European Destination Weddings: Your Complete Planning Guide
Couples who get married in Europe — truly, deeply, deliberately — are usually a specific kind of couple. They’re not looking for the easiest option. They want something that feels different. Something that matches how they see themselves and the life they’re building together.
I’ve photographed weddings across Europe, and I live in Sitges, on the Catalan coast just south of Barcelona. So when couples ask me about European destination weddings, I’m not speaking theoretically. I know what it’s like to be a foreigner navigating a beautiful country and trying to do it with grace.
Here’s what I actually think about when couples come to me planning a European destination wedding.
The first thing I always say: build your guest list before you book anything else. Not the other way around. A destination wedding has a natural edit built in — not everyone can or will come, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s often the point. The people who make the trip tend to be the people who really mean it. And that changes the energy of the whole day.
The second thing: give yourself at least a year. Preferably eighteen months. Venue availability in popular destinations fills up faster than you’d expect, and with international travel to coordinate, you want to give your guests time to plan. Spain, in particular, often requires permits and paperwork that take longer than you’d think — even if the venue itself is straightforward to book.
On the subject of Spain: I’m obviously biased, but I think Sitges and the surrounding Costa Dorada region are genuinely underrated for weddings. It has everything — the sea, the light, beautiful old architecture, excellent food, and a slowness to the place that feels rare right now. It’s not overcrowded like some parts of the Riviera have become. And it’s deeply, quietly beautiful in a way that photographs incredibly well.
Beyond Sitges, there are a handful of European locations I think are worth considering seriously: the Alentejo in Portugal, which has this earthy, unhurried quality I love. The Dordogne in France, if you want something that feels ancient and green and lush. Lake Garda in northern Italy, which is spectacular without being as crowded as the Amalfi. And for something more dramatic, the coastline of Puglia in the south of Italy, which still feels relatively undiscovered.
When it comes to the practical side of planning: work with a local coordinator if you can. Not someone who coordinates remotely from another country, but someone who actually knows the vendors, the venues, the permits, the seasonal quirks. That relationship is worth everything.
If you’re thinking about a European destination wedding and wondering where to start, I’m happy to share more of what I know — both from my own experience living here and from photographing weddings across the continent. I’d love to hear where you’re dreaming of.
