Just wondering how people decide where they want to have their wedding in Italy. How did you/your friends arrive at that conclusion when there are so many nice places around in the country?
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
Wow! You're right about the many beautiful and special places in Italy to have a wedding! Everyone's taste is different but if it were me, I'd get married in the early part of June at Villa Cimbrone in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. Hands down. Views that seem to never end, a charming hilltown, wonderful hosts, a glorious villa, beautiful gardens and romantic rooms await you. A few days at the villa and in the town would do it and THEN we'd be off on our honeymoon touring the Amalfi coast, Naples, Capri, Pompeii, Herculaneum, etc. OR if it's a tiny wedding say, the two of us with a few guests, maybe I'd get married in September in Rome and have a wonderful and very special intimate dinner at a great restaurant afterward. Tour Rome and maybe spend a week in Tuscany at a rental villa. A friend of mine got married last year in October in Ravello (not at the Villa Cimbrone as it was under renovation at the time)and then spent her honeymoon touring Apulia which she loved. The possibilities are endless and probably all do-able...just let your imagination take you where it will!
Donna Marie
Posts: 698 | Location: Berkeley, CA USA | Registered: 07 August 2003
Are you having a civil ceremony or a church ceremony? Each type of ceremony has different "conditions" to be followed in order for the wedding to be legally recognized when you return to real life.
As far as a Tuscan town to get married in smaller than Florence or Siena? If you are a wine lover, Montepulciano or Montalcino are ideal settings or somewhere in Chianti. Volterra has great Roman ruins. San Gimignano has a beautiful skyline. Certaldo Alto and Pienza both have beautiful town halls for civil ceremonies. San Quirico d'Orcia and Anghiari are also very nice smaller towns. There are many more picturesque places. Keep in mind that there will be tourists no matter what town you decide.
In April we attended the wedding of friends at Villa Cipressi in Varenna, on Lake Como. You can't get more scenic than that, and the arrangements, food, etc. were great (done by the staff of Villa Cipressi). See http://www.hotelvillacipressi.it/
It was a civil wedding, some representative of the town of Varenna officiated. The Italian civil vows are very nice, with some interesting lines in there about how children are to be treated. Must write an article about that...
quote:Originally posted by Deirdre: The Italian civil vows are very nice, with some interesting lines in there about how children are to be treated. Must write an article about that...
They are part of our Constitution (Parte I "Diritti e doveri edi Cittadini", Titolo II "Rapporti etico-sociali", Articles 29, 30 and 31). The civil wedding usually take up a quarter of an hour, but if you are getting married ina small place that does not have a long line of couples queuing to get married, you can fix to have time to do more readings (you may choose some literature pages to read or have read by friends) and some music of your choice.
Another great place to get married is in Rome. THe city of Rome uses two setting for the civil marriages: the main one is a hall in the center, at Campidoglio, but there is also a lovely former chappel in the middle of a park. That is where two friends of mine got married in October. THe inside of the chappel is all decorated an filled with flowers (that will be used for every marriage of the day). Unfortunately, this is one of those places where you have to keep the cerimony short.
I got married at the Campidoglio, la Sala Rossa. Short and sweet. We were in and out in about 10 minutes. It was fun standing around on the square waiting for our turn. Tourists kept calling out 'congratulations'.
The other setting Alice mentioned is Complesso Vignola Mattei near Caracalla. But it was all booked up when we tried.
quote:Originally posted by WebFabbrica: The other setting Alice mentioned is Complesso Vignola Mattei near Caracalla. But it was all booked up when we tried.
Yep, that's right. I remeber that my firends had to book a long time in advance to make sure they got the right day (especially because it _had_ to be a Saturday, which si quuuite crowded, but they live in Milano and could only be in Rome where all their parents and relatives live during the week-end). Basically, they fisrt booked the room, than organized the marriage acording to the availability of the room.
Actually the Campidoglio was booked up as well. But I took the only open slot, July 17 at 17:00. All my friends said, "are you nuts?! The number 17 is bad luck!"
I was married last year at a villa in Tuscany, Palazzo Piero (www.anfamtos.com). We had 30+ guests join us, with a dinner reception in the castle's courtyard. We then went to Ravello on our honeymoon, which was really beautiful.
Posts: 57 | Location: NYC/CT | Registered: 18 November 2002
I have been reading and re-reading all your answers. I have also taken some time to research around a bit more and to look at and re-look at pictures/photos/websites and talk with my fiance about all these possibilities and locations.
In the end, we think we're going to settle in Tuscany, as we have first thought. But it's good to know that there are so many possibilities out there and that we finally can choose from them. It's always better to be informed and to have a choice.
We are now thinking of Siena/Pienza/Montaclino. If you have any thoughts about these places, especially for the purpose of a civil ceremony, please do let me know. I am sure that all your input can help us to find our perfect place.
Hi Maxi -- and congratulations on your decision to get married in Italy!
Judging by your second post about wedding costs, you may already have chosen a location. But if not, I do have one more item for you to consider: will this be just the two of you, or will other family members and friends be joining you?
If it's just the two of you, then of course you only have to consider yourselves. However, if you're planning (or hoping) for other people to join you, you might consider whether the location you have in mind is a place others will be able to get to readily, and will want to spend time in. Will you be arranging their accommodations (either by renting a villa or reserving rooms in a hotel/inn)? Will people just be there for the ceremony, or will they be spending a week there all together?
My fiancé and I are getting married outside Bucine (between Siena and Arezzo) on September 21. When we first thought of getting married in Italy, e realized that we really wanted to include our families and close friends, but most of the people we would be inviting had never been to Italy before, and would have only one week to spend. We wanted to make sure, if they were coming to Italy on our behalf, that we were bringing them to a place where they would want to be.
I lobbied hard for the Amalfi coast, but in the end we chose Tuscany. We knew we wanted to rent a place for the week, and have our wedding on-site. We also knew that some people would want to stay the week with us, and some would only want to come for a night or two (spending the rest of their time touring around elsewhere), so we had to find a location that could easily accommodate both groups.
In the end, we found a small winemaking estate where the ancient borgo has been renovated into holiday apartments, with a pool. There are also bed + breakfast rooms in the castle. We have rented out most of the apartments for the week, and some additional guests will be staying at the castle for a night or two. We liked this solution because it allows us to visit with everyone (35 people!) who decided to come to Italy for our wedding, while still giving people their own space in a relaxing environment.
I guess what I'm trying to say is there really isn't anything special that drew me to Bucine, it's just that the estate that had everything I wanted happened to be located nearby.
Just another way to come at the problem -- if deciding where to get married in Italy can be called a "problem"!
Posts: 42 | Location: New York City | Registered: 27 January 2004
Hi, Caryliz, congratulations and thanks for your info.
It will be only the two of us, so we have more flexibility in deciding where we want it to be.
I have been looking at some country houses/villas and hotels around the area to see which one appeals to me. The more I look at them, the more I am leaning towards those out of town, not because I don't want to be able to walk to town but because of the scenerey. These places are sometimes in between towns and we could choose which town to go for the ceremony, I guess.
You said you're going to have the ceremony on-site. Is that a religious ceremony?
And this is part of the ceiling of the marriage room.
Sorry for the not so great photos but I am having some huge probs with my camera. Suffice it to say though that the town hall is beautiful and after the ceremony you can take pictures up on the terrace looking over the hills of Siena and in the campo square. The people are also very nice (they posed for photos with the bride and groom, etc.)
Cristina, thank you very much for the photos. They are good.
You mentioned in the other thread that you've used Tuscan Tour. Was that you or your brother that used it? If it were you, where did you yourself get married in Italy (if you don't mind)?
We are getting married (and staying at) Tenuta di Lupinari.(I looked at Casa Cornacchi, and it was lovely, but they were booked for the dates we had in mind.) And it will be a religious ceremony. I also learned from SienaBride2B, who got married at Casa Cornacchi in late May, that the mayor of Bucine was willing to come out to Cornacchi to perform the civil rites there, so they didn't have to have the ceremony in the comune. So you never know what's possible unless you ask!
And we're not using a wedding planner. So far I've been able to sort out everything myself, but then, we're working within a tight budget and not doing anything too elaborate. Basically we're spending our money on food and photography, and letting Tuscany supply the rest of the excitement!
Posts: 42 | Location: New York City | Registered: 27 January 2004
Just as a clarification, the mayor of Bucine will come out and do a ceremonial wedding but the actual wedding takes place at city hall. This is what Sienabride2B did. They went to the comune in the morning, had the real legal wedding and then later on they had the "ceremony" for all of their guests at Casa Cornacchi.
Hi, I just noticed your topic. Donna Marie's reply was right on about the Amalfi Coast. The combination of bewitching beauty, superb cuisine and wine, and the warmth of the local people could not make a better spot to have a wedding. The Villa Cimbrone renovations are complete and it's even a more exquisite site than ever, BUT let's not forget that it is also a 5star-deluxe venue. One can have an equally glorious wedding on a more modest budget at certain other special venues along the Coast.
There are lots of things to consider when having a destination wedding, but with the proper help and guidance from a local wedding-planner(that's me),it's definitely do-able. We are a small, highly personalized company and are residents of the Amalfi Coast. Our passion is to emphasize the "authentic and traditional" in all that we do in our incredible region of Italy.
Topic Closed
All my friends said, "are you nuts?! The number 17 is bad luck!" 
