Dealing With the Italian Heat

We have had lots of weddings in Italy during the hot season and June, July and August this year has just been blistering, not only for our couples but also for our suppliers who have had to deal with extreme heat, humidity and having to get from one place to the other and having to rely on public transport, lack of air conditioning and of course just daily life which has been hard during this very hot period so thank you for working so hard! Based on this we have put together some tips to help our couples deal with the heat.....

1. Keep yourself hydrated at all times.... make sure that you have bottled water available in your room, the car, the ceremony, the photo shoot, etc. Get your bridesmaids or the bestman to take care of this part and ensure that you have access to your bottled water throughout.

2. Make sure that you have some tissues... to wipe away any beads of perspiration and also to dry your eyes and those of the groom!

3. Instead of Bubbly for your guests you may want to provide some juice drinks...Jugs of iced water flavoured with fruit. Guests can arrive at the ceremony area be provided with a drink and this will allow them to keep cool.

4. Hand out Fans you can have fans for the ladies and more manly fans for the men! Another idea would be to provide sunglasses or parasols.... have a bucket at the entrance leading into the ceremony area full of paper parasols.

5. Think of the chairs for the ceremony and the reception. Wrought iron can be hard. Make sure that you have cushions included to soften the blow.

6. For the makeup powder based may be best for you and we always ask our artists to provide perspiration, water and tear proof where possible.

7. Organise a sweat proof survival kit for the bridesmaids and the ushers...sunscreen, travel size deodorant, body and face wipes, perfume so that you can give yourself a bit of a spray here and there...Hair ties available, hair clips and grips, also do not forget to have your lipstick and powder available. You may also want some facial water spray to cool you down. Keep blotting paper or a translucent powder in your bag for topping up and also to avoid that shine in your photos.

8. Have a late wedding it is so much cooler and also gives you the whole day to take it easy and relax.

9. A shade for the couple and guests would be a great idea but it is not always possible and will incur extra costs but may be worth consideration.

10. Set up hydration stations...or get some popsicles arranged for guests or lemon granita.

11. Think about your outfit and try to get something which is loose and invest in some comfortable shoes or flip-flops. Also think about your flowers as we need to keep them going as long as possible. Flowers which seem to last...Dahlias and garden spray roses, calla lilies, jasmine, lavender, eucalyptus. Succulents or dessert blooms......

Any other ideas?