How to choose an Italian wedding venue?
Venue selection is absolutely crucial to how your entire wedding pans out. Good news - there are so many fabulous venues out there. Bad news - there are so many, so it may take time and patience to filter through them. Also, not all venues make for good wedding venues (even if they say they can host weddings!) But, worry not, here at La Lista we vet all venues we list and our directory is constantly growing. We also have super helpful tips on making this big decision.
In selecting a venue you are directly affecting your entire wedding vision, your guest experience, your budget and ultimately (and this sounds dramatic!) your whole wedding from the start of planning to the last guest standing.
Before you start, an absolute MUST is to download the La Lista Venue Guide which details everything mentioned below and more.
Get all your ideas out there - form your wishlist. Think of this process like buying a house; be clear on your absolute must haves and what you are willing to forgo. Use this time to discuss together your vision, considering your experience but also your guests.
- Price
- Capacity
- Ceremony options at venue or nearby
- Accommodation for guests on or off site
- Location (the region and travel logistics)
- Style
Get to know what’s out there. What venues have you seen and liked, what do they cost? Can you get the information you want on them?
Obviously lalista.com is a great place to start with our venues section of the site which aims to give the top info you need when you’re at this scoping stage. Some venues have limited or old-fashioned websites, so it is always worth getting on Instagram and checking them out from their tagged images.
When searching, remember that many venues that have a big online presence can be popular for a number of reasons – good content, great marketing or truly a great venue. But a good account doesn’t always mean a good venue.
And vice versa watch out when looking at lesser known venues. Just make sure they’re experienced in hosting weddings so you know you’re going to have a good experience all the way through and no nasty surprises.
After the discovery sessions, you will now know a whole lot more about the venues out there. Double check nothing’s changed against the criteria you set. And it goes without saying, but be sure you and your fiancé are on the same page!
Who doesn’t love a scouting trip in beautiful Italy! It is really important to get out there and see your shortlist of venues in real life. We usually recommend seeing 4-5 as it’s simply too overwhelming to see more. Make sure you have reached out to the venue ahead of your trip, as most are closed for January and then during the busy summer months but not do appointments. Take photos and videos, you will forget certain aspects like the distance between the ceremony space and the area you'll host aperitif. Or if your ceremony is off-site, do a dry-run to test distance, suitability of roads for the transport you will book.
And if you can’t get out there, make sure to understand the venue inside out from with calls with them, or your planner. Or even better ask your planner to visit if they don’t know the venue and take videos. Videos of the in-between spaces of the main areas you will be hiring will prove retrospectfully very helpful when planning timings and moving guests.
We can’t stress enough that you should find out as much as possible about the venue before visiting and of course before booking – check with suppliers, planners, couples that are or have gotten married there. Whilst remembering that everyone has different criteria and needs – it’ll give you a good indication of how things should be. Our private Facebook group has thousands of couples just like you, so pop a question on the group about the venues you're considering. You'll be sure to receive helpful comments back.
Failure to do this research upfront could lead to you coming back from a trip thinking you’ve found the perfect venue, only to find out that it’s got some clauses or extra costs that mean it’s not doable. And you could be back to square one. For example, some venues only permit booking with certain suppliers, some have clauses about timings or using the kitchen for the pre or post events.
To marry legally in Italy you have to either hold the ceremony in the Town Hall, church (but this does require more planning and requirements) or at the venue. BUT....be aware, some venues do not have the licence to host a legal ceremony. If you want to legally get married in Italy at your venue you will need to check this before you fall in love with it.
Once back from your venue finding trip and with your dream venue ready to book, be sure to find out the availability at your chosen ceremony venue, if you have chosen a separate location for your civil or church service. Do this before finalising the contract with your venue to ensure all dates marry up.
Do a full budget for your entire wedding at this specific venue, taking in to account guest accommodation and all transport. It is imperitive you include the supplier costs in this, as some venues might only allow the use of particular suppliers, which could dramatically affect the overall cost of your wedding. It is also worth questioning florists and other suppliers who will need to travel to the venue about travel logistics and costs i.e. will they add travel costs onto their invoices. These small extra amounts might make one venue far cheaper overall, than when purely looking at just the venue cost on its own.
Here at La Lista we know a thing or two about wedding venues - we work at them, we list them, we vet them, so you know you can trust that they will be perfect for your Italian wedding. Head to our venue section now to be inspired (warning: you’ll probably want to book them all!)
