We dreamed of marrying in Italy – and will save by honeymooning there too
NATALIE Dent and Giles Barber, both aged 28, are busy planning ahead for their wedding in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast in Italy next June.
The couple from West Sussex met at school, and have been an item since they were 15. Natalie now works as a marketing manager for a telecoms company, while Giles is an account manager for an airline.
Giles popped the question last December as a surprise on Natalie’s birthday.
As the couple have always loved taking holidays in Italy, they dreamed of tying the knot in the Italian sun.
Natalie says: ‘We are rapidly reaching the budget we set of £25,000. It is a lot of money, but will be worth it to have the wedding we always dreamt of.’
The couple make payments in chunks every few months to an Italian wedding planner and send money to other overseas suppliers. They are not stinting on food and drink for guests.
Natalie says: ‘One of the biggest costs is the catering and food, as we have opted for a package which works at around €130 (£115) per head – including some drinks. With plans to invite 80 guests, costs have mounted up.’
Another of the big costs is the photographer and videographer, with a price tag of around €2,000 (£1,770).
‘In addition, we hadn’t realised there would be quite so many taxes – including royalties for the band,’ says Natalie.
They opted to make the payments using TransferWise, which takes a fee of just 0.5 per cent each time.
Natalie says: ‘This is cheaper – and simpler – than transferring money through my bank.
‘We also use a “rate alert” tool, which means we get a notification when the euro rate has moved to an acceptable level. We then quickly take advantage of this opportunity to send money abroad.’
The couple will take their honeymoon on the nearby Amalfi Coast after the ceremony, neatly saving on extra travel costs.