Wedding in Siena
May 1st, 2004, 12:31 PM
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Wedding in Siena
Hi,
My and my partner are considering a civil wedding in Siena this autumn. Does anyony know how to go about booking the town hall for a wedding? Also I am wondering what the cost for a civil marriage in Italy is?
Thanks in advance
Nina
My and my partner are considering a civil wedding in Siena this autumn. Does anyony know how to go about booking the town hall for a wedding? Also I am wondering what the cost for a civil marriage in Italy is?
Thanks in advance
Nina
May 1st, 2004, 04:32 PM
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There are a number of threads here that discuss getting married in Italy--did it myself years ago--do a search for wedding AND Italy.
I don't know what the fees would be now, but the preliminary paperwork is the most difficult aspect. Coming from the USA, we had to get paperwork here from an Italian consulate, requiring 4 friends to accompany us to the consulate. Then in Italy there was paperwork needed from the US consulate, the prettura, and the marriage bureau.
We just called a few months ahead to Venice town hall and reserved a time for the ceremony. Any fees involved covered the license and other paperwork.
There are many wedding consultants in Italy who could help you plan it all, if you choose to spend the extra money.
I don't know what the fees would be now, but the preliminary paperwork is the most difficult aspect. Coming from the USA, we had to get paperwork here from an Italian consulate, requiring 4 friends to accompany us to the consulate. Then in Italy there was paperwork needed from the US consulate, the prettura, and the marriage bureau.
We just called a few months ahead to Venice town hall and reserved a time for the ceremony. Any fees involved covered the license and other paperwork.
There are many wedding consultants in Italy who could help you plan it all, if you choose to spend the extra money.
May 3rd, 2004, 04:22 AM
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Hi,
Thanks for all the replies. I have actually already contacted some weddingplanners but they have not been very fast replying. I am kind of keen to just book the town hall asap so that we can proceed with the booking of flights, hotels etc.
Siena is one of my favorite towns in Tuscany. I was there some 10 years ago and loved it. Florence is a little to big and busy for my liking. Siena is also pretty well located for excursions. The Town hall in Siena is nice and is also in a very pretty location.
I have actually managed to get in touch with the town hall in Siena for booking the wedding. If anyone is interested, the price is Euro 260. The town hall in Siena sent instructions for the wedding procedure by email in English. Not many documents are needed in Siena, just the Nulla Osta which you get from your country's embassy in Italy. They also emailed me a list of translators in Siena. So pretty straight forward.
Nina
Thanks for all the replies. I have actually already contacted some weddingplanners but they have not been very fast replying. I am kind of keen to just book the town hall asap so that we can proceed with the booking of flights, hotels etc.
Siena is one of my favorite towns in Tuscany. I was there some 10 years ago and loved it. Florence is a little to big and busy for my liking. Siena is also pretty well located for excursions. The Town hall in Siena is nice and is also in a very pretty location.
I have actually managed to get in touch with the town hall in Siena for booking the wedding. If anyone is interested, the price is Euro 260. The town hall in Siena sent instructions for the wedding procedure by email in English. Not many documents are needed in Siena, just the Nulla Osta which you get from your country's embassy in Italy. They also emailed me a list of translators in Siena. So pretty straight forward.
Nina
May 3rd, 2004, 07:53 AM
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Hi Nina-
Thanks for your information. I have never been to Italy before and ALL the pictures of the towns look beatiful. Because we are going in December, I was afraid to pick a town that was too small, but didn't want a large city. Siena seems to fit and what I researched is a good base.
Do you know from the information you received, what days that are available to conduct a Civil Ceremony in Siena? I was wondering if you wouldn't mind emailing me the info the Siena town sent you.
I have been in contact with some wedding coordinators, let me know if you would like me to pass along some info and some of the quotes I've received.
It seems definitely cost effective to coordinate yourself, is that what you intend to do?
Thanks so much!
Thanks for your information. I have never been to Italy before and ALL the pictures of the towns look beatiful. Because we are going in December, I was afraid to pick a town that was too small, but didn't want a large city. Siena seems to fit and what I researched is a good base.
Do you know from the information you received, what days that are available to conduct a Civil Ceremony in Siena? I was wondering if you wouldn't mind emailing me the info the Siena town sent you.
I have been in contact with some wedding coordinators, let me know if you would like me to pass along some info and some of the quotes I've received.
It seems definitely cost effective to coordinate yourself, is that what you intend to do?
Thanks so much!
