What could be more romantic than Italy, with Venetian canals and Renaissance elegance, warm blue seas and picturesque seaside towns? Read on to find out more about some of the perfect locations for getting married in Italy.
What to take and do
You should always check the specific documentation and information required of you, and do this well in advance of your wedding date with your own appropriate Embassy.
For UK citizens, plenty of information can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.
Some of the requirements specific to Italy are a visit to the Marriage Office (Ufficiale di Stato Civile) at least four days prior to the ceremony to inform them of your intention to marry. You will also need a Nulla Osta form which declares that you are free to marry.
For more information, read our guide to getting married abroad, including common documentation required.
Where to go
Rome
Italy’s capital offers a blend of Romanic and Baroque architecture and the historical Coliseum. Home to the Vatican City, Rome is ideal for a Catholic wedding in one of its beautiful historic Catholic churches. (However, do note that religious wedding ceremonies for non-resident couples can take a lot of organising in Italy).
Venice
Arguably the most romantic Italian setting, and known as Italy’s floating jewel, Venice is home to countless canals, alleyways, bridges and palaces. Civil ceremonies are held in the 17th century Palazzo Cavalli, which overlooks the Grand Canal.
Florence
Boasting an unrivalled classical elegance, and home to the most important art collections in Europe, couples can get married in sumptuous halls, hillside churches or historical town halls.
Italian Riviera
Rugged and beautiful coastlines interspersed with quaint fishing ports and gorgeous sandy beaches, the Italian Riviera is a perfect destination for those seeking a romantic seaside marriage. Choose from a 16th century castle on a causeway in Rapello, to a romantic 12th century port of Portovenere or the stunning mountain backdrop of Santa Margherita Ligure.
Tuscany
Beautiful Renaissance countryside, medieval villages, olive groves and vineyards typify the Tuscan landscape. A wealth of pretty villages nestle in the valleys, by the sea and among medieval towers.
Amalfi Coast
Known as one of the most beautiful stretches of European coastline, marriages can be celebrated in towns throughout the region, ranging from monastery cloisters in Sorrento to the magnificent cathedral at Amalfi.
Honeymoons in Italy
One of the major advantages of getting married abroad is that you can stay on for your perfect, romantic honeymoon. Read more about honeymoons in Italy here.
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Great news today for Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy who has been called up by new manager Roy Hodgson for England’s 2012 squad.
He will join fellow goalkeepers Joe Hart from Manchester City and West Ham’s Rob Green.
But what has any of this got to do with weddings or wedding insurance you might ask?
John Ruddy was actually planning a wedding, on June 2nd. Just 17 days away, and 6 days before the start of the tournament! His call-up for the England squad means his forthcoming wedding will possibly need to be postponed.
Wedding Insurance
Both the BBC and The Guardian reported yesterday that Ruddy had taken out a wedding insurance policy, just in case he needed to cancel or rearrange his wedding.
It’s certainly great to see wedding insurance being mentioned in the media, particularly when it’s not in reference to claims as a result of ‘cold feet’ – that’s one of the most significant things that’s not actually covered by wedding insurance in the UK, despite what a lot of people seem to think!
However, it has left me wondering who Ruddy purchased his wedding insurance from? Most standard wedding insurance policies generally don’t cover cancellation or rearrangement as a result of previously agreed leave not being honoured by your employer. The only exceptions tend to be for members of the armed forces or emergency personnel, but only if that posting was unforeseen at the time the policy was purchased.
It’s possible that a bespoke wedding insurance policy was purchased to cover this particular scenario, particularly given that there was a known risk of possible rearrangement.
It’s a good reminder though that anyone thinking about buying wedding insurance should read their policy wording carefully so that they know exactly what is and isn’t covered, particularly if there are any particular circumstances that are a concern.
As it turns out, Ruddy and his soon-to-be wife won’t need to claim on their wedding insurance after all. Although their June 2nd wedding clashes with England’s last friendly before the tournament, against Belgium at Wembley, it has been agreed that he can link up with the rest of the team after his big day.
“It’s all a bit surreal and hasn’t really sunk in,” says the Norwich keeper. “The Norwich lads had a night out and I was feeling a bit worse for wear when I got the call. That’s why it took a while to sink in. I can’t wait to get started. I’m due to get married on 2 June (when England play Belgium). I’ve already had the conversation and they don’t want me to call it off. So I’m still going to get married and then link up with the squad after that.”
For more information about what wedding insurance covers, see our FAQs and see our comparison table for information on a number of UK providers.
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As we head towards the busiest time of the year for weddings, we take a look at what level of wedding insurance cover you might need. Moreover, to what extent do you need cover and what value in terms of sums insured.
There was a time when there were only two major financial investments in your lifetime. One was your home and the second was your car. Well now there is a third item that has caught up on the blind side; wedding costs. Research recently published by us showed the average cost of a UK wedding in 2012 to be around £14,500. That places it fairly and squarely in the insurance zone. By that, we mean that you would, perhaps, be irresponsible to make a financial investment of that size without taking measures to protect it should anything go wrong.
How Much Cover Do I Need?
The first thing you need to do is to work out the level of wedding insurance that you need. Cover is usually offered in tiers based on the total cost of your wedding. This means that in the event of total disaster and your wedding having to be cancelled or postponed, the policy would pay up to the maximum level towards your wedding. Of course, along with providing protection for cancellation or rearrangement, wedding insurance can also provide financial cover for lost deposits as a result of supplier failure, short term cover for the wedding gifts against damage or theft, loss of the wedding rings and much more.
When considering the type and level of wedding insurance you may wish to consider the following:
- The total amount you are spending on the wedding;
- The size of your wedding party including the number of guests;
- Whether you need cover for a UK wedding or cover for your wedding abroad;
- Any additional unusual aspects of your wedding such as if you are in the military and using ceremonial swords, or are having a marquee.
Specific Risks
You should also establish if there are any specific risks and check that these are covered by the wedding insurance policy you’re looking to buy. Some things you might want to consider are:
- Do any close family members have a known illness or condition that might cause you to cancel the wedding? Does the policy cover you for this?
- Is there a threat of redundancy? If you’ve already been told your job is ‘at risk’ though, you probably won’t be covered anyway.
- Do you have a lot of guests travelling from abroad whose travel plans might be affected by extreme weather?
- Is your Best Man particularly accident prone and therefore do you need the Public Liability section of your policy to cover all guests?
Don’t forget, unless the policy wording states otherwise, any issues you know about at the time you take the policy out (“known risks”) generally won’t be covered.
Duplicate Cover
You may find that some of your risks are already covered by more conventional insurance or by some form of consumer protection afforded by your credit or debit card if you have chosen to pay for things that way.
As far as duplicate cover, to use an insurance term, is concerned, you should check whether your existing household insurance policy covers as regards items associated with a wedding. For example, you may find that items like your wedding presents are covered against loss or damage already. However, we would recommend that you check with your insurance company to make sure. Some house insurers now offer extensions to their policies that will give cover that is specific to weddings but perhaps only for short periods, again you should check with your insurance company.
We are in a period of great consumer protection and there are many ways that things you purchase can be protected simply by using your credit or debit card to pay for things. For this reason, you may want to find out what is protected by your credit or debit card company if you decide to use them to pay for something like the flowers, or maybe the wedding cars. You may be surprised by the degree of protection you are given by these companies just because you have purchased something using their card. Deposits between £100 and £30,000 and paid by credit card, for example, will usually be covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
Don’t forget that it’s ONLY that particular item that’s covered though and almost certainly not any knock-on effects either. Therefore, cover provided by your home insurance or any credit card protection is no real substitute for a full wedding insurance policy.
Shop Around
The above are just some of the numerous things that you may wish to consider when choosing the most suitable policy for your needs. Of course the cost of the insurance typically depends on the total amount you would be covered for with insurance. With this in mind you do not want to over insure your wedding as you will be paying too much for your premiums. The same applies to under insuring your wedding in the event that the wedding should have to be cancelled or postponed. If the wedding is cancelled and your wedding insurance policy pays out say £5,000 in total and your wedding cost £10,000 then of course you have to stand to the difference.
If you shop around and compare wedding insurance online you are easily able to find an affordable policy to cover your big day. At least with wedding insurance to rely on you do not have to worry about financial loss if the worst case scenario should occur.
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Sometimes it seems almost as though the idea of wedding insurance may have started simply to cover anything the Best Man might get up to. If you haven’t yet got yourself a wedding insurance policy, take a good long hard look at your Best Man, and ask yourself just how reliable he is.
Gillian and Mike’s wedding didn’t go quite as planned thanks to Mike’s Best Man who managed to lose the rings. He claimed to have put them in his waist coat pocket, but when it came to the ceremony itself and he was asked by the priest for the rings, his pocket was distinctly empty. Gillian and Mike had no option but to borrow a couple of rings for the wedding itself, and as the rings never did materialise, relied on their wedding insurance policy to pay for replacements.
Susan and David’s wedding was similarly jeopardised by their Best Man. Although he didn’t lose the rings, and in fact the ceremony itself went very well, when it came to the reception things didn’t run quite as smoothly. The Best Man somehow managed to walk straight into the wedding cake, with the result that the entire lot ended up on the floor upside down. Not only was the cake ruined, the carpet needed professional cleaning, for which the wedding insurance paid.
Then there was the best man who, perhaps, had a little too much to drink, and whilst ‘throwing some shapes’ on the dance floor ended up tearing a rather large hole in the trousers of his hired suit. When the Groom returned the suits a few days later, he was faced with a rather large bill for the repairs.
Finally, there’s Anne and Stuart, whose Best Man was clearly a little anxious. The service was beautiful, with candles and paper decorations strewn throughout the hotel room. Just as the vows were about to be exchanged, things got a bit too much, and the Best Man found himself reverting to a horizontal position by means of a gentle backward plummet. As he fell he managed to knock over a tall candelabra which promptly managed to set fire to the paper decorations, which happened to be quite near the expensive curtains. Fortunately no one was injured, but the wedding insurance policy was required to cover the fire damage.
If your Best Man is completely reliable, then good luck, but if he happens to be human, then getting a wedding insurance policy in place might be a good idea.
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Romantic honeymoons in December could be anything from magical Christmas markets and culture in European cities through to long haul summer sun in the southern hemisphere. Expect prices to be fairly high in December, so book as far in advance as possible to get the best prices available.
Northern hemisphere
Cities in the Northern hemisphere can be full of Christmas magic at this time of year, with Christmas markets offering delicious hot mulled wine to take the chill away from the bright winter sunshine.
For something different, consider Sweden’s Ice Hotel, the world’s largest hotel made completely of ice, opening to winter guests at the beginning of December. You can even opt to spend a night in the hotel’s unique ‘cold’ accommodation, where you sleep in your thermals on an ice block and reindeer skin bed. December is a great time to experience the romantic beauty of the Northern Lights.
Southern hemisphere
The southern hemisphere is well into summer in December. The Caribbean islands are enjoying warm, dry weather and are at their busiest in December (you may find the crowds a little quieter at the beginning of the month). Barbados is a lively island soaked in tradition and culture, with a fantastic atmosphere during the festive period. Jamaica offers a host of outdoor activities and you can find a more secluded and peaceful style of resort near any of the three Cayman Islands’ beautiful white beaches and clear seas. Head to Costa Rica to combine cool highlands and cloud forests with beautiful warm beaches.
It is also summertime in Australia and New Zealand, where you can experience spectacular scenery, romantic islands, vibrant cities, mountains, glaciers, rainforests and delicious food and wine.
Mexico is a perfect honeymoon destination for couples who love warm and dry weather. Explore Mayan ruins and pyramids, modern resorts, fantastic beaches and delicious Mexican cuisine.
South East Asia enjoys little rain and a comfortable heat in December, and the monsoon season has cleared by this time of year. Explore the bustling city of Bangkok and sandy beaches in the South of Thailand, or escape the crowds to the less developed beaches of Cambodia.
There is a world of opportunity for romantic honeymoons in December, with plenty of festive fun and Christmas cheer thrown in to the bargain. Tis the season to be jolly!
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What could be more romantic than Italy, with Venetian canals and Renaissance elegance, warm blue seas and picturesque seaside towns? Read on to find out more about some of the perfect locations for getting married in Italy. 
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