My fiance and I are traveling to Italy in May 2011 and would like to have a civil ceremony at the town hall in Vernazza where we will be staying for 4 days. I have contacted a couple of wedding planning sites and am finding just for them (gettingmarriedinitaly) to arrange the civil ceremony, pay the town hall registry fee, consular fees and stamps, Atto Notorio and legalization procedure assistance and two witnesses the cost they are quoting me is $2,000. Is this a pretty standard quo price for such a thing? Does anyone recommend someone better/cheaper/more helpful? I appreciate all the help I can get. We wanted to get married in Italy as a suprise and consequently don't have any to help.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32214 posts
Michelle, getting married in Italy is something I don't have a lot of knowledge of, however a price of $2000 seems a bit "steep". I'm sure that a lot of bureaucracy will be involved, so BE SURE to take all necessary documents with you, including Birth Certificates. ¶ I'm assuming you've read * www.italy-weddings.com/how_to_get_married_in_italy.htm * (cut & paste the link inside the asterisks)? Congratulations and good luck!
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
You'll find the fee worth it.....it's extraordinarily difficult to get all the proper documentations, translations, notarizations, etc. done on your own. You may want to do a more extensive websearch to see if you can get some better competing bids, but it won't be cheap.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16342 posts
That may well be the going rate. As Norm says, it is very difficult and complicated to get all the required paperwork together and translated. If you want it done correctly, the wedding planners earn their fee. The alternative is to do what many do: have a ceremonial (non-legal) wedding in Italy, with no paperwork, and have the legal civil ceremony at the courthouse in your home state either right before or right after your trip.
Posted by
Gulfport, FL
188 posts
My husband and I looked into getting married in Italy and found that $2,000 to $2,500 pretty much the going rate using an in-country wedding consultant. And you really do need a wedding consultant because dealing with the necessary paperwork will be very very time consuming and probably more expensive in the long run. In our case, it would have involved an overnight trip to Miami in order to get some docs stamped by the Italian consulate there. If you have your heart set on getting married in Italy, place this cost next to what a facility in the US might cost for the ceremony etc. I don't know if it compares favorably or not, just saying figure out how much an Italian wedding means to you and go from there! Good luck and happy dreaming!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23296 posts
Getting married in a foreign country is generally complicated and therefore, expensive. Know a couple of couples who have "done it" with a simple, unofficial ceremony and hit the justice of the peace in the US before or after. The legal hurdles in Italy are pretty high.