Destination Jewish Weddings: Florence and Marbella

In brief: A destination Jewish wedding needs everything a London wedding needs, and more. Rabbis, kosher catering and contingency planning all have to travel with you. Here is what running weddings in Florence and Marbella has actually taught us.

Why Destination Weddings Need More Contingency Planning, Not Less

Everything that can go wrong at a UK wedding can go wrong at a destination wedding, and you have far less to fall back on locally. We plan for that from the start, not after something happens.

Villa Palmieri, Florence

At Villa Palmieri, we ran a wedding through a storm on the day itself. The plan changed in real time, and the wedding still ran. That is what destination planning actually means: not assuming good weather, and having a real answer ready if it does not hold.

Marbella: When the Rabbi Cannot Travel

On one Marbella wedding, the rabbi we had booked had to withdraw days before the wedding. His wife was seriously unwell. We worked our own contacts, rang around ten different rabbis, and found a replacement in time. That only works because we keep those relationships live, not because we got lucky once.

Looking After Rabbis and Guests Who Are Travelling

Kosher food does not stop mattering once the ceremony is over. Visiting rabbis need kosher food arranged in their hotel rooms for the whole stay, not just at the wedding meal. Getting this right is part of what makes them comfortable enough to focus on the ceremony, not the logistics.

What This Means for Planning a Destination Jewish Wedding

The venue and the view are the easy part. The real work is building a supply chain of rabbis, kosher caterers and contingency plans that can travel to wherever you are getting married.

Ready To Talk?

If you are planning a Jewish wedding outside the UK, get in touch. Book a no-obligation consultation.

Laurie Weitzkorn, Director