They come from the United States, bring with them many guests regardless of expense and choose Tuscany, Lombardy with Lake Como or Puglia;
they prefer unusual places, such as vineyards, or beaches, even Alpine huts, as well as castles and historic residences;
they get married in the summer but there is an increase in those who prefer autumn to the scorching summer.
It is the photograph of the weddings of foreigners celebrated in Italy in 2023, a record year for couples who chose to get married in Italy from abroad and for Italians who said yes in regions other than their own.
The Destination Wedding sector closed 2023 with a turnover growing by 34% and 830 million euros.
Now, the forecasts for 2024 are optimistic: the estimated increase is 8.8%, i.e. 1,200 more events than last year.
"It is an important sector for travel and this year also for traditional tourism", commented the Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanchè at the presentation of 'Italy for Weddings, the Event', an event dedicated to the wedding sector in Italy, now in its second edition which in Rome presented the updated data and forecasts of the Destination Wedding in Italy Observatory, the main market research conducted by Centro Studi Turistici.
The event brings together the protagonists and operators of the Wedding and Destination Wedding sector, providing the opportunity to create profitable collaborations and make commercial agreements.
On the programme, thematic meetings and seminars, workshops and presentations of innovative products and services, from first-class hotels to the most renowned event companies, from destination marketing agencies to artistic and experiential programming for the big day.
The event, therefore, offers a complete overview of Italian excellence in the wedding sector.
Among the most interesting data from the Tourist Studies Centre, the average number of guests is growing (+60.7%) but the stay of guests and spouses is decreasing (2.9 nights instead of 3.2 last year).
The number of couples celebrating their wedding with a religious rite is increasing (+14.4%) and the average expenditure for events is growing (+10%) with a budget that in half of the cases exceeds 50 thousand euros (of of which 35% dedicated to food and beverage).
As regards arrivals, the United States confirms itself as the most fond of Italy: in 2023, American couples were 31%.
After the USA there are the United Kingdom (19.8%) and Germany (9.6%).
As for the locations, almost everyone favors Central Italy, in particular Tuscany, but bookings are increasing in the south, especially in Puglia and Sicily.
In third position is Lombardy (Lake Como), followed by Emilia Romagna.
Also for 2024, the emerging trends show interest in micro weddings,
There are also wedding weeks, which involve extending the celebrations for several days (18%), environmentally friendly green weddings (16%) and renewals of promises (6.3%).
Among the curiosities, weddings in the vineyard (11.5%), social weddings (3.6%) and costume weddings (1.7%) are increasing.
Villas were preferred by 26.1%, followed by historic residences (13.3%), farmhouses and castles.
Almost half of the weddings were organized by a wedding planner.
"We decided to concentrate our efforts on this event - commented Carlotta Ferrari, president of Convention Bureau Italia - because it is recognized as a platform of excellence in our sector".
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