented with hair and make-up. You can contact her through her website, www.wix.com/janitahelova/janita-helova

If you have a large group you should check his airport transfer, it will probably work out cheaper than your guest getting the train or bus out to the airport.

Siobhan does not drive in Rome centre for obvious reasons, parking, traffic, etc. So, if you want to travel around the sites for photography it is your responsibility to organise transport, either by taxi or hiring someone like Tony. His website is only in Italian just now but will be available in English soon. Tony speaks a bit of English also but if you would like us to contact him for you please ask.

For more information please see his website, www.tonyromedriver.com

For anyone looking for a great resource for accommodation in Rome, Florence or other great European cities try out Cross Pollinate

What you can expect from them, (taken from their website)
“The most important thing you can expect when you make a reservation with Cross-Pollinate is that you’ll have a place to stay once you arrive. This may sound obvious, but we receive many e-mails from people whose reservations from other agencies mysteriously “fall through” at the last minute. We guarantee that once you have a confirmed reservation with us, we’ll take responsibility to rebook you at a property of equal or higher value at our own expense if for some reason your reserved property is not habitable due to unforeseen circumstances or has been mistakenly overbooked. Of course, you’ll have the option to accept or decline any alternative at your own discretion, but you will have the peace of mind that once you’ve booked through us, you’ll have a place to stay, and that it won’t cost more than expected – no matter what.

You can also expect that we’ll be reachable and responsive to any inquires or problems you encounter. We have phone numbers in Italy, France, and the U.S., with an advanced messaging system that can either forward audio file messages and transcripts to us wherever we may be or can connect you to the multi-lingual reception staff at our hotel in Rome, 24 hours a day, all holidays included. There is always a way to reach a human being and once we’ve been contacted, we’ll be on the case to address your concerns or investigate and arbitrate your problems so you can go about your day.”

The Italian Wedding Band (aka The Swing Pistols) are based in Rome. The Band performs classic Italian and American swing tunes from the 50s and 60s, among other modern hits with a swing twist. These include originals from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Prima and The Blues Brothers.

For more info, samples of their music and some videos see their website, www.theitalianweddingband.com