Wedding in Italy or Greece?

[mcandee]

My fiance and I are planning a 4-8 week trip to Europe next year and are trying to figure out how/where to get married while we're over there... We're hoping for a ceremony on an Italian or Greek beach, but are open to other ideas. We'll also need a photographer and maybe someone for hair and makeup. It will just be the two of us and possibly a couple of witnesses... Any advice would be awesome! Thanks!!

[WillTravel]

There are significant legal and logistical issues to getting married in either Italy or Greece. It's not like you can just go pick up a marriage license and find a justice of the peace. Many people recommend getting a local wedding planner, but either way you will have to do some research as to the legal issues.

[mcandee]

We are looking into that... it seems like it's just a lot of paperwork. Also, I think we'll have to get married in a court and then have a symbolic ceremony on a beach... it seems it's just church or civil (court) ceremonies that are recognized. We've also considered a courthouse in the States before leaving and then a symbolic ceremony when we're there... in which case we still will need a location, photographer, etc. Thanks for the input

[me]

who was that guy who had a "destination wedding" in Greece planned, but came down with a communicable disease <was it hepititus?>. when he went ahead with the wedding, everyone in the press really condemned him. [for some reason, he made several cross continental - Europe - flights and ended up flying to Canada before reentering the US.

it turned out that the father of the bride worked at US CDCP and didn't do anything to stop it all. [the father of the bride gave her away at the Greek wedding]

anyway, just wanted to say that others have done this sort of thing. it's not impossible.

[pointofnoreturn]

I heard that Santorini is a popular wedding location but again, I've also heard a lot about mishaps in getting the bride's dress arriving safely...

[me]

me said:

who was that guy who had a "destination wedding" in Greece planned, but came down with a communicable disease <was it hepatitis?>. when he went ahead with the wedding, everyone in the press really condemned him.

i remember now, it was TB. when i looked it up, i see the guy is a lawyer and took 7 flights last Spring, endangering hundreds of people. and, it was Santorini where he'd gotten married.

at first, they thought it was extremely dangerous XDR-TB <extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis> but later found that to be a misdiagnosis. it was actually not as dangerous, but still bad, MDR-TB <multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis>.

see this: abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=3231184&page=1

[herrbert]

mcandee said:

We are looking into that... it seems like it's just a lot of paperwork. Also, I think we'll have to get married in a court and then have a symbolic ceremony on a beach... it seems it's just church or civil (court) ceremonies that are recognized.

In the Netherlands, it's only a civil(court) marriage that is recognized by law. Presuming that this also is the case in the rest of the EU. You can get married in the EU, and try to get this marriage recognized as legal in you own country.

As far as locations are concerned, there are rules to where you can marry. As these sites have to recognized as places where ceremonies can take place. It's also normal practice that you go to the city council (well just a clerk), to ask for a wedding, to discuss, what you want the ceremony to look like, what music to play etc .... this would mean getting over there, at least one time before the wedding. If you really want to get married in Europe, that must be possible, but always consult someone, to see if the marriage would be legally binding in the US.

[madamtrashheap]

Santorini is hugely popular for weddings - two couples I know have both married there - but I believe both were civil ceremonies and not religious ones. mcandee, you should have no trouble locating info on photographers, venues, etc, but let me know if you do and I'll ask my friends about their details.

[Eagle]

If I were planning a wedding, I'd focus on Italy. Although you will only have a small wedding party, the transportation would probably be easier to arrange (greater selection of flights).

There are a number excellent locations in Italy that are well suited for weddings (IMO), depending on your preferences. Places you could consider are Lago di Como (Bellagio, for example), the Cinque Terre (for something a bit more casual), Venice or somewhere on the Amalfi Coast (this is one of the best locations).

Regarding a Photographer, were you planning on taking a friend along for that, or finding a Wedding Photographer in the location you choose? If you're looking to hire a local, have a look at www.guidotramontano.com (click the "Weddings" link) for one example. I believe he's located in Salerno?

You might want to contact the Italian Tourism office in the U.S. or the Italian Consulate regarding the legal details for getting married in Italy, as they would be able to provide current information. I suspect you've already been checking the Net, but if not here are a couple of links to check out - www.italian-weddings.com & www.italy-weddings.com (these are just a sample of the many sites I found). You may have to use a larger city, in order to find a wedding commissioner (or whatever the term is?), that can provide the service in English.

Congratulations and good luck!

[me]

herrbert said:

You can get married in the EU, and try to get this marriage recognized as legal in you own country.

sorry to be so late getting back to this: this shouldn't be an issue. in US, a marriage recognized as legal if you just pass yourselves as married. it's called a common-law marriage.

EDIT: i see now that you're in Cali. i have no idea about common-law marriage laws there. maybe talk to a local family lawyer?