Welcome! Mire se vini! ☺️ If you’re here, you might be like me: a foreigner marrying an Albanian and dreaming of saying “I do” in their beautiful home country.
After my husband proposed, we knew we would get married in Albania.
We met in school, back when he had moved to the U.S. (I couldn’t even find Albania on a map at the time). A year after dating, I was on a plane with him to Tirana to meet his extended family and see where he grew up. We attended two weddings that summer, one in Korçë and one in Tirana, and they were wildly fun!
I had been a wedding photographer in the U.S. for a few years, so I thought I had seen it all. But Albanian weddings knocked all those out of the park! Imagine: Endless line dancing, four-course meals and four dress changes from the bride, glamorous guests and a party on the dance floor until 4 a.m.
It was so dramatic, spectacular, and just outright fun. We left knowing we wanted to get married there one day, too.
BUT when it came time to actually plan our wedding in Albania, I hit a wall. There was almost no information online. No planners. No vendor lists. Not even a simple blog to tell me where to start. Even though my husband is Albanian, he had never planned a wedding before, and his family didn’t have contacts either! We were so lost.
So I made it my mission to figure it out and share what worked for me with others. See below for details on how we planned our wedding in Albania from the U.S., what worked, what didn’t, and tips to make your life easier if you’re about to do the same. 🙂
✨ STEP 1: Pick a date & location!
You may already know exactly when and where you will have your wedding. Or you may be overwhelmed with where to start. It might be the village or city where you or your partner come from or it may be somewhere you chose for accessibility, scenery, or another priority. For example, we chose Korce because my spouse is from there. But the region does not have an airport, which meant our 20 out-of-town guests had to fly into Tirana and embark on a ~4 hour drive to get there. It worked for us because it meant the majority of our guests, who were my husband’s family and friends in Korçë, would not have to travel. To make it easier on our out-of-town guests, we planned and hired a ride service from the airport that took them straight to their hotels (and back, after the wedding week).
For your wedding, if you want a central location with good night life and plenty of activities for your guests, then Tirana is your place. If you want the beach, but also value close proximity to the airport, go for Durrës! If you do not mind a bit more of a trek, look into Voskopojë, Pogradec, Sarandë, Vlorë, or Lezhë.
Summer (July – August) is wedding season in Albania. We got some good deals and experienced less crowds in June. Albeit, some more rain– But that made for a romantic “Notebook” style moment! 🙂
✨ STEP 2: Find Vendors with Social Media (and Use Albanian Keywords)
I do not use social media, but had to open an account as Instagram became my wedding planning lifeline. Most Albanian vendors don’t really advertise on Google, but my goodness are they active on Instagram! For me, the trick to finding active vendors was by searching in Albanian. Instead of “Albania wedding cake,” try “torta dasmash në Tiranë.” Instead of “wedding photographer Albania,” try “fotograf shqiptar.” For venues, search “lokali dasmash Tiranë” or wherever you choose for your location.
This is how I found everything from photographers (some incredible ones like Andi Allko) to cake bakers, dress shops, and venues like White House Komplex.
Another tip: once you find a venue you love, scroll their tagged photos. You will often discover the florist, DJ, or photographer right there.
✨ STEP 3: Think of your guests
Once you have a clearer idea of your date and location, you will eventual start sending invites and tallying an estimated guest count. It is also helpful to know this when booking vendors like the venue or booking out an accommodation for your guests.
Considering many guests might not have travelled to Albania, you may want to plan an activity or group meal so everyone can meet and enjoy themselves without stressing too much about being in a foreign place. Consider hiring a travel agency well-in-advance to coordinate all the transportation for you. We recommend Albanian Trip!
✨ STEP 4: Communicate Clearly and Often
Here’s where it got tricky. Most vendors don’t book weddings one or two years in advance like elsewhere such as the U.S. Many only confirm a few months before the date, sometimes even weeks. That was worrisome for us, but persistence paid off. I kept checking in every few months, then every few weeks, until finally we sent deposits through MoneyGram to secure our chosen vendors.
A lesson I learned the hard way: be very clear in your messages. Once, I casually asked a photographer if she was available on our date just in case we chose her. She thought that meant we were officially booked. When I later told her we had gone with someone else, it turned into a very awkward conversation. (I sent her a deposit anyway due to my miscommunication.) The moral of the story is always say, “We’re just inquiring. This is not a booking yet.”
Also expect vendors to give you their phone number or email and ask you to reach out there. You will probably need WhatsApp or Viber to communicate.
✨ STEP 5: Navigating Language Barriers
I speak enough Albanian, which helped a lot, but even then there were mix-ups. If you don’t speak Albanian, be upfront. Some vendors will reply in English, but others won’t. Use Google Translate, which has gotten surprisingly good, or ask your partner to help.
✨ STEP 6: Arrive Early to Double Check Everything
This part is non-negotiable. We arrived in Albania one week before the wedding, and thank goodness we did. We met our vendors in person, finalized details, and caught a few big hiccups. For example, our cake maker casually told me two days before the wedding that he hadn’t scheduled down our order. Thankfully, we fixed it in time.
Trust me, go a week or few early. Meet every vendor. Walk through the venue. Confirm the music and schedule, the meal selections, the decor, the desired photography moments (first look, portraits, the kiss), the cake design, all of it.
✅ What I Wish I Knew Beforehand
- Albanians typically plan weddings in months, not years. Don’t panic if vendors don’t confirm early.
- Be extra clear in communication and be clear if you are “inquiring” versus “booking.”
- Always reconfirm in person the week of your wedding.
- Use social media in Albanian to find vendors.
- Bring your dancing shoes, because you will not leave that dance floor all night!!
- Expect to be flexible!
Planning our wedding in Albania was such a rewarding challenge. The night itself was magical. We celebrated love the Albanian way: lots of family, an impressive amount of clarinet music, too much food, and all-night dancing.
If you are considering planning your own wedding in Albania, I hope this helps you feel a little less lost than I did. It might take persistence (and lots of WhatsApp messages), but I promise it is a journey that pays off!
