Distinctive Italy Weddings Reviews
Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating
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5.0 out of 5 rating
124 Reviews
99% recommend it
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![Grace]()
Grace C. Sent on 09/09/2024DIW turned our dream into a magical reality
Distinctive Italy Weddings brought to life a dream we didn’t even know we had. Starting with the owner Rosanna’s hands on support in helping us find the perfect venue in Tuscany - one we didn’t find ourselves despite doing a ton of our own research, then Mariana taking over as our dedicated wedding planner shepherding us through every unknown step and unexpected turn with positivity, patience, and resourcefulness. The idea of marriage and wedding came upon us much later in life, after 10 years together, so uncovering all of our untapped hopes and desires and turning that into a 3-day event in Italy was no small feat. We both run projects for a living, so finding a planner who can match us in the attention to detail, organization, and communications was super important, and DIW delivered. Mariana was up for the challenge and brought such mastery, attention to detail, and flexibility to help us navigate unknown territory. She was able to strike a healthy balance of meeting all of our vision and requirements (including accommodating our preferences for certain vendors outside of their core network - just know there may be a vetting fee), while asserting her expertise and local insight and knowledge where needed. Also, their online system for managing all plans, tasks, vendors, communications, etc. was super helpful for us in staying on track throughout our year of planning.
We had some very specific requirements for items that were high priority for us (food, music, design) and they were flexible in sourcing and accommodating options (e.g., down to the type of pasta shape and specific brand of liquors). One thing to note about their role as planners is to serve as an intermediary and project manager, but they are not negotiators. They have preferred vendors they work with and are happy to source multiple quotes and offer their insight from their own experience. The decision on which vendors to go with at the given price points (with the exception of the florist, which they do have one go-to vendor who was fantastic) is on the couple. Ultimately, we did go over budget, but that was due to the choices we made and prioritized.
In the run up to the big day, we had some unexpected weather and guest challenges that forced us to make some last minute changes on structural design, specific locations for each activity, and seating chart. We’re running on mostly emotions at this point and we’re so grateful Mariana remained our rational, unwavering rock. She talked us through various options, listened to our concerns and ideas, and we aligned on the adjustments. Everything ended up turning out better than we could imagine. Mariana was like a stealth magician the day of the wedding, taking care of every small detail, getting all vendors mobilized and on track, and somehow still finding moments to make sure the bride was doing ok. We could not be more thankful to have Mariana and the team there for us, turning our vision into the most magical reality, and helping us kick start our forever on such a high note. THANK YOU!!! -
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Morgan F. Sent on 07/24/2024
A fairytale wedding on Lake Garda
I would rank every aspect a 5/5. Every single detail was of the highest quality. Between food, drinks, entertainment, sound, lighting, flowers, and much more, it was all of extreme quality and the best we've ever experienced. Elizabeth, you were extremely responsive throughout the entire process. The entire team was professional from the planning process to the actual execution of each event. The flawless execution from the team was very impressive. The level of service and value is unbeatable. We would undoubtedly refer DIW. -
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Hannah K. Sent on 07/16/2024The Best Planners for the Best Day of Our Lives
I interviewed 10 planners before making the decision to hire DIW. The reason I chose DIW was their professionalism, attention to care, and their genuine desire to help from the first inquiry I sent them. From the very beginning Rosanna, the owner of the company, was incredibly generous with her time and effort in sharing the wealth of knowledge she had about planning a destination wedding in Italy without us even making any initial commitment to hire her and her team. Her communication and reassurance of the planning process really help me trust her and team's services. No other wedding planner I interviewed offered an online planning platform that would streamline the planning process (which was SO helpful and I can't imagine how I could have planned my wedding without it!). In the end, it was a really easy decision.
