How To Plan A Destination Wedding In Italy

There are some places that make you want to plan an entire wedding around the destination. Italy is absolutely one of them. I’ve photographed both weddings and elopements in Italy, and one of my favorite things about getting married here is that there isn’t really one version of an Italian wedding. You can have the full celebration, garden ceremony, cocktail hour, beautiful dinner outside with everyone you love. Or you can elope, spend the day wandering through the city, grab pizza still wearing your wedding clothes, rent a Vespa and make the entire trip part of the story.

Either way, both wedding experiences are incredible, they just need to be planned for differently. So, if you’re currently somewhere between we should absolutely get married in Italy and okay…but how do we actually do that?, here’s where I would start.

Are You Planning a Destination Wedding or an Italy Elopement?

This probably sounds obvious, but it changes so much about how I would approach your day.

An elopement gives you freedom. Like…a lot of freedom.

When I’ve photographed elopements in places like Portofino and Rome, we have so much more room to actually explore. We’re not working around a 100-person ceremony followed immediately by cocktail hour followed immediately by dinner.

We can go get pizza, rent a Vespa, stroll through the city, stop somewhere because the light looks incredible, or book a boat and spend part of the day on the water.

That’s honestly part of the reason Italy works so ridiculously well for elopements. The destination becomes part of your wedding day instead of simply being the place where your venue happens to be.

Your Italy Wedding Venue Matters. A Lot.

If you’re planning a full destination wedding in Italy, this is probably one of the biggest decisions you’re going to make. Obviously, you want it to be beautiful, you’re in Italy after all. But I would think beyond just does this venue look good in photos?

You’ll want to think about: 

• how the entire day moves through the property
• is there somewhere beautiful for the ceremony?
• What happens after the ceremony?
• can everyone move into a garden or courtyard for cocktail hour?
• is there somewhere that makes sense for dinner?
• can you eat outside?
• are there enough different spaces that the entire wedding doesn’t feel like it happened within the same 20 feet?

Those little things will make a huge difference to how the day will go. 

Especially if part of what you’re dreaming about is that very European feeling of moving through a property throughout the evening—ceremony in one space, drinks somewhere else, dinner outside later.

Choosing Where in Italy to Get Married

This is probably where planning gets both really fun and mildly overwhelming, because Italy isn’t one singular wedding destination.

A wedding in Rome is going to feel completely different from an elopement along the coast. Portofino is different from Positano. A countryside villa is different from getting married somewhere in the middle of a historic city. And I don’t necessarily think there’s one “best” location.

I’d choose a location based on what you actually want to do while you’re there. If you’re imagining water, boats, colorful buildings and spending as much time outside as possible, start looking toward coastal destinations like Portofino or Positano.

But, if you want architecture, streets you can wander for hours and photographs that immediately scream we got married in Italy, Rome gives us an entirely different feel to your day.

The Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps are two of Rome’s most recognizable landmarks, but there are beautiful streets, piazzas and little corners everywhere between them too.

If You’re Eloping in Italy, Build Activities Into the Day

This is where I will forever advocate for not turning your elopement into a miniature traditional wedding. You came all the way to Italy, let’s go do something! One of the Rome elopements I’ve photographed included a Vespa, which is exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about.

Rent one and explore, go get pizza, stop for drinks, find somewhere with a ridiculous view, if you’re on the coast, rent a boat. Basically what I;m trying to say is that you have options! 

Side Note: Boat rentals are everywhere in places like Portofino and Positano, so you don’t necessarily need to build your entire trip around one specific company months in advance. We can find something that makes sense based on where you’re staying and what you want the day to look like.

Having a Full Wedding? Please Give Yourself a Day-After Session

This might be one of my favorite things I offer for destination weddings. Whenever I photograph a wedding outside of the country, I offer my couples a day-after session, because your wedding day should still be your wedding day.

I don’t want you leaving your reception for two hours because we decided we absolutely needed photos somewhere across Rome.

And I don’t want you watching the clock during cocktail hour because we’re trying to somehow fit the Trevi Fountain, pizza, a Vespa and six other Italian landmarks between your ceremony and dinner. We’re not doing that to ourselves. Instead, we get to save the exploring for the next day.

You can put your wedding clothes back on—or switch things up entirely—and choose somewhere that isn’t your wedding venue. That’s when we can hit the places you’ve been saving for months.

• The Trevi Fountain.
• The Spanish Steps.
• A pizza place you fell in love with.
• A boat along the coast.
• A Vespa through the city.
• Whatever feels like your version of Italy.

It gives you a completely different set of photographs from your actual wedding gallery, and it means you don’t have to sacrifice time with the people who traveled across the world to celebrate with you. It truly is the best of both worlds.

Give Yourself More Time Than You Think You Need Before the Ceremony

Listen, I say this with so much love.I would much rather photograph a couple who has been in Italy for a few days and is completely soaking everything in than two people who landed 16 hours ago and are running entirely on adrenaline.

Destination wedding timelines have a few extra moving pieces and that extra time to settle in is going to be a game changer for how you show up on your wedding day. Give yourselves a day or two to actually enjoy the destination! 

What About Legally Getting Married in Italy?

This is one piece I’d decide fairly early because there can be additional paperwork involved when foreign citizens legally marry in Italy. Italy requires foreign citizens pursuing a legal marriage there to provide documentation showing there isn’t a legal impediment to the marriage, with the exact process depending on citizenship and circumstances.

Because those requirements can change and everyone’s situation is different, this is one place where I would absolutely work directly with your planner and the appropriate Italian authorities rather than relying on a wedding blog (including this one!) to tell you exactly which forms you need.

Another option couples sometimes choose is handling the legal marriage at home and having their symbolic ceremony in Italy. Either way, I highly recommend getting this squared away sooner rather than later.

Looking for a Destination Wedding Photographer in Italy?

I’ll take basically any excuse to get back on a plane to Italy. But more than that, I love photographing destination weddings in a way that actually feels connected to the trip you’re taking. If you’re planning a destination wedding or elopement in Italy and want photographs that feel like the entire experience, not just the ceremony, I would love to hear what you’re dreaming up.

Inquire About Your Destination Wedding Here

My Destination Wedding and Elopement Packages

Not sure an european wedding is the move? Check out 3 wedding venues in Colorado that feels like Europe!