How to organise a perfect and splendid Sicilian themed wedding – maybe outside Sicily?
The beautiful island where I am lucky enough to live is a thriving and fascinating land, which has always been the location of fabulous weddings for Hollywood stars and VIPs.
I am not surprised by the desire of so many couples to give shape to their special day right here.
Or, on the contrary, to bring a little bit of Sicily to one of the most important moments of their life.
How to plan, draw, and organise a wedding inspired by Sicily? I’ll tell you one thing: there is much more than the classic citrus-themed wedding!
If it is true that oranges, tangerines, cedars and lemons – with all their fresh scents – are characteristic of the Sicilian territory and may have a place in your wedding theme, I must admit that they are only a tiny part of the Sicilian tradition that we can bring into your event.
Organising a wedding inspired by Sicily means wisely moving the threads of tradition, meshing them with a bit of modernity, authenticity and luxury.
Just like the protagonists of the Sicilian wedding that you see portrayed in the photos of this article.
Let’s start with a fundamental element of the wedding theme and graphic design: the colour palette.
Colour palette: the shades of Sicily
If you have in mind the classic citrus-themed wedding, you can only think of two types of colour combinations: yellow, brown and green, or orange, brown and blue.
And they are not at all incorrect combinations!
Indeed, I remind you how lime-yellow is a trend colour, combined with all pastel colours – including light blue and pink. You find the latest colour trends in my article on the wedding table setting.
The questions we should ask ourselves when choosing the wedding palette are the following.
- Do these colours really represent Sicily – in the way we want to bring it to our big event?
- Do these colours represent us as a couple?
Sicily is many things: history, traditions, sea, sand, sky, citrus fruits, and volcanoes. And I’m sure your story is as many things.
Blue, green, brown, ocher, burgundy, and yellow, are all colours that can fit perfectly into your palette.
In the wedding of Anna and Francesco, the choice fell precisely on the colours of the citrus groves: orange, dark green, ocher and antique pink. Does this palette represent Sicily? Sure!
Does it also represent your personal idea of Sicily? If the answer is yes, we would have beautiful shades to work on. If the answer is no, we will be able to find the colours suitable for your love in the incredible Sicilian richness.
We could spend hours talking about the perfect graphic for a Sicily-themed wedding, but today I want to focus on one of the most essential elements, the choice of which is among the first that arise before you: the invitations.
Sicilian themed wedding invitations: some tips
Take, for example, the invitations of Anna and Francesco. The couple chose an elegant and airy main font – just like our land – in a bold dark green. The subtitles and details were instead shown in the orange palette, as well as the logo of the couple – which I will talk about shortly.
We inserted an organza ribbon with a simple bow to embellish and give character to the invitations.
Do you see Sicily in these invitations? Me, as a Sicilian, a lot!
As I anticipated, a personalised logo with the initials of Anna and Francesco was created for these spouses directly by a calligraphy expert. What is Sicilian about this, you may be wondering. Actually, a lot. Just as in the Mediaeval and Renaissance periods, every Sicilian noble family had its own coat of arms; even the nascent family of Anna and Francesco deserved one. You don’t think so?
But the Sicilian themed wedding is not limited to this; indeed, we are only at the beginning!
Tradition: location, typical elements and dress between history and family
If you want to celebrate a wedding inspired by Sicily, the choice of venue is essential. Especially if what you want is an authentic Sicilian wedding!
Indeed, in this case, we will have to prefer a peaceful, elegant place with a story to tell. The minimalist luxury hotel – however splendid – may not be a place capable of bringing out the richness of Sicilian traditions.
Anna and Francesco opted for an ancient residence, full of history and memories, immersed in a magical palm grove. In this venue, we also find a monumental wine press from the 1700s to represent the main occupation of agricultural workers in the area in past centuries: the production of wine from indigenous vines.
Other perfect locations for a wedding in full Sicilian style are the ancient masserie – often now real luxury relais – or the farmhouses suspended between land and sea. I don’t feel like excluding even the historic villages and buildings, even baroque ones. As I told you: it depends on how your couple perceives Sicily and its wealth.
Typical elements: ancient crafts and fabrics
Many other elements can be added to make your wedding even more authentically Sicilian – as these spouses wanted.
In this case, animation and fine fabrics have been brought into the wedding design to reinforce the characteristic essences.
In particular, we have chosen to include in the scenography of the location the representation of some typical Sicilian ancient crafts, from the seamstress, with her traditional sewing tools, to the sparkling and funny approach of sciuscià.
A real gift for all guests – who, I’m honest, have enjoyed it very much.
However, there are infinite possibilities to represent the link with tradition. Opportunities that emerge from the personal history of the spouses from time to time.
We were talking about fabrics.
The table runners were made from original blankets from the groom’s mother at this wedding. A detail of great emotional value for Anna and Francesco.
The role of the wedding planner is fundamental in moments like this. How to insert an element far from the wedding scene but terribly important in terms of the emotional bond? Finding the key to open this lock is the heart of my work.
Moreover, the same dress of the bride was designed and created by the Sicilian designer Claudio di Mari in a macramé lace with a daisy motif. Do I need to tell you that macramé is an icon of the Sicilian tradition?
But that’s not all. Indeed, perhaps the icing on the cake is missing: the typical wedding favours.
Wedding favours: a unique opportunity to amaze the guests
Sicily is the land of good food. What better favours than the gastronomic ones?
Choosing a single product among the many Sicilian excellences is not easy. Oil, wine, capers, anchovies, pates, pickles, flour, honey. Whatever your idea of gastronomic wedding favour is, I am sure that you will find a product of outstanding quality in Sicily.
But we can do even more. We have chosen to combine the Sicilian culinary tradition with history for a truly authentic Sicilian themed wedding favour: the Truscia.
What’s this? The traditional bundle that was carried to the fields or to the factory for meals. A coloured cloth reminiscent of Sicilian ceramics to enclose the typical features of our territory.
I don’t know about you, but Anna and Francesco’s guests loved it!
Wedding inspired by Sicily: tradition and authenticity
I often get asked about “Sicilian themed wedding decorations”, especially when I organise weddings outside my typically Sicilian territory. In reality, you don’t need large decorations. Traditions and your love already give us enough elements to work on to create a unique event.
As we saw in the wedding of this gorgeous couple of mine, a citrus-themed wedding can become much more by merging with history, folklore and culinary specialities.
In Sicily, there is undoubtedly the right inspiration for you too.
Do we organise your wedding in Sicilian style together? Write me!
Ph from the fairytale wedding of Anna and Francesco photographed by Gianmarco Vetrano