Doesn’t seem like a lot of time but three things I’d consider, 1) arranging transportation to and from airport, 2) arranging transportation on one day to and from a central location in a nearby town or Rome (especially if some attendees have not been) where guests can either participate in a pre arranged tour or go off on their own (drop off pickup times predetermined) 3) some type of food or wine tasting event at or very near the venue on an otherwise quiet evening.

Anonymous wrote:I love a welcome bag because it includes the schedule, snacks and bottles of water.

Reliable transportation to the rehearsal dinner and wedding are very important. Make sure the venue can hold all the guests even if it rains.

Make sure there’s breakfast for guests available at the hotel or nearby. A list of activities or available hotel spa services would be nice. Sometimes weddings have a club room available for wedding guest socializing, drinks and snacks.

I probably will have packed with any spare room dedicated for my own personal souvenir picks. But I'd love a simple welcome bag too, cloth if you want to go fancy (easy to take home or pass along) with a few local snacks. Wine in Italy would be particularly welcome but mineral water is perfectly fine. A beautifully printed schedule would make a nice wedding favor.

Anonymous wrote:I still wouldn’t go. Even if I liked the couple and the other people going. I’m not flying to Rome for a wedding.

If it was all expense paid, would be hard to turn it down. But if had to pay for flight or room/board, I'd agree with you.

Plenty of wine and snacks available.

PP here. I'll add that one of the things we did in Rome/Vatican City was a Davinci Code tour where we visited all the sites from the book. It was super cool. This was many years ago when the book was newer but I'd still think it was fun.

I actually got married in Italy (Montepulciano, but we flew into Rome and spent a few days there).

We rented a huge villa for everyone and I had a pasta chef come one night and teach people how to make pasta and multiple sauces and then another night I had a pizza chef come in and teach everyone how to make pizza from scratch. Those classes were a lot of fun. We also did day trips to the cities around where we were, and to Florence, but we were there for 10 days, not 3.

Anonymous wrote:Went to a wedding in Tuscany last year. The rooms had a bottle of wine and small bottle of olive oil - from the Villa venue vineyards and a fresh baguette — I love Italy! 😘

I'd love this.

Went to a wedding in Tuscany last year. The rooms had a bottle of wine and small bottle of olive oil - from the Villa venue vineyards and a fresh baguette — I love Italy! 😘

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want stuff in a welcome basket but I think snacks are always a good idea.

so snacks but not in a basket?

As long as I don't have to take the basket with me, a basket is fine! But no commemorative water bottles or whatever. Just consumable snacks that people don't feel bad about not eating or discarding if they don't want them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still wouldn’t go. Even if I liked the couple and the other people going. I’m not flying to Rome for a wedding.

That’s only because you obviously wouldn’t be invited to a wedding in Rome because you are zero fun.

There is something obnoxious about a destination wedding. Unless everything is paid for -- airfare, hotel, etc. -- there should not be any guilt whatsoever in declining the invite to a destination wedding. But there always is guilt involved.

Bullshit. It’s no different than any out of town wedding. You’re just a drip.