Germany, Austria and Switzerland send more couples to Italy for destination weddings than almost anywhere else, and for good reason — a short flight or even a drive gets you to lakes, mountains and countryside that feel worlds away without the long-haul travel that couples from further afield have to plan around. That shorter distance changes the practical side of planning your bridal look, in a good way.

The Advantage of a Shorter Distance

Because Italy is so close for DACH couples, an in-person trial ahead of the wedding — not just on arrival day — is genuinely realistic in a way it isn't for couples flying in from the US or further afield. If your venue is in the north (Lake Garda, Lake Como, South Tyrol), a dedicated trial trip a few months before the wedding is often worth the short flight or drive, rather than relying solely on a video consultation. My guide to bridal makeup trials covers timing in more detail.

Getting Started Remotely

If a dedicated trial trip isn't realistic, a video call still covers most of the groundwork — your dress, your venue, skin type, and any specific preferences around coverage or finish. Clear, well-lit photos of your skin and any inspiration images help enormously here, and I'd rather see three good photos than a long written description. As citizens of the EU, Swiss and Austrian couples in particular often find the practical side of planning a wedding in Italy — paperwork included — considerably simpler than it is for couples travelling from outside Europe.

What to Know About the Paperwork

Civil wedding requirements in Italy apply the same way regardless of where you're travelling from, though EU citizenship does simplify some of the documentation. My guide to civil weddings in Italy covers the general requirements — worth reading early, since some documents need to be requested weeks in advance from your home registry office.

Communicating Comfortably in German

Not every artist in Italy works comfortably in German, and you may not share a fluent language with yours at all. That matters less than it sounds. The details that actually decide a trial — exact shade matching, how long the look has to hold, how you want to feel on the day — travel better in photographs than in sentences, and a phone on the table covers the rest. More on that in my note on working with an artist you don't share a language with.

A Few Practical Tips