American couples are keen on Italy. We don’t always realise it.

Three things we learned from the WIM Insights webinar with Megan Garmers of The Wedding Masterclass. (There are many more.)

There is a conversation that often repeats itself among Italian wedding professionals, and it goes something like this: “The American market? They pay well, don’t they?” It’s a reassuring take on a statement that is only half true. Yes, American couples spend significant amounts in Italy. No, they don’t just spend blindly because they can. And yes, a large portion of American weddings that could have taken place in Italy end up elsewhere simply because the couple never received a reply to an email.

Megan Garmers, founder of The Wedding Masterclass — North America’s leading training network for wedding professionals, having surveyed over 3,000 US pros in the first six months of 2026 — was the guest speaker at our June webinar. She provided a clear, almost clinical picture of what happens on the other side of the ocean the moment an American couple decides that their wedding will be in Italy.

The insights are numerous. Here, we share three. You can find the rest, in full, within the WIM community.

First insight: Silence kills more than price

An American couple expects a response within 24-48 hours. Always. Even if the answer is “No, we are unavailable.” Even if it is “We will get back to you on Monday.” Silence is not interpreted as “It’s August, they are on vacation.” It is interpreted as “They are unprofessional, or uninterested.” The couple moves on to the next vendor, and nine times out of ten, they don’t look back.

For the Italian market, this is a minor cultural revolution. In August, in particular, part of our industry structurally slows down. But the sales pipeline for the North American market does not slow down — in fact, it is one of the most intense months for researching weddings for the following year.

Second insight: They don’t buy the service, they buy the week

An American destination wedding is not just “the wedding day.” It’s a whole week. Welcome event, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, farewell brunch, experiential activities, side trips. Three days is the bare minimum. Five or six is the standard expectation. Seven is frequent for high-end tiers.

Commercial consequence: Those who sell “the villa for the wedding day” work with much lower margins than those who sell “the place where your dreams come to life.” Same villa. Radically different positioning. Even more different rates, but mind the need for appropriate professional skills.

Third insight: The network is everything, and it’s worth more than the couple

The majority of American destination weddings in Italy are not secured by the Italian vendor contacting the couple directly. They are secured by the Italian vendor who has built a network of professional relationships with vetted market players, who in turn recommend, talk, and publish, thereby influencing the end client. It is Word of Mouth 3.0: high-density, high-value, high-trust.

Practical consequence: For the North American market, the most profitable commercial investment is almost never advertising aimed at the couple. It is building relationships with national and international players. A solid network of professional contacts who respect you can be worth, over three years, the equivalent of years of direct marketing.

Everything Else

In the webinar, Megan also discussed: how Gen Z purchasing habits are changing (TikTok, Reddit, peer reviews); why the average price of $50,000 per wedding is a figure that needs to be read carefully; what the six mistakes are that get a vendor rejected before even receiving a quote; why cost transparency is a commercial factor and not an ethical one; how to reach the market’s gatekeepers; and how to position yourself as an experience architect rather than a technical vendor.

The full webinar, the in-depth article, the operational checklist, and the three pillar marketing articles serving as the theoretical framework (Concepts, Tools, Process) are available on WIMforPRO, in the Insights Plus section, reserved for network members.

The next date for the international markets webinars is Tuesday, June 23, dedicated to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. The following one, on July 8, will focus on India. To participate, you just need to be registered on WIMforPRO.

Now we know how to talk to Americans. It’s up to us to do it.