Odescalchi Castle, Lake Bracciano, Italy

FROM: 5starweddingdirectory.com

Overview

When it comes to top 10 European luxury wedding venues there are some very sumptuous and luxurious locations if you can afford to spend the money. Although Italy features prominently in this list of top 10 European luxury wedding venues, since Italy has always been synonymous with romance, it is hardly surprising! After eliminating a number of more than well-deserving venues, I finally came up with the following list:

1. Vaux le Vicomte, Paris, France
2. Stapleford Park, Melton Mowbray, England
3. Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Scotland
4. The Palazzo Cavalli, Venice, Italy
5. Campidoglio, Rome, Italy
6. Blairquhan Castle, Ireland
7. Torre Palazzone, Tuscany, Italy
8. Sopwell House, Herfordshire, England
9. Luttrells Castle, Ireland
10. Odelscalchi Castle, Lake Bracciano, Italy

Vaux le Vicomte, Paris, France

Vaux Le Vicomte

Price on application is hardly a surprising feature when hiring this opulent setting for your wedding. If you hire the castle exclusively for yourself and your wedding party, I daresay the sky is the limit! There is room in the Grand Salon to seat up to 400 guests for dinner, or provide cocktails for up to 800 guests. The elegant Salon de la Muses is sufficient for a more modest wedding breakfast or candlelit dinner, where up to 50 guest can be seated in opulent comfort. The Vaux le Vicomte chateau was the location of the wedding between Amit Bhatia and Vanisha Mittal, although their wedding reception was held at another location, the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.

Stapleford Park, Melton Mowbray, England

Stapleford Park near Melton Mowbray, England

A wedding package at Stapleford Park is certainly likely to be a lavish affair which, in high season, is likely to set you back around £14,000, equivalent to $21,106.87 USD, for the basic wedding package. It is certainly a spectacular setting, graceful and stately rather than the opulence you find amongst the French and Italian venues. Following a blessing at St Mary Magdalene Church located within the estate of Stapleford Park, the Grand Hall is available for the reception with plenty of space in the sweeping grounds for photographs to remember the special day.

Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Scotland

Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Scotland at dusk

This much sought after location is certainly one of the top 10 European luxury wedding venues, favored by celebs such as Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti who celebrated their own wedding here. Although their wedding blew the budget at $750,000, or £497,628.22, this did include designer gowns and jewelry as well as the cost of the actual ceremony! Madonna went one better and splashed out $1.5 million when her wedding was held at Skibo Castle! The beautiful Edwardian Dining Room is the location for the exchange of vows.

Exclusive use of this castle and the 7,500 acres of grounds will set you back £34,000 per night, or $51,231.54 USD. This does, however, include the minister’s fee to marry the bride and groom as well as a full complement of staff to look after the needs of all the guests. There is sufficient room to sleep up to 80 guests in exclusive splendor.

The Palazzo Cavalli, Venice, Italy

The Palazzo Cavalli, Venice, Italy

A particularly famous venue, the Palazzo Cavalli in Venice belongs to the City of Venice and was purchased for the sole purpose of being a location for civil wedding ceremonies. You can arrive at this former private palace in traditional Venetian style, in a genuine gondola and gaze at the historic setting of the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge whilst waiting to exchange your vows. The Palazzo is just 4 hours from Milan and 6 hours from Rome but well worth the travelling.

The opportunities for unique and spectacular photographs taken on the marble staircase or overlooking the arched entranceway will make your wedding day totally memorable. There is room for 60 guests all together, 30 of whom can be seated, although the other 30 would have to stand. Overall, the magic romance of Venice certainly makes this one of the top 10 European luxury wedding venues.

Campidoglio, Rome, Italy

Piazza del Campidoglio with the Palazzo Senatorio

This is truly a magical location for any wedding, set on the top of Capitoline Hill, with photo options at the Piazza di Venezia, the Coliseum or the Roman Forum all close by. This is a very popular site for civil weddings to be held in Rome so, to avoid too many people being disappointed the ceremonies are kept to just 10 minutes each, with no chance of music or flowers although, to be quite honest, when you enter the Red Hall the opulence of red satin walls, chandeliers and rich brocade, flowers would pale into significance!

