Italian Wedding - Where to start?

Razcro

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Myself and my fiance are set on having our wedding in Italy. I am Catholic (25) and she is Protestant (23). We are the first of any of our friends to get engaged and don't know of anybody personally who has gotten hitched in Italy. We aiming for 2009 wedding.

Wedding planners, locations, paperwork, and costs. We are new to it all and would greatly appreciate any advice you donate.

Many Thanks,

Raz

mikeanywhere

I would suggest registering with www.weddingsonline.ie and doing a search on there as tons of threads about Italian weddings there.

Oh & congrats to you both too

Bluscreendream

Hello Raz,

My partner is Italian and has been organising weddings for English and Irish couples in various Italian locations for about 5 years now. If you require further information please feel free to pm me.

Thanks.

blushing bride

Razcro wrote: »

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Myself and my fiance are set on having our wedding in Italy. I am Catholic (25) and she is Protestant (23). We are the first of any of our friends to get engaged and don't know of anybody personally who has gotten hitched in Italy. We aiming for 2009 wedding.

My friends got married in Lake Garda two years ago this May and it was the best wedding I was ever at. Set ABOUT 80 of us went to the wedding, some went for the week I just went over for four days. It was a fantastic setting with the mountains as a background. the reception was in Grand Hotel Liberty. www.grandhotelliberty.it, we all went to a local church in Limone about 20 mins from the venue and they had arranged a boat trip back to venue which was a nice touch. We were welcomed back to the hotel with a champagne reception and there was a pianist on the veranda where everyone enjoyed finger food. Then there was a 5 course meal! tHE HOTEL were so accommodating because us being Irish spent a fortune on drink and the bar stayed open most nights till 3/4 we just slipped afew 20's to bar man. The manager arranged everything for the couple Dario Segala is his name. Good luck with the preparations!

Sizzler

[QUOTE=blushing bride;55109997
My friends got married in Lake Garda two years ago this May and it was the best wedding I was ever at. Set ABOUT 80 of us went to the wedding, some went for the week I just went over for four days. It was a fantastic setting with the mountains as a background. the reception was in Grand Hotel Liberty. www.grandhotelliberty.it, we all went to a local church in Limone about 20 mins from the venue and they had arranged a boat trip back to venue which was a nice touch. We were welcomed back to the hotel with a champagne reception and there was a pianist on the veranda where everyone enjoyed finger food. Then there was a 5 course meal! tHE HOTEL were so accommodating because us being Irish spent a fortune on drink and the bar stayed open most nights till 3/4 we just slipped afew 20's to bar man. The manager arranged everything for the couple Dario Segala is his name. Good luck with the preparations![/QUOTE]

I've emailed Dario, seems great for the price:)

info@dariosegala.com

http://www.weddingslakegarda.com/

http://www.grandhotelliberty.it/

Razcro

Sizzler wrote: »

I've emailed Dario, seems great for the price:)

info@dariosegala.com

http://www.weddingslakegarda.com/

http://www.grandhotelliberty.it/

What sort of money are we talking about?

Sizzler

Razcro wrote: »

What sort of money are we talking about?

On second glance not as good as I thought initially.

€104 a head for a 6 course meal or €89 for 4 courses, for example but that includes all the wine. They are also looking for a €900 fee if the party is less than 41 pax.

The hotel looks pretty amazing and you cant question the setting itself but on the face of it, this dont look any cheaper than here.

If you email the guy he will send you back all the details in pdf.

DetectivFoxtrot

there can ony be one location - Positano

Sizzler

Are the advantages of going away overstated?

Yes you may get the dream setting and the weather but the bride still needs a dress, as do the bridesmaids, monkey suits for the gents. Wedding rings still required also! You may save a few quid on the photgrapher but you are entering into the unkown there as you dont know what you're getting and as far as I can see the wedding bands are the same price as here!

So the only place you are going to save money possibly is on the meal and drinks, is it really worth the hassle?

WildWood

Sizzler wrote: »

Are the advantages of going away overstated?

Yes you may get the dream setting and the weather but the bride still needs a dress, as do the bridesmaids, monkey suits for the gents. Wedding rings still required also! You may save a few quid on the photgrapher but you are entering into the unkown there as you dont know what you're getting and as far as I can see the wedding bands are the same price as here!

So the only place you are going to save money possibly is on the meal and drinks, is it really worth the hassle?

This is exactly the reaction I got from my parents when I told them we were thinking of an italian wedding. I do appreciate these concerns, but as we only want something small & informal I think it should be fine. Being realistic, there are plenty of options to consider cost wise- both here & abroad.

