As a keepsake from us, we give each couple a symbolic wedding certificate written in Italian by our calligrapher on Florentine parchment paper, stored in a decorated folder. This is signed by all during the ceremony to give it an ‘official’ tone and to remember their wedding in Italy forever…”
Bonnie & Luca, Wedding Celebrants Italy
Bonnie and Luca, founders of Wedding Celebrants Italy, are based in Florence, Italy. Bonnie oversees the business, writes the ceremonial scripts, and officiates the weddings, while Luca conducts ceremonies in what he affectionately refers to as ‘Pizza English.’ In this conversation, we discuss the unique features of Italian wedding ceremonies, the exquisite wedding venues throughout Italy, and the secrets to cultivating a long and happy marriage…
C&B: “Bonnie and Luca, you lead what most would consider a very enviable life in Italy. What initially inspired you to become wedding celebrants, and what motivated you to choose Italy as your base?”
B&L: “Bonnie was a destination wedding planner for almost 15 years on events all around Italy, and Luca was often an essential ‘helping hand’ – for example, he kept the Italian vendors in check and – bonus – he’s known to set up beautiful tables! When Bonnie closed her wedding planning business they wanted to somehow stay in the wedding industry working together, so they decided to make officiating their primary business…”
C&B: “You chose a beautiful country with romantic culture and traditions – how do you incorporate them into your wedding ceremonies?”
B&L: “It’s funny, but symbolic ceremonies really have nothing to do with Italian culture and traditions. In Italy weddings are held either in the church – all about God – or in the town hall – all about family law. So, the most significant ‘Italian’ element we offer is Luca, who is 100% Italian. Then we like to add words or sayings in Italian to our script to liven it up, and we suggest a couple of rituals that give a little Italian twist to the ceremony, such as the wine box blessing. We perform many bilingual ceremonies in English and Italian, too, for couples coming from Italian heritage or mixed couples where one is Italian and the other is not…”
We love the wine box blessing; it’s a symbol of the Italian way of involving food and wine in every aspect of life; it gives the couple a nice way to avoid saying their vows out loud if they are too shy or emotional, and it establishes an anniversary tradition they can repeat every year. Our second favourite is the salt ceremony, representing ancient traditions from Italy and the middle east, cited in the bible, and involving the entire audience…”
Bonnie & Luca, Wedding Celebrants Italy
C&B: “Talking of personalising the ceremony, what is the most frequent concern of the couples you marry?”
B&L: “The comment we receive the most from couples is, “we have no idea where to start”. Therefore, we walk them through each single detail of the ceremony, from start to finish, so that it is tailored for their vision. We begin by building the script, but the real work comes when they need to decide on how many guests they’ll invite, who will be in the processional, where everyone will be seated, who is to hold the bouquet, all the choreography involved with walking in to the venue and then walking back out. There are so many moving parts! And we are so proud to be there for them all the way. As a keepsake from us, we give each couple a symbolic wedding certificate written in Italian by our calligrapher on Florentine parchment paper, stored in a decorated folder. This is signed by all during the ceremony to give it an ‘official’ tone and to remember their wedding in Italy forever…”
C&B: “That is such a lovely gesture! What do you believe is the most important advice you can give to couples who may be thinking of staging their destination wedding in Italy?”
B&L: “Hire a planner and trust them! You need someone on the ground here in Italy to recommend reliable suppliers (hire locals!), to liaise with the venue (and avoid surprises), and to orchestrate your event on the big day. Planners also know the seasonal weather – listen to them!”
C&B: “In your experience, what is the most popular location in Italy for weddings?”
B&L: “Fortunately, right here where we live! Tuscany is a very large region and one where the scenery and architecture is practically untouched. It is also the area most populated with wedding venues, but you never see two brides crossing paths – for Italians that would jinx the marriage!”
Our Ceremony Guide contains a questionnaire we ask couples to answer and send back to us separately, then Bonnie develops their love story from scratch in the mood they want for their ceremony and wedding day, i.e. traditional, playful, serious, romantic, or quirky, etc. The guide also gives them step by step ideas for the stages of a wedding ceremony where there are links to our online library with examples of past weddings we have written and performed, possible readings, rituals, all to inspire them for their own ceremony. We are also developing a Youtube playlist with songs couples choose, to inspire others…”
Bonnie & Luca, Wedding Celebrants Italy
C&B: “As you are a happy couple yourselves, what have you learned about love and relationships through your work as celebrants?”
B&L: “Wow, we did not expect this question!
A few thoughts on this: first of all, we notice that couples love that we are a married couple ourselves, together for 27 years. It sets the example for them but they also see our interactions during zoom calls, how we complement each other in our roles. We believe it is reassuring for them not only because they are hiring qualified professionals but because we represent the very milestone they are aspiring to reach by getting married. Secondly, we are totally humbled when we receive the questionnaire answers. It is so touching how almost all of our couples go into detail and really, truly express their feelings about their person. It makes you believe in love, everlasting. Luca always tells couples that he regrets we only had a town hall ceremony because we didn’t get to exchange these personal vows; will have to do a vow renewal! Hopefully, in Hawaii!”
C&B: “In what is such an important and emotional aspect of the couple’s marriage, and their life as a whole, what would you say is your most favourite part of officiating a wedding?”
B&L: Luca: “I love how engaging our ceremonies are and how both the couple and their guests relate to the words that are said. Also, I love when grooms cry, which is very common during the vow exchange.” Bonnie: “As the scriptwriter, I love retelling the couple’s story and watching how they look at each other, remembering those moments. It almost makes me cry myself!”
CONTACT: http://www.weddingcelebrantsitaly.com
