Getting Married in Tuscany can be a pleasant, memorable and relaxing experience…just like drinking a glass of Chianti red wine.
The a brief checklist for getting married in Tuscany:
1) Decide on the location. Many people are not sure how many people will actually make the long haul…and sometimes the numbers grow as soon as you have a location and send out the invites. Be prepared to select a place which will contain the main group and provides lots of extra alternative possibilities nearby in the form of hotels, bed and breakfasts and other rental villas and apartments. Another important thing to look at when selecting the accommodations – if you are planning on having the reception at the accommodations be sure they have indoor area for the entire group or room enough to put up a tent. Think about possible bad weather options now and save yourself any possible hassle later!!
It’s important that you decide in advance what you will be responsible for economically – and let the agency know in advance so that we can work with you. We strongly suggest that you have one person handle the main accommodations and then for the surrounding or additional accommodations, let your friends and family contact the agency directly identifying themselves as participants of the event. Don’t try to be in charge of everyone’s accommodations – just concentrate on the main core! The agency is there to assist – you will have enough other things to take care of without adding extra burdens to organize.
2) Decide the type of wedding you wish to have. Civil or Religious?
Civil is by far the easiest organization for both the wedding itself and the paperwork. Even though Italy is dominated by the Catholic church you still need special permission to get married in a Catholic church, starting with at least one of you NEEDS to be Catholic.
Consult your local priest for all the paperwork there, and contact us for the name of the local priest and parish closest to your selected accommodations.
Send this info out ASAP, so that they can get the slow wheels of bureaucracy moving.
Other religions are do-able, there are a Protestant priests in Florence who will perform weddings, however they normally will need to perform these services together with the civil service or you will need to go to Florence. Many people even bring there our religious authority with them, saves having to worry about translations. If you are going civil please note that the Italian government does not authorize weddings outside of certain areas. There are “roaming” religious persons who have special authority to marry outside of designated areas, and their prices is an expression of the demand…rather high. Commonly civil weddings are held in the local government building (which is normally a historical building) or in designated local historical monument – like a castle.
3) Start your paperwork. Your paperwork needs to be started in your country of origin. Please check with the local embassy for all details.
Once they have given you the necessary documents you will need to bring them to the consulate or embassy in Florence for the translation and official seals. Please be prepared to do this before the wedding!!!
Normally since most rentals are from Sat to Sat – we suggest that the wedding couple come in a few days in advance. The first stop is Florence and the second stop is the local government where you will be getting married….there can be no wedding if the paperwork is not in order and acceptable. And there is no way around this!
Check with us in regards to the local governments, they are normally all on the same rules, but every once and awhile there is a special requirement. Best to know in advance.
4) Plan the wedding. Here is where agency experience starts to kick in, there are many agencies that have been here for years and know their way around wheeling and dealing with the Tuscans. You will find that the Italians are particularly flexible and helpful in planning this event, they love the idea that foreigners want to celebrate such an important event in their home. First you should decide the style you wish to have – formal, informal, elegant, country style, etc. etc. Then with this information they can assist you in selecting suppliers for all of your needs from caterers, flowers, photographers, music, dry cleaners, and just about anything else that comes to mind. Just a small reminder: you are probably choosing to come to Tuscany because you want to incorporate this beautiful land with its age old traditions into your wedding plans, therefore let the suppliers indicate the most traditional things…you will almost always find these solutions to be the most economical and the accessible. BUT don’t be afraid of wishing a personal touch to the events – anything is possible here….
5) Plan a few events around the wedding.
Sure people are coming to see you two tie the knot but they also are here in Italy hoping to experience just a little bit of the local culture.
Try and plan some events which will bring the group together and at the same time satisfy their desire to explore the real Tuscany.
Some easy things that you can do which can be organized easily
* include bus guided tours to the historical sites,
* cheese and wine tasting, dinners with cooking lessons incorporated,
* rehearsal dinners
* and …. bachelor and bachelorette parties.
These events should be organized in advance – clearly state the cost of the events to your guest and have them commit before the arrival date. (you can always add names to the list at the last minute….but is much more stressful for you to set something up at the last minute and have it come off fun!).
6) Now all that is left is your arrival, getting married and most of all enjoying Tuscany! Normally a wedding couple who comes one day or two before can get all of the necessary things out of the way so that on Saturday when their guests start to arrive, they can sit back, just relax and really enjoy having family and friends together in this great area. Give you suppliers 100% attention the days before and then leave it in their hands and the hands of a competent organizer.
