HOW TO PLAN A SICILY DESTINATION WEDDING?
If you’re after a romantic destination wedding location with a rich culture, delicious cuisine, amazing music and the best scenery and architecture then Sicily is one of the best places to consider for a destination wedding. With 300 glorious days of sunshine a year, it’s not only gorgeous but it’s an incredibly romantic island and benefits from a range of landscapes from beautiful green forests to glistening beaches with coves waiting to be explored. If you’re a lover of the natural world and a bit of an adventure seeker you’ll love that Sicily is home to Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe!
Sicily can offer you a whole host of amazing wedding venues from fairytale castles to countryside retreats, sunset beach weddings or even having your ceremony on Mount Etna… definitely one for the history books and the wedding photographs!
When is the best time to get married in Sicily?
Summer is definitely the best season if you’re after an outdoor or a beach wedding and in need of some blazing sunshine, blue skies and crystal clear waters. Spring and autumn are still great for good weather but temperatures aren’t as high as the summer peaks, with the warm temperatures sometimes lasting until November. Spring is a beautiful time in Sicily as nature begins to bloom again and we see the return of flowers, lush trees and all that brings - perfect weather for a countryside retreat. Winter in Sicily still experiences some good weather with temperatures reaching up to 20 degrees, however in January and February Sicily can experience some incredibly cold weeks but this season is perfect if you're mindful of certain areas of your budget.
Best spots for a wedding in Sicily
For a castle wedding: Castello Lanza Branciforte di Trabia is the wedding venue of dreams. The beautifully lit castle walls, towers and turrets and gardens all overlook the Palermo coast, there are so many incredible spots in the venue for your ceremony - the terrace overlooking the sea, the grand hall, the ancient courtyard - it’s a truly magical venue. If you’re wanting the ultimate wedding, the venue caters for up to 1000 people. No need to make any guestlist culls…
For a rustic wedding: Giving all the rustic wedding vibes whilst still giving you the luxury of being by the glistening seas is Tonnara di Scopello. The venue, although beautiful, is quaint and transports you back to the time when it used to be an old fishing village and was once the place of Tuna fishermen.
It’s surrounded by mediterranean gardens and is rich in flora, whilst the sea is rich in it’s underwater landscape - perfect to take your guest snorkelling the day after any shenanigans. You can always go on the venue's recommended boat excursions, horseback trails or explore the culture or vineyards. Weddings here give you elegant dinners surrounded by candles and fairy lights, sunset aperitifs and dancing all night long.
For the wine lovers: If you’re a wine connoisseur then Baglio Oneto is a five star luxury wine resort ready and waiting for you to celebrate. The venue was built to oversee the wine cultivation in the province of Trapani and is famous for its Marsala wine. Get married amongst the fragrant olive groves and vineyards overlooking the egadi islands at sunset. The venue can accommodate weddings of up to 400 people and you can have your celebrations in the mandragola terrace, the banquet hall or the belvedere garden.
Those seeking a villa: Villa Anna Eventi is a beautiful, ancient Sicilian villa. It’s the place to host a party of all parties. The venue has hosted internationally renowned artists from Michael Nyman, the Bollani Quintet to Buena Vista Social CLub and was even chosen as a film set for ‘II Capo dei Capi’. If you want glitz and glamour, look no further.
A wedding by the sea: If beautiful beaches are what you’re after then Villa Mon Repos is surrounded by the stunning beaches of Taormina - Mazzaro, Giardini Naxos - all of which can be reached by foot. The venue overlooks the sea and was there in the times of the city being the first casino city and experiencing an influx of old hollywood stars, aristocracy and glamour. Wedding dinners are beautifully lit with candelabras, fairy lights, beautiful blooms and the mountains as your backdrop. It’s a stunning place for your destination wedding and wedding photos.
There are so many incredible venues in Sicily, these are just a few so make sure you spend a good amount of time really exploring different venues and finding out what you want.
