Italian Wedding Ceremony: How to Plan it?

Have you just proposed? There’s no time to waste! The organization of your ceremony starts now. Where to begin? Our team of wedding planners will guide you step by step through the planning stages of your italian wedding ceremony and reception to ensure nothing is forgotten.

Choose a Wedding Date

The first thing to do is determine the period in which you want to get married. Planning a wedding takes time and should be started at least 8 to 12 months in advance, especially if it’s a destination wedding. Choosing a date is the starting point that will influence the entire organization of your wedding, including:

Availability of Venues:

Summer is undoubtedly the most popular season for weddings, so venue availability is limited. Most ceremonies take place on weekends, but you may find it easier to book if you plan your wedding during the week, although this might be a constraint for your guests.

Wedding Cost:

The prices of venues and wedding services increase during the high season (May to September). A winter wedding can help reduce your wedding budget.

There’s no perfect date. Superstitious French people might avoid Friday the 13th, whereas it’s considered a lucky number in Italy. Summer weddings offer a sunny escape for your guests but coincide with the peak tourist season, which might be a drawback if you want a seaside wedding. Public holidays can also provide an opportunity to plan a long weekend wedding in Italy. Additionally, note that some seasonal venues may close in the off-season or refuse wedding bookings during the summer for commercial reasons. Also, consider school holidays, which can make it easier for your guests with children to attend, though it might influence the cost of your event.

Select a Wedding Venue

Once the date is chosen, you can start thinking about your wedding venue. Booking the venue should be done very early due to availability reasons, often more than a year before the event. Consider the following criteria when choosing your wedding venue:

• Number of guests
• Theme
• Budget
• Season
• Accessibility

If you’re looking for a unique location, different from traditional wedding halls, Italy is an ideal destination. Our team of wedding planners has selected the most beautiful wedding venues to organize the ceremony of your dreams. Discover our exceptional venues for your union in Tuscany or in Puglia.

Noces Italiennes’ Selection:

To help you choose your wedding venue, our wedding planners will send you a selection of venues suited to your wedding project so you can shortlist your favorites. Once you’ve made your pre-selection, we will send you personalized quotes and can organize a visit to the venue to let you experience the unique atmosphere of these enchanting places. Our wedding planners will welcome you in Italy and guide you through all the visits to answer your questions.

One of the advantages of getting married in Italy is the Mediterranean climate. However, we will inform you if it’s not possible to organize an indoor ceremony in certain venues. We always make sure to have a plan B in case of bad weather.

Finally, when hosting a destination wedding, guest accommodations are crucial. Consider your witnesses’ lodging (see our article on the Number of Civil Wedding Witnesses), who need easy access to the wedding venue and must handle any unforeseen events! Some venues offer on-site accommodations, allowing you to privatize the structure for your reception. Conversely, other venues may not have enough capacity to accommodate all your guests. In this case, our wedding planners will provide a list of nearby hotels to facilitate your guests’ booking.

Prepare the Italian Wedding Ceremony

Whether civil, symbolic, or religious, the wedding ceremony requires thorough preparation.

Religious Italian Wedding Ceremony :

For a religious wedding in a church, the couple prepares the ceremony with the priest of their home parish. This preparation begins about a year before the wedding. For a Christian ceremony in Italy, the religious preparation file will be sent to the church hosting the ceremony. The church booking should be done about a year in advance to secure the date and time.

In Italy, it is possible to have a concordat marriage, allowing the religious and civil unions to be handled simultaneously without going through the town hall. In this case, the couple must contact the French embassy in Italy to obtain the certificate of capacity to marry: the “Nulla Osta.” This official document is essential for a civil marriage in Italy. The preparation of this file should be done at least six months before the wedding. Our team of wedding planners is here to assist you with the administrative processes and obtaining this certificate.

For a Jewish wedding ceremony in Italy, you can celebrate your union under a Chuppah on the beach or amidst ancient olive groves. The ceremony preparation should be done with the rabbi of your residence. Depending on your wishes, we can also connect you with a local rabbi for the wedding celebration, the Ketubah writing, Talit purchase, or Shabbat celebration. During a wedding in Italy, you can also choose to have a French rabbi officiate the ceremony. It is important to communicate your needs at the beginning of the wedding planning to book the services of a local rabbi and his team.

