Page 1 of An Italian Wedding Adventure

1

When the happy couple arrived for their first consultation, there was no immediate indication that the Tran-Welbon nuptials would be anything other than the usual perfectly planned and exquisitely executed destination wedding.

‘Lily, Roman, it’s so lovely to meet you in person. Can I get you something to drink? Tea?’

Sophie-Leigh gave the new clients her warmest smile as she ushered them in the direction of the Scandi-design sofa and the minimalist coffee table in the meeting room at I Do Destinations.

Against one wall stood a shelving unit of photography books, magazines and carefully concealed folders of information about getting married overseas – important, even if they didn’t enhance the aesthetic. Another wall was frosted glass and on the other two hung photos from recent weddings, printed on shiny acrylic, capturing a moment that contained two lifetimes – and the stunning backdrop of the exotic locations the couples had selected for their big day.

One featured the waterfront on the Italian island of Elba, the sun bursting over the horizon as the barefoot bride and groom, in all their finery, held hands in the foreground. Santorini was there too (Sophie had planned that wedding. The biggest challenge had been getting the crowds of tourists out of the background of the photos). One of the shots had been taken by a drone camera high above Whitehaven Beach in Australia, the small wedding party captured throwing rose petals into the air.

The meeting room was the heart and soul of I Do Destinations, a cosy place for honest discussion as well as a trophy room documenting the success of the many grand occasions the agency had arranged. It was Sophie’s happy place.

‘Coffee, please – for both of us.’

Taking the armchair opposite, Sophie set down her tea and reached for her tablet and stylus. ‘You mentioned in our call that you haven’t decided on a destination, but you have a specific idea for the ceremony,’ she began. ‘I’m intrigued. Do you want to start there?’

‘It’s quite… unusual,’ the bride, Lily Tran, thirty-two years old and originally from London – according to the profile she’d filled out online – began apologetically. ‘We’ve probably seen too many Instagram photos of couples in stunning locations.’

Sophie flashed them her brightest conspiratorial smile. ‘I’ve planned nearly fifty destination weddings so far and helped my colleagues on at least fifty more. I promise you, whatever you’re thinking, it won’t be the strangest idea I’ve ever heard and stunning locations are what we do here.’

The couple shared a smile, their hands clutched between them.

The groom, Roman Welbon, thirty-one years old, from Inglesbatch in Somerset, began eagerly. ‘Lil and I met through our climbing group. We both love the outdoors and we just thought—’ He gave his bride-to-be a giddy smile, even as Sophie’s slipped.

The outdoors. Climbing. Would she be in luck and they just meant stairs down to the beach? It was her job to make wedding dreams come true. She was used to keeping her own past out of it – her own hypocritically disastrous track record on love – but there had been a time when she’d loved the outdoors too. At least, she’d loved someone who loved the outdoors.

Lily nodded and continued, ‘A church or an events venue – even a mansion or a fancy villa – those aren’t the right places for us to get married. We’d really love that sense of achievement we get from a hike or a climb, so we were thinking?—’

Sophie leaned forward to make sure she caught every detail of the couple’s wishes – and tried to ignore her tingle of misgiving.

‘We’d love to get married at the top of a mountain!’ Roman blurted out.

Wonderful. Something that reminded her of the most mortifying day of her life. Sophie hoped they couldn’t tell she was gritting her teeth. She prided herself on being good at reading people – it was a necessary skill for her job. But that one man… If she ever needed reminding of her limitations, then that day, that man was enough.

‘You know those peaks with a cross on top?’ Roman continued. ‘We were picturing something like that, with views for miles.’

‘I’ve seen photos of mountain weddings. I don’t know if you’ve done anything like that?’ Lily asked.

Opening her mouth to speak, Sophie hesitated, searching for the words to reassure the client, while also admitting that mountains were a long way outside her current repertoire with good reason. But she was saved by the groom’s enthusiasm.

‘Our friends are mostly outdoor types too and our parents are also interested in an… adventure. Obviously, we couldn’t have a party or a meal up there, but that’s our dream for the ceremony – something really meaningful for us.’

‘Your… parents too?’ She bloody well hoped they didn’t have any medical conditions. What kind of insurance would she need for this? She was a wedding planner, not a mountain guide! The term ‘mountain guide’ made her swallow more uncomfortable memories.

‘I know we’d have to keep it small,’ Lily said with something like an apologetic smile.

Sophie gripped her stylus tightly and dragged her thoughts back to her clients. ‘There will be other logistical challenges. In most countries, legal weddings can only take place in designated areas.’

‘But on your website, there’s a whole section about commitment ceremonies,’ Lily pointed out. ‘We can get legally married here in the UK and avoid all those problems. And then we could design the day to be really special – and the budget would stretch further, because we wouldn’t have those administrative costs.’

‘Ah, if you’re… um… Yes, of course that’s an option. But you can also consider just the photos on a mountain. To be honest, those pictures you’ve seen online are all staged and taken the day before the wedding or the day after. We can absolutely arrange for that kind of photoshoot and then we don’t have to get all of your friends and family up and down a mountain on your wedding day.’

Lily reacted with a slight raise of her eyebrows, a signal of doubt that added panic to Sophie’s existing cocktail of unwanted emotions. She was here to make dreams come true, not criticise clients’ ideas – or the work of other wedding planners and photographers.

Roman was undeterred. ‘We were really hoping for a ceremony right at the top, a long way from any infrastructure. We’d trek up to the summit and that’s the spot where we’d promise our lives to each other.’ The adoring look Roman gave his fiancée would usually have prompted an indulgent smile from Sophie, but irritation rose up her throat instead. She swallowed it ruthlessly.

‘That sounds… very romantic,’ she managed to say. ‘But are you certain you’d forego the big white dress and the evening wear? If you want to hike up, it might limit your?—’

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