If you are planning a destination wedding in Rome, you are most certainly looking for an answer to this question. So let’s analyse the costs you’ll need to budget in and see what it’ll take to have your dream wedding in Rome.
1. Ceremony
You have different options here: plan a civil wedding in the Town Hall, or get married in a Catholic Church or a Church belonging to another denomination. Prices for the different wedding options can be unexpected, as many couples think the stunning churches in Rome will cost a fortune, while there’s only a small flat fee to pay which is the same for all the churches (apart from St. Peter’s in the Vatican City). You might then consider an offer for the priest who will officiate the wedding ceremony, unless you are coming over with your own priest, which is also a possibility.
Anyway, considering the flat fee and offer, you would end up spending more or less half of what you would spend for a civil wedding, since the fee for the Town Hall for non-resident is some Euro 1,200-1,400 at the moment. For weddings in churches belonging to other denominations, prices will vary according to each church, but they’ll probably still be lower than a civil wedding.
Of course, though, you should consider that a church might require some kind of floral arrangements, while a civil ceremony is fairly short and the wedding halls are very intimate and do not need much décor.
Finally, you may decide to plan a symbolic ceremony which will have no legal value, but will give you the chance to get married wherever you want and make the most out of the wedding venue you are also probably renting for the reception, so as to hold the whole event in the same place. in this case, of course, prices may considerably vary, according to the wedding location.
2. Wedding Reception
A big part of the budget will definitely be allocated to the reception venue and the wedding meal preceded by the welcome cocktail. You will find venues applying a rental fee with separated costs for the catering company providing the food, and venues that apply a price per person, including both the rental for the wedding location and the wedding menu.
In the first case, wedding venues, such as Villas and Castles, that can accommodate larger destination weddings with some 100-200 people, can apply rental fees starting at around euro 3,000 and up to 20,000 and more. For food, including the welcome cocktail and the wedding meal served at the table, do not expect to spend less than euro 130.00 per person for a good quality catering.
In the second case, wedding locations can apply fees starting from around euro 150.00 per person, to include both the rental and wedding menu. Of course, the final cost will depend on the number of guests, type of menu chosen, and sometimes also time of the year and day of the week.
2. Extra services
The main extra services you’ll need for planning the perfect big day would include:
Photographer and Videographer – prices vary based on the professional you’ll choose, length of service and whether or not he/she is based in Rome, but you can consider a starting cost of euro 500/600,00 for a basic package up to 3,000-4,000 or even more for the full package of well-renowned photographers.
Flowers – depending on the ceremony and reception venues, approx. euros 3,000 could be budgeted in for a beautiful wedding with some 100 people, including flowers for the bridal party, church and reception. But again, costs may considerably vary depending on the arrangements chosen. A good tip would be to try and re-use the ceremony arrangements at the reception, whenever possible.
Transportation – a vintage car could be an amazing experience for the couple (expect to spend around euro 500,00 and up) and don’t forget that, being a destination wedding, you’ll definitely need to consider the guests as well. To save on costs, you could simply plan transportation from the ceremony to the reception, provided the venue is not outside the city centre, as in that case you should also budget for buses to drive your guests to the wedding and back (expect to spend some euro 800.00 for buses driving out of Rome and then back at night).
Other services – you might want to consider include music, beauty services, fireworks, furniture rental, lights… This all depends on the wedding you have in mind! To help you out in the choice of venues and suppliers, a wedding planner like Dolce Vita Weddings, might prove fundamental. A good wedding planner will know the best reception venues for your budget and the right suppliers, offering a good quality-price ratio.
Dolce Vita Wedding’s philosophy is to create tailor-made weddings, rather than just offering wedding packages; so feel free to get in touch and describe everything about the wedding you have in mind so as to receive a personalised answer on how much your destination wedding in Rome could cost.