Getting married in Italy can be straightforward and for UK couples who are not residents in Italy it is also possible to legally get married here.

Italy has so many stunning places and regions to tie the knot, popular places such as Lake Coma, Sicily, Tuscany and on the Amalfi Coast, to the romantic Venice, gorgeous Positano and stunning Florence.

Guide to Getting Married in Italy

Valentina Lombardi of Italian Wedding Company shares advice and tips on getting married in Italy and their how to guide.

When is the best time of year to get married in Italy?

It depends on the area bride and groom are choosing. However, the wedding season in Italy goes from late April to early October.

In general, the warmest months are July and August, where as in some areas, we can get even up to 40 degrees Celsius.

The most prominent national holidays to avoid as the venues are always very busy with tourists and with less availability are: Easter weekend, including Friday and Monday, April 25th, our Liberation Day, and the first long weekend of Spring. May 1st, which is Labour Day and June 2nd that is Republic Day.

An important day to avoid is August 15th, which is Ferragosto. In Italy, it is a midsummer celebration. Around that week, tourist facilities are fully booked. Most of the services are closed without considering that the weather is sweltering. It is a sort of Christmas week in Summer, very few availability for all.

What are the legal requirements for UK citizens in Italy?

UK citizens can have a legal civil ceremony in Italy, producing the right documentation.

If they want a Roman Catholic ceremony, they can have it too. In Italy, a service in the church can have a religious and civil value while always producing the right documents.

First of all, they need to go to their local registry office and get a ‘No Impediment wedding certificate’. They need to get a statutory declaration which needs to be translated and legalised in Italy. It is something that a local planner or a paperwork expert can do for them if they wish.

Required for a civil, religious or symbolic wedding in Italy you would need:

  • A valid passport
  • Original birth certificate for both parties
  • Divorce papers or death certificate if you have been previously married, divorced or widowed
  • An affidavit, Nulla Osta or Dichiarazione Giurata sworn before a consular office of your home country, stating that there’s no legal impediment to your marriage in your home country
  • An Atto Notorio signed by two witnesses, further confirming no legal impediment to marry
  • A declaration of intent to marry that will go to the civil registrar

Would the couple need to visit before the wedding?

We always suggest to come over and see the location and venues they love. They can have a look in person and be sure that this is right for them. It could also be an excellent occasion to meet their planner if they chose to have one or any other professional. Plus, they can plan a food trial or hair and makeup trial too.

However, if they cannot make it across, by having a planner they can easily plan their wedding remotely. They just need to be sure that the professional they are going to choose is a local and experienced one.

How long before and after the ceremony, do they need to be in the country?

At least a couple of working days before, they need to make a declaration for the ceremony.

We suggest spending more days in Italy after the wedding so they can relax and enjoy some more Italian days as a mini moon.

Where to get married in Italy

Italy has a wide variety of destinations. You can choose romantic locations for elopements or grand venues for big events.

There are villas by the lake and seashores, country mansions, hotels, agriturismo. You can have a romantic wedding by a lake on Lake Como, Lake Garda or Lake Maggiore.

You can opt for the Mediterranean inspired wedding by the sea on Italian Riviera, Amalfi Coast, Apulia, Sardinia or Sicily. Countryside destinations are also high in Tuscany, Piemonte, or Umbria. We cannot forget the cities of Art such as Rome, Florence, Venice!

There is also the winter wedding with the snow on the Alps. Civil, religious, or symbolic ceremonies are available.

Discover the best wedding venues in Italy here.

What are your favorite venues?

It is challenging to say for us. We are totally in love with our country and the many wedding venues in Italy.

There are many different options. If you want to make it grand and very luxurious, Lake Como and Amalfi Coast are surely fantastic destinations. If you are keen for something more authentic and quaint and a little off the beaten track too, Piemonte and Lake Orta can be ideal.

Tuscany and Umbria are top wedding destinations and undoubtedly enchanting. Apulia and Sicily are incredibly beautiful and very rooted in Italian traditions. The real flavor of “Italianity” is there. We cannot forget the eternal city of Rome! Everyone loves Rome, and so we do.

Wedding Planning in Italy

We create extraordinary and fun destination wedding experiences in Italy.

Italian Wedding Company is a team of wedding planners and coordinators. Each of us is an experienced and professional wedding planner with a self-owned business located in a specific Italian region. Our adventure started back in 2007. We decided to get together and create a big company that is the umbrella under which we are all now.

Each planner lives and operates in a specific Italian destination. We believe that having a local and experienced wedding planner and coordinator in a particular area is the key. Local knowledge, network, and right connection make wedding planning easier for both professionals and couples.

We are all Italian mother tongue, but we speak English fluently. We all have a third active language among Spanish, French, and German.

We also have a behind-the-scenes team: webmasters, logistic experts, site coordinators, and back-office teams that are as important as our front planners are.

We can follow our couples to plan their destination wedding in Italy from A to Z, paperwork, logistics, accommodation, and side activities included.

We are focused on the experience! We really want to give our couples the best Italian experience letting them enjoy the authenticity of our country.

If you are looking to get married in Italy and looking for a planner to help you along the way then get in touch with Italian Wedding Company, you can also check out some top venues to get you inspired in Italy here.