Wedding Wonderland – Un Matrimonio Sulle Dolomiti

Italians are, the way I see it, the most fortunate of all the European nations. Their country is a long beautiful peninsula surrounded by the Mediterranean sea with 51 World Heritage Sites approved by UNESCO. They have Sicily, Sardegna and the Alps… It is hard to not fall in love with this country!

I am aware the summer is not over (yet) but the end of August/ beginning of September is perfect timing to plan an amazing Autumn/ Winter wedding! And I happened to find a perfect location for it 🙂

What do you have in mind when you think ‘ITALIA’? Pizza, pasta, Aperol spritz, Spiaggia e mare? You probably got it right but ‘the boot’ is so much more than that. Last winter, I had a pleasure to visit the real pearl of the north – Dolomiti. It is a mountain range, part of the Southern Limestone Alps (you know, the iconic rocky tops). It is located between the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley.

I immediately KNEW the Dolomites are a stunning choice for a Big Day, in any season throughout the entire year but it would make October-March wedding really extraordinary!

The snow on the rocky tops of the mountains is magical, the villages and towns are gorgeous and picturesque, offering wonderful choices for either a religious, civil or symbolic wedding ceremony.
Stunning mountains views, romantic castles and charming mansions nestled in the hills are just a few reasons to choose the Dolomites for your destination wedding in Italy!

Dolomites and Trentino offer the whole variety of Medieval castles, surrounded by vineyards of local wineries among which the renowned Marzemino (I LOVED their vino!)
Religious and symbolic ceremonies can be celebrated in many of the private chapels and churches, while civil ceremonies are often held in medieval palaces. So much to see and explore!

Legal Requirements…

As always in my articles. So is it legal for the foreign couple to get married in the land of pizza? Yes, it is. The couple, however, will need to obtain a ‘NULLA OSTA’, which is a Notice of Marriage (NOM) to be able to perform a legally valid wedding in Italy. Moreover, the Italian authorities require proof that foreigners intending to marry in Italy are not already married – as it is in the vast majority of countries I wrote about. Once the Embassy receives the original copy of the Certificate of No Impediment it can issue a ‘Nulla Osta’. Different countries require different procedures to release this ‘Nulla Osta’ to let you get married in Italy. Some countries could receive such a document by e-mail. In the majority of cases, however, the couple needs to apply for such a document in Rome. The couple can also have a Catholic Wedding in Italia and they are legally binding! Religious paperwork needs to be received by the Italian Curia at least 2 months prior to the wedding. If one party have previously been married and the previous marriage has not been officially cancelled, the Catholic marriage will not be possible.

I would advise contacting the embassy of your country in order to find out which documents and procedures are required to get the’ Nulla Osta’ before you even start planning your wedding. 

Destination weddings are an amazing alternative to a traditional ceremony but they require a lot more patience, commitment and understanding of the local traditions. From my own experience, and from what I have observed on social channels – quite a lot of couples hire a wedding consultant or a trustworthy wedding agency. Let’s face it – we are all living a fast, busy life and a trip to our wedding location could not always be a good option. The The Dolomites are also not the easiest to reach!

With over 2000 followers on Instagram, and 829 on Facebook, it is safe to say Wedding in Cortina is one of the most popular wedding planning agency in the wonderful Dolomiti region – definitely well-experienced and with years of experience!

Who are they exactly? Viviana Reatti is a talented lady who is behind the idea of the bran. She is a jewellery designer and event planner from Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Ampezzo Valley – picturesqure corner of the Dolomites. Her passion and talent led her through 15 years of successful event planning. She emphasises her determination, years of training, as well as her desire to constantly pursue new ideas, led her to … Weddings. Viviana makes sure Wedding in Cortina specialists are always able to make every couple’s wish come true. They always put the couple on the pedestal.