Take a trip before your wedding
The best piece of advice we can give is visiting your destination before your wedding. Seeing pictures online isn’t enough and by going in person you’ll really get a feel for what venues you like, what kind of wedding you want, your dream location, and just getting a feel for how everything will come together on your big day. You’ll get a feel for how you want your wedding photos to look, what you want to do with the venue and decoration and you’ll get a vision in your head of exactly how you want everything to be.
The Legal Information regarding weddings in Sicily
Italy recognises weddings of all faiths, religious and civil and you and your partner will need a couple of documents that allow you to get married in Sicily:
A certificate from a legal authority of your country of residence to clarify that there are no obstacles that will prevent you from getting married.
Your passports
Birth certificates
If having a catholic ceremony, you must get a permit from a local pastor or a certificate of a pre-wedding course
Non-catholic religious weddings must have a civil ceremony incorporated into a the wedding day
It’s worth noting that if you have been divorced you need to wait 300 days until you can get married again and you need to bring the certificate from your first marriage. If you are widowed then you need to bring the certificate from your marriage along with the death certificate of your partner.
Things to consider for your destination wedding
These are all the things you need to consider when planning a destination wedding in Sicily:
Your guest-list: This can be tricky but with destination weddings, the guest-list is usually smaller so write down exactly who you and your partner want at your wedding to get an idea of general numbers, this will help you to inform what size venue you’ll need and also what your budget might end up looking like.
Venue: Probably one of the most important aspects of your wedding day that will ensure your dream destination wedding is everything you want it to be. Picking the perfect venue is the main task so make sure you’ve researched and/or visited your venues beforehand so you’re certain it’s what you want.
Catering: Food is one of the best parts of a wedding and no one does food like the Italians. Have a think about what kind of food you want and look into whether your wedding venue provides catering or if you’ll need to seek out a catering company!
Lighting & Decoration: Planning your wedding decoration is such a fun part of planning your destination wedding, decorations have the power to make such an impact and really tell the story of your wedding day. What kind of vibe are you wanting to create? Pinterst is the place to be so start pinning and thinking about potential decor you’d want.
Music & Entertainment: Your wedding is going to be a huge social event and you need entertainment and music to keep the vibes high, keep guests entertained and make sure the atmosphere of the night is electric. Think about DJs, bands and what kind of music or entertainment you want at your wedding ceremony and reception.
Photography & Videography: Your wedding photos and film are the most important part of your wedding day. They’re the one tangible reminder of your love story and your special day that allow you to relive your memories over and over again. So it’s incredibly important to pick the right wedding photographer and videographer for your Sicily destination wedding.
Make sure you pick a Sicily wedding photographer or a Sicily wedding photographer and videographer that understands your vision and knows exactly what you want out of your wedding photos. At AD Media UK we capture weddings all over the globe. Take a look at some of the weddings we’ve captured, we’d love to be part of your Sicily destination wedding. Elopements, engagements and weddings are our passion so we’d love to chat and help you on your wedding journey.
Hair & Makeup: If there’s one day you want to look your best, it’s on your wedding day. Gather pictures and videos of any hairstyles or makeup that you love and want to replicate and be sure to book your vendors in advance and make sure any travel arrangements are organised and confirmed.
Travel Costs: It’s important to factor in any travel costs, - flights, transfers, taxis and then any other travel costs for yourselves and your guests that need to be accounted for in your budget like arranging for equipment and luggage to get to your destination. The travel costs can sometimes sneak up on you so make sure you’ve accounted for everything and make sure everyone is aware of the cost.
Final notes…
Now that your plans for your destination wedding in Sicily are forming and you’ve browsed destinations, thought about decoration, hair and makeup, catering and your guest-list the next steps are to finalise everything and send out your invites. Before you know it, you’ll be flying out to your accommodation in the days running up to your wedding and spending those last couple of days together before you enter married life. Have a think about activities you can do with your guests pre and post wedding, and maybe even consider a mini moon or extended honeymoon in Sicily.
