Is there any place like this in the entire world, that is the question I keep on asking. Venice is just incredible, everything about it is sheer perfection but of course if you do not like water then this is not really the place for you. I was introduced to Venice a very long time ago, and visited as a student and after watching the film “Don’t Look Back” with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland, so when I was stranded on one of the islands at 0100 in the morning with only my younger brother for company, well I can tell you, the shadows lurking in the alleyways, the sounds of the water lapping against the city, the sound of cats crying in the darkness, the lights playing tricks with the water and your mind…my introduction to this city was one of fear but at the same time adventure. As I started to grow up and came back over and over again, Venice became my mood swing thermometer and it actually contributed to my moods like no other place…..happy, sad, deep and thoughtful, manic and talkative. However the overriding feeling was one of happiness and calmness. I have also noticed, that when I am in Venice, I also walk differently as if I am walking on water………anyway enough of this! This blog is all about getting married in Venice.
I always recommend that the best way to start your Venetian adventure is to arrive by plane and I suggest flying into Marco Polo airport and then being transferred to this magical city by water taxi. You approach the city of Venice in an extremely ethereal manner and you are taken aback by its beauty. Venice can be fashionable and extravagant but it can also be simple and charming do not forget this as many couples do. Venice has many faces and you can see them by examining the six sestiere (areas), places like San Marco and Cannaregio, San Polo and Dorsoduro. Then there are islands of this Venetian lagoon, about 9 of them. We at weddings made in Italy insist that our couples perhaps consider these islands for their wedding reception as they have so very much to offer.
You can celebrate your dream wedding in Italy Venice within the splendid setting of Palazzo Cavalli, an historical palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal, or Sala degli Stucchi - Ca' Farsetti, near the Rialto Bridge, even though the Palazzo Cavalli would not be my first choice for a wedding ceremony venue as the outside is great but the interiors lack the drama one would expect of a city like Venice. The list of places where it is possible to marry are many and here is a selection I have made for you, places which you may want to consider…
There is the Ca’ Farsetti, an elegant room which can hold up to approximately 100 people. The Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, this palazzo was one of Venice's greatest Renaissance palaces, an outstanding example in the Golden Age of the Serenissima. Then there are these wonderful Venetian palazzi, where it is also possible to tie the knot for example: The Room of Mirrors: Or why not try this boutique style hotel:with a range of locations where it is possible to tie the knot… the garden over looking the Grand canal for example. Why not this beautiful “church”: if you wish to be a little more adventurous why not get married in Italy a gondola with the Rialto Bridge as your backdrop or perhaps the Bridge of Sighs is a little better…..or why not choose a boat for your Venetian wedding ceremony.
For those of you who want to celebrate a catholic wedding, the options are truly tempting. We will start off with the most important building in Venice. The basilica of San Marco. In St. Mark’s, wedding ceremonies are held in the crypt which was built in the 11th century and did you know that it lies below sea level….? The interior of the crypt is dark and there is an intimacy about it and for small parties it would be a super romantic Venetian Wedding. Then there is S Maria dei Miracoli, known as the marble church and originally they wanted to build it to house a miracle-working image of the Virgin and Child that hung outdoors on a nearby street corner. We follow this up with S Giacomo dell’Orio, large and dramatic and located in a lovely piazza where on Sundays Venetian families meet to eat their pizza….This church is dedicated to St James the Apostle. Then we have Santa Fosca in Torcello, there is a feel of minimalism and holiness here……San Martino in the sestiere of Castello which offers some wonderful frescoes; San Moise with its baroque interior and bursting with a range of works of art. There is San Stae in the area of Santa Croce, another great church and last but not least is the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo its vast interior designed for the large congregations of the urban poor whom it used to serve. As a burial place, it was favoured by noble families; a number of doges lie here commemorated by richly wrought sepulchral monuments. The church's altarpieces, painted by Titian and Giovanni Bellini, were partially destroyed in a fire in 1867.
So bearing all this in mind, you have to say that you are completely spoilt for choice and the same applies as far as reception options…even here the choices are endless. Whether you wish to celebrate your reception on a terrace overlooking the Grand Canal, or a private garden or a palazzo which is off the beaten track or even on a boat, there is something special here for everyone.
