When I come to Marzamemi for the very first time, this tiny fishing village welcomed me with bright colors, music from the little streets, little windows painted in blue and baskets of lemons. And I thought “it’s not just what you see in the postcard, this is Sicily!”.

I immediately understood why Giovanna and Giorgio, my spouses, wished that place for a wedding in Sicily and were enchanted by Marzamemi. After a short walk, I find myself inside the Tonnara di Marzamemi, which I discover is an incredibly famous place here. The Tonnara is an open space that has maintained its original structure, the floor completely uneven and -trust me- logistically it is an hard location (but we adore these challenges), very fascinating, a legacy of the Spanish domination of the 1600s.
One of those places where you can imagine everything, because it is an empty canvas to paint.
Giovanna tells me that the name of the village comes from “marsà al-ḥamāma”, it means “bay of the turtledoves”, in Arabic. We like it so much that we included it in Save the Date and I started dreaming of Arab nights and candlelit parties, spices and exotic fruits.
A request from the Clients: nothing classic, of forcibly “wedding”. No tables with white tablecloths, or long lines at the buffets, no classic photos with the bride and groom. Focus on the design, to the refinement of the individual elements in order to create an atmosphere that exalts the influences of the place, a mix of Arab and Sicilian, a small touch of industrial style and basic materials: wood, metal. Massive decors on tables and a dance floor covered with Persian and Moroccan rugs, cushions, lanterns.

Thanks to Giovanna and Giorgio we had the honor and pleasure to work alongside the starred Chef Ciccio Sultano, renowned for the exaltation of Sicilian taste, and his Team from the restaurants Duomo and I Banchi, with Chef Peppe Canistrà.
An intense, important experience that has opened windows to a world we didn’t imagine before. It is not always easy to collaborate with important names, to make it clear that we (Wedding Designers) are not there to obstruct, but to exalt a situation with a different and unusual eye. If not, Clients would probably not choose us. And in the end there is nothing more beautiful than admire, all together, what you have done in a place where you would not have imagined possible. 

Even with three hours of sleep and one night spent on ladders to install chandeliers, even with a 10-hour drive from Tuscany to bring all of the equipments, while the rain is poring down outside, while you already run towards the Plan B you always have a smile on your face, since the spouses deserve to feel that everything is fine.
And when you think, as always, “Why I’m doing this?” you discover that you are already, once again, beyond your limits and you have overcome them: in another region, Sicily, in another world, with the same courage as always.

Destination Wedding in Sicily, Marzamemi.
Plan+Design Elisa Mocci Events
Thanks to Elisa C. – Chiara – Silvia
Decors @flowersliving
Photo @weddingphotographer.italy
Chef Ciccio Sultano
With the support of @dibenedetto_lightdesign | @genimaisonevents | Francesca Casamento

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