Things to know before getting married in Italy

Marriages cannot be celebrated at British Consulates in Italy. British citizen can get married in an Italian Catholic Church once the civil ceremony has been celebrated, but enquiries about religious marriages should be made direct to the minister of religion of the particular town where the British couple want to get married.

The civil ceremony can take place in the Italian Town Halls or Comuni – generally by the mayor of the town. Most of the Italian towns have old medieval, renaissance or even Roman Town Halls, which are real pieces of Italian art.

Most of the Towns in Tuscany have their Town halls in Mediaeval Palaces with Renaissance frescos on their ceilings and famous paintings on the walls. In grand parts of the rest of Italy the Town council has its own base in real castles or rich palaces built by the various rich families that were dominating the town before the unification of the Italian Republic. For example, most of the town halls are know at palaces that belonged to the rich Italian families such as Medici, the Sforza or the Borgia.

A Nulla Osta (Certificate of No Impediment) to be produced to the Town council before the marriage of a British national may be celebrated in Italy.

Where both parties are resident in the UK, the Nulla Osta can be obtained by giving notice to a UK Superintending Registrar in the district where they are resident. The Consular office in whose district the marriage is to take place will issue the "Certificates of no Impediment" required by the local authorities.

Full birth certificate (showing parents' names) and the Couple Information Form must also be filled in by the couple before the marriage and – of course – do not forget your British Passport.

Most of the Italian Town Halls have their own fee for celebrating marriages of foreign couples. Of course towns like Florence, Rome and Venice are very busy and therefore expensive. But there are plenty of little cute towns all over Italy that are cheaper and less busy – so you will surely find a free spot to get married the exact date you want.

There are lots of agency in Italy that can look after the papers and all the bookings – including the accommodations for the guests.

If your guest list is not huge, in Italy there are lots of real farms that provide B&B accommodations that specialise in wedding meals - from buffet to 15 course meals in the real Italian tradition and charms. The farms are called Agriturismo and have full licence for accommodation and food. What’s more, they are generally cheaper than the restaurants since they are a family run business and food is local from their fields. However, they are divided in several types like the hotel and restaurants - from 1 to 5 stars.

For some advice on wedding insurance, check this site – (Greenbee.com) – it might save you lots of stress and money.