I just had a chance to read the book "Abbondanza". It is a simple planning book for those who would like to plan a traditional Italian wedding. I loved it. The format, style and illustrations are simple. You have a few illustrations here and there in the book, the style is easy going and the format is easy to follow. The index will keep you on track. You can use it like an outline for planning an Italian wedding or a place to start to get some good ideas.

The book is certainly true to form. My mother is straight from the Old Country so I was just double checking all of the "most do's" on her list for my wedding. If you are of Italian origin, you can use this book to get some real straight from the old country advice for your wedding. As an Italian-American, I really wanted to put part of myself into the wedding. I did not want it to be just like everyone else’s wedding. I wanted it to be my own wedding. My wedding needed to be a reflection of me not what people expected of me.

The big things like "confetti" are in the book as well as some of the lesser know customs like putting a white bow on the doors of the bride and groom and the church in which they are to be married. Or that it is unlucky to where gold on your wedding day. Let me explain about “confetti”. Confetti are given out at the reception. They can range in shape, composition and form but generally they are made of five almonds coated in sugar (like Jordan Almonds). Mine were white (the traditional color for weddings). They were of silk and lace cut in squares about 6 inches long. The almonds and a small piece of paper, with the bride and groom’s names and the date they were married, were placed inside the silk and then the corners were pulled up and tied with a silk ribbon. A silk flower was placed in the center of the tie.
These confetti can be used as a reminder of your wedding and the wedding of others. After eating the almonds, I have taken all of the confetti I have received from my family and placed them in my china cabinet. I can look at them any time and remember all the weddings (baptisms, communions, conformations, and graduations).

The white bow is a sign for all in the town (remember Italians are small town people really) that a huge celebration will be in the near future. It is an invitation of sorts to have others include themselves in the happiness of the new couple. The white bow on the church door was a way of doing this as well. Now we decorate the inside of the church and forget about the outside of the church. We had beautiful wreaths put on the doors of the church. All of this was done for use by our florist but you can do these same things easily on your own. I kept all of my bows and have them decorating my daughter’s room.

White is the general color of weddings in the western world. As any Italian bride, she should wear white. And not just any white dress but the one her mother chooses. We spent months finding a suitable dress. According to my mother, I needed a dress with sleeves, with a high collar and with a long shirt. Thank goodness I got married in December. We finally found one in Houston, of all places, but I did not care. My mother loved it and so did my mother-in-law (of Scottish decent).

As an added bonus, the author included recipes for a tradition Italian reception. We did not use this section for the wedding. Everything was catered but I use the recipes from time to time just to have something different. Whether you are a bride on a budget or not you should find this book. Try Half.com if you would like to buy it or go to your library (they may have it).


Recommended: Yes