Trust your wedding planner when selecting your photographer...

Barbara Perotti Casagrande

I have learnt a lot from our Photographers and I have the deepest respect my wedding  photographers, however when we recommend a photographer it is because they are able to produce the images we think will best reflect the style of the bride and groom.

While the final product is the most important aspect in our decisions when we recommend photographers there are many other aspects that we take in to consideration. We select photographers who are professional, great to work with and understand what is expected of them.  We have worked with many different photographers over the years and have now weeded out the ones who don't fit in to our high expectations and have selected the ones we know produce amazing photographs, who connect with the couple and their guests and are professional but fun to work with.

Edoardo Agresti

Recently a photographer told me  that ''working with a wedding planner is amazing, they are like gold to be connected to. You know you are going to be working with a professional and in a great team.''

As bride and grooms trust their wedding planner 100%,when they receive a list of photographers or videographers they know they are getting the best of the crop. It is as simple as that. Our referral is a very strong referral, it is almost as strong as your best friend saying I used them and loved them they were great!

We always ask for a copy of the dvd of photos, so we can see the final results and make sure that the quality of photographs are perfect. That way we make sure the photographer delivers what they promise to deliver and what was expected of them.

We also only recommend photographers who we respect and return this respect, after all we work as a team and no one wants to work with people who are not team players. Our brides and grooms know when we recommend someone it is because they are the best in every aspect.

Neil Walker

When we recommend photographers we give our couples all the information so they can make a decision of the photographer who's work they like the best. They are advised to check out the photographers web site and blog, get  feel for them and if possible meet them. We understand when you are getting married in Italy the idea of finding a wedding photographer is overwhelming, which is why we have composed a list of the best photographers.  We work with photographers all over Italy, the UK, Ireland and the USA, selecting the right photographers to recommend for your wedding day inside your budget.

sim canetty-clarke

Once the photographer has been contracted we work very closely with them on the run up to the wedding day. As with all of our suppliers we send out a time line and arrange to meet in the weeks before the wedding to go over the game plan either in person or in that wonderful world of Skype. With photographers we talk about what the bride and groom have in their minds, if there is time to go to a location for a photo shoot before going to the venue for cocktails. We try and keep the photo shoot as short as possible after all it is the couples wedding day and they don't want to hang out with the photographer and the wedding planner, they want to be with their friends and family!

Carlo Carletti 

Occasionally we meet photographers that the clients have contracted independently, when it is someone who's work we admire and who's personality and professionalism is to our high standards, we make sure to keep in touch with them and are happy to recommend them to future bride and grooms. 

Occasionally we come across photographers who don't meet the standard, whose behaviour is not professional and can put a black cloud over the couples most important day. Those cowboys are the ones we make sure to never work with again. After all we don't work on commission or place mark ups on prices so for us we have only two invested interests in who the client engages as their wedding photographer.... Beautiful photos which show the couple and all our hard work in the best light possible and a happy respectful and professional working environment.

Alfonso Longobardi

Place your trust in your wedding planner and they will make sure you get the best service providers!

Elegant and Timeless Wedding Photography in Italy

You have chosen to get married in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Your wedding in Italy will be a unique, unforgettable, amazing experience. At The Italian Wedding Planner, we believe your wedding photographs should be as unique, unforgettable and as amazing as your wedding day and that is why we would like to showcase some of  Alfonso Longobardi work.

Alfonso and his team capture the beauty, the fun, the emotion and the tiny details of your day to create a natural, flattering, creative representation of your wedding in Italy. Their bespoke style blends reportage - capturing spontaneous moments in time - with elements of creative, fun photography, portraiture, fine art and fashion. They spend time getting to know you, your style, your personality and your wishes, to create a photography service that is unique to you.

 Alfonso Longobardi not only present themselves smartly on your wedding day and offer a non invasive photographic service on the day, but they also offer thoughtful and skilled editing. Alfonso fine tunes  his beautiful photographs of your nuptials in to breathtaking mementos of your wedding in Italy.

The above is a very small selection  of photographs, for more examples of Alfonso Longobardi's work please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/italianweddingphotographers_alfonsolongobardi/

or

http://www.alfonsolongobardi.com/# 

American legal requirements for citizens getting married in Italy

Photo by Alfonso Longobardi

Paperwork Required for US Citizens getting marry in Italy

DOCUMENTS and DECLARATIONS:

 Passport for a civilian.

 Birth certificate (Must be translated into Italian and "legalized" by the Secretary of State in the state in which they were issued).

 Permission to marry issued by the Commander from the military in case the bride or the groom is serving a Military Corp. (Must be translated into Italian and "legalized" by the Secretary of State in the state in which they were issued).

 If applicable, evidence of the termination of any previous marriage such as final divorce decree, annulment decree or death certificate. (Must be translated into Italian and "legalized" by the Secretary of State in the state in which they were issued)

 Atto Notorio. This is a declaration stating that according to US laws, there is no obstacle to the citizens’ marriage. This declaration is to be sworn to by two witnesses (a witness may be of any nationality, but must be over 18, with proper identification), before an Italian Consul outside of Italy, US citizens coming to Italy to get married are urged to obtain this declaration from an Italian Consul in the United States before leaving for Italy.

