Italian offer one of the world & # 39; s most romantic wedding venues, and is fast becoming a favorite place to get married - the romance, the food, the climate - and it 's easily accessible for family and friends, traveling from the UK.
Is it legal?
Before focusing on the romance of the day - this is the first question to answer, and the answer is Yes .
A wedding in Italy is perfectly legal, provided you follow some straightforward guidelines. Unless you speak Italian, it is very important that you find a good, bilingual, wedding planner. She will take care of everything for you - from the simple legal requirements to liaising with the caterer, florist, local town hall, photographer, musicians ... whatever you need to make your day complete.
For British citizens, all the bride and groom need appointment with their local UK Superintendent Registrar to get a Certificate of No Impediment. This, and your birth certificates and photocopies of your passports, will then be sent to your wedding planner, who will liaise with the British Consultation in either Florence or Rome, and the local & # 39; (council) in Italy to arrange your permission to marry. She & # 39; ll talk you through the whole thing, step by step. If you come from other parts of the world, including the US, the process is similar and not at all complicated.
There are a legal requirement in the most part of Italy for the marriage to take place in the local town hall. In many cases, this will be a beautiful room - perfect for a big wedding. The town halls are often set in stunning piazzas, and they make an amazing backdrop for photographs.
And for the romance ...
If you are looking for something more personal and romantic than your wedding in Italy, as long as you go through the legal formalities at the town hall, you can hold your wedding in the location of your dreams.
Perhaps you favor the splendor of Florence, or a terrace in Sorrento, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. For some, a wedding in Italy might be about getting away from the tourist centers of Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast, and heading to one of the beautiful but Further inland you will find quiet hill top towns and villages, surrounded by ancient walls. Cobbled streets and antique arches inspire beautiful photographs, and you will be assured of a warm welcome by the local people.
They are usually made of perfect backdrop for a stunning and original wedding. Many people choose a beautiful Italian villa - full of atmosphere and charm. day.
Italians love weddings. And their weddings are usually huge affairs of three hundred or more guests. More presenting the bride and groom with an envelope of money, rather than a present (or sometimes both) This is the lavish meal that is the ceremony. That's the weddings that you need to complete your perfect day are available available, your wedding is large or small.
There is no sense. There is no sense. There is a sense. There is no sense of urgency - time not being a critical factor if the whole place is yours for the day - so removed one significant area of stress from some weddings in more traditional venues.
The florist will be the first person to arrive on the & big day & amp; the big day & There is no such thing as a & # 39; - and she will have already already some several hours with you, or with your wedding planner on your behalf, talking about the types of flowers you like, the colors, the theme. wedding package & # 39; in a flamboyant multi colored with a simple cream and green theme, or on a flamboyant multi-colored medley of vibrant blooms.
They always need need them them - and they will need spend two or three hours getting the bride and other members getting the bride and other members ready. You are clear about the style you want - and your planner will be on hand to make sure there are no difficulties in translation.
Designed purely to convey the romance of the day, the albums are a photo journal of the wedding, with photographs of the more formal photograph, and the Italian wedding albums are a work of art in themselves. The bride and groom can decide the style they are looking for the most they are looking for, the and the photographer will not prepare the wonderful albums, but will always give the couple a DVD containing the images - so there is no hefty charge for any member of the family who subsequently wants some pictures for their own wall or shelf.
When all is prepared, it is time for the bride to make her entrance. Music is a key part of any romantic wedding ceremony - and the couple will be able to choose not only the music pieces, but the style in which they are played. Perhaps they will opt for a string quartet, an Italian soprano, a harpist, or even the mellow notes of a saxophone.
But the mayor will unduly conduct the ceremony in Italian, an interpreter will repeat his words and this alone creates a sense of occasion.
Whatever venue is chosen, the weather in Italy certainly helps. Most weddings do take place in the summer months - any time from mid May to the end of September - and the wedding reception is often held outdoors, under an open sided gazebo - to protect From the sun as much as protected the illegally event of rain. Timely is not so strict and you will be able to enjoy the first moments after the ceremony, greeting your guests and enjoying Guests can mingle, choosing from the numerous trays of delicious canapes that will be offered - stuffed olives, marinated salmon, crispy fried cheese, tiny vegetable tarts - the list goes on.
Remember that the Slow. Everyone knows that Italians love their food, and once again when it comes to choosing your menu for the day, you will be able to choose from a wide range of options, or have a meal designed specifically to your own requirements. Food Movement was created by an Italian to counteract the growth of fast food, and outside of the tourist areas, fast food just can not be found - with the remarkable exception, of course, of pizza! But this obsession with food ensures that each dish I do not know that they are to serve each part of the meal in a different location within the venue. This creates a sense of movement and anticipation, wondering what new delights are going to be on offer.
After the canapes, the guests may be invited to stroll round to the next location - the antipasti buffet - which may possibly be served close to the pool with an informal arrangement of chairs and tables protected from the sun by large umbrellas, or placed in the shade of a tree. The antipasti tables heave with plates of meat, fish, cheese and vegetables - sometimes an individual glass of Italian gazpacho with a skewer of roasted vegetables, or smoked turkey with a pepper and melon salad, or battered courgette flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese. Depending on the number of guests, there can be ten or more different selections on the antipasti table This is an opportunity for the bride and groom to meet their friends and family, and possibly move from table to table before the more formal part of the evening.
And then ... dinner! Up to now, the food Imagine an open sided gazebo, myriad candles, and beautiful vases of flowers forming the centerpiece for each table. At least one pasta courses be offered - sometimes a pasta parcel stuffed with delicately flavored sea bass in a lemon sauce - and then maybe a risotto sometimes guinea fowl, or fillet steak in a herb crust, or monkfish in a lime spotted jus - and with the gazebo set on a Then it 's back to the speeches - and the desserts! In Italy, the desserts are usually served as a buffet, with so many mouth watering ch ___ ___ ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 0 cream and sorbets - such as deep frying in kataifi pastry, or mixing it at the table with liquid nitrogen & smoke & # 39;
And relaxed and leisurely pleasant experience. And finally the bride and groom can invite their guests to join them to dance the night away under the stars.
So what do you need to do to create your perfect day?
- Deciding on the region of Italy that you want to get married in - as that city such as Florence or Rome, a famous town like San Gimignano, on the beach at Positano, or in villa in the glorious Le Marche region.
- Choose the type of venue - a villa, town hall, castle or beach.
- Search specific for these terms on the web - using both the region and the venue in the search terms
- Find either the venue that you would like (which will almost always have a wedding planning service) or find a wedding planner that can possibly suggest a range of events to you.
- Check the credentials of the wedding planner - you need evidence of other successful weddings, and the the contact name of somebody whose wedding they organized.
- Make sure that in your package you have an option to go and visit the venue before the big day.
- You should also be able to have a tasting with the caterers, and meet the florist.
- Ask as many questions as you like, and make sure you speak to the planner in person - not just via email. This is your big day, and you need to be sure that everything will be perfect.
- Do all of this at least six months in advance.
- Relax, and enjoy it - knowing that your wedding is in safe hands
You should have regular, documented updates on all the meetings the planner has had, decisions taken, and decisions still needed. We need surprises in the budget - with quotations given before you make decodings.
This is what a romantic wedding in Italy is all about.