May 3rd, 2004, 11:24 AM
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Ninianne,
I couldn't figure out how to get your email address to send the info, so please email me at: [email protected]
The marriage cermony is availiable for all days of the week the following times:
Monday to Saturday from 10 to 12 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.
Sunday only 10 to 12 a.m.
We are having our wedding without any family present so perhaps we are too small a party for most wedding planners (perhaps the reason for the slow response). So for the moment our plan is to go ahead with doing it on our own. But I would be interested to hear what info (rough estimated prices) you have recieved from the wedding planners you have been in touch with.
/Nina
I couldn't figure out how to get your email address to send the info, so please email me at: [email protected]
The marriage cermony is availiable for all days of the week the following times:
Monday to Saturday from 10 to 12 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.
Sunday only 10 to 12 a.m.
We are having our wedding without any family present so perhaps we are too small a party for most wedding planners (perhaps the reason for the slow response). So for the moment our plan is to go ahead with doing it on our own. But I would be interested to hear what info (rough estimated prices) you have recieved from the wedding planners you have been in touch with.
/Nina
May 5th, 2004, 12:39 PM
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Polarbjorn, you might consider posting this question on the Slow Travel website. There is a frequent contributor to the message board, and American ex-pat named Cristina, who lives near Siena and offers lots of good advice. She also has a company (Chianti Assistance, I think)which specializes in helping travelers and new arrivals in the Chianti region.
I do know that this question has been asked several times on the Slow Travel message board. You could do a search there before posting if you are interested.
I do know that this question has been asked several times on the Slow Travel message board. You could do a search there before posting if you are interested.
May 6th, 2004, 03:53 PM
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We are getting married in Positano in September and we are not using a wedding planner. We called the consulate and embassy and they put us in touch with people at the town hall in Positano. We then called the town hall and they directed us when to call back when they had someone that could speak english more fluent. She was able to book the town hall for our wedding and schedule an appointment there a few days prior to the wedding to take care of the remaining paperwork. The cost of the town hall in Positano is 300 euros and the translator is 150 euros. The witness are 30 euros each. They have agreed to make arrangements for our translator and witnesses (we are not bringing any family or friends with us). Also, the paperwork you need to process the marriage lisence here in the US will require going to an Italian Consulate in person with two witnesses....if you don't have a Consulate where you live, you may have to travel there with your 2 witnesses on a week day. We are lucky to have a consulate here where we live. If you have further questions...email me at [email protected]
Good luck!!!
Good luck!!!
May 9th, 2004, 08:44 PM
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Alajan-
How did you decide to coordinate the wedding instead of hiring a coordinator?
My boyfriend and I want a simple civil ceremony with just a photographer. Though I have heard from many coordinators, I would rather save the money, especially since the dollar is low compared to the euro.
I have enough time since we are not planning to go until December and we have a Italian Consulate locally in the bay area.
I just wanted to get some perspectives about handling all the paperwork, especially since neither my boyfriend nor I speak Italian.
Thanks for your thoughts.
How did you decide to coordinate the wedding instead of hiring a coordinator?
My boyfriend and I want a simple civil ceremony with just a photographer. Though I have heard from many coordinators, I would rather save the money, especially since the dollar is low compared to the euro.
I have enough time since we are not planning to go until December and we have a Italian Consulate locally in the bay area.
I just wanted to get some perspectives about handling all the paperwork, especially since neither my boyfriend nor I speak Italian.
Thanks for your thoughts.
May 10th, 2004, 06:01 AM
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My wedding in Italy was in 1989, but I think the paperwork still works the same way. We got information from the US State Department on the documents necessary. We also had friends in Italy who verified the information for us. We did not hire a wedding planner.
Document 1) We had to get a document here in the United States from the Italian consulate. I forget its name, but basically it states that the two parties are allowed to marry, that they are not married to anyone else, that they are not leaving children behind. You must bring 4 friends with as witnesses to this document. (Since I live in NYC there was a consulate close at hand. Even Italians who marry in Italy must get this document.)
Document 2) We obtained Italian translations of our birth certificates. We were told we would need these though I'm not sure that anyone ever really did use them.
Document 3) We took these documents to a US consulate in Italy. We chose Milan since we planned to wed in Venice, so Milan was the closest. (In the US, we had been told we would need two witnesses at the consulate, so we had two friends, Italian nationals, come along--and it ended up their presence was unnecessary. Fortunately, since they are Italian they understood the system of misinformation.)
