Frequently Asked Questions about Distinctive Italy

Since 1997 – 26 years! We were one of the very first two agencies to plan weddings in Italy. We cover the entire country including planning weddings in Sicily and weddings in the Alps and North of Italy.

Our team consists of seven seasoned Senior Planners, supported by a dedicated concierge coordinator.

Additionally, we have a network of on-site assistants located across various regions who provide essential support to our planners during events. For your Italy wedding, we ensure comprehensive management of all vendors, logistics, and services.

The size of our team is tailored to the complexity of the event and the number of guests.

Event planning is handled by our highly experienced Senior Planners—Stefania, Mariana, Jacopo, Simona, Elizabeth, Federica, Lara and Junko

1)      Your destination wedding in Italy starts with a complimentary ZOOM or SKYPE or WHATSAPP consultation. During this time we review all aspects of your wedding in Italy, your budget and answer any questions you might have.

2)      After the consultation, we follow up with a thorough proposal and some preliminary venue suggestions based on your wedding vision and budget.  

3)      Should you then decide to purchase the Venue Sourcing package – our amazing location scouting assistance – we will forward to you a list of venues that meet your criteria which will be narrowed down to a specific number to be viewed with our team when you come to Italy to view the locations. The venue sourcing fee is refunded back to the planning fees if you confirm our services once you choose your venue. We have culled the finest selection of wedding venues in Italy!

“The venue sourcing process was superb.  From the initial Skype with Rosanna you were able to quickly identify our priorities, and allowed us to shortlist 4 or 5 venues which were all amazing.  The day spent looking round the venues was fantastic and allowed us to visualise how our wedding would look.  The whole DIW team was so professional and efficient throughout this process we had no hesitation in confirming you for the wedding planning services.” Alexandra and Neil 

4)      After you have found your dream venue for your Italy wedding a contract is signed with Distinctive Italy and with your chosen venue and non-refundable deposits are forwarded to each party.  The planning team then sets up and launches the planning process and we begin! You will have a dedicated Senior Planner to follow through with all of the details.

The success of a wedding starts with finding the right venue!  Once that is done everything else falls into place. The venue determines the style of your event, the budget and is the most critical of all decisions for a destination wedding in Italy.

• Our venue sourcing includes access to exclusive venues not listed on our website, which is by no means comprehensive!  
• Itinerary and appointments for viewing locations with our team for a day (if you decide to come to Italy)
• The fee is credited back to the wedding planning fee once our services have been confirmed with contract and deposit
• The venue information is very thorough and provides you with pricing, links, photos and general details allowing you to narrow your selection for your visit.
• As professional wedding planners we only recommend those venues that we know are well managed and offer above standard service. Web sites are not always a good way of evaluating a venue
• During the venue selection process we will also provide you with an overall idea of what to expect in terms of total wedding budget for the key venue you are most interested in.

We pride ourselves in a knowledge of some of the less discovered gems that are available.

• Determining your total investment for the wedding day and any other supporting events
• The venue selection

Your budget plays a crucial role in determining whether a destination wedding in Italy is achievable, and we prioritize open, honest discussions about this essential topic.

Be cautious of agencies that avoid thorough conversations about the affordability of your dream wedding.

The venue you select will largely shape your budget, as costs for venue hire and catering are directly tied to your choice of location.

Our complimentary preliminary consultation provides the perfect opportunity to discuss your wedding plans with our team, address key questions about overall costs, and explore the best regions for the type of Italian wedding you envision.

Of course! It would be impossible to list all of the wedding venues in Italy we work with on our web site.  We have a limited selection listed and others that are available exclusively via our venue sourcing service. 

We are happy to work with any venue that meets our standards of quality and service. However we only work with vetted venues. Web sites and Instagram accounts don’t always tell the whole story. We decline to work with Italy wedding venues that do not offer good customer service, regardless of their ranking.

Our agency only handles the entire event. We are not “day of” coordinators. It is not possible to ensure a smooth running event unless we are involved with every aspect of the planning from the start and can manage the vendors directly. Day of coordinators have very little power to manage service providers if they have not hired them or worked with them before. Lastly, our vendors work with us as a very cohesive team and this is one of the key reasons for our success.

Hiring a wedding planner can make a significant difference for a destination wedding in a place like Italy.
1. Expertise and Experience

• We know the ins and outs of the industry, including trusted vendors, logistics, and potential challenges.
• We have handled over 2500 weddings, so can anticipate and solve problems before they arise.

2. Time-Saving

• Planning a wedding is a time-intensive process. A planner takes care of research, negotiations, and arrangements, leaving you free to focus on enjoying the experience.

3. Local Knowledge for Destination Weddings

• We know the best venues, vendors, and requirements. We can navigate cultural and linguistic barriers that might otherwise slow you down or create stress.

4. Budget Management

• We help maximize your budget by negotiating with vendors and preventing unnecessary expenses. We keep track of all costs and make sure there are no surprises.

5. Stress Reduction

• With a planner in charge, you can avoid the overwhelming details and last-minute emergencies. We handle the coordination, so you can relax and enjoy your wedding day.

6. Creative Vision and Customization

• We with you to bring your vision to life while offering ideas and suggestions you might not have considered.

7. Seamless Execution

• On the day of the wedding, we ensure everything runs smoothly. We coordinate with vendors, manage timelines, and address any issues behind the scenes.

Planning your own wedding often comes with stress and unexpected challenges. Working with a planner allows you to truly savor the journey and focus on creating memories.