Symbolic Italian Wedding Ceremony:

If you wish to organize your symbolic ceremony in Italy, the preparation is less codified since it’s a symbolic union. However, make sure to write your vows a few weeks before the big day.

Announce Your Wedding in Italy

Once your date is chosen, your venue is booked, and you’ve finalized your ceremony program, you can announce the news to your loved ones! The “Save the Date” is usually sent about a year before the wedding to inform your guests of the wedding date. For a destination wedding, this helps them better organize their plans.

The wedding invitation is sent 3 to 5 months before the wedding. Include all the information that will facilitate your guests’ travel arrangements, such as the nearest airport or hotel links for their accommodation. Invitations are often an opportunity to announce the theme of your reception. They can be humorous, traditional, or original. Invitations make excellent reminders for your future wedding anniversaries!

Many couples are tempted by “Do It Yourself” invitations and wish to design their own visuals. Our wedding planners will offer you partnerships with Cotton Bird or Rosemood to create an original wedding stationery set at a negotiated rate.

Find Your Italian Wedding Ceremony Attire

Because it will be the center of attention at your wedding, choosing the wedding dress is always delicate. From searching for the model to fittings and alterations, it’s recommended to start 8 to 10 months before the wedding. Blogs, fairs, and social media are excellent ways to discover new trends. The season of your ceremony, your wedding theme, and your wedding venue can influence your choice of wedding dress.

The groom’s suit, generally less critical, can be chosen 4 to 6 months before the wedding. If you opt for an Italian wedding suit, consider the manufacturing times to get a tailor-made suit!

The “wedding dress code” phenomenon, born in the United States, is increasingly popular among French couples, especially for the attire of the groomsmen and bridesmaids. To ensure availability and conformity of the outfits and anticipate delivery times, it’s advisable to place the order at least one month before the wedding.

Booking Vendors

One of the advantages of hiring a wedding planner is the ability to delegate the search, negotiation, and booking of vendors. This phase can be time-consuming and complicated, especially if the couple is not on-site to manage their wedding preparations. Language barriers and cultural differences add additional constraints that we help you avoid. At Noces Italiennes, your wedding planner will be your sole point of contact throughout the entire planning process, including the wedding day. This means you won’t have to deal directly with Italian vendors. Our wedding planning services save you time and ensure quality with a strict selection of the vendors we work with.

From DJs, photographers (wedding photos), catering, florists, music bands, to car rentals, we handle it all! Our team provides a selection of top-notch services in Italy, offering you the best quality-price ratio.

Choosing Your Wedding Menu

The wedding meal is one of the most significant expenses in the wedding budget, so it requires early consideration. Some venues have their own in-house kitchens, while others use external caterers. Regardless of the setup, in Italy, the wedding meal is the highlight of the evening. It’s an opportunity to surprise your guests with a typical menu! In the land of dolce vita, you can delight them with the finest Italian products through an antipasti buffet. We have selected the best restaurateurs in Apulia and Tuscany to showcase the excellence of local cuisine.

A few months before your wedding, we will organize a tasting session to finalize your menu. For Jewish weddings, we can provide a kosher menu that respects religious requirements.

Preparing Your Wedding Decoration

While the natural beauty of the venues chosen by our wedding planners is sure to impress your guests, your wedding decoration still requires thorough preparation. The experience, creativity, and expertise of our wedding planners will guide you in choosing your wedding theme. You can share your decoration wishes and inspirations from your dedicated Pinterest board. If you wish to bring your own decoration materials, we can receive and store them in our warehouse.

Additionally, our agency in Italy has its own decoration materials. We can provide these to create a unique wedding design and enhance your venue.

To track the organization of your wedding and communicate with your wedding planner throughout the preparation, we use a collaborative tool dedicated to your event.

Don’t wait any longer and contact us now to start organizing your dream wedding.