...we're looking for a reasonable trattoria-type place with a private room that we could use for our no frills post-wedding "reception" (for reception, read: dinner/toast, with BYOB).
We have time to plan, but would like to see what's out there.
Any ideas/info much appreciated!!!!
David, not sure this group is going to be very helpful. Been in many restaurants in Rome and have seen some private rooms but didn't keep track of that information. Start emailing the restaurants and asking. Might contact RoninRome and see if he would help you id some places.
Wine is so cheap in Italy that I think it may border on insulting to try to bring your own. Many restaurants take great pride in the house wine that they serve. House wine in Europe is generally of much higher quality than is common in the US. I would proceed cautiously in this area.
I think you should seriously consider the sage advice given by Frank. Italy is different from here, in ways that can surprise you. So, I'd cautiously approach bringing your own wine into in an Italian restaurant, in a party situation. Not a situation in which you make an assumption and then find out, at an awkward moment, that there's going to be a problem. An Italian wedding planner would know the local etiquette/rules--the contact info for wedding planner consultants have been mentioned here, see the topic on how to search the Helpline. And I'll be surprised if there are very many Helpline Helpers that have rented a private room in an Italian restaurant (we'll see).And again, Frank is spot on in suggesting someone who might have personal knowledge on these issues (I don't): Ron can be reached here http://www.roninrome.com/.Good luck with this, these things can be difficult to plan from here for over there.
My thanks to you both ... I just e-mailed at Ron in Rome, and am grateful also for your replies.
We're really in the (pre)prelim stages, so we are literally putting out whatever kinds of ideas we can to save money while maximizing the ceremony.
I thought maybe some folks in the forum would have some ideas or general pointers, so...
A couple of basic questions, David.
Have you been to Italy before? How big a wedding party? Are you familiar with the requirements for an Italian wedding? When?
link to 30 prior discussions here of planning Italy weddings
We have been to Italy, and as it will be a Catholic ceremony, we're aware of the paperwork issues and the back-and-forth/hoop-jumping required on our end here with the local parish and over there with the Nihil Obstat, etc. The ceremony would be (not surprisingly) at Santa Susanna as they often administer for couples interested in getting married in Rome from abroad, and we've thought about Oct/Nov 2010 as a date (though we are flexible). We visited Santa Susanna and looked into the requirements, and we're getting the ball (slowly) rolling over here with our own parish. Naturally, we'd have to sit down with the pastor over there again to firm up any plans once we have them.
We won't have more than 10 people in the "reception," I don't think, which is why we're kind of a special case, I suppose. We can't rent out a hall or a villa, though, due to cost, and so we're feeling out just what is involved in small locales that might offer a quality, unpretentious meal in a cozy, private setting for our party.
The idea of "BYOB" was simply to cut costs; literally, we were thinking of a few bottles of Prosecco that we'd bring for toasts ourselves, even though house wines and the like are thoroughly inexpensive across Italy. As the notion of bringing in wine is something of an understandable affront to restaurants, the notion of bubbly might be less so, however (we aren't big drinkers), considering the occasion.
I'd hardly describe what we're shooting for as an afterparty, though; just a meal, some toasts and general familial get-togethering.
We know we could consult with a wedding planner in Rome, but we thought that general inquiries might turn up some places to go or look at without forking over an initial consultation fee.
Well you seen to have it pretty well in hand. There are a lot of hoops and a lot of folks do not understand that when planning an European wedding. Wine is wine -- even wine with bubbles in it. You only talking about 10 people and maybe five or six bottles. What are going to save?? Ten bucks a bottle -- who knows? But the savings is so small when compared to total costs. Save $50 somewhere else in the plan. I assume that you would want something near the church because you don't want trek across town afterward. I get the map and start sending emails to everyone within a mile radius or so.
good point about where to save with regard to bubbly. We will e-mail and call folks for info about places to see what pans out. Santa Susanna is fairly helpful about certain things, it seems, provided all is in order prior to setting out for the wedding, so the more legwork we do over here, the less we have to do over there (before any problems can materialize).
