Unfortunately in Italy there are only two types of legally recognized weddings-Catholic weddings and civil ceremonies. Protestants and non-Catholics of any type need not despair as it is still a pleasure to marry in Italy having a religious ceremony.

This just means that you get the pleasure of marrying twice! First at the civil hall (the ceremony only takes about 20 minutes) and then later the same day or another day in a religious ceremony, whether in a church or in a garden, at the seaside or anywhere else you may choose to have the ceremony.

Although not abundant, there are still a number of Protestant churches in Italy. Rome has, for example, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Evangelical, Lutheran and Espiscopal churches.

 

Many of the Protestant ministers are flexible and will perform the ceremony wherever you would like. Since the ceremony is largely symbolic, there are few requirements and vary from one minister to the next. The minister will provide verification that you can take to your home church to demonstrate that in addition to being legally married (the civil ceremony) that your union was recognized within the Protestant church.

I planned a wedding last year for a divorced couple from California who came with 35 guests and combined 8 children. They wanted a Protestant ceremony in a beautiful garden in Rome. She was an Episcopal, he a Mennonite and the minister a Methodist.

We decided that they would steal away in the morning to have a civil ceremony with only their parents as witnesses and guests. In the evening we set up "pews" in the upper tier of the garden at the Hotel de Russie in Rome. There they celebrated their wedding mass with none of their other 35 guests aware that they were "secretly" married that morning. They loved it! They originally thought it would be annoying or anti-climactic to have a civil ceremony in addition to the religious but instead, it was an added pleasure and moment for celebration. In the words of the groom, the civil ceremony was distinctly Italian in nature and added texture to their wedding experience.

Some opt to be married in a civil ceremony in their home countries and have a religious ceremony here in Italy. The choice is yours.

By Brenda Babcock

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