Monte-Carlo Weddings magazine feature

Inside/Out Monaco, an international lifestyle magazine, recently featured MCW in a 4-page spread. This magazine enjoys wide-spread distribution here in Monaco and abroad. Here is the article in its entirety:

There are hundreds of places Monaco residents can travel to on holiday. Before looking into faraway destinations, we decided to start off the very first issue of our magazine focusing on the beauty in our own backyard and one of the most important days in people’s lives: their wedding.

Every year over 5 million people visit Monaco - one of the most breathtaking, exciting and prestigious places in the world - so it’s not surprising that many high-end wedding ceremonies take place in our Principality, known as it is for its glamour and luxurious lifestyle.

Church bells ringing and car horns… honking!

In this part of the world there are two sounds that signal that a wedding has just taken place: church bells and... car horns honking! Around Monaco it is a relatively common sight to see a couple who just tied the knot driving by in a luxurious car decorated with fragrant flowers and lace, with a long line of other cars filled with guests driving right behind, with passersby striving to get a glimpse of the happy couple.

We visited Frank Damgaard of Monte-Carlo Weddings, a local wedding planner, who has been organizing many luxurious weddings in the Principality and the surrounding area, to interview him on the challenges (and perils!) of planning the most important day of people's lives.

Why do people hire wedding planners? “Let’s put it this way: imagine you have to plan the biggest day of your life, with the largest budget you have ever been in charge of, with, as guests: a couple hundred of your closest friends and family, not to mention that you have to fulfill a whole array of tasks, with no experience, no contacts, and… in some cases… no time – and you want to make sure that it comes out perfect because you have been dreaming of this day like… forever and if it comes out anything less than perfect you would feel absolutely AWFUL…. Would YOU get an expert to come in to ensure success???

Many of our readers have seen the "The Wedding Planner", starring Jennifer Lopez. Is your every day experience like in the film? “I think that the movie did a pretty good job of portraying the challenges (and the fun, of course) of being in charge of someone's wedding - it is quite a juggling act – you have to help them find the best venue, caterer, florist, photographer, hair, make-up, invitations, hotels, transportation, coordinate official papers, keep track of every single last detail and last but not least be there for them and take on all of the responsibility for the wedding, so that they have a stress-free experience.

I think you have a namesake in another Hollywood film? “Yes, I know. People also kid me about being called "Frank", just like the Wedding Franck Eggelhoffer, played by Martin Short in the Steve Martin hit "Father of the Bride." Rest assured, I do not resemble “Franck” in any way!”

With Monaco being known as one of the most romantic places in the world, do you get a lot of foreigners contacting you? "We basically cater to two groups of people, the Monaco residents who wish to hold a luxurious wedding here in the Principality, and foreign nationals who get married in the local town hall in their own country first and then travel to Monaco with their guests for a lavish, memorable wedding celebration, which is then called a “destination wedding.”

Do you also take care of people's weddings elsewhere on the Riviera? “Yes, of course, we organize weddings outside the Principality. We are truly blessed to live in such a gorgeous part of the world – there are so many venues to chose from: 4 star luxury hotels, old stone churches, modern or Belle Epoque villas with views of the Mediterranean, French country gardens, small villages towering above the landscapes below, medieval fortresses, megayachts…

Frank, not everyone reading this magazine who is planning on getting married might decide to hire a wedding planner, but most do go on a honeymoon. Do you have any tips for them on how to choose the perfect honeymoon destination? "Not surprisingly, my first advice is to go see an expert! There are of course many travel agents out there, so I would primarily concentrate on getting advice from a seasoned honeymoon travel agent. I would not suggest you settle on the very first one you come across - I would go and visit more than one and try to find one which you trust and with whom you communicate with easily. As a Wedding Planner, I personally get asked to provide prospective clients with past referrals all the time, so I think that choosing a well-recommended travel agent will help you breathe easier."