Want to marry like George Clooney? Here’s the lowdown.
Firstly, of all the places in all the world, you choose to celebrate your nuptials in Venice, the labyrinthine city of bridges and canals immune to the passage of time.
IMAGE: BELMOND HOTEL/BELMOND IMAGES
Pre and post-wedding festivities are divided between two legendary and sumptuous properties: The Aman Canal Grande Venice, and The Belmond Hotel Cipriani.
To calm your nerves before the ceremony and spend time with guests who’ve flown into Venice for your wedding, head over to the Cipriani hotel’s Cip’s Club, a bar that offers sweeping views of St. Mark’s Square from its outdoor terrace where you’ll sip on a few flutes of champagne.
IMAGE: BELMOND HOTEL/BELMOND IMAGES
Before swearing off his bachelorhood, Clooney ordered a few rounds of bubbly with his A-list friends like Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber.
IMAGE: AMAN CANAL PIANO LOUNGE/AMAN CANAL GRANDE VENICE
Then, with your entourage in tow, stroll casually over to the luxurious Aman hotel where the ceremony is to be held, a sumptuous resort with a history that dates back to the 16th century.
Feed guests a sumptuous Italian feast that includes dishes like lemon risotto with lobster, polenta with wild mushrooms, sea bass, prosciutto ham and figs.
Once the ceremony is over, unleash your guests into the hotel restaurant which will be turned into a nightclub for some celebratory dancing and related shenanigans.
The day after, host a lavish Sunday brunch back at the Cipriani -- HQ for the wedding party and guests -- either at the Oro restaurant or, for a more casual, sun-soaked, al fresco affair, at the Porticciolo Pool Restaurant on the edge of the Venetian lagoon.
And, don’t forget to add the albeit touristy, but requisite gondola ride along the city’s canals, with stops at the Bridge of Sighs where, legend has it, lovers are granted eternal love if they kiss on a gondola, at sunset.
AFP RELAXNEWS