Hi!

I'm looking for wedding venues (preferably outdoor non-denominational) as well as accomodation in either CT or Amalfi. It will only be the two of us - no guests.

I've combed the forums and the internet, but I'd like something a little atypical. More of an authentic / funky / intimate experience vs. one of the more popular or touristy accomodations.

Some examples I found and did love were La Mala Camere Di Charme in Vernazza for a place to stay, and Max Restaurant in Positano. Of course the obvious problem with this combo is proximity. But this is the vibe we're looking for.

Has anyone come across both a venue and accomodation along these lines, but in the same town? Many thanks for your help!!!

If you want a wedding that is legally binding and recognized in the US, you have to have an Italian civil ceremony. You cannot have the civil ceremony wherever you choose; it has to be at the town hall. In Positano, you can have an outdoor civil ceremony, but you can't have one at Max. There are endless bureaucratic hoops to go through. I would suggest you get married in the US and honeymoon in Italy.

ditto zerlina.

It is soooooooo much easier.

We are honeymooning in Italy in June and will be staying at La Mala' in Vernazza, it looks amazing and has really good reviews. All the rooms book up pretty fast so you have to reserve far in advance.

I have also heard getting married in Italy is very difficult for Americans.

I am not sure how difficult it is, you just need to do lots of paperwork. TAke a look at this site which may be of help:


http://www.weddingsitaly.com/

There is no such thing as a non-denominational wedding in Italy. All legal weddings are civil ceremonies. If you are religius you can also have a wedding ceremony with a clergyperson - but this is not binding in legal terms.

Another poster planned a wedding Italy a few years ago. There are links to the wedding planner on this thread.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ence-italy.cfm

I'm not from the US but I'm all over the paperwork required.

I'd like to avoid the cost of a wedding planner, so just looking for suggestions on:

- a place like La Mala, but in Positano
- a great, romantic restaurant in Vernazza
- a unique, outdoor setting in or around Vernazza. Maybe a terrace or a garden, or even a farmhouse...?

The paperwork is not because someone is from the US; it is because the person is not an Italian.

Look, even if you find a great, romantic restaurant or a unique outdoor setting in Vernazza, you *cannot* have a legally binding Italian civil wedding ceremony there. You *can* have a wedding in the town hall of Vernazza, which is housed in an ex-monastery built in the 17th century. It has a cloister; cloisters are outdoors.

You guys don't even pay attention to what the poster is asking. She doesn't need your critique on her choice to jump through the paper-work hoops. If you can provide answers to her questions, then please do so...

I have no suggestions in Positano or Vernazza, but wish you the best of luck in the planning!

Thank you shormk2. And thanks to Zerlina for the suggestion in Vernazza.

Yes folks, I understand there is paperwork involved because I'm not Italian. And I know there are many legal implications to take care of, but right now I'm simply looking for advice about venues.

Perhaps I'd do better to post my request another way.

Stu and other - what folks are trying to tell you is that in Italy, unlike in other parts of the world, to have a legally binding civil ceremony, the ceremony HAS to be done in a specific governmental location. For most places that location is the town hall. There are some places (like Positano) that have designated a location that includes an outdoor area.

This requirement is apart from the paperwork requirements for the authorities. So even if you have all the paperwork correct, you just can't choose the location for the ceremony.

In Illinois in the US where I am located. You get your paperwork through the governmental offices of the county where you want the ceremeny to be. The county has a defined geographic area. You can be married anywhere within that geographic area by someone designated by the government to perform the ceremony and it will be legal if the paperwork is filed back with the county. It could be your backyard, a park, where ever.

My understanding of the situation in Italy is that the civil government not only designates who can perform the legal ceremony BUT also designates where the ceremony MUST be performed. So the situation is that you cannot find a lovely venue for the actual ceremony and drag the officiant there. You must find an Italian city, town, commune that has already designated a spot that you might like for marriages to be performed.

notbob, I admire your patience.

'There is no such thing as a non-denominational wedding in Italy. All legal weddings are civil ceremonies. If you are religius you can also have a wedding ceremony with a clergyperson - but this is not binding in legal terms.'

This isn't strictly true (though true for France). In Italy, because of the concordat (agreement) between the Italian state and the RC Church, the church can validly perform a marriage ceremony which will be recognised by the state. If a wedding is taking place in a RC church, the couple need to have a document called Nulla Osta legalised at the town hall (non-Italians) or banns published there (Italian residents). All other arrangements are done through the church. There are a few other religious bodies able to perform legally-binding weddings in Italy, such as the Waldensian Church and Orthodox Judaism. With other churches or religious bodies, separate civil ceremony is essential.
Sometimes the Itlian priest or other officiant is unable or unwilling to perform the civil part of the wedding, in which case you need to be married civilly first before having religious ceremony.

We were married at the Villa Durazzo in a civil ceremony done by the mayor in October 1993in Santa Magherita Ligure. It is a 16th century villa with a lovely garden and views of the Mediterrean. I cannot imagine anyplace more romantic. We spent our wedding night at the Splendido in Portofino (a splurge financed by gifts from friends) before going on to Venice for a week's honeymoon. I stayed at Hotel Mediterreaneo the night before our wedding and had a lovely room. It was moderately priced and very well run.

In case I wasn't clear--the Villa Durazzo was a legal venue. The paperwork was a very bearable hassle, some parts of it quite amusing (five people had to come with me to the Italian consulate in San Francisco to swear I wasn't already married. We all had a festive lunch at an Italian restaurant afterward). I can't emphasize strongly enough that it was really worth the effort (one of us is Italian, the other an American citizen). Don't give up on your dream!