Different ceremony options for Italian weddings
To get legally married in Italy is not as complicated or as hard as you might have been warned. Yes, you do need to do research, be on it with your paperwork and keep to required timings to submit relevant documents; plus ensure you’re speaking to the right people - but trust us it can be done and won’t leave you regretting going down the legal road! Having said that, the ceremony options for a non-legally binding wedding are as equally magical and what’s more you have a good excuse for an additional wedding in your home country to make things legal and official.
Let’s run through the 3 types of ceremonies available to foreigners choosing to marry in La Dolce Vita, including the legal ones.
Photo: SUEGRAPHY
A civil wedding involves legally marrying in-front of a recognised government official and you leave with a legit bi-lingual marriage certificate, which you both sign. There is a 2-3 step (dependent on where you are from) paperwork process required with this option. You need to explore all details and way up the process before deciding this is going to be right for you.
You will need to work with the local Italian Town Hall near your chosen venue adhering to their wedding guidelines; this is the case whether you get married at your venue or in the Town Hall. The most important advice here is to find out whether your venue can host civil ceremonies, as some don’t. The ones that do have been appointed by the Town Hall, so if you dream of legally marrying overlooking Tuscan vineyards or on the shores of a picturesque lake then double check this is possible! Town Halls are certainly not the ‘second prize’ option, as most have breathtaking historic architecture, but you will need to consider guest transport, timings and logistics. The costs to consider will be paying the Town Hall in addition to your venue fee. They also have specific opening times available for wedding ceremonies, so this must be a top priority of yours to check before you book in a date with your venue.
A civil ceremony has a set order of service written by the Italian government, so make sure you both are happy with the legal words you are going to say. The full service can be found in our planning membership, The Club, with more personal readings and words for ring exchange added as you wish to make the ceremony feel more unique.
Photo: Tuscan Pledges
If paperwork is not for you or you have chosen to legally marry in your home country then a Symbolic ceremony is available to you.
A professional celebrant or even a friend or family member can conduct the service and make it totally about the 2 of you. Readings, songs, speeches can all be interspersed with the vows you have chosen to say. And bonus, this ceremony can be as long or as short as you wish. Plus, it can happen anywhere - the Trevi fountain, poolside at your venue, Italy is your ceremony oyster.…
There is sometimes a worry with couples that this ceremony might not feel as special, as it is not ‘legal’, but here at La Lista we have seen a few wedding in our time and the flexibility of options can help craft a hugely intimate, extremely personal experience for the couple but also for guests as they are drawn in by listening to favourite readings, songs and anecdotes.
Photo: Serena Morandi Photography
For a church wedding, Italy isn’t short of breathtaking options and many catholic couples love the idea of legally marrying in these impressive buildings. Firstly, you need to know that different priests have different rules when it comes to foreigners marrying in Italy; so we suggest find a church you love and then investigate if it’s possible. You will also need to work with your home church priest and if one of you is catholic and one is not then marriage lessons might be necessary.
With a catholic church wedding there is a good deal more admin to consider. However, there are 2 options available to you - either legally married or have a priest conduct the service but you have already legally married at home. For this to happen you will need to show the Italian church a civil marriage certificate 3 months before your wedding. A far easier option should you wish to have a wedding in a catholic church but have slightly less paperwork and hoops to jump through with the town hall and Italian priest.
When it comes to a church ceremony, and to be honest any legal wedding option it is worth having a professional guiding you through the process. A planner who organises the various ceremony options regularly will honestly make your life so much easier. You can do it alone, but referring to expertly-designed documents and keeping to strict timings is crucial and not always possible without being on the ground in Italy to deliver the various paperwork at the correct times.
Italy draws so many couples to celebrate their wedding from across all religions, and similarly to the information highlighted above we suggest you find your place of worship, reach out and discuss the legal aspects with the priest or ordained minister and build this relationship. And again, to have a planner liaise really will make your life easier!
The ‘marrying’ part is one area you do not want to get wrong when planning your Italian wedding. Simply put, if you don’t adhere to the guidelines or miss a date to submit paperwork, you run the risk of not being able to go ahead with your vows. Leading wedding planner, Lucy White knows every detail of coordinating a ceremony and has compiled her experience in an easy-to-use tool which sits within our planning membership - The Club.