From the original post it sounds like the decision on Italy as the destiation for the wedding has already been made. I agree weddingsonline is a great site to start to gather some info Good luck with the planning Raz!

barbiegirl

We're getting married in Italy in August. Villa Baroncino, you'll see it all on the net and it's gorgeous and not too pricey. Marco has a great budget calculator that will really help you get a handle on things, including paperwork etc. it's all handled. He has a great on site chapel that can be used for civil ceremonies as well as the obvious townhall or indeed the gardens.
What I would say as to the advantages, it all comes down to your dream. You can have a beautiful small wedding in Ireland or Italy, depending on what you want the costs vary hugely. Getting married abroad I don't think has as much to do anymore with cost as your vision of your day. Mine was all about spending as much time as possible outdoors, with sunshine, excellent food and wine and family. We're couldn't guaruntee that here particularly not the sunshine.
An example of the savings is Orvietto Reserve €7.50 a bottle, Chianti Classico €8.50 a bottle and Prosecco €11 a bottle. Less than typical corkage here. We can afford to supply all drink, all night, for the same cost as the toast drinks here :-)
Good luck with organising everything and congratulations.

murfinho

Hi Raz,

we just got back from Italy where we got hitched last week! We went to Rome with about 55 people. We arranged everything ourselves through the internet and over the phone after initial contact.

Church - had the wedding ceremony in the Basilica di San Silvestro in Capite, a church just around the corner from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Run by Irish brothers, it was easy to organise through our local priest here and the chapel in Italy.

Reception - Hotel Universo, near the Termini station, laid on a great reception with about 7 courses of great food, from Prosecco to wedding cake at the end.

Photographer - Siobhan Hegarty, Irish girl working and living now in Italy, was great. Contacted through her website (http://www.shpfoto.com) - tell her I sent you !

Car - Hired a car through the church, took us around the sites after the wedding to get some nice photos. This should be easy enough to book

Wedding Band - The Italian Wedding Band, fantastic swing band that played some great Italian classics, booked again through their website. Highly Highly recommended!

Honeymoon - Sorrento, went for a week, it was fantastic, nice weather (about 25 degrees late April) just back on Sunday

Everything was brilliant, we went away because that is just what we both wanted. Wouldn't do anything different!

Give me a shout if you want any more info, all the best and let me add my congrats!!

Tezzy

murfinho: what sort of numbers did you have and what was the ballpark figure for cost if you dont mind me asking?

my fiancé and I are thinking of Italy next year during mid April, would there be much rain that time of year and would it be regional?

Many thanks

collie1

DetectivFoxtrot wrote: »

there can ony be one location - Positano

NICE!! this is where we're getting married in September


http://www.dreamacademy.it/eng/gradara.php

both have gorgeous settings for any wedding

Primavera

Hi there.

I have just read your post and think I may be able to help (if it's not too late!)
I got married 6 weeks ago in Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany. It was an amazing and really special day, but a bit of a nightmare to organise to be honest. I have since set up my own wedding planning business in the bagni di Lucca area. I have a second home there so have very useful contacts with the local community.
If i can help you and your fiance drop me an email.

Kind Regards
Lisa
lisawalmsley2002@hotmail.com

runninggirl

Hi

I'm also thinking of getting married in Italy in 2010 but am finding it really hard to get an idea of how much it will cost for a church wedding. Could anyone who has done be able to give me an idea of the range of prices that I might meet please, for example, how much is dinner a head? I'm not asking what you paid directly, but just what sort of prices I might expect for the following:

• Dinner per head:
• Drinks/wine per head
• Drinks/canape reception per head
• Church donations/cost
• Paperwork costs
• Cost of flowers (do hotels provide their own flowers? Do you need to decorate the church?)
• Church music
• Make up artist

I've my own photographer and hairdresser - favours from friends! Thanks for your help,

Sweetdown

Hello Runningirl!

We got married this summer in Positano Cathedral and it was really amazing! The most beautiful day of our life! All our guests were really happy and still talk about this really special day! Our wedding planner Rosanna was really brilliant, very helpful, friendly and really organised! Everything was perfectly organised exactly as we wanted! She took care of all the arrangements, legal paperwork, bookings, music, flowers, transportation, accommodation, Wedding Reception, make-up artist & hairdresser, wedding cake! Everybody enjoyed a lot in that amazing place with breath-taking sea views, sunshine, blue sea and delicious food!! We would like to recommend our wedding planner Rosanna to all the brides-to be! You can also have a look at http://www.italy-weddingplanner.com for more details.

Good luck and our best wishes!!

Kizzy
xxx

kkd

Another great company for Itlaian weddings is Ortensia. The lady I dealt with is Elena.

http://www.ortensiaweddings.com/

barbiegirl

runninggirl wrote: »

Hi

I'm also thinking of getting married in Italy in 2010 but am finding it really hard to get an idea of how much it will cost for a church wedding. Could anyone who has done be able to give me an idea of the range of prices that I might meet please, for example, how much is dinner a head? I'm not asking what you paid directly, but just what sort of prices I might expect for the following:

• Dinner per head: (Barbie Girl - we paid €52)
• Drinks/wine per head (Barbie Girl - we paid under €15 per head wine and drinks all day and night in total)
• Drinks/canape reception per head (Barbie Girl - included above)
• Church donations/cost (Barbie Girl - we paid €300)
• Paperwork costs (Barbie Girl - I think about €500)
• Cost of flowers (do hotels provide their own flowers? Do you need to decorate the church?) (Barbie Girl - You decorate or pay florist to, we paid €340 but didn't do church it didn't need it)
• Church music (Barbie Girl - Depends what you want €700 for String Trio for church and canape reception in villa)
• Make up artist (Barbie Girl - Did my own)

I've my own photographer and hairdresser - favours from friends! Thanks for your help,

Hi Runninggirl,
If you contact Marco on www.romanticweddingsinitaly.com he will give you a user name and password that will allow you to price absolutely everything.
Best of luck.