Rosanna paired us with our planner Jacopo Tome, and she could not have assigned us a better person! WE ABSOLUTELY ADORED JACOPO and really built a great relationship in the year long process. He is just a genuinely beautiful soul and really freaking good at his job! There were a handful of parts where the planning didn't go as smoothly as I would've hoped, but he was always there to reassure us that we would get what we wanted. He was always calm and collected. He advocated for us to our vendors constantly, and we ended up with a lot of free extra services that we didn't even expect! He never pressured us to make one decision over the other, and he was always conscientious of our budget. He was honest about budget projections every step of the way and made sure that we consented to all budget additions. Communication was as consistent as it could be, given the European cultural differences and literal time zone differences - any lapses in communication was not the result of Jacopo but rather him waiting for the vendors to respond to him. The organization and execution of all our wedding events was immaculate - we were genuinely blown away with how everything turned out to be 1000x BETTER than we expected! His care was truly reflected in his thoroughness and thoughtfulness in both our wedding events. We felt like Jacopo knew how important our wedding was and personally took great responsibility in making sure everything was perfect. We loved working with him! Both my new husband and I walked away feeling incredibly affirmed in our choice to hire DIW and trust Jacopo from start to finish. I also want to shout out Junko who assisted me out throughout the day of the wedding, from getting me water or helping me fix my dress. She was a very lovely person to work with as well!
I have zero hesitation recommending DIW to any bride/groom is looking for reliable planners to come make your dream wedding come true. It was truly the best days of our lives and DIW made it happen! We are eternally grateful. Grazie mille! -
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Nidhi S. Sent on 06/12/2024
Incredible Lake Como dream wedding.
Simona from DIW made our wedding dreams come true. We had two days of events planned - the first day was henna on a boat cruise of Lake Como and our guests absolutely loved it!!
The wedding day was absolutely magical - when I saw the ceremony set up I couldn't believe how beautiful it was, truly took my breath away. The music, flowers, decor, coordination, and planning was excellent and just perfect! Each of our guests said how amazing the wedding was and many commented it was the most beautiful wedding they had seen or been to.
Thank you so much Simona! DIW was the perfect choice for our destination wedding. DIW was responsive, professional and made everything stress-free. I would 100% refer them to all couples - DIW wedding planning is top notch and the best in the business. Thank you again!!!!
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Vania G. Sent on 06/05/2024Best Wedding Planners in the world!!!!
5 stars is not enough, DIW deserve a million stars. They are the best wedding planners you could ever find. Rosanna was really helpful and patient when we decided to start planning our wedding, she understood what we were looking for and always replied really quickly with information on venues and budget. It's like they (Rosanna and Elizabeth) could read my mind since the first day, they always understood what I wanted. Elizabeth was amazing!!! She was very professional throughout the year of planning, always replied really quickly, and she is also the sweetest person! My mom had an accident with my veil (I found out until the end of the wedding), but she told me that Elizabeth went above and beyond trying to keep her calm and fixing my veil. I know things like this can happen at weddings, but my mom told me Elizabeth was extremely helpful and I didn't even find out this was going on. Everything went perfectly.
I really liked the software used by DIW, you can find all the information of suppliers, timeline, calendar, budget, payments due, and communication with your planner. It is a really efficient software. I have always loved to have everything planned by minute, so I also loved the timeline we had, where everything that was going on by minute was written. I live in Mexico and my wedding was in Umbria, everyone asked me if I was stressed or worried about planning the wedding overseas, or trusting someone I didn't know to plan my wedding. I don't know how to explain this, but Rosanna and Elizabeth gave me a sense of trust, and very good vibes when I had my first zoom call with them, I knew everything was on the right hands. They are really experts at this. The last few months of planning, I received many comments from my friends, impressed that I was never stressed throughout the year. They couldn't believe I was so relaxed, but I told them it was because everything was under control with Elizabeth. :)
The suppliers were wonderful!!! Our venue was the most beautiful location, as Rosanna said (pictures are not enough to describe the beauty of Borghi dell' Eremo), it is a really magical place, the staff was incredibly nice, taking care of everything and everyone. All of our guests felt very special because of the spectacular treatment from the staff. And honestly, I felt like a queen! lol. The food was delicious the 3 days of events, very unique and also a lot of food!! Which made us very happy!
The florals were exactly what I was looking for, It looked spectacular, it is the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen. The music/lightning, the dj, our wedding cake with the show of millefoglie cake was so much fun! The car we rented for the ceremony was beautiful, and our driver was also incredibly nice and helpful. Tuscan lab's work for stationary was also really really beautiful and unique! Andrea Pitti and his team were also so much fun to work with, they do an incredible job, they are very creative, very patient, had wonderful ideas for pictures. Lumiere wedding films, Iacopo was also very patient and creative. I am so excited about looking at the pictures and videos, I am sure they will turn out amazing!!!
