We want to have a low-stress destination wedding in Italy.  We are
looking for a few companies that provide services that match our
criteria.  The service should take care of all the standrad details
such as a civil ceremony, photos, accomadations, food and any required
legal procedures.  We want a location that could accomadate a party of
10 people and that could be rented out completely such as a villa or a
small hotel.  It has to be overlooking the sea or on the sea.

The difficult part is that we are both naturalized US Citizens.  Most,
but not all, of the towns in Italy require birth cirtificates that
have been translated into Italian and authenticated at the place of
birth.  This might be too time consuming. We would like to avoid this
by selecting a location where birth cirtificates are not required and
US passports are enough.

Ciao Benya13!

Whew! I delved into this question certain that I would not be able to
find one resource that satisfy all of your qualifications.  However...
http://www.slow-dreams.com/ appears to offer the 'entire package,' and
seem also somehow excluded of the stringent rules the rest of Italy
upholds pertaining to Americans getting married in their locale. 
Below you will find a breakdown of all requirements, followed by
excerpts on the Web site which covers that particular tenet--they
trully seem to cover it all:

1) In Italy:
"The Coast of Maratea and Cilento National Park is simply Italy's most
beautiful, and unspoiled coast - see 100's of our photos.  We call it
Italy's Last Hideaway -  a unique environment of beaches, mountains, 
3000 years of architecture and history, great Italian food & wine, 
and a way of life long disappeared from most of the country.  It's
sheer romance is perfect for your wedding in Italy."
(sourece: http://www.slow-dreams.com/default.asp)

2) Low-stress:
Excerpts from the Testimonials page exemplifying their stress-free services--
"When we arrived in Sapri, you and Lucia were there to meet us, escort
us to the rental agency, communicate  to eliminate any language
barriers, and had a folder complete with itineraries,  schedules, and
directions.   The day of our wedding blessing, you and Lucia were
there to guide and direct everything from the florist's arrival,
through the video and photo sessions, the ceremony, and the toast."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!  When Kevin and I first decided to
get married in another country, we knew we had a lot of obstacles to
overcome, mainly with family and friends.  I can't even begin to
express my gratitude to all of you for making this decision the best
decision I've ever made... (besides marrying Kevin of course! )  I was
concerned that juggling a full time career, a new home as well as
planning a wedding was going to be too much to handle-you all made it
so easy!  I hardly had to do anything."

"Slow Dreams perfectly orchestrated our wedding and helped to make
everything run smoothly. I don't know any Brides who could have had as
leisure a morning as I did....with a long walk on the beach holding
hands with my one and true love. Thank you so much for making plans
behind the scenes and handling all the potential "upsets" before I
even knew about them!! Things could not have gone smoother or been
more special."
(source: http://www.slow-dreams.com/testimonials.htm)

3)Civil ceremony:
"The Coast of Maratea and Cilento National Park is the ONLY region 
that allows you to have religious or civil weddings  in Italy   - 
where and how  you want,  without any minimum number of days stay. 
Choose venues & accommodations from beaches, ancient churches,
castles, palace, antique sail boats, villas, farms,  inns and hotels -
 from the luxurious to the budget."
(source: http://www.slow-dreams.com/default.asp) 
**Take note of the statement that Maratea is the only area which
allows for 'civil weddings' in ALL of Italy...this really narrows down
your choices to this region, huh?! :)

4) Photos:
"As for the photographer, we were extremely pleased with our photos.  
We loved the shots that were captured, the angles  chosen, the
scenery, the expressions  captured. We've received many compliments!
Thank you! Thank you! We absolutely love our photographs. Our families
thought the photographs looked just like we'd stepped out of a
magazine."
(source: http://www.slow-dreams.com/testimonials.htm)

5) Accomodations: 
Ohmigod!! Probably the most stunning thing I have ever seen!

 http://www.slow-dreams.com/Castle.htm  A castle (castello Rocca)
which has a private chapel on site (from the 13th c.!!), is ON the
SEA, accomodates FOURTEEN people, and takes care of every aspect of
your experience.  This is just one of MANY places you can choose to
stay.