Mairead123

Hi there,
I used Ortensia Weddings too www.ortensiaweddings.com
Elena wa my wedding planner.
It was the most perfect day and we could not have dreamt how wonderful it would be. Elena was a complete professional from beginning to end. her patience and dedication were extremely impressive!

I'd recommend Ortensia Weddings services to anyone who is interested in getting married in Italy or indeed Ireland.

Vinny-Chase

Hey guys, I had started a new thread but perhaps it's best to try and keep all the talk of the Italian weddings in one thread if people are searching in future. Any hoo, here is what I had posted originally:

Hey all,
Been reading through a lot of the posts on here regarding using wedding planners for weddings in Italy. Been reading the websites and links provided. We're at the initial stages regarding the wedding. Picking destinations etc.

We're both like minded, realise the importance of the wedding that is about us committing our lives to each other and not keeping up with The Joneses. So we're looking to have a small intimate wedding with probably about 20 - 30 people there.

None of the wedding planning sites seem to have prices and as I said at this stage we're just looking around. So we're just looking ballpark figure really.

I wonder if any one would be kind enough (if you don't mind) to let me know the actual cost, all in. Please feel free to PM me as I'm not expecting people to let the world know how much their wedding cost.

Would greatly appreciate any help you could provide guys & gals.
Cheers.

Limerickgal82

I think it's a great idea TBH and it is what myself and boyfriend have decided to do. i found this website to be very good www.italianweddings.ie Good Luck

easter

roughly how much would the wedding cost in Italy

talkin

has anybody eloped to italy to get married as in just you and your other half? how would that work out?

barenakedlady

]has anybody eloped to italy to get married as in just you and your other half? how would that work out] - original post

Talkin -
if you go on to romanticitalianweddings.com there is actually a full elopement package there for about 3 grand.

talkin

barenakedlady wrote: »

]has anybody eloped to italy to get married as in just you and your other half? how would that work out] - original post

Talkin -
if you go on to romanticitalianweddings.com there is actually a full elopement package there for about 3 grand.

thanks will look it up now

Karmella

easter wrote: »

roughly how much would the wedding cost in Italy

It really depends where you go and how many people you have. We just had our wedding in Lake Garda for about 15,000 all in, but actually 5000 of this was travel & accom for us and our parents for a week. There were about 40 people there and the cost for food was 70 euro a head - but this included champagne reception with finger food, a 4 course meal, the cake and pretty much all the wine and prosecco we could drink! (i think it was supposed to be half a bottle of wine and half a bottle of prosecco per head). Also incl was about 900 euro wedding planners fee (for a planner here and one over there) We used Heffernans travel in cork and they did a great job. All we ever had to do was decide on different options for music, flowers, food, ceremony, photographer, car, transport etc.

A friend of mine is looking into a wedding in a different part of lake garda, for a bigger group - closer to 100, and their first estimate came in around 25,000 although they are trying to negotiate that down. Their planner's fee is a lot higher as she actually goes over aswell and looks after everything while you are there. So, I guess its like here - everything can be done cheaply or more expensively, depending on what you want yourself.

I can't recommend it enough though!! All our guests had a great time and really enjoyed it. It was all a little different to here and the setting was just amazing. Lots of love for Italy, its my favourite place in the world.

Adrienne162

Hello,

Can anyone recommend a good venue in rome to host a wedding reception for 30 people?

Would love something with an outdoor terrace/rooftop and great views.

Would really appreciate any feedback any one can offer as we are at the early stages of booking and are finding it all a bit overwhelming.

Thanks

Adrienne

laobhaise

im looking for group/band to play at our wedding just outside florence this sept '12. would appreciate any tips. am looking for general swing/rock/pop 'irish' style band, not a piano-bar. thnks

mrsWhippy

laobhaise wrote: »

im looking for group/band to play at our wedding just outside florence this sept '12. would appreciate any tips. am looking for general swing/rock/pop 'irish' style band, not a piano-bar. thnks

You cannot beat 'Guty e Simone'! They learnt the Galway girl for our wedding and we had an absolute blast with them. A pair of gents with a great repartoire.

http://www.gutyesimone.it/en/repertorio.html

laobhaise

turns out Guty and simone are already booked !! (pity, they are super nice!) so if any has other suggestions, please let me know!