Wedding, foreigners like exchanging their 'yes' in Italia
In 2025 between destination wedding and the domestic market the business was 1.5 billion euro with 25,200 events and 4.1 million nights booked
Key points
Italia, the land of 'yes'. The number of foreign couples choosing the Bel Paese to exchange their 'yes' is growing rapidly. Last June, in Venice, the 'historic' wedding between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez took place, complete with a security ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore with over 200 VIP guests and celebrations at the Arsenale. Budget estimated at around 35-40 million euros. A small contribution to the growth of the wedding business, which in 2025 has exceeded 1.1 billion euros in turnover with a +19.6% increase over 2024. Celebrations by foreign couples on Italia soil have risen to around 16,700 events (+9.8%), generating over 3 million overnight stays. These numbers emerge from the research conducted by the Florence-based Centro Studi Turistici under the direction of Convention Bureau Italia and Italy for Weddings. Between destination weddings and the domestic market, the overall turnover is 1.5 billion euro with 25,200 events and 4.1 million nights booked.
Bezos effect
The United States consolidates its position as absolute leader: 31.7% of total requests come from the States, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany. However, Italy for Weddings' strategic analysis highlights a crucial trend for the future: the need to diversify to ensure sustainability. Although the US market remains a driving force, it is physiological to expect stabilisation. For this reason, the organisation is guiding operators towards alternative long-haul markets: extremely positive signals are in fact coming from Australia, Canada, Brazil, the Arab Emirates, India and China, nations on which Italy for Weddings is concentrating its promotional actions to intercept a new dynamism towards the Bel Paese.
If Mr. and Mrs. Bezos chose Venice, the other couples opted for inland areas. Tuscany remains the most popular region, followed by Lombardy, Campania, Piedmont and Sicily. Among the specific areas, the podium is held by Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast and Chianti. A path that leads to the villages because unlike mass tourism, destination weddings emphasise secondary destinations and the high-end diffuse system: medieval villages, country villas and vineyards are preferred to crowded urban centres, bringing wealth to the territories in a capillary manner. It is also interesting to note the fruits of the work on deseasonalisation: although the summer months remain dominant, celebrations in alternative periods are growing. In particular, the last quarter of the year saw a significant increase in the share of events, proving that Italia is attractive all year round. The support of a wedding planner, a consultant chosen by one out of two couples, is fundamental, while two thirds choose to celebrate a symbolic rite followed by civil and religious rites, allowing greater creative freedom in the choice of unique locations. The average expenditure per event reached 67 thousand euro (+8.9%), confirming the high-spending positioning of the sector.
"Surpassing the billion euro turnover in the wedding sector highlights the crucial role that this constantly growing sector plays within the national tourism economy," said Daniela Santanchè, Minister of Tourism. Italia is confirmed as a world leader in its ability to attract international markets, both established and emerging. The growing interest in our country contributes to making marriage in the Bel Paese a distinctive element from a cultural point of view. In addition, the increasingly widespread tendency to choose lesser-known villages, often linked to the couples' roots, and less canonical periods favours the deseasonalisation of flows and the enhancement of Italian territorial and professional excellence'.
Out of region of residence
The number of Italian couples getting married outside their region of residence is growing slightly. A niche that generated a turnover of 369 million euros (+6.5%), involving about 800 thousand people for a total of 8,500 events. With an average budget of EUR 43,400, Italians are also rediscovering the villages and excellences of their neighbouring territories.
