Gianmario from Sardinia, and Ivony from the Philippines, were about to give up on the world of online dating… and then they found each other. After a bit of persistence – mostly on Gianmario’s part – they discovered they were perfect for each other. Gianmario says: “That was 4 years full of surprises, travel, gastronomy, meeting the parents, moving in, buying a house, adopting a german shepherd dog called Jiffy and finally planning the wedding.” They married in Sardinia, incorporating many elements of a traditional Sardinian wedding in to their celebration. They used Patchwork to invite friends and family across the world to help them have their dream honeymoon in the Philippines. Read on to find out more about some of the customs at their Sardinian wedding (including plate breaking and traditional choir) and not-so-traditional elements (like their “best-dog” Jiffy!)
What kind of wedding did you plan?
Gianmario: We planned a church wedding, boho theme, we did in Sardinia as I am coming from there, and I have a bigger family, my wife she’s from the Philippines and her mom and some relatives flew there.
Can you tell us a little about some of the traditions and rituals of a Sardinian wedding?
The choir, dressed in traditional clothes sang at our wedding. In Sardinia, the breaking of the plate at the bride and groom’s feet is a custom called “Sa ratzia” (the grace). It appears to send the divine grace to the couple if the ritual is done properly. First of all, the plate to be broken must still be brand new and intact. The ritual can be done before leaving the house, after the religious ceremony or at the wedding reception. The task is entrusted to the mothers of the bride and groom: they have to break the plate by throwing it against a hard surface to reduce it to a thousand pieces and thus wish the couple a happy and prosperous future. Before proceeding to the rite of breaking, the plate should be full of ingredients that represent fertility and prosperity – such as rice, wheat or petals. What if it doesn’t break at the first blow? The ritual must be repeated until the dish is broken into a thousand pieces. It is a good custom not to pick up the pieces and leave them on the ground.
What was your favourite part of the day?
All the wedding was fantastic, more than favourite, the most interesting part, also for our international guests, was the tradition, that the groom walk from his house and collect the bride on her house. We added also our dog 🙂
Why did you choose Patchwork for your wedding registry?
We needed some instrument that allow us to communicate easily with international guests. Because of the uncertain times, living in different country from where was the wedding, Patchwork provided a practical instrument, easy to develop and manage. I found it googling for wedding list ideas and websites; we also developed a website to help our friends.
What did you invite guests to contribute towards and why?
Planning the wedding in those uncertain times wasn’t easy. Instead of get gifts that would have also difficult to transport, we ask for contributions towards our honeymoon in the Philippines.
What did your friends and family think?
Was very handy for many of them, someone wasn’t able to attend and still contribute, someone else avoided to be embarrassed about asking what gift or how contribute, and provide them much freedom.
What are the plans for the gift money you collected via your Patchwork?
We are going on honeymoon this year, in Philippines, the gift money we collect have been used to this purpose.
Thank you so much Gianmario and Ivony for sharing these lovely words and photos and for the fascinating insight in to some of the customs and traditions of a Sardinian wedding! We’re so pleased that Patchwork helped make life easier for you and your guests and we wish you a fabulous honeymoon in the Philippines.
If you’d like to create your own honeymoon fund for a trip to the Philippines – or anywhere else for that matter – start your honeymoon fund with Patchwork. Get what you want AND make life easier for your guests (oh and 50% of our registration fee goes to environmental charities too!)