I pride myself on being a multilingual wedding planner, speaking 4 languages on a daily basis: French, English, Spanish and Italian.
With more and more weddings being planned abroad, in countries that are most often not the place of origin of one of the couple, language often becomes a sticking point for many.
As you will already know, communication in our day-to-day life is super important, however in the planning of your big day, it is even more important and crucial that nothing, and I mean NOTHING, gets lost in translation – literally! Planners are popping up left, right and center claiming to be your perfect partner for Destination Weddings, but I ask you – How many can actually speak fluently multiple languages?
Having been brought up with two mother tongues in Geneva, Switzerland; I spoke fluent French and English since I can remember.
I then added to the list Spanish at age 14 and Italian by the age of 21. I now speak and practice daily all 4 languages.
This means that not only do I speak these languages, but I understand the cultural isms that they each carry, the ever-evolving meanings of words, the cultural references and most importantly the second and third degrees in each language.
Hiring a multi-lingual wedding planner, is an asset that you, as an engaged couple, are arming yourself with.
Planning your wedding is daunting enough, let alone in a country where neither of you speak the language!
Speaking multiple languages has, several times, averted multiple issues in events and weddings that I planned throughout Europe.
A REAL-LIFE INSTANCE WHERE BEING A MULTILINGUAL WEDDING PLANNER SAVED THE DAY.
One example that comes to mind is when I was organizing a wedding in Tuscany, just outside of Florence, a few years ago. The couple were French, living in France, but they had a deep connection with Tuscany, hence why they chose to get married there.
They were deeply Catholic, and therefore we had to secure a local church that not only fit your usual tick-list (proximity to the reception venue, capacity, parking area, etc.) but where the priest also spoke enough French to celebrate the wedding. Let me tell you, it was no easy feat!
We finally settled on a church a short drive away from the main venue, where the priest had agreed to cede his place to another local priest from a neighbouring village who spoke enough French to marry them. We would therefore have the two priests presiding over the wedding and mass.
One week before the wedding, my couple called me and explained that their French priest in Paris, had last minute agreed to fly out to Tuscany and marry them himself.
Thanks to my multiple languages, and cultural sensitivities, I was able to negotiate with the two Italian priests in a diplomatic way, which led to them to the couple having one of the most unique mass set-ups ever: They had three priests orchestrating their wedding together!
OTHER EXAMPLES WHERE A BILINGUAL WEDDING PLANNER IS A MUST.
In general, I would say that hiring a bi-lingual wedding planner that speaks both your language/s and that of the country where you want to get married is an absolute must. It isn’t just a bonus. You are able to save on them having to source a local partner, but also, they are able to review contracts, any documentation, and most importantly communicate firsthand with all of the suppliers.
So many times, I have had to chat with the gardener from the villa and try and schmooze him to let me place a table and chairs on his pristine lawn, with the cleaning lady to ask her to clean the toilets more often throughout the day, or with the bus driver to ask him to pretty please wait a few minutes more to fill the coach.
My multiple languages are one of my unique selling points, and being a multilingual wedding planner is something that I am extremely proud of, but that I also use a daily tool in my work.
I don’t charge more per language, don’t worry. It just means that you feel more trust and more at ease when working with me.
I cannot recommend you enough to please, do your homework, and if you are planning a destination wedding, pick a multilingual wedding planner, or at the very least, a bi-lingual wedding planner.
If you want to discuss your multilingual needs for your wedding…
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