We ensure comprehensive coverage of your wedding days to manage every aspect of your event. A Senior Planner will be present plus additional planners depending on the number of guests and complexity of the wedding. On your wedding day we take care of managing all of the vendors making sure you are not stressed with any decisions. Our team members will handle it all: from logistics to setting up the floral décor and also keep you informed of progress.

We are one of the few wedding planning agencies that provides an exhaustive wedding program to our couples prior to departing for your Italy wedding, along with detailed timeline. Prior to that you will receive regular updates and recaps and be kept up to date on a regular basis.

Our fee includes the planning of pre/post events for your wedding in Italy but there is an extra charge for the team’s on site presence to oversee additional events outside of the wedding day (which is included). This can vary depending on what is required, number of guests and logistics of the days.

If you do not have any last minute paperwork requirements to complete then you can arrive whenever you wish but with enough time to recuperate from travel and be completely rested.

If instead you have civil paperwork to be finalized, the timeline will vary with each citizenship and type of ceremony. For civil - US/Australians and some other nationalities you must be in Italy a minimum of 4 weekdays prior to the wedding day to complete final steps. For British/Irish for example 2 weekdays prior is generally sufficient.  We confirm these details during the planning process.

One of the primary reasons to hire an agency for your wedding in Italy is to assist with the paperwork process. This is a key task. Distinctive Italy has extensive experience managing Italy’s civil wedding paperwork documentation for citizens from all over the world. We walk you through the entire process and once in Italy accompany you to the necessary offices acting as translators. Civil ceremonies in Italy require a translator by law and this service is included in our fees.

Absolutely yes! You will receive an official wedding certificate that you will register with your local authorities.

Included in our planning fees is a second meeting with our team and key providers who will make your wedding in Italy unforgettable. This occurs once the planning phase is well under way.

Couples choose to work with an experienced planning agency to benefit from their in-depth knowledge of the industry’s top vendors.

A wedding involves many moving parts, and the key to a seamless event lies in the ability of the hired professionals to work together harmoniously. This is why we maintain an exclusive list of trusted vendors.

Our vendors operate as a cohesive team—they understand and consistently meet our high standards. Should they fail to deliver, they know they will not be rehired.

Furthermore, our ongoing partnerships enable us to negotiate competitive rates and go the extra mile for our clients. Every vendor we recommend is carefully vetted, ensuring they represent the very best the industry has to offer.

Our team will assist your guests with group rates and manage all of the logistics of the events. We have a concierge office that manages sourcing group hotel rates, airport transfers for guests arriving in groups and also all of the transfers for your wedding day if required.

The SIAE tax is a copyright tax due to musicians and artists for music that is less than 100 years old. SIAE stands for: Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori.  The royalties are collected and paid to the artists, musicians, publishers who have the copyright to the specific work of art (as in a song for example). The SIAE ensures that the musicians are paid for their music and the tax is due for each event where the music is played. So if you have multiple events with contemporary music it will be due for each one.

The cost depends on the type of event, number of guests and music services and is quoted specifically but generally starts at Euro 350 and goes up from there.  There is a specific registration process that is required and paperwork that needs to be completed and final document to be procured.

Non payment can result in your event being shut down, definitely not something you wish to happen!  Venues will require confirmation that the SIAE tax has been paid as they do not want to incur penalties or fines.

SIAE personnel regularly investigates events to check if the tax has been paid and if they do not have a copy of the bordereaux (a document that shows proof of registration and payment) they can and will stop the party.

Distinctive Italy handles the SIAE for you.

To confirm our services a contract is provided with non-refundable deposit. The deposit will vary depending on the size and type of event. Should you at any time decide to cancel your wedding, charges apply and these will increase the closer the cancellation is to the date of the wedding. The cancellation is effective immediately upon receipt of an email and must be in writing.

Distinctive Italy is not liable nor responsible for causes beyond the reasonable control, including but not limited to national or worldwide epidemics/pandemics, fire, weather, floods, embargoes, war, acts of war, insurrections, riots, civil commotions, strikes, lockouts or other labour disturbances, acts of God or acts, omissions or delays in acting by any governmental authority, fear of anything, etc.

Yes, we have civil officiants – Pastors and non-religious civil celebrants that can perform a civil wedding at your location of choice without having to go to a town hall. More and more locations are also obtaining permission to celebrate a civil ceremony on site. The ceremony can also be personalized with music, personal vows and readings.

Everything we do is bespoke, because no two couples are alike, and neither should their weddings be. We specialize in creating, designing, and planning celebrations that reflect your unique vision. Our events are typically exclusive, grand affairs that unfold over several days.

DIW operates by charging planning fees. In addition, vendors in the wedding industry provide commissions. Similar to other professional agencies—such as those in travel, design, or construction. DIW collaborates closely with trusted vendors to ensure that the cost to clients remains the same as direct bookings.

Additionally, planning your wedding with DIW offers significant savings, including up to 22% VAT exemption on many services for clients residing outside of Italy.

Distinctive Italy stands out as one of the few planning agencies equipped with a cutting-edge wedding content management system. This state-of-the-art platform incorporates unique features designed to streamline the planning process, catering to the needs of our busy couples.

Additionally, we ensure consistent and prompt communication via email, Skype, or Zoom throughout the entire planning stage, providing a personal touch whenever you prefer to connect directly.

Our agency specializes in managing entire events and does not offer "day-of" coordination services.

To ensure a seamless and well-executed event, we must be involved in every aspect of planning from the outset, allowing us to oversee vendors directly. "Day-of" coordinators often have limited authority over service providers, especially if they haven’t worked with or hired them beforehand.

One of the key factors behind our success is the cohesive teamwork we share with our trusted vendors, ensuring a flawless execution every time.