Melissa and Brendon are both Canadians who decided that a large traditional wedding in Canada was not what they dreamed of. They wanted to be free from the hassle and stress that is usually associated with planning a big wedding so they decided to have a destination wedding in Italy with a small group of family and close friends.

Since Brendon’s mother is originally from Italy, they thought it would be nice to go back to Brendon’s heritage to celebrate their wedding vows. Melissa and Brendon also agreed that it was a wonderful opportunity for their family to go on a vacation, something most of them would never do unless they had a good enough reason for it. When Melissa and Brendon decided to celebrate their wedding in the beautiful Cinque Terre in northern Italy, they made it difficult for their guests to refuse such a fascinating invitation.

The Cinque Terre are five villages overlooking the sea that were built into the rocks between the beach and the hills. The area is eighteen kilometers of sheer rocky coastline and terraced hills and vineyards sloping steeply down to the sea. The bride and groom and their small group of 15 guests lodged in Monterosso al Mare, one of the bigger resorts of the Cinque Terre. The majority of the guests arrived early in the week to enjoy the area before dedicating their Thursday to join Melissa and Brendon in the celebration of their marriage.

The guests gathered together late Thursday morning to take the boat from Monterosso to Vernazza, where the civil ceremony was to take place. Vernazza is another of the Cinque Terre’s beautiful fishing villages made up of pink, red and yellow houses overlooking shimmering blue waters. It is surrounded by ruins of the medieval fortifications and has a small harbor next to the village square.

After arriving in Veranazza, the guests made their way up the steep narrow lanes to the town hall that is located on a high hill overlooking the beautiful panorama of the coast. At one o’clock in the afternoon, the bride, dressed in her beautiful ivory gown, holding a bouquet of light blue and pink hydrangeas with cream roses, and the groom in his elegant black tuxedo with a cream rose boutonnière, stood with their guests ready to celebrate their wedding vows. In side the town hall- a beautiful historic building that was once a convent- the marriage ceremony was celebrated in Italian by the local town mayor, accompanied by an English speaking translator.

After Melissa and Brendon exchanged their vows during the short ceremony, they gathered with family and friends for some photos in and around the town hall. While the newlyweds toured Vernazza with the photographer to take a few more photos, their guests headed down to the village square to quench their thirst from the July heat and to enjoy a light lunch.

After a short boat ride back to Monterosso and a few hours of relax time to go for a quick swim or take a nap, the guests joined for an early evening dinner at a sea-side restaurant. The meal began with some cocktail drinks that were quickly followed by an appetizer plate of crepes filled with shrimp mousse, warm seafood salad, a selection of Monterosso anchovies and fresh fried calamari. A first dish of ravioli pasta filled with sea bass and a rose sauce of pine nuts and basil, as well as trofie pasta with pesto sauce was served. For the main dish, guests had a choice of swordfish with fresh tomatoes and herbs or Florentine steak with arugula salad and fresh tomatoes. To finish off the delicious meal, the group of satisfied guests was offered a choice of desserts.

Melissa and Brendon were able to realize their simple and stress-free, yet beautiful and romantic wedding. Italy was the perfect solution for them and they were happy that they were able to bring their family together in such a beautiful country.