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Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Italian and Tuscan Forever Weddings


If you are dreaming of having a memorable wedding, Tuscany is undoubtedly one of the most romantic wedding destinations with its beautiful cities full of art and history, the fascinating countryside, enchanting hamlets, old farms and delicious food and wines.
Forever Weddings in Italy it specializes in arranging weddings and events in Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Certaldo, Lucca, Pienza etc...They can assist you with every aspect of your wedding from the legal procedures of ceremony to the single services required for receptions such as flowers, music, transportation, photography etc�
They will help you choose the right venue and suppliers for your particular needs and budget but we will not take over your wedding; we offer tailor-made services and advise on all aspects of wedding etiquette and traditions. Their wedding coordinators will be present on the day to make sure that everything runs smoothly for you from beginning to end so that you can relax and enjoy your dream day.
Forever Weddings in Italy arranges civil and religious ceremonies, blessings, renewal of vows and family get-togethers. Imagine a ceremony in a romantic setting hidden in the Chianti area or in a marvellous Renaissance villa or again in a Medieval castle where you might also stay with your families and friends for a few days and feel like at home.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

A TUSCANY WEDDING

Beautiful, entrancing Tuscany! Poets and princes, artists and authors have rhapsodized about its charms. From the grandeur of its cities to the serenity of its country-side, Tuscany invites and enchants all to partake of its wonders. It is no wonder that visitors come from 'round the world, and that, today, it is a well-known and perfect destination for a dream-like romantic wedding.




The possibilities of where and how to be married in Tuscany are endless. The rumors of tortuous bureaucracy are over-blown and incorrect - if you have consultants who know how to work the system. There was a time when having a legal wedding anywhere but a town hall was impossible. Today, one can marry in a medieval castle, a garden of an historic villa, an hotel - practically anywhere, with an English speaking Protestant minister officiating. The minister will conduct either a civil or religious ceremony. This allows couples to write their own vows and alleviates the need for a translator, as well as providing an intimate and private setting for their Wedding in Tuscany

Catholic couples can choose from grand cathedrals to country churches in small villages. English speaking priests are available or interpreters can be provided. The rules for Catholic marriages are the same world-over and require documentation from the home church. This ceremony is totally legal and requires no additional civil wedding. A good wedding planner can walk one through the procedures.

Jewish couples can choose to be married in on of the exquisite, historic synagogues in Tuscany, notably in Siena and Florence. These synagogues are Orthodox and the rabbis require authorization from an Orthodox rabbi at home. Sometimes an Orthodox rabbi is willing to conduct the ceremony in a villa, hotel or other outside venue, so that a gorgeous Tuscan chuppah can be set up overlooking olives trees and vineyards in the rolling hills of Tuscany. In recent years, many couples of Reform or Conservative background have chosen Tuscany as their wedding destination. A Reform rabbi can perform the ceremony in any private location, without paperwork from home.



Little Tuscan town halls in extraordinarily charming towns such as Lucca, Siena and San Gimignano have been discovered and provide very romantic settings for ceremonies.

If one is searching for something very different, hot-air balloon weddings can be arranged. Pre-wedding festivities, such as wine-tasting parties, historic tours, and rehearsal dinners in local restaurants are added features for a "destination wedding".
Within the last year, some noble Florentine families have opened their homes for wedding ceremonies. This is an incredible opportunity to be married in their fabulous palaces or gardens with spectacular views of the city and surrounding countryside.



For town hall weddings and simple symbolic ceremonies, there are many agencies which can assist couples. Not all wedding consultants are licensed and recognized by the Italian state. It is, of course, paramount that only licensed agencies be used, so no unfortunate surprises occur. Only Weddings in Italy
by Regency is able to arrange the ceremonies with legal validity in private locations, such as those described above (palaces, villas, gardens, etc...). This wedding planning service has the exclusive ability for these ceremonies and arrange Catholic and Jewish weddings with legal validity.

Some agencies require paperwork done in the States but weddings in private locations can be organized by Regency doing all of the legal paperwork for U.S. citizens in Italy. That is an important advantage because you will save a lot of time and money. Regency is proud that many other agencies and luxury hotels come to them for assistance with the legal documentation. Having all such work done in Italy, preparation time and costs are much reduced.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Wedding in Tuscany


Getting Married in Tuscany can be a pleasant, memorable and relaxing experience�just like drinking a glass of Chianti red wine.