The US consulate generated a form (sorry, again the name escapes me) that then had to be notarized by the Italian Prefettura. We'd heard horror stories about trying to align opening and closing times--Apply for form at US consulate in morning, return for form in afternoon; oh joy, now Prefettura is closed for the day and we must wait till the next day. We'd also heard horror stories about chasing down the correct marcobolli, offical stamps needed for the documents. Happily, we were told that the notarization could take place in Venice, so we didn't have an unplanned overnight in Milan. And the Venice Prefettura had the correct marcobolli, so no chasing to tabacchi for stamps.
Document 4) We went to Venice two days ahead, got our notarization at the prefettura, and then took all the documents to the marriage bureau for a marriage license. Since we were foreigners, there was no need to post banns.
Two days later we were married in the town hall by an official magistrate (in ceremonial sash), in the City Council room overlooking the Grand Canal. (I had called the Venice marriage bureau 4 months earlier to reserve our wedding time. We had guests coming from the US and wanted to give them a definite day and time.) We did not need a translator, because the woman (Sra Fuccillo) then at the marriage bureau spoke English. the magistrate said his part in Italian, and then Sra Fuccillo would read the English translation of the same section. Most of my guests couldn't understand her heavily accented English, but I had no problem.
We ran into two other American couples getting married during the same few days. One couple had tried to get married in Florence, but were told they didn't have the correct papers, so they called around and ended up in Venice, where there was no problem.
This may sound involved, but it was a lot less involved than planning a large wedding in the US.
Congratulations on your impending marriage, or as the Italians would say, Auguri!
Document 1) We had to get a document here in the United States from the Italian consulate. I forget its name, but basically it states that the two parties are allowed to marry, that they are not married to anyone else, that they are not leaving children behind. You must bring 4 friends with as witnesses to this document. (Since I live in NYC there was a consulate close at hand. Even Italians who marry in Italy must get this document.)
Document 2) We obtained Italian translations of our birth certificates. We were told we would need these though I'm not sure that anyone ever really did use them.
Document 3) We took these documents to a US consulate in Italy. We chose Milan since we planned to wed in Venice, so Milan was the closest. (In the US, we had been told we would need two witnesses at the consulate, so we had two friends, Italian nationals, come along--and it ended up their presence was unnecessary. Fortunately, since they are Italian they understood the system of misinformation.)
The US consulate generated a form (sorry, again the name escapes me) that then had to be notarized by the Italian Prefettura. We'd heard horror stories about trying to align opening and closing times--Apply for form at US consulate in morning, return for form in afternoon; oh joy, now Prefettura is closed for the day and we must wait till the next day. We'd also heard horror stories about chasing down the correct marcobolli, offical stamps needed for the documents. Happily, we were told that the notarization could take place in Venice, so we didn't have an unplanned overnight in Milan. And the Venice Prefettura had the correct marcobolli, so no chasing to tabacchi for stamps.
Document 4) We went to Venice two days ahead, got our notarization at the prefettura, and then took all the documents to the marriage bureau for a marriage license. Since we were foreigners, there was no need to post banns.
Two days later we were married in the town hall by an official magistrate (in ceremonial sash), in the City Council room overlooking the Grand Canal. (I had called the Venice marriage bureau 4 months earlier to reserve our wedding time. We had guests coming from the US and wanted to give them a definite day and time.) We did not need a translator, because the woman (Sra Fuccillo) then at the marriage bureau spoke English. the magistrate said his part in Italian, and then Sra Fuccillo would read the English translation of the same section. Most of my guests couldn't understand her heavily accented English, but I had no problem.
We ran into two other American couples getting married during the same few days. One couple had tried to get married in Florence, but were told they didn't have the correct papers, so they called around and ended up in Venice, where there was no problem.
This may sound involved, but it was a lot less involved than planning a large wedding in the US.
Congratulations on your impending marriage, or as the Italians would say, Auguri!
Jul 12th, 2012, 06:29 AM
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Thank you all so much for this thread.
My partner and I are planning to marry in a civil ceremony in Tuscana next year (finger crossed for Sept. 12th, 2013). This tread is full of good advice and thoughtful comments.
We are wanting a very family centric experience so we are planning that I walk/bike to the closest town to the villa we rent. Then return to play lawn games and eat until we pop.
Sincerely,
Periwinkle
My partner and I are planning to marry in a civil ceremony in Tuscana next year (finger crossed for Sept. 12th, 2013). This tread is full of good advice and thoughtful comments.
We are wanting a very family centric experience so we are planning that I walk/bike to the closest town to the villa we rent. Then return to play lawn games and eat until we pop.
Sincerely,
Periwinkle
