Our Wedding - Rome Wedding

This page is dedicated to our wedding and the choices we made which together made our day personal to us.
I have also included a section at the end with some honest points to consider when choosing Rome as your destination.

FLOWERS

Dordas Flowers

We had our bouquet and buttonhole made by Dordas Flowers. The shop is near the Pantheon so very central and the owner was very friendly and helpful.

I had no special requests as to what my bouquet should look like, I simply emailed a photo of my dress and let them do what they thought. I knew from looking at their beautiful website that they are very experienced and I wasn't disappointed. My bouquet was perfect and I don't think I could have picked it