Elope in Italy

Most couples take around a year to plan their wedding in Italy, but some couples decide to get married in a few weeks and sometimes a few days!

Florence

There is something very spontaneous and romantic about deciding to get married in Italy in a matter of weeks, couples are full of excitement and ready to face the loops they must jump through to be able to celebrate their love for each other in one of the most romantic settings in the world! 

Lake Garda

Yes, it is possible to get married in Italy last minuet, arrange all the paperwork, book  the location for the ceremony and all the service providers! However please note,  this does depend on your nationality! 

Le Cinque terre

If you are American or Australian the process is very fast and your paperwork can be arranged in a matter of hours making Italy a wonderful destination for your last minuet wedding or elopement. 

If you are British you will need to give yourself a little more time for the notice of no impediment to be issued in the UK, this normally takes a month to come through and then we apply for the Nulla Osta in Italy which can be produced in about 2 weeks or less depending on the time of year and how busy the consular office is at that time. So you should give yourself a min of 2 months to prepare the documents. Taking in to account how many months most couples give themselves to get ready 2 months pass by very fast and being able to celebrate your 'last minuet' wedding in Italy... well worth the wait!

Venice

While elopements were always seen as an exclusive afar, they don't have to be. Just because you decide to elope in Italy does not mean that your family and friends can not be there with you. The best part about eloping is there are no rules! You can get married in a beautiful setting and have a picnic on a boat off the island of Capri; get married in the town hall of Florence and afterwards have dinner in a castle or in Venice and enjoy a gondola ride at sun set... Where ever you decide to get married in Italy we make getting married in Italy a stress free experience!

sofia coppola is planning her wedding in Italy...

Sofia Coppola is planning to marry her French rock singer fiance Thomas Mars, this August in her family's ancestral town of Bernalda in southern Italy. Bernalda is where her great grandfather came from and where her famous father has been restoring the family home.

It has been reported that the wedding will take place in Palazzo Margherita, the 19th-century villa that Coppola's legendary filmmaker father Francis Ford Coppola restructured in the town, La Stampa daily reported without citing a source.

Coppola was previously married to director Spike Jonze, whom she divorced in 2003, four years after their wedding. She and Mars, the lead singer in the French rock band Phoenix, have two children and live in Paris.

Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone and Nicholas Cage are all expected to attend the wedding, the report said.

The 40-year-old director is a winner of the Golden Lion in Venice for her film "Somewhere" and is perhaps best known for her 2003 work "Lost in Translation" starring Bill Murray which was nominated for four Oscars.

The Amalfi Coast - Sorrento

The idyllic town of Sorrento, located between the mountains and the Mediterranean, is the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. 

The land is spritzed with lush gardens filled with the fragrant lemons the region is known for.  The dramatic contrast between the terraces full of flowers, the yellow of the beautiful fruit, the vibrant green of the foliage, and the bright blue sea make Sorrento the perfect place for a charming Italian wedding!

If you are thinking about getting married in Italy and are looking for a beach or coastal wedding location then imagine enjoying panoramic views of the Bay of Naples while sipping on the region’s famous beverage- limoncello. Take a boat ride or go stroll the lovely streets and shop, either way the Sorrentines have gone out of their way to create a safe and relaxed place for visitors making it a great place to invite your friends and family and have the wedding of your dreams in Italy!

For more information please contact one of our team and we will be delighted to talk to you about your wedding in Italy! 

Stacey x

Chanel summer make-up 2011

Oh how I do like summer collections. And especially if Chanel comes out with a product called Mimosa! (Bellini next year?) Here's what I got:

I was desperate to get my hands on the nail colours - but to be honest, they're not worth the hype. Mimosa is a tremendously happy colour but it's difficult to apply, hence the rather sloppy manicure. Morning Rose is cute, it makes me think of candy, but I prefer Chanel's Pêche Nacrée from the spring collection (see pictures below to compare). And Beige Pétale is nothing special - so far I've used it once, applying just one coat to the nails (and no base/top coat) for a barely-there look when I didn't have the time to do a colourful manicure.

Summer collection: Beige Pétale, Morning Rose, Mimosa

Mimosa (summer), Morning Rose (summer), Pêche Nacrée (spring collection)

The blush-bronzers are really pretty and my favourite of the collection. I originally picked up the pink one, but then went back for the coral one. These give a soft glow to the cheeks and are perfect for summer.

