Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. an uptick
    • ex. Shops noticed an uptick in customers buying ice cream during the hot weather.
  2. set (one's) sights on (something)
    • ex. Anna set her sights on studying in Japan next year, so she is learning Japanese.
  3. intimate
    • ex. They enjoyed an intimate dinner at home with close friends.
  4. stunning
    • ex. Donna wore a stunning dress that everyone admired at the party.
  5. embody
    • ex. My grandmother embodies patience. She never gets angry easily.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Italy is famous for hosting fancy celebrity weddings like Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s recent Venice celebration. Now, the country has also attracted thousands of regular Americans for their special day. Over 15,000 foreign couples got married in Italy last year, a 64% uptick from 2019. US couples were nearly one-third of them.

Many couples have set their sights on Italy as their wedding destination because of its intimate and romantic charm. It offers stunning beaches, beautiful mountains, delicious food, and memorable cultural experiences. Italy also embodies the good old days. Additionally, event planners say Italy is popular because even guests are eager to attend weddings there.

On average, foreign couples spend about €61,500 (more than ¥10 million) on their weddings in Italy. This is more than twice what couples spend in the U.S. That’s because foreign weddings in Italy usually have fewer guests but have bigger, fancier celebrations that last several days. These weddings have brought big benefits to planners and local businesses in the country.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Weddings in Italy

  • Many couples have set their sights on Italy as their wedding destination. Imagine you’re getting married. Would you like to have it in Italy? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Weddings in Italy can be very expensive. Do you think spending a lot of money makes a wedding better? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, is your city a good spot for weddings? Why or why not? Discuss.

Businesses and Jobs in Event Planning

  • Foreign weddings in Italy have brought big benefits to event planners and local businesses in the country. What businesses do you think benefit from events like weddings (ex. hotels, flower shops)? Discuss.
  • Do you think you could be a good event planner? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, is event planning a good business in your country? Why do you say so? Discuss.