Wedding Ceremony

The beauty of a symbolic ceremony is how flexible it is, and the absence of a defined procedure allows you to express your story and personality fully. You can make the ceremony whatever you want, such as including readings, rites, accompaniment, or choreography, and hire a celebrant or a person of your choosing to perform the ritual. We will help guide you with ideas on how to design your ceremony, enhanced by your own personal touch. It’s important to remember there is no legal validity and so if you decide to have a symbolic ceremony, you cannot obtain a marriage license, which means no extensive paperwork! Also, the location does not need any special licenses so you can get married on a mountain top or even on a gondola. Our couples that choose this option often have a civil ceremony in theircountry of origin, just before their Lake Como Wedding. 

A civil ceremony in Italy is a legally binding, non-religious marriage and will result in a marriage license. The process for having a civil ceremony in Italy depends on your nationality, but largely follows a similar procedure involving filing your intent to marry through the Italian Consulate in your country of origin. We always advise our couples to begin this part of their civil wedding requirements a minimum of 6 months from when they are planning their wedding in Lake Como. Generally speaking, Venues must be given legal authority to have civil ceremonies conducted on their site.  The ceremony has a procedure, performed by the Italian celebrant in Italian with a translator, but it is possible to add a personal element.  There should be at least two mandatory witnesses of 18 years or older, which we can help provide. 

All faiths are welcome in Italy and religious ceremonies can be performed at most Venues on Lake Como. However, they may be symbolic and not legally binding, meaning they won’t result in a marriage license from the Italian government. The only religious ceremonies that are also legally binding and result with a marriage license are Catholic ceremonies performed in a Catholic church with a component of the civil ceremony under the Italian law.

​

We help couples understand the processes and connect them with local religious leaders in their faith. Most couples wanting a religious ceremony will have a civil ceremony to register their marriage in their country of origin, before their wedding on the Lake of Como.