Bronze Rose, Bronze Corail

Officially, I'm not into lip glosses anymore and especially not Chanel glosses because the two I had about six years ago leaked and I had to throw them out. But there was one gloss in this collection that I kept on picking up and admiring - always the same one - so I finally gave in. Glossimer 277 (Pensée) is non-glittery, it only has tiny gold sparkles (none of the outrageous blue, red, silver glitter). It is so pretty...  

Kim Kardashian's Engagement Ring Details!

Kim Kardashian's engagement ring is the perfect fit for the uber-reality starlet's personal style. It's bold. It's beautiful. And (good gracious) is it BIG!

New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries popped the question after dating Kim for only 6 months with a whopping 20.5-carat Lorraine Schwartz stunner, People reports!  (Schwartz is a longtime friend of the Kardashian clan and is known for her 'bigger means better' bling on all the important red carpet events.)

“It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Kardashian told People. “It’s perfect.”

And TMZ is reporting the stone is valued at over $2 million smackers! (someone get me a chair....)

The 16.5-carat emerald-cut center stone is flanked by a pair of 2-carat trapezoids, for a total weight of 20.5 carats! Humphries even managed to work with Schwartz on the design behind Kim's back.

“[Lorraine] always listened to what I would want and the shapes I love. I had said I loved an emerald cut and they were scheming and plotting for a while,” she explained.

No wedding date is set yet, and while Humphries isn't keen on a big celebration he joked with Kim's momager, Kris Jenner, that he'd be "fine if there were mini-horses there."

Careful what you wish for,  sport...

Click here to see the other recently engaged star who's flashing an emerald-cut sparkler on her ring finger! And remember sister Khloe Kardashian's basketball-bought bling? She too dated her basketball beau, Lamar Odom, for a mere six months before gettin' hitched. Way to take your time, ladies.

Remember her carat count? Re-live all the Kardashian diamond details with me here!

Kate Middleton with Michelle Obama

Kate's dress: Reiss

Clutch: Anya Hindmarch

Emerald Tiara Smashes Auction Record

LOWER JAW DROP ALERT! Everything's coming up emeralds these days - from the couture at the Cannes Film Festival to fashion frenzy at The Met Gala.

So it comes as no surprise that one heckofa crown jewel - an emerald and diamond tiara - sold at Sotheby's Geneva auction last week for a price-busting $12.76 million - the highest price ever achieved for an emerald jewel.

Model, Bianca Balti, wears emerald jewelry at the Cannes Film Festival

"It is needless to say a world record price at auction for a tiara," said David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's Europe and Middle East jewelry department.

The bauble originally belonged to German prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, who commissioned it for his second wife Katharina around 1900.  (With a name like that, you better have a budget for bling. Yikes.)

An anonymous bidder from North America is the lucky owner of the royal green gem. Oprah's got some down time coming her way. Maybe she wanted a crown to go with her Queen of Daytime moniker?

Rihanna wears emerald earrings to The Met's Costume Institute Gala

But who needs Oprah (sorry, Gayle) when you've got me to bring you buckets of bling on a budget, right? To that end, I give you one of my favorite emerald styles on the NEW Jewelry.com. I like it because it could be a great fashion piece - OR - an alternative bridal look.

And at just over $200 for real emeralds and 1/4ct of diamond ice? Well, let's just say you don't have to marry a prince to bring one home for your own collection.

Not your style? Check out Jewelry.com's entire emerald jewelry treasure chest here. Go green or go home, jewelry hounds!

Butter London Victoriana

This is my first Butter London nail varnish. Great quality! Two coats (easy to apply) + top coat and my nails were still looking nice (as in, not much chipping) when I took the polish off - rather reluctantly - five days later. Staying power, yes!  

The rectangular bottles are so much more practical than eg OPI's round ones. They take up less space! 

Most of all, it's the colour that I adore, though. 

Princess Beatrice Royal Wedding Hat by Philip Treacy

While the newly wed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge settle in to married life, their cousin Princess Beatrice has decided to put the hat she wore to the Royal wedding to very good use.

While the world seems to be divided on the Philip Treacy hat Princess Beatrice wore to Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton last month, Princess Beatrice has decided to put all the attention this hat has received to good use by selling it on e-bay for charity.

With all the funds from this sale going to UNICEF and Children in crisis this very special e-bay sale is being watched closely. The current bid is £50,400.05 with 83 bids so far and another 2 days and 12 hours left, I am waiting to see how much someone will pay for this much talked about hat... Who knows maybe I shall see it adorning one of the guests at a wedding in Italy this year....

Angelina Jolie's Diamond Disappointment

The most anticipated star to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival this year, hands down, was Angelina Jolie. Always elegant, always gorgeous - and often with nary a jewel to the naked eye - this A-lister has it well within her power to make every jewelry gawker and diamond diva quiver in our boots with a jaw-dropping jewelry choice (Exhibit A: The Oscar emeralds).

However.

She ususally just doesn't go there. And Monday night was no exception. Her chocolate Atelier Versace gown was pure perfection - but instead of a creative couture jewelry choice from festival sponsor, Chopard, for example, she went with the tried and true stud (and I'm not talking about Brad).

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Cannes Film Festival Jewelry Update

Aishwarya Rai in Chopard

Good news, jewelry hounds! More crazy carats were spotted on the Croisette at the 64th Annual CannesFilm Festival! We're talking Sarah Jessica Parker, Penelope Cruz, Uma Thurman - even Jane Fonda!

Sarah Jessica Parker in Fred Leighton

Chopard continues to sparkle on all the big names - and while I've seen Ms. Fonda's Chopard 160-carat (!) sapphire stunner before on their Co-President, Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele back in 2009 -  a bauble like that never really gets old, right?

Jane Fonda in Chopard

Uma brought out another pair of Chopard chandeliers for the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere, but IMHO - they're not nearly as jaw-dropping as her opening night emeralds).

Uma Thurman in Chopard

But color was definitely a continuing trend as A-lister Penelope Cruz rocked these rubellite earrings (also by Chopard) for her Pirates of the Caribbean red carpet waltz.

Penelope Cruz in Chopard

Tonight, though, is a big night. Why? Brangelina is making a red carpet appearance for Brad's film, Tree of Life. And while Ms. Jolie is usually a "diamonds on the down low" kindof jewelry celeb, I'm hoping just this ONCE - she rocks out with a statement piece. A jewelry hound can dream....

Stay tuned! In the meantime, here are some more highlights:

Cheap shoes

There are some things in life that I do not understand.

Usually, more expensive = better quality (= more comfortable).
However, when it comes to shoes, my experience has been: cheap = comfortable!

For example, my Prada heels (see here) are pretty to look at but hurt soon after I've put them on and I can hardly walk in them. But these cheap shoes from H+M are so comfy, I can walk in them all day. I got them in black and brown, and I feel like getting back-ups, that's how impressed I am. I can't believe it! I had no idea. Have you ever tried H+M shoes?

A Groom With A View... 11 weeks to go!

Mike, our groom with a view with his beautiful bride to be.  

As the days and weeks tick by bringing us rapidly closer to our main event, it appears that weddings are all around us. While the analysts and commentators devoured every royal detail of a very royal wedding, Amber and I found ourselves in the beautiful village of Sneem in Southern Ireland, attending the last family wedding before our own.

And so our plans are being finalised amidst a backdrop of wedding fever. I have enjoyed watching Amber get excited by the events of the last few weeks, she loves everything about it from the fashion to the fairy-tale and the regal tradition to the romantic love stories.  Our coffee table is burdened more than usual with Hello! and OK magazines, Sunday supplements, bridal pull-outs… There is certainly no shortage of inspiration to spur her on as she immerses herself in wedding research. Her attention to detail is second to none and I love the pride and sense of perfection she displays as she realises a real desire to make our day everything that it deserves to be.

Whilst Amber has given her wedding day a lifetime of thought, I have allowed myself just the 14 months since popping the question to prepare. The bitter reality is that young boys do not devote much thought to their wedding day (in the fear that it may get in the way of climbing trees, kicking footballs against brick walls, or falling out of trees). So here I am, less than 3 months to go, with an overriding feeling of being about 30 years late to the wedding planning party. With the logistical stuff taken care of, I find myself stepping things up a gear in an attempt to be all I can be on our wedding day. There is a realisation that all eyes will be on us, we will never have been photographed so much, and from so many angles as we will be that day. So, with a nervous excitement, I embrace my pre-wedding regime in an attempt to do justice to my beautiful bride. Note to self: Nails clean, shoes polished, stomach in, chest out, stand tall, relax, smile…..

Both the weddings in Westminster and Sneem received universal acclaim, the bar has indeed been set very high. But, with Amber thriving on the challenge, and with more than a little help from our friends, I’m convinced our happy day will surpass all expectations. We may not be televised live across the globe but, in our minds and in our memories, it will be Treviso and not Westminster that hosts the wedding of the century.

Mike

 To read our July Grooms other posts please click HERE