I know DIW has exclusive list of suppliers and I understand why, they make sure everyone will do an impeccable job, I am so grateful for having worked with such amazing people. Everyone was so sweet and at the same time professional and experts at their job. All of our guests mentioned these same comments, they were amazed by EVERYONE. It was truly magical. I will really miss planning my wedding with Elizabeth, but it was a beautiful experience and I am so grateful to her because I really enjoyed something which could sometimes be stressful for people. I will add pictures once I receive them from Andrea :) I hope everyone can see how beautiful it turned out thanks to DIW! -
Nousha S. Sent on 06/02/2024
Love love love!
We highly recommend Distinctive Italy Weddings! Our personal wedding planner, Mariana, was absolutely amazing and exceeded what we could have imagined for our Lake Como Wedding and related events. Mariana went above and beyond to ensure that everything we wanted was made possible and executed exactly as we wished. She was on top of everything every step of the way and offered us multiple options and solutions and made everything stress free and seamless.
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Robert E. Sent on 04/22/2024Wow! Thank you!
WOW! Words cannot describe how incredibly grateful
we are for you and your team for the most exceptional
wedding planning experience and most incredible wedding week. From the very beginning, over one year ago, your professionalism, organizational skills,
promptness, impeccable taste, flexibility, accommodations, warm-heartedness, kindness, patience, and overall excellence made us feel so well cared for, stress-free, and at ease. Excellence and trust are in the details, and we couldn’t have been more impressed and reassured by your outstanding attentiveness to all aspects of our week. -
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Leora L. Sent on 04/22/2024Exceptional!
WOW! Words cannot describe how incredibly grateful we were for Mariana and the entire Distinctive Italy Weddings (DIW) staff. Your team coordinated the most exceptional wedding planning experience and most incredible wedding week. From the very beginning, over one year ago, your professionalism, organizational skills, promptness, impeccable taste, flexibility, accommodations, warm-heartedness, kindness, patience, and overall excellence made us feel so well cared for, stress-free, and at ease. Excellence and trust are in the details, and we couldn’t have been more impressed and reassured by your outstanding attentiveness to all aspects of our week. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for creating an unforgettable, timeless, and extraordinary experience! We are so incredibly thankful!! Without any hesitation, we would 1000000% recommend Mariana and DIW to anyone!!! -
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Chelsea V. Sent on 11/11/2023DIW will make your Italian wedding dreams come true!
Mariana from Distinctive Italy Weddings is an absolute gem when it comes to wedding planning. Her expertise, attention to detail, and passion for creating unforgettable Italian weddings are truly remarkable. From the moment we contacted her, Mariana's professionalism and warmth made us feel like we were in the best hands.
Mariana has an extensive knowledge of Italy's most stunning locations and venues, and she effortlessly transformed our vision into a breathtaking reality. Her ability to curate every aspect of our special day, from the elegant floral arrangements to the delectable cuisine, was simply outstanding.
Throughout the planning process, Mariana's communication and responsiveness were exceptional. She kept us updated, addressed our concerns, and offered invaluable suggestions. Her dedication to making our wedding day perfect was evident in every decision she made.
At each of our wedding events and especially on the wedding day itself, Mariana's coordination and execution were flawless. She ensured that every detail was taken care of, allowing us to relax and fully enjoy the celebration with our loved ones. The day was a seamless, magical experience, and we have Mariana to thank for that.
If you dream of an Italian wedding that surpasses all expectations, Mariana and Distinctive Italy Weddings are the team you need. Their commitment to creating a personalized, unforgettable experience is second to none. We are forever grateful for Mariana and the DIW team for helping us to create the most beautiful memories for our special day. -
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Fredrik T. Sent on 11/13/2023
Dream wedding all thanks to Distinctive Italy Weddings
My wife and I had our dream wedding come true due to Distinctive Italy Weddings. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the whole team, but also highlight the excellent guidance and service from Stefania! She was amazing from the very start to the very end, making sure we got in contact with all the right people and always being available and ready to answer our questions. She’s been a great advisor through out this process and she always made sure we got to view all kinds of different options to get us the perfect wedding. It was a pleasure working with you, and it was a great comfort how on the big day you were calm, collected and a true anchor for the both of us making sure everything went well. We can not thank you enough, our wedding would never been the same without you or the team. -
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Neha S. Sent on 09/03/2023DIW makes dreams come true
We would give DIW a million stars if we could, my partner and I were marred in a traditional Indian celebration over the course of 3 days in the Tuscan countryside. Our priorities were successfully blending Indian tradition and culture with the beauty of the Italian landscape, making sure our guests were completely taken care of, and making sure our personalities shined through at every opportunity.