You can expect to pay around £1, 182.62, or $1,780.45 USD for these regal 10 minutes, although this does include £726.99, or $1,094.50 USD paid for the very necessary services of a wedding planner.  This is just for the ceremony, however. In addition you will have to meet the cost of the wedding reception for yourself and your guests.

Blairquhan Castle, Maybole, Scotland

Blairquhan Castle, Maybole, Scotland

This Regency Castle, in Ayrshire, Scotland was built in the 1800s, nestling amongst sweeping parklands and beautifully kept gardens. There is room for 26 guests to sleep overnight as well as accommodating 100 guests at the ceremony and reception. The fee for exclusive use of the castle for your wedding is in the region of £1,900, equivalent to $2,861.37 USD, although the exact price is available on request.

Torre Palazzone, Tuscany, Italy

Torre Palazzone, Tuscany, Italy

This medieval setting is perfect for an inclusion as one of the top 10 European luxury wedding venues with its hot tub, private pool and gourmet cuisine. Torre Palazzone can be found near Siena, where there is plenty for guests to find to do. Exclusive use of this fortified chateau which can sleep up to 22 guests will cost £8,000 for a week. At today’s exchange rate that is $12,052.43 USD.

Sopwell House, Herfordshire, England

Sopwell House, Herfordshire, England

Sopwell House, situated amongst the English countryside, will provide you with a complimentary room in one of their Junior Suites for your wedding night for those couples who book their wedding reception or the ceremony in the elegant surroundings of Sopwell House. This is a beautiful location where the wedding party can relax and enjoy the wedding day surrounding by sweeping parkland and carefully laid-out gardens providing an ideal location for the most memorable photographs.

Luttrells Castle, Ireland

Luttrell's Castle, Ireland

Victoria and David Beckham celebrated their wedding at Luttrells Castle, hiring exclusive use of the property for their wedding day. The total cost of their wedding was $800,000 although that indulgent sum included a Vera Wang wedding gown for $100,000 and jewelry to the sum of $160,000. In total they spent $100,000 in accommodation costs. Dinner can accommodate up to 140 guests while there is sufficient room for up to 250 guests if just cocktails are served.

For guests of more modest means, the Millenium Suite is an ideal location for the wedding reception, looking out towards the water feature which is illuminated as it gets dark. Costs are not advertised, so it is price on application it would seem – although you are not likely to have to pay the whopping sum of $100,000 unless you are intending to hire the whole venue.

Odelscalchi Castle, Lake Bracciano, Italy

Odescalchi Castle, Lake Bracciano, Italy

If you thought the cost of the Beckham’s wedding was steep, it pales into total insignificance when you consider what Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes spent on their wedding which was held in Italy at Odelscalchi Castle. Their wedding at the end of 2006 cost them $2 million, of which $750,000 went on the cost of exclusive use of the Odelscalchi Castle. The Armani gown cost Katie $45,000, Tom Cruise’s tuxedo, also by Armani, cost $3,000 and they spent $180,000 on champagne and other wines.

It is hardly surprising that this medieval castle is such a favorite with celebs getting married. Whether you decide to splash out and hire the whole castle or make do with the Hall of Caesars, the Ancient Tower and the Secret Garden, you are still going to enjoy a fairytale wedding and a thoroughly memorable wedding day.

by 5 Star Weddings all rights reserved

Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than 1,000 years of royal history.

Westminster Abbey

 

Westminster Abbey

FROM The Telegraph

By Victoria Ward, and Andrew Hough 3:25PM GMT 23 Nov 2010

No fewer than 38 kings and queens have been crowned there in an unbroken run since it was built by Edward the Confessor on the site of a former monastery in the 11th century.

He was buried at the Abbey in 1066 and on Christmas Day that year, William the Conqueror became the first monarch to be crowned under its roof.

The Abbey, formally known as the Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, is a “royal peculiar,” which means it belongs directly to the sovereign.

Rebuilt in 1245 by Henry III, it was modelled on the imposing gothic cathedrals of Europe.

Royal Aides said Prince William and Kate Middleton were moved to choose the venue because of its “staggering beauty, its 1,000 years of royal history and its relative intimacy despite its size”.

It is the final resting place of 17 kings and queens and has become known for its burials as much as its weddings.

When Prince William watches his bride walk down the aisle, painful memories of his mother’s funeral will be at the forefront of many minds.

