If you are planning a civil ceremony, then Rome could prove the perfect location for your destination wedding.
The Eternal City offers two main wedding sites where legally binding civil ceremonies are performed: the Campidoglio (Town Hall) and Vignola Mattei.
Don’t expect a dull office room with a boring officer performing a quick wedding ceremony. On the contrary! Both the Campidoglio and Vignola Mattei are quite unique wedding sites with stunning interiors; they are centrally located and close to famous landmarks, such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum; just perfect to go for an unforgettable wedding photoshoot after the ceremony. The “Red Hall” in the Campidoglio is probably a bit more formal, with a long red carpet for your classic walk down the aisle, red walls and red velvet chairs to accommodate some 20 people.
This wedding site will require the guests to walk up a long, large stairway leading into the beautiful square designed by Michelangelo, where the Town Hall is situated. You might want to take this into consideration, if you have many elderly guests or babies. Don’t you worry: the bride can easily reach the top of the stairs by car, passing through a back road.
Vignola Mattei, which dates back to the 6th century and used to be a church, is a bit more rustic, with its bricked walls and ancient statues and surrounded by lovely gardens. The red velvet chairs that can accommodate some 30 people add the right touch of elegance to the overall wedding atmosphere. Situated in a quiet street, Vignola Mattei offers easy access for everyone, especially if you are planning on arranging vans to take your guests to the ceremony and then to the wedding reception venue.
But what about the actual flow of the ceremony? This is one of the main questions wedding couples keep asking me.
The ceremony, which lasts approximately 30 minutes, is performed by the city registrar in Italian, so an interpreter is needed to translate for you and the guests. Two witnesses, one for the bride and one for the groom, are also required by law and they’ll be sitting next to you for the whole duration of the wedding ceremony. The city registrar will perform the ceremony, you will sign the register and exchange the wedding rings and… you’ll be officially married! It is as simple as that.
Should you wish to make the wedding ceremony more personal, you could decide to prepare and say your own wedding vows, or have some beautiful wedding music played by live musicians, maybe a string trio or a harp.
And for the exit, don’t forget confetti or rose petals for the guests to toss. They all make for wonderful pictures! Even bubbles are a nice idea, especially if you have children in the wedding party. Oh, just remember, no rice (which is quite popular in some countries) or the floor will get slippery and dangerous!
At the moment, weddings are performed from Wednesday to Sunday in the morning only and Friday and Saturday both in the morning and afternoon. A date cannot be booked more than 6 months prior. But things might change from one day to another, as it has already happened in the past, so always check with Dolce Vita Weddings first, before confirming plans for your destination wedding in Rome!
Dolce Vita Weddings can help with everything, from booking your favourite wedding site and taking care of the paperwork, to providing the interpreter for the wedding day and also the two witnesses, in case you are eloping.
Needless to say, the sooner you book, the better, especially if you have your mind set on a particular date and you wish to get married in one of the busiest times of the year, such as Spring/early Summer or one of the most requested days of the week, such as Saturday. Once the date is booked, you’ll have all the time to prepare the paperwork, since documents are also valid for 6 months only.