When we came into contact with Rosanna it was clear that this team was passionate and very well equipped to create the wedding of our dreams, but once we started actually planning with Jacopo, we were able to really see his expertise come to life.
Jacopo, quite simply, made our DREAMS COME TRUE, every vendor that we were matched with was of the highest quality, every decision we made was done with so much thoughtfulness and care, every last minute hiccup was taken care of without us having to worry about anything going wrong. And truly, our wedding flew by immaculately, and with both of us as the bride and groom being able to thoroughly enjoy every moment almost as if we were guests ourselves.
Another very important point is how well Jacopo and his team took care of our guests. Indian culture emphasizes hospitality and every guest has individually noted how thoughtful the entire experience felt for them. We had a lot of complicated religious and dietary restrictions that the team took the time to understand fully and accommodate for in the most seamless way. Everything we thought would be an added complication and a burden to the planning, was handled with so much respect, and everyone felt very well taken care of.
Jacopo also really got to know us throughout our time planning this wedding together, and as he got to understand what makes us happy his suggestions and ideas pulled the whole wedding together and we could really trust that he would always do what was in our best interest. It was incredibly liberating to know that your planning team is not just a team that is executing on a plan, but they’re a team that can intuit your feelings to make the wedding perfect for you!
Absolutely choose DIW for your wedding experience, it is the decision that set our wedding on the path for success and a memory that we and our guests will never ever forget! -
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Anastasia I. Sent on 05/09/2022Professional, knowledgeable, responsive
We absolutely loved working with Rosanna and her team. They offered a free consultation to understand our needs first, worked with our venues of choice to obtain more information and find the right solution for us. Rosanna and team were responsive, extremely knowledgeable, and helped us estimate total budgets for various wedding venues to help us make the right choice. I would definitely recommend Distinctive Italy Weddings for large and logistically complex events, as they are extremely professional and have the ability to guide and advise, and anticipate any issues that may come up and help resolve those proactively. A huge thanks to the team for supporting us! Anastasia -
![Rachel]()
Rachel D. Sent on 06/11/2023Hire this team immediately!
Below is the email my husband and I sent to our wedding planner, Jacopo Tomé, after our 5/27/2023 wedding in Florence, Italy. This should reflect our thoughts on Jacopo and the DIW team. Bottom line: we cannot recommend Jacopo and team enough. Happy wedding planning!
Email:
Dearest Jacopo,
Apologies for the delay in our return email, as we wanted to make sure we gave this email our full care and attention.
There are not enough words to express our gratitude to you, Jacopo, for all of your hard work. Chase and I will be talking about our wedding weekend for the rest of our lives. And for that, we are eternally grateful. Not only did you and the DIW team make our wedding weekend come to life, you gave us a weekend that was beyond our wildest dreams. We were in awe all weekend at the magic that you and all the vendors brought to life.
Jacopo – Chase and I enjoyed every single call we had with you over the past (almost) year. We left each call energized and excited for what’s to come. We can’t thank you enough for your endless positivity, energy, patience, organization, expertise, attention to detail, and professionalism that you brought to each interaction we had with you. After just a few calls together, Chase and I knew we could trust you to be our guide. And after a few months of working together, we thought of you as a close friend. That feeling was confirmed after our tasting weekend together in March – you treated us like old friends and made sure our trip was as fun, memorable and productive as possible. We had the best time with you and will never forget that time together. Throughout our work together, you never led us astray, you reassured us whenever reassurance was needed, you pivoted when we changed our minds, but also pushed back (in the kindest and most professional way) where it was needed. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Jacopo.