The a brief checklist for getting married in Tuscany:

1) Decide on the location. Many people are not sure how many people will actually make the long haul�and sometimes the numbers grow as soon as you have a location and send out the invites. Be prepared to select a place which will contain the main group and provides lots of extra alternative possibilities nearby in the form of hotels, bed and breakfasts and other rental villas and apartments. Another important thing to look at when selecting the accommodations � if you are planning on having the reception at the accommodations be sure they have indoor area for the entire group or room enough to put up a tent. Think about possible bad weather options now and save yourself any possible hassle later!!

It�s important that you decide in advance what you will be responsible for economically � and let the agency know in advance so that we can work with you. We strongly suggest that you have one person handle the main accommodations and then for the surrounding or additional accommodations, let your friends and family contact the agency directly identifying themselves as participants of the event. Don�t try to be in charge of everyone�s accommodations � just concentrate on the main core! The agency is there to assist � you will have enough other things to take care of without adding extra burdens to organize.

2) Decide the type of wedding you wish to have. Civil or Religious?

Civil is by far the easiest organization for both the wedding itself and the paperwork. Even though Italy is dominated by the Catholic church you still need special permission to get married in a Catholic church, starting with at least one of you NEEDS to be Catholic.

Consult your local priest for all the paperwork there, and contact us for the name of the local priest and parish closest to your selected accommodations.

Send this info out ASAP, so that they can get the slow wheels of bureaucracy moving.

Other religions are do-able, there are a Protestant priests in Florence who will perform weddings, however they normally will need to perform these services together with the civil service or you will need to go to Florence. Many people even bring there our religious authority with them, saves having to worry about translations. If you are going civil please note that the Italian government does not authorize weddings outside of certain areas. There are �roaming� religious persons who have special authority to marry outside of designated areas, and their prices is an expression of the demand�rather high. Commonly civil weddings are held in the local government building (which is normally a historical building) or in designated local historical monument � like a castle.

3) Start your paperwork. Your paperwork needs to be started in your country of origin. Please check with the local embassy for all details.

Once they have given you the necessary documents you will need to bring them to the consulate or embassy in Florence for the translation and official seals. Please be prepared to do this before the wedding!!!




Normally since most rentals are from Sat to Sat � we suggest that the wedding couple come in a few days in advance. The first stop is Florence and the second stop is the local government where you will be getting married�.there can be no wedding if the paperwork is not in order and acceptable. And there is no way around this!

Check with us in regards to the local governments, they are normally all on the same rules, but every once and awhile there is a special requirement. Best to know in advance.

4) Plan the wedding. Here is where agency experience starts to kick in, there are many agencies that have been here for years and know their way around wheeling and dealing with the Tuscans. You will find that the Italians are particularly flexible and helpful in planning this event, they love the idea that foreigners want to celebrate such an important event in their home. First you should decide the style you wish to have � formal, informal, elegant, country style, etc. etc. Then with this information they can assist you in selecting suppliers for all of your needs from caterers, flowers, photographers, music, dry cleaners, and just about anything else that comes to mind. Just a small reminder: you are probably choosing to come to Tuscany because you want to incorporate this beautiful land with its age old traditions into your wedding plans, therefore let the suppliers indicate the most traditional things�you will almost always find these solutions to be the most economical and the accessible. BUT don�t be afraid of wishing a personal touch to the events � anything is possible here�.

5) Plan a few events around the wedding.

Sure people are coming to see you two tie the knot but they also are here in Italy hoping to experience just a little bit of the local culture.

Try and plan some events which will bring the group together and at the same time satisfy their desire to explore the real Tuscany.

Some easy things that you can do which can be organized easily

* include bus guided tours to the historical sites,
* cheese and wine tasting, dinners with cooking lessons incorporated,
* rehearsal dinners
* and �. bachelor and bachelorette parties.


These events should be organized in advance � clearly state the cost of the events to your guest and have them commit before the arrival date. (you can always add names to the list at the last minute�.but is much more stressful for you to set something up at the last minute and have it come off fun!).

6) Now all that is left is your arrival, getting married and most of all enjoying Tuscany! Normally a wedding couple who comes one day or two before can get all of the necessary things out of the way so that on Saturday when their guests start to arrive, they can sit back, just relax and really enjoy having family and friends together in this great area. Give you suppliers 100% attention the days before and then leave it in their hands and the hands of a competent organizer.