Rossella Celebrini tells her wedding planner life in an interview in Elba Per2 Magazine
What got you started in the profession of wedding planner in the Island of Elba and in Tuscany?
I usually answer this question two ways. If I don’t have much time, I just say that I am an event and wedding organizer, the latter being a great passion of mine. Otherwise, I say smiling, “What is it that I do?” Let me just say that what I am today, even professionally speaking, is the result of my walk in life that has always been accompanied by the moral philosophy of my parents and grandparents, by stories about my origins and passions that have been conveyed to me. One of these is my passion for music that I approached thanks to my paternal grandmother, Ilva. The rest I owe to my physical vivacity and intellectual restlessness. As a child, I did not know what I wanted to do when I would grow up, but I knew what I did not want to do. That certainly made things easier for me. I was curious and driven by a strong desire to achieve new goals that would make me feel strong and proud of myself. Just two years after I received my Diploma in piano, thanks to which I achieved financial independence, I decided to enroll in the Faculty of Liberal Arts in Bologna. I was 26 years old. Since I earned my degree, my professional life has been punctuated by many experiences at the base of which has always been public relations, organization of work, and the design and planning of events. That was how I discovered what I loved to do: organize. Because, when you initiate a project, whatever it is, and you make it concrete, without neglecting even the smallest detail, each time is a new experience, not just for professional growth, but also as a person. This predisposition of mine, combined with a strong and innate curiosity, led me to be what I am today. I like to describe myself as a pianist for fun, an organizer of cultural and fashion events – two of which I cite with great pleasure: the Elba Island Raffaelle Brignetti International Literary Prize and Notte di Stelle (Night of the Stars), a fashion, art and entertainment event that I created in the summer of 2005 – a wedding planner and event stylist and, since 2009, also an editor concurrently with the creation of the Elba Per2 editorial project, which was conceived to promote Elba as a location for romantic holidays and events. This year, too, I dedicate Elba Per2 to my dear parents (particularly to my beloved father Marcello) who have been right there with me at the conception and birth of each issue.
Why did you decide to exercise your profession from the island of Elba? Do you see it as an added value?
Surely, because I am very attached to my Island and because, for as much as I love city life, I would never give up the mental and physical well-being that island life allows. Then, there are life’s circumstances. Shortly after graduation, I had an opportunity to participate in a beautiful professional experience in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. This lasted nearly three years and, in 2004, I took the plunge and chose to go freelance and create a business, MinervArte Eventi d’Autore. The idea has always been to put my training and professional skills at the disposal of my island in the hope of making an important contribution to a patch of land that many envy for its immeasurable beauty. That is its added value.
What kind of couple usually comes to you? What are their expectations?
The couples that contact me are usually Italian or foreign couples tied to Elba because they come here often for their summer holidays or because they met and fell in love here or because they carry with them the memory of an unforgettable holiday. A couple that relies on a wedding planner is usually already aware of the enormous amount of organization that a wedding entails, regardless of the number of guests, and this is especially the case if you live far from the chosen venue. During the first meeting, we get to know each other and try to establish a relationship of trust and mutual understanding that sometimes translates into a spontaneous and heartfelt friendship. Working together with the couple, the objective is to bring the marriage project to life, to make the bride and the groom feel that they are the absolute protagonists in every single choice, to have fun together, to confirm for them the importance of the advice and suggestions of an experienced wedding planner. It is a pleasant trip that we make together to arrive to the big day with a smile, with a memory of good times together, thanks also to the inevitable gags that the future husband and wife masterfully pull off, and in the final stages with joy, emotion and much, much love.
