More American couples are turning to Italy's 'dolce vita' in a quest for memorable weddings

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — James Atkinson and Samantha Fortino toured a Tuscan vineyard and learned to make pasta and a Bolognese sauce alongside their family and friends in Florence. Atkinson discovered a penchant for chianti, while Fortino fell for Italy’s hugo spritz — a cocktail that posed no risk of staining her wedding dress on July 24.

Italy has hosted a number of star-studded weddings in the past decade, most recently Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez ’s extravaganza in Venice. Away from the spotlight, tens of thousands of ordinary Americans have set their sights on the country for their special day in recent years.

“Weddings in America can be a little too grand and a little bit too big and it ends up not really being about the couple,” said Fortino, 28, a neonatal nurse from Skaneateles, New York. “We both just really wanted something intimate and meaningful.”

Over 15,000 foreign couples wed in Italy last year, up 64% from 2019, the year before the pandemic, according to market research from the Center of Tourist Studies of Florence. Growth was led by U.S couples, who account for almost one-third of that total.

Italy was the top international destination for American couples after Mexico, according to Maryland-based wedding planning website The Knot.

For many Americans, Italy embodies the simple, beautiful romance of a bygone era. Weather is balmy and its varied landscapes, from the sea to the mountains, stunning. The food is familiar and crowd-pleasing. But perhaps the biggest driver of the recent uptick is ample opportunity for a range of outings, which together with the wedding event are alluring for those on a quest for unique, memorable moments — part of a consumer trend termed “the experience economy.”

“In the United States, everything is just more expensive for one night and we wanted to make an experience, so we did two nights here," said Atkinson, 31, who owns a concrete company. “It just seemed like way more worth it to us to do that and make a trip out of it with our family, our loved ones.”

One guest who had never visited Italy was ecstatic about the invite, and took advantage to tack on side trips, first to Venice and then with the wedding crew to Cinque Terre. Another, Gary Prochna, nearly didn’t attend because of work piling up at his paving company. He eventually came around and was floored by the venue — a 15th-century villa with a sweeping view over Florence and its famous Duomo.

“I got married in the United States and our venue was very nice. I thought — until this moment — we had the best wedding,” said Prochna, 68, adding that he now hopes his daughters will get hitched abroad.

More than half of Americans surveyed by Mastercard in January 2024 said they prefer to spend their money on memory-making experiences, and more than a third said they'd plan a whole trip around one particular experience.

Marcy Blum, a prominent luxury event planner based in Manhattan, said almost 90% of the weddings she plans abroad are in Italy.

“The reason Italy is so popular is because that’s where your guests want to go,” she said. "You send an invitation that you’re getting married in Capri or Positano and everybody comes. Everybody. They want to come. Nobody cancels.”

Jack Ezon, CEO of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel and destination event service also based in Manhattan, said 60% of his company’s events were outside the U.S. before the pandemic. Today it’s almost 90%, nearly all split evenly between Italy and France.

The threat of tariffs under President Donald Trump has given destination weddings a boost. Ezon has moved six events from the U.S. to Europe this year, because people were afraid tariffs on alcohol would cause their bar bill to explode.

The shift to destinations has benefited planners with networks across Italy and local vendors. According to Wedding Italy, the husband-and-wife team who put on the Atkinson wedding, American clients spend three times as much as Italians, due to more elaborate wedding decor and other events in their multiday lineup.

Average spend on hometown weddings in the U.S. was $32,000 last year, according to The Knot. By comparison, foreigners' weddings in Italy cost an average 61,500 euros ($70,600) and typically have dozens fewer guests, the Center of Tourist Studies of Florence's data showed.

In the garden where the Atkinsons held their service, cypress trees swayed in the wind as the bride emerged from the chapel, beaming in her lace mermaid-silhouette gown. She walked down the aisle as speakers played the theme song to Star Wars. It was her sneaky trick to make the groom cry, and it worked like a charm.

Before the exchange of rings, before the lovebirds threw their arms around one another, their officiant said:

“Traditionally I would ask: Is there any reason why this couple shouldn't be married? But for goodness’ sake – we all flew to Italy and can’t get our points back! So instead I’ll ask: Who here approves of this union?”

Cheers all around.

FILE - U.S. actor Tom Cruise, right, and U.S. actress Katie Holmes with their daughter Suri, who became engaged in June 2005, hold hands as they leave their hotel ahead of their wedding ceremony in Rome, Nov. 16, 2006. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

FILE - A bride poses for photos in front of Rome's Pantheon, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/ Domenico Stinellis, File)

FILE - The boat carrying George Clooney and his wife, Amal Alamuddin, is surrounded by media and security boats as they cruise the Grand Canal after leaving the Aman luxury Hotel in Venice, Italy, Sept. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini, File)

FILE - Jeff Bezos, left, and Lauren Sanchez kiss as they leave a hotel for their pre wedding reception, in Venice, Italy, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

FILE - People look at Chinese couple in wedding clothes posing for photos in front of St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Jan. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)