6)  Food: 
Check out these photos and the menu at Rocca...
http://www.slow-dreams.com/castle%20weddings.htm

7) Not require that birth certificates be translated into Italian,
yadda yadda.. and all of the rest of the silly things most companies
are asking you to do to make you spend an extra Euro or two in their
town:

" Slow Dreams has arranged for last minute weddings for US Citizens. 
These weddings can be outdoor or indoor -  civil or protestant.  There
is no need to go through the Italian consulate in the US -  all you
need are your passports and divorce papers (if applicable)."
(source: http://www.slow-dreams.com/default.asp)
 I have contacted the company and asked to be sure of this, and they
have promised to get back with me within 24 hours.


For an especially amusing read regarding all of the benefits of
employing their company, scroll down on the opening page on the site
(www.slow-dreams.com), where you will find that all of the
requirements stipulated are clearly and effectively fulfilled by this
company.
My personal favorite excerpt from this section:

"Slow Dreams assigns to each wedding TWO local event managers,  who
both will meet you on your arrival.   Regardless of how long and how
detailed a wedding is planned,  everything has to come together
perfectly at the last minute. "Double Teaming" ensures that it does. 
We also supply a cell phone to the bride & groom during their stay so
they can stay in contact with us.   We even tell you how to open train
doors in Italy - we used to be astonished at the number of our guests
that missed their station because they could not figure out how to
open the doors -  some ending up 50 miles away or more in the middle
of the night."


Also check out:
http://www.slow-dreams.com/amalfi.htm, which provides a nice
comparison chart between their modus operandi and that of similar
companies providing similar services in Amalfi and other locales.

I hope that this information is precisely for what you are seeking. 
Should it in any way be less than spot-on, please do post a request
for additonal information, and I will be glad to pursue the required
information.

Otherwise, Good Luck!!!  I just got married in October, and, as
PERFECTLY magical it was, I still pined for a setting like this when
looking into this for you.  You guys will have a blast.  Always
remember--Caveat Emptor, especially when playing the part of
vulnerable, blushing bride (or groom?)...especially in another
country!

I am so excited for you!  Happy plannning, Benye13...as we say at
Italian weddings, "Per cent'anni!!"  "For a hundred years!"

Sincerely,
Google Answers

---

Request for Answer Clarification by benya13-ga on 14 Apr 2005 21:49 PDT

Thank you for your research.  We've been working with slow dreams and
they can not provide what we are looking for.  As they mention on
http://www.slow-dreams.com/ceremony-packages.htm#The_No_Hassle_2_hour_Wedding_in_Italy_Approval_-__US_Citizens_Only__-_?_2100
the "no-hassle" (i.e. no birth certificate requiremnt) is only
available if we stay at either Villa Sirio or Palazzo Belmonte both of
which are too large to rent out completely for 10 people.  That's one
of our requirements.

You are on exactly the right track though and hopefully you can come
up with another resource.  If it helps any, according to
http://www.lovetripper.com/article/wedding-regulations/italy.html
weddings around Florence usually do not require a birth cirtificate. 
Let me know if you need any further clarifications.

---

Clarification of Answer by aliciadenney-ga on 15 Apr 2005 06:30 PDT

Oh, boy...he directed me to this Site:
http://www.usmarriagelaws.com/search/europe/italy/

The issues that you are trying avoid are actual laws in Italy, and it
will be over their dead bodies that they make exceptions for
Americans.

Have you actually found a place around Florence that doesn't require a
bc?  If so, please give me their name, and I will call and try and
hound out some leads.  I speak Italian--I have no problem doing this.

Silly, silly laws.

I want to make sure that you understand that you can have everything
pre-done so that they only thing you have to do is show up to the
official's office with your coordinator on one morning prior to the
wedding to get it approved.  Many of the coordinators that I have
found also provide translation services, so you won't even have to
deal with that.

Here is another site that attempts to reassure you:
http://www.venice-weddings.com/marriage_requirements/italy_paperwork_us_citizens.htm

Oh, I don't know what to do for you!!! :(

The answer provided by aliciadenney-ga did not answer the question as
posted.  The answer given did not meet all of the stated requirements.
 See clarification for more details.

The Nulla Osta hoop is one thing you cannot circumvent...I just talked
a friend who works at the Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago...will
it be okay to procure that--even translated into Italian?

I think we can do this!