There are 3 main options for how you could work together. It could be ‘Wedding Coordination’ option which is the overall coordination of your wedding. The brand will supervise the suppliers, wedding venue, make-up artists as well as all the other suppliers from your list starting a Month before your Big Day. One of the representatives is also ‘working behind the scenes’ during your wedding to make sure everything sticks to the plan. The cost starts at € 700.00 including VAT. Option B would be the ‘Partial Organisation’ which stands for advisory throughout the planning. The brand provides a list of potential suppliers according to your needs, helps with the payments and supervises work from the very beginning. The price starts from € 1.800,00 VAT included depends on the quantity and type of services chosen. The third option is ‘Complete Organisation’ which stands for the in-depth organization from A to Z and the cost starts from € 2,500.00 including VAT.

As you can see, Wedding in Cortina are very open-minded and ready to face the new project as well as listen to the couple’s need and new solution. The best way to find out more is to visit their website and contact one of the advisors via the contact form provided HERE.

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Social media is a great place to look for a wedding photographer. You can not only see their work but you could also read the comments, see the ‘behind the scenes’ Insta Stories as well as get the idea on who this person really is. I have found Filippo Ciappi on Instagram (1,7K followers) – I was amazed by the portraits and astonishing wedding detail images from the gallery. Filippo is a 40-year-old photographer living in Venice, which is one of 3 largest airport locations to reach the Dolomiti area. He is a well-experienced in weddings, fashion and portraits in general. He attended ‘Fashion Photography’ course in Bologna as well as the prestigious IED in Miland and Venice. His city gives him the most inspiration, whether it is its architecture, people’s outfits or just the vibe.

He has worked on many weddings in the area, having gathered quite an impressive number of positive reviews on his social channels (which are always honest!) Let me quote Mr Steven L.’ Filippo is a great photographer. We had him as our wedding photographer and are very happy with the fotos he made. And he is also a very nice person, very kind and very helpful. If you need a photographer in Venice, Filippo is the right person.’

In general, Mr Ciappi is always open to any types of suggestions, ideas and is keen to travel to your wedding location in the Dolomites. He know this region really well and is able to capture THE moment in the best matter. His Italian sense of style is also a PLUS 🙂 As for the packages and prices, it is best to contact Filippo either through his social media on a contact form on his website .

How to get to Dolomiti?

There are a lot of ways! The two closest international airports serving the Dolomites are located approximately 160km away – in Venice, about 162 km to the south and Innsbruck, Austria, around 165 km to the north. You could also get to Bergamo and Verona (where I went).

3 REASONS WHY DOLOMITI

IT IS A UNIQUE PLACE. REALLY. A destination wedding in the Dolomites also means the wide choice of intimate and chic chalets, ski and spa resorts and castle hotels to treat you and your guests while you are there. Some of the most beautiful and world-famous Italian Alps resorts and are located in Cortina, Ortisei and Merano. I have seen a lot in this world but the views of the rocky tops are something I will NEVER forget. You and your wedding guests will find the view like no other. Italy in the mountains, what more could I say.

SPORTS! Ski, kayaking, trekking – there are a lot of ways you could spend your wedding weekend and treat your guests to something else than just sightseeing. I think having a ski weekend after the wedding (or perhaps a photo shooting on the slopes) is the best way to say ‘THANK YOU’ to your friends and family. We had fun on the slopes of Madonna di Campiglio but there are the whole loads of beautiful, long and enjoyable ski villages across the whole area. There are also a few amazing lakes, such as lake Caldonazzo, Levico, Ladro and.. Lago di Garda, which is also one of the most wonderful places I have seen. There are the possibilities of kayaking, paddling, water ski and the rest of water sports.

FOOD AND WINE. It might not be the most ‘unexpected’ answer but it could be your one and only reason to visit this part of Italy. As mentioned, there are a lot of historical wineries in the area. We had a pleasure to try a few wines from Trentino, and I am telling you – Lagrein made it to the top of my list. Apart from that, Dolomiti are known for the farm cheese, craft beers, fish and canederli, which is a sort of Knoedell or more of a dumpling. Perfect wedding food for sure! There are also six Michelin star restaurant in the region. Join guided tours to farms and, with the offer Speck and Spa, you can enjoy discounts on traditional specialities and wellness centres. 

Summarizing, Dolomiti is a perect combo of everything Italian and the mountains. It is a perfect wedding destination for the thrill seekers, nature lovers as well as for the couples wanting a perfect winter destination wedding.

I created the article with the help of Visit Trentino.