WHAT TO CHOOSE?
When you decide you want to get married in Tuscany, the next question usually is do you prefer a city or countryside wedding?
The Tuscan region offers many gorgeous medieval cities, from its gem Florence to less known but still very charming Lucca, Pisa, Arezzo, or San Gimignano to name a few.
Where should you get married? Well, it depends on your personality and your concept of the ideal wedding day. In this blog post, I will tell you the pros and cons of both the city and the countryside.
ITALIAN WEDDING IN A CITY CENTER
PROS OF A CITY CENTER WEDDING
– You and your guests will be in the middle of everything. Shopping streets, restaurants, art, everything is within reach in the small and charming touristic centers.
– You don’t have to plan many activities for your guests, they will always find something to entertain themselves at a walking distance.
– Beautiful churches for your wedding ceremony. Those in the city centres are usually decorated in detail cradles of Renaissance. You can find one for any taste. For example, the famous Ognissanti church in Florence, second only to the famous Duomo, has Boticelli and Ghirlandaio frescoes.
– If you don’t want to get married in a church, the City Halls in Italian cities are usually beautiful too. In Florence, the famous “Sala Rossa”, red hall, is very sumptuous, besides being located in Palazzo Vecchio – where Caterina Medici used to live.
– The airport is usually half an hour away from the city center. Not having to travel further can make a difference after an intercontinental flight.
CONS OF A CITY CENTER WEDDING
– The city centers are small, it might take time to find parking, especially if you are having a big wedding ceremony. Not all hotels have their own parking or garage.
– Limited traffic areas. Most historical city centers are ZTL – limited traffic areas in Italian. Moving between the ceremony and the reception venues can get tricky if you have many guests who rented cars. If you are not staying in one of the hotels in the city center, you can’t enter the city or you will get fined. You must ask your hotel to send you an entry permit beforehand. Everything can be solved though, we can arrange transportation for you and your guests, so you don’t have to think about it. If you are doing a symbolic wedding at the venue, you don’t have to move between locations and the limited traffic areas won’t affect you or your guests much.
– Italian city centers are gorgeous! However, you will need a guide to conquer Italy’s cobblestones. This applies especially to ladies who love high heels. Usually, after a few days in any Italian city, everybody turns to flats. Too much beauty to see and too many cobblestones!
– Your wedding venue will probably be a hotel. Very few hotels in city centers have gardens though. Since many of them are in a historical palazzo, rooms are smaller than the same category rooms in American hotels.
– Keep in mind that for your wedding photos, you will have to wake up at sunrise, to avoid crowds of tourists. And still, be prepared that other people might end up on your wedding photos, the main touristic spots are always quite busy. However, professional photographers know all the tricks to make your wedding photos truly special and memorable!
If you are in love with Florence city center, there are many spectacular options. Some of them are 10-15 minutes away, but they do offer shuttles to take you back and forth. Consider these options too. You can easily reach all the comforts of the city center, like nightclubs, bars, or restaurants but you can also enjoy amazing gardens, swimming pools, and a magnificent city view.
Check these amazing venues that are only 15 minutes away from the city center:
ITALIAN COUNTRYSIDE WEDDINGS
PROS OF A COUNTRYSIDE WEDDING
– You are in contact with the Tuscan nature. The famous rolling hills with their fairy tale light, characteristic vineyards, olive trees, and cute animals are within reach. Everything that comes to mind when you say Tuscany is usually in the countryside with its timeless beauty. And it will show on your wedding photos.
– You can rent the whole place for yourself from 3 days to a week or so and feel like part of an Italian family. If you are interested, they might involve you in some of their activities, like cooking classes, olive oil making, horse riding and so much more. You will feel home away from home.
– Villas and castles are usually located in the countryside. Your venue here is limited only by your imagination. From an agriturismo, a guesthouse near a farm, if you want a more rustic wedding, to a luxurious medieval castle, gorgeous villa or little Tuscan Medieval Town. Tuscany countryside has it all.
– As a break from your usual city life, the countryside is a piece for the senses. Swimming pools, amazing views, and silence will make your wedding a great experience for both you and your guests.
Have you seen “Under the Tuscan Sun” or Letters of Juliet? Well… That’s how the Tuscan countryside looks like!
CONS OF A COUNTRYSIDE WEDDING
– Art and nightlife are sometimes far away. There is no Uber in Italy and there aren’t taxis in the countryside. If you want to move a lot from there, you will have to rent a car or a shuttle. Also, it might be a long ride from the airport.
– The Italian countryside has its rules. Lunch is served from 1 to 3 pm, if you want to eat after that time, you will have to wait for dinner. On Sunday everything in the nearest village will probably be closed. And locals might not speak English that well.
– You will have to think about your guests’ activities in advance. There are lots of things they can do in the countryside, from a gelato tour to cooking classes or a romantic carriage tour.
For the countryside weddings, you can have many gorgeous locations that will surprise you and make your Italian wedding unique, whether it is an elopement or a big event with hundreds of guests. Movie locations, gorgeous nature, vivid colors can be very inspiring and relaxing and give you an authentic Tuscan experience.
Check these gorgeous wedding ceremonies for some authentic Tuscan countryside inspiration:
When you close your eyes and envision yourself on your wedding day, where do you picture yourself? In a luxurious venue in an art city or in a relaxing countryside immersed in nature? Only you will know the answer.
City or countryside Italian wedding? Leave your thoughts in the comments.