I had two reasons to be nervous about our trip to Italy last week. Firstly, it was Maia’s first trip abroad and first time on a plane. Secondly, we were going to visit our wedding venue, which we have already booked, for the very first time! Yes you read correctly, we booked and paid our wedding in Lake Garda based on friends’ recommendations and online reviews without having ever been there! So needless to say I felt a bit nervous – what if I wouldn’t like it after all?!
We got engaged on our babymoon in Greece (read: Will you be my wife?) last year and started planning our wedding in September. I really wanted to get married in the summer of 2018 (because who knows if we’ll have baby number two on the way next year?!) and having less than a year to plan a wedding can be tricky as many venues are booked even two years in advance! Since neither one of us is from London and our friends and family are in different countries, we wanted to have a wedding abroad – somewhere warm and beautiful with good food but still accessible from the UK and Finland. But I was seven months pregnant and we couldn’t go flying around Europe looking for venues… So when my friend suggested Lake Garda in Italy which ticked all the boxes and they still had one available date for July 2018, we went for it!
I didn’t need to worry about Maia, she did very well on the journey to Italy. Maia’s dad and I worked well together as a team and the trip was as smooth as it could have been. I mean it’s never completely smooth with a baby but hey that’s mum life! Instead of flying out late on Friday night we decided to take an early flight on Saturday because mornings generally are Maia’s best time. I didn’t sleep so well though, feeling excited and nervous about my first trip abroad since October last year.
To streamline our operation, we put all our stuff for the three-day trip in one big suitcase which we checked in. I also had Maia’s nappy bag which I took in the cabin of course. British Airways allows for one free check-in luggage with a baby which helped to justify paying extra to have Maia on board although she didn’t have a seat (a bit ridiculous, no?). We also decided not to take the pram because it’s too big and clumsy for travel and Maia is not yet big enough for a travel buggy. Instead we had Maia in the baby carrier which worked well. It’s good to have your hands free at the airport! Maia fell asleep but annoyingly I was asked to take her out of the baby carrier when we went brought security and she woke up. Otherwise everything went very smoothly and Maia slept on me most of the flight too!
We had booked a transfer from Verona Airport to Malcesine in Lake Garda and were picked up on time. I still remember the moment we finally saw the lake from the car – it was breathtakingly beautiful! We were driving along the east side of the lake and I was eager to see the Castle of Malcesine, where our wedding ceremony would take place. And finally, there it was…
It was everything I had dreamt of. Charming little town of Malcesine by the lake and at the foot of the spectacular mountains with a fairytale castle. The castle is owned by the town and couples having a civil ceremony in Malcesine can choose to have it at the castle terrace for a small additional cost. You can see the top of the white canopy in the picture above!
It just so happened that as we were about to enter the castle – it’s open for visitors for an entrance fee – a newly married couple walked out with their wedding party. Eight more weeks and that’ll be us!! It was a cloudy day but the views were still stunning which helps to put my mind at ease about the weather. As long as it doesn’t rain…eek!
Overall visiting Malcesine has helped us to relax about the wedding. The location itself is so charming that I’m sure we and our guests will have a great time. There’s no need to stress about decorations and such when the venue is so beautiful. Meeting our wedding planner from Lake Garda Weddings in person was also nice. I’ve already been impressed by her efficiency and professionalism in our wedding arrangements. When arranging a wedding abroad, especially somewhere unfamiliar, it’s good to have someone locally who speaks Italian and knows the right people. It may not have saved us money but it definitely reduced the stress about the wedding. We’ve also appreciated her help with marriage documentation. I think our wedding is in good hands!
We also visited the bar in the old harbour which we have booked for the afternoon drinks before the boat tour. I was very pleased to note that the Italians were super child friendly and e.g. changing a nappy on a sofa in a cafe was no problem! Considering we’ll have six babies under 1-year old in our wedding, this is very important.
On Sunday night we had dinner at our wedding reception restaurant La Voglia in Val di Sogno and met with the manager. We tasted three courses out of the six-course wedding menu we had planned. The food was divine and so were the views over then lake! Again, a massive relief! Having visited the restaurant, table plans and such will be much easier to complete. Now just to remind you of the realities of travelling with a baby, a romantic dinner for two didn’t happen. We had dinner at seven, but that wasn’t too bad for Maia since Italy is one hour ahead of the UK and Maia had had a quick nap before we left. At the restaurant however we took turns with holding Maia (who can’t yet sit in a highchair) and playing with her. We also skipped dessert to get back to the hotel early enough to put her to bed. But once she was asleep we could have some romantic one on on time on our balcony.
Planning our wedding was fun but just going away as a family was great! I’d say it was a very successful first family holiday. The weather was lovely and we walked a lot enjoying the landscapes and even took a boat trip! We also did my BBG workout on our huge hotel room balcony overlooking the lake. Hotel Val di Sogno was perfect for us. Maia even liked her travel cot although I had worried it would feel strange and big compared to her little Moses basket at home. I had brought her sleepbag and Ewan the sleep sheep – a white noise and lullaby cuddly toy – from home. Maybe they helped Maia to relax in the new environment.
I would definitely recommend coming to Lake Garda, with children or without. I cannot wait to come back here to say “I do”!
xoxoxo,
Sini