TO BE DONE IN THE UNITED STATES:

 The above documents must be translated into Italian. There is a company we use should you wish us to take care of translating your documents at the rate of 35 euro per page.

 Present all translated documents and originals to the Italian Consulate in the United States.

 Declaration sworn at the American consular office in Italy that there are no obstacles according to US law to getting married.

 If under 18, sworn Statement by parents or legal guardian consenting to the marriage.

 Translated documents must be legalized for use in Italy with an "APOSTILLE" stamp, in accordance with the Hague Convention on the legalization of foreign public documents. In the US, the "Apostille" stamp is placed by the Secretary of State in the State where the document was issued. Please note you should not require the apostille stamp to be translated as both the USA and Italy signed the "Convention de La Haye du 5 Octobre 1961", as is written on the apostille, however just to be safe we recommend you also have the apostille stamp translated.

 Under Italian law, all public documents, regardless of their origin, are considered to be VALID FOR ONLY 6 MONTHS from the date of issue. Make sure that all your documents to be submitted to Italian authorities have not been issued more than six months ahead of the wedding. This includes your certified copies of your birth certificate and PLEASE MAKE SURE IT IS THE LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE WITH BOTH YOUR PARENTS NAMES STATED.

TO BE DONE IN ITALY:

These two steps only take a few minutes and can be arranged for the same day in one of the 5 consulates throughout Italy. We would accompany you; however we are not allowed to enter the American consulate.

Please note you must have your passport stamped on arrival in Italy. If you changed your flight in Europe I shall accompany you to the Questura to obtain a declaration of presence.

 Declaration, sworn to by the US citizen at US Consulate stating that there is no legal impediment to his/her marriage. Your legal status must be such that you can legally marry another person under Italian and US Law. After obtaining the declaration (a nulla osta) from the Consulate, it must be taken to the Prefecture to be authenticated (legalized), as described below.

 Authentication (legalization) of the aforesaid declaration must be done by the Legalization office of the Prefettura. Usual office hours are from 10am to 1pm Monday through Saturday. The required legalization can be obtained at any Prefecture within the district of the consulate you visited. There is one in every provincial capital.

 A woman whose previous marriage was terminated within the last 300 days must obtain a waiver from the Procura della Republica (District Attorney), which is issued on presentation of a medical certificate that she is not pregnant.

 You must produce to the Registrar in the town you are to be married the following documentation: Full birth certificate, passports, if applicable your translated and original final divorce decree, annulment decree or death certificate, your witnesses passports and your translators passport, both of your atto nottorio’s and both of your nulla osta’s. Plus receipt of payment for the town hall.

 Make a sworn declaration before the Registrar, to the effect that none of the impediments stated in the following articles (85, 86, 87, 88, 89 of the Italian Civil Code, apply in the matter of the marriage of you and your fiancé . That you are free to marry not in violation of the following civil code:

1. No known mental illness of either party that may constitute an impediment to the marriage;

2. Neither Party is presently married;

3. The Parties are not blood relations in the first of second degree;

4. No conviction for murder or attempted murder on the spouse of the other contracting party;

5. Neither party to this marriage has lived with his or her divorced partner during the last 300 days.

You can finally get married!

For further information

US department of State

American consulate in Italy

List of Italian Consulates in America

Information on translation of documents

Guide to a weekend long extravaganza!

photo courtesy Thorsen Photography

Hosting your wedding in Italy allows you to offer your family and friends a fun filled mini holiday! Remember it's no longer just a wedding -- it's a weekend-long extravaganza. Here's a Friday to Sunday guide to keeping guests out of trouble.

Warming Up the Crowd

You have sent out the save-the-date cards, set up a web site, given your guests all of the information to make the trip to Italy as easy as possible for them. Your guests arrive and the party begins!

Cocktails on the Grand Canal in Venice

The Prewedding Party

On the Friday night, a welcome cocktails or a BBQ is a great way to break the ice and your guests to meet each other. If you can make this the Thursday night even better but if time does not allow for that then Friday is fine.

However if your guests are arriving on the Thursday then use the Friday for a intimate immediate family and wedding party members dinner party.

Playtime...

Photo by Alfonso Longobardi

Schedule some extra events... Vespa tours, cooking classes, wine tasting, golf days, spa days to name but a few of the possibilities! Send out the ideas to your guests in advance to get the numbers together for people who are interested in taking part. Usually guests are expected to pay for these outings themselves. Just be sure they know who is financing the escapades before you sign them up.

The big day

Offer your female guests the option of booking a hairdresser; again let them know the costs involved. Normally the person paying for the wedding covers the cost of the hairdresser for the bridesmaids and mothers of the bride and groom.

Photo by Milestone images

Put on transport not just to and from the ceremony to the reception but back to their hotels at the end of the nightif not all of your guests are staying at the venue. It is for this reason you want to try and keep your guests staying in the same hotel.

The post wedding brunch

Brunch on the beach

Every spectacular needs a grand finale, think fireworks and operas! The post wedding brunch is a perfect chance to go over all of the events of the day before, to spend time talking to the guests you did not have a chance to talk to on the big day, relax and before you know it you are saying  good bye as everyone heads home....