Images of the young Prince, and his brother Prince Harry, walking behind Diana, Princess of Wales’s coffin in 1997 are etched in the public conscience.

The funeral of the Queen Mother, who died aged 101, was also held at the Abbey in 2002.

Among those who have said their vows at the historic alter are Prince William’s grandmother and great grandmother.

Prince Albert, later George VI, married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, in April 1923.

The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, later the Duke of Edinburgh, on November 20 1947.

Princess Margaret, the Princess Royal and the Duke of York all married here, although all three later divorced.

At the west end of the Abbey’s nave lies the grave of the Unknown Warrior, a powerful symbol of war, whose body was brought from France to be buried on November 11, 1920.

Others buried or commemorated there include Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austen, Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

During the Second World War, immovable Abbey treasures and medieval tombs were protected by around 60,000 sandbags. The Coronation Chair was sent to Gloucester Cathedral and the Coronation Stone was buried secretly inside.

The Abbey has a capacity of 2,000, although during the Queen’s coronation in 1953, tiers and galleries were installed to seat 8,200 people.

It remains a place of daily worship as well as the venue of choice to mark national services and celebrations.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, welcomed Prince William and Miss Middleton’s decision to hold their wedding at the Abbey.

He said: “We are very pleased they have chosen Westminster Abbey for their marriage and look forward to the detailed planning for what will be a great and happy occasion for the couple themselves, for their families and friends, for the country and Commonwealth and for well-wishers across the globe.”

FROM KARE11.com

By Kyle Porter

Wedding at Minn State Fair

ST. PAUL, Minn. — There is plenty to see at the Minnesota State Fair, but in between the massive crowds, rides, and stuff on a stick, is a wedding on a stick.

Kathryn and Damian, a St. Paul couple, met five years ago and decided a day before the fair, to tie the knot at the Crossroads Chapel on the fairgrounds.

“I grew up at the fair, we came every year, we still come five or six times a year, it seems natural to have my wedding here,” Kathryn Sanchez said. “I’m surprised I’m the first one, I would think everyone would want to do it at the fair.”

Friends and family attended the 10:00 a.m. wedding, the first ever for Crossroads Chapel, which has been at the fair for about 35 years.

It was Kathryn’s idea to have the fairgrounds as the venue. She hopes her new husband will someday appreciate the fair as much as she does.

“It’s really a special day, I’m so happy,” Damian said.

Kathryn said she doesn’t have a honeymoon location in mind yet — but they may end up choosing the fairgrounds.

Wedding cake-on-a-stick was not available, since the decision to get married happened with only one day notice.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=868737

Eight Breathtaking Places to Tie the Knot

by Emma Fox

 FROM TravelChannel.com

For some couples, it’s all about the venue and the band. For others, it comes down to color schemes and décor. Still others deem the dress to be the most important aspect of wedding-day planning. But when the actual destination is the determining factor for where you say “I do,” why not say it someplace where the breathtaking scenery rivals the beauty of the blushing bride. These eight romantic destinations not only provide photo-op-ready vistas, but vow-worthy, once-in-a-lifetime memories.

Capilano Suspension Bridge
Vancouver, Canada
This popular attraction was voted one of the most romantic spots in North America by Harlequin Romance, the authority on all things romantic. Dazzle your guests by getting married overlooking this 450-foot suspension bridge in an evergreen forest. The Capilano Suspension Bridge offers year-round indoor and outdoor venues that can accommodate 30 to 700 guests.

CuisinArt Resort & Spa
Anguilla, Lesser Antilles
Emerging as a first-class tourist destination, the quiet Caribbean island of Anguilla boasts 33 miles of beach, international style and diverse culture. At the five-star CuisinArt Resort & Spa, couples take to the pillow-soft beaches of Rendezvous Bay to say “I do” before heading to the resort’s signature restaurant, Santorini — the picture-perfect backdrop for a reception. Intimate wedding parties can book Penthouse 2000 and 2001, which present unspoiled views of azure waters and lush gardens, in addition to exclusive use of the entire third floor.

The Ritz-Carlton
Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
Outdoorsy types with a flair for style flock to say their vows atop Beaver Creek Mountain at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. Luxurious amenities blend with a cozy ambience including stone fireplaces, soaring beamed ceilings and oversized leather sofas and chairs in the great room. Although this resort showcases the best of Colorado’s natural outdoor beauty year-round, it’s a top spot for winter weddings. The Mountainside Terrace offers breathtaking views of the surrounding National Forest and can accommodate a ceremony or reception for up to 350 guests.

Auberge du Soleil
Napa, California
When Christina Aguilera tied the knot in late 2005 to music executive Jordan Bratman, she called upon Auberge du Soleilfor her pre-wedding celebration and accommodations. A wedding in wine country is inherently romantic, but the sweeping valley views of vineyards, olive groves and sunsets, not to mention a top-notch culinary and wine program, puts this exclusive resort heads above your average winery affair. Private facilities feature French doors that swing out to stone terraces and panoramic vistas.

Palazzo Sasso
Ravello, Italy
Perched atop a 1,000-foot cliff above the Amalfi Coast, five-star fabulous hotel Palazzo Sasso is known around the world. Couples can get hitched in Ravello at their charming City Hall, which is just steps away, before retreating to this 12th-century Italian villa for a reception on the terrace. Tasteful historical and artistic touches, as well as meticulously cared-for gardens contribute to the beauty of this in-demand coastal wedding destination.

Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris
Paris, France
The Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris isn’t ranked “Top International Hotel” in the Zagat Survey 2007-08 edition without good reason. Situated just off the Champs Elysée and a quick stroll from the Seine, magnificent views of the city’s famous sites, royalty-worthy decor, and a sublime staff make for an over-the-top wedding experience. Couples can circumnavigate the 40-day residency requirements for legally binding services by making their vows official at a City Hall ceremony before having the full-blown wedding celebration here.

The Langham Hotel
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne has earned bragging rights for offering world-class urban sophistication, while retaining the charm and hospitality of a smaller European town. Its scenic riverfront location and nearby wine country doesn’t hurt either. Marry atop The Langham Hotel at the hotel’s event space, Alto. Its 25th-floor rooftop location affords panoramic views of the Yarra River and Melbourne city skyline — for sunset/evening nuptials, there is no better place to profess your love.

Kilauea Crater
Big Island of Hawaii
Kilauea volcano is said to be Hawaii’s most active volcano and thus, a top pick for nature-loving couples looking to get hitched. Ceremonies take place at Kilauea Crater overlooking the dramatic backdrop of the red-hot volcano; suffice it to say photo opportunities are fantastic. There is a wedding-permit fee, as well as park entrance fees to consider. Situated at the edge of crater, the Volcano House also provides wedding services.destination weddings, romantic travel, romantic weddings.

http://www.travelchannel.com/

Dusty Ricketts – NWFDailyNews.com

Some businesses find a way to thrive even in the toughest of economic times.

During the Great Depression, movies and radio found great success as relatively inexpensive forms of entertainment.

While many businesses are struggling today, one niche enterprise has done well. The popularity of beach weddings has continued to grow this summer.

“The beach wedding business has been great,” said Darrel Jones, executive director of the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council. “We get an average of seven to nine leads a week (at the TDC). That has grown each year.”

The TDC has advertised its beach wedding opportunities in a popular wedding magazine called Knot. Jones said that has been successful in drawing couples to the Emerald Coast.

Although beach weddings have been big business in the area for years, the economic slump had organizers worried.

“I knew it was a reality out there that people were hurting and people were having to cut back” said Cecilia Cappella, owner of Tropical Beach Weddings in Navarre. “Everyone was concerned. I was concerned as a business owner, being self employed, but I have not seen a decrease at all.”

Cappella said she did not have any wedding cancellations this summer because of lost jobs or anything to do with the economy. She said she only had one couple call to downgrade a previous plan.

Financially, Cappella said she was even with last year’s summer numbers. Things have gone so well this year that Cappella has decided to expand her business next year to add another wedding crew to her staff to increase the number of weddings her company performs.

“It was a very good season. We’re still doing weddings. I’m slammed for September,” she said.

Maggie Halsey, owner of Barefoot Weddings in downtown Fort Walton Beach, said the biggest advantage to a beach wedding is the savings. She said a typical church wedding costs $10,000 to $12,000, whereas the most expensive package she offers is $2,500, which includes the bouquet, photos, chairs, music, decorations and officiating.

“It has been phenomenal,” Halsey said. “I have been really blessed. I just took my first day off since July 4 this past Sunday.”