Getting married in Italy, how much does it cost?
The first and most obvious question that springs to mind when couples are interested in a destination wedding in Italy is this:“how much will it cost to tie the knot in Italy?” We are going to cover this subject over a few articles, starting with venues. The primary cost that affects the total of the budget for your wedding is the rental fee of the venue.
The most beautiful venues, such as Villa del Balbianello for example, require a rental fee for the day of the wedding: this cost usually includes the actual rental of the areas for the event and does not include the wedding reception cost, that is food and wine. There are even some hotels that require a rental fee to have the exclusive use of some areas, especially in case of a low number of guests. There are however also other venues like restaurants and some hotels that do not request a rental cost to use their areas for the wedding.
Let’s go into more detail on the venue pricing: important to note that these are approximate costs and cannot be considered as one rule for all venues and events. This article has the purpose to provide a general guide only; we advise to get precise details and costs, through the help of your wedding planner, for all the venues that you are interested in for your wedding ceremony and reception in Italy.
The rental cost of a period villa, a stately home or a castle changes based on the geographical area where the venue is located. On Lake Como, for example, which is known to be one of the most exclusive areas in Italy, the rental cost of a beautiful venue on the lake starts from 5000 Euros per day. Often the rental cost changes based on the total number of guests attending the wedding. If we consider Tuscany, the rental cost of a charming castle starts from around 3000 Euros for the day of the wedding. There are also other luxury venues that are very exclusive such as Palazzo Pisani Moretta in Venice, Villa Miani in Rome or Villa Del Balbianello on Lake Como, where the rental cost is around 8000/10000 Euros per day. In some cases, if the venue belongs to a company, you will need to add 22% Vat on top of the rental fee.
Another important aspect to underline is that if you decide to extend the party until after midnight most wedding venues will require an additional fee. Not all stately homes or period villas where the reception takes place offer the possibility to stay overnight. The biggest plus in having a private villa with exclusive use for most of the day is that it guarantees a very private and intimate event, without prying tourists around.
Our advice is to always rely on the help and support of a qualified and experienced wedding planner who will be suggesting the most beautiful venues and the ones that are most looked after (an important detail when dealing with period villas and/or antique buildings!), with details of their costs.
Generally speaking the most beautiful and popular venues in Italy must be booked at least 8-12months before the wedding date; especially if you are interested on a Saturday wedding.
