Frequently asked questions
Q. Is the legal wedding ceremony in Italy recognized in the rest of the world?
A. Yes
The wedding held in a town hall in Italy, for citizens from any country, will be recognized as a legal wedding in their home country. You will be supplied with duplicate copies of the legal wedding certificate, which you will use to register your wedding with your local city hall / county register / registry office upon returning home. If at any point in the future, you require more copies of the wedding certificate, Italyweddings will be happy to produce and send these to you.
Q. How long do we have to be in Italy before the wedding date?
A. It depends
but you need to be present in Italy, and in the town of the wedding long enough to complete and lodge the paperwork. Three days is usually sufficient, and in some circumstances, less is possible
Q. We speak Italian pretty well. Do we need an official interpreter?
A. Yes
By law, at the civil wedding ceremony, an officially recognized interpreter must be present. Italyweddings will take care of this
Q. I’ve been recently divorced. Can I remarry in a Church ceremony?
A. Yes, in most cases
There is a little work to be done with your local parish, but in most cases, couples can remarry in a Protestant setting. More than a year must have passed from the decree absolute of the previous wedding.
Q. I’ve been recently divorced. Can I get remarried in a legal, civil wedding?
A. Yes
For the bride, as long as three hundred days have passed since the date on the final decree absolute, you may remarry in Italy. For the groom, there is no time restriction
Q. Can Italyweddings arrange my wedding in towns other than Florence?
A. Yes
We can arrange weddings in Tuscany, and most of the rest of central Italy. Most popular locations are here
Q. Can we perform a full Roman Catholic wedding in Italy?
A. The couple will need to fulfill strict requirements, as well as completing a full course of pre-Cana training. We can speak to you personally about your situation
Q. What about other types of blessing ceremonies?
A. There is a full description of the types of religious and symbolic ceremony we can assist you with here
Q. Can I get married with a legally valid civil wedding in a outdoor setting?
A. Often yes.
More and more venues are making this possible, but please check the technical information for the specific venue you are interested in. Here’s a list of some of the venues that have permission to hold a legally binding wedding on site
- Borgo Caterina
- Villa Chiara
- Villa Papavero
- Villa Grabau
- Villa Orazio
- Castello Palazzetto
- Villa Orfeo
- Castello Orlando
- Il Convento
- Castello della Corte
- Villa Salice
Q. Can I arrange a religious wedding to be held in the grounds of a villa?
A. Yes we can arrange a blessing service in a villa setting. Either in the grounds, or in the halls, or in some cases, in a private chapel.
Q. How do we pay Italyweddings? What security do we have?
A. Our payments are usually received in two or three installments. We ask for a 25% retaining fee upon fixing a wedding date. in a town hall or Church, together with a full binding contract. The payments will usually be made by bank transfer (wire). If you prefer to pay using your credit card, we accept PayPal payments.
Q. Will we be able to choose flowers / photography?
A. Yes, for your bouquet and other floral choices, we have a plenty to look at and choose from!
But will be very happy for you to share Pinterest pages, email us images and mood-boards or links to images of florals that you want. Most flowers are available throughout the year. As you move forwards with the planning, you’ll have a complete, regular dialogue with our design team for ALL aspects of the event.
We have a wide selection of professional photographers, should you wish to use one we recommend – but we’re equally happy to help you coordinate if you bring your own or secure one directly
Q. What rights do we have over the images?
A. You will receive all digital images, and all rights to reprint.
Q. Can we speak to couples you have assisted in the past?
A. Yes, please write to us for a list.
Q. What’s the weather like in May / September / December?
A. The best months in central Italy are May, June and September. July and August can be a little hot. The winter months are December, January and February, but the climate is mixed, and we sometimes have stunningly crisp and sunny days in January. And it sometimes rains in July
Q. How will we be assured of the reliability of your services?
A. You may speak to couples we have worked with in the past, and we will write up a legal contract when we undertake to assist you with your wedding plans. We are a legally recognized company here in Italy.
Q. How much will it cost?
A. We do not do “package” weddings, but the services you will most likely require will fall into broad categories: the cost of the wedding ceremony itself, the cost of photography and flowers, costs of transport, and the cost for the reception. We are more than happy to discuss, and always work with couples towards their desired budget.
Q. How are your fees arranged?
A. For small weddings, for just the couple, or four or less guests, we work a percentage of approx. 10% of services rendered. For larger weddings, we will apply a flat rate, depending on the complexity of the wedding itself.
Q. How do we get started?
A. Start by studying some of the past couples here, and possible villas, castles and venues for the event, then move on to filling out the form or simply email us!