Roland’s Catering – where to begin! While we had many critiques after the tasting, Roland’s was the vendor that made our wedding as magical as it was. Every single detail they provided – from the servers’ kindness and fun personalities, to the champagne on a tray for Chase & I whenever we entered a room, to the cake cutting with more champagne, to them bringing around extra of the courses to ensure guests were well fed, to the small trays of fruit & cookies both nights, to the beautiful display of digestif. Every single aspect of their service was phenomenal – we cannot say enough glowing things about Roland’s and are so thankful you brought them to us as a vendor. We could not recommend them to future couples enough.
Aberrazioni Cromatiche – oh my goodness. We had so much fun with the photographers & videographers on Saturday night. They were kind, patient, fun, creative, and asked to take unique shots I would never think of! On top of all that, they were as happy as we were! We fed off of their energy and had the best time during every shoot. We cannot wait to see the final product.
Flowers – Alé was where I think I gave the most direction… so I knew that if anyone was annoyed with me, it would be him! But when we knew we were in good hands was when we met Alé in Florence in March – his attention to detail while we told him what we liked and didn’t was impeccable. We loved working with him. And the flowers both nights were drop dead gorgeous – both were more beautiful than we could have imagined.
Tuscan Lab – Gloria was so lovely to work with. She understood immediately what our vision was, brought it to life, and pivoted with every change we requested. Her work is absolutely stunning. I wish she lived in the US so I could continue to work with her for all of my stationary needs :).
Kaleydo Entertainment – while we didn’t meet with Kaleydo, we are so thankful for all of their hard work. The lights, staging, music were all worth it and we can’t imagine the weekend without everything they provided. They brought our weekend to life!
DIW Team – thank you to everyone who worked on making our wedding weekend possible. We loved working with Rosanna and the DIW team and could not recommend DIW enough. Your team’s organization and work through AislePlanner made our lives so much easier since we were both juggling a lot – with being in graduate school, living in different cities, etc. If there is any other way I can support your business or be a reference, please let me know.
Palazzo Gondi – was the most stunning venue and feels big enough for a wedding! Our favorite parts – the room where we ate dinner, the downstairs and upstairs terraces. One consideration for future couples, it seems like the person in charge monitoring the villa didn’t let some guests onto the small upstairs terrace that was surrounded by jasmine bushes (which we thought would be available to guests). In addition, they didn’t allow guests to bring drinks up to the top terrace (which we thought guests would be allowed to do). So there were some strict guidelines to this venue that I think future couples should consider.
Villa di Maiano – I cannot recommend this venue enough. Our guests were shocked by each area of the venue and how special each moment and reveal was – from the Oak Garden, to the Italian Garden, to the Terrace, to the Main Room, to the Limonaia Isabella. If couples ask, the money is WORTH it for larger weddings because it gives you so much space for Plan A, and a great option for Plan B. And Isabella, the owner, was the sweetest and most warm person to work with. I will never forget her kindness when she first gave us a tour of the Villa back in July 2022. And when she brought around blankets on Saturday night of the wedding to keep our guests warm. Her hospitality was incredible.
For Other Couples Considering Italy – getting married in Italy was the best decision we made. We were considering Italy or New York. Italy was able to give us a wedding that truly felt like a fairytale and unlike any wedding in the US we had ever been to. On top of that, the quality of the services and vendors in Italy were unparalleled. The Italian vendors truly cared about our event and went above and beyond to make us happy, which I think is unlike many US vendors who often surprise couples with extra fees and costs and don't show as much compassion in their work.
Please let me know if I am forgetting anyone – I am more than willing to write more for you and the team because I cannot recommend you all more! So whatever you need, please let me know.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Jacopo. We will never forget you and the wedding weekend you created for us. We hope to see you again in Florence or in NYC whenever you visit.
All our love and gratitude ❤
Rachel & Chase -
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![Andreina]()
Andreina R. Sent on 04/15/2023DIW made the best day of our lives possible
DIW is an incredible company with a kind, professional and capable team that can make any wedding dreams come true. From the beginning of the process, we were helped to find our dream venue by Rosanna (one of the founders of DIW), connected with professional vendors, and felt the peace of mind of knowing our wedding was in fantastic hands. Our wedding planner Jacopo was dedicated, dependable, and so sweet to us during this entire planning process. His work ethic is unmatched and his attention to detail is amazing. He made the best day of our lives possible and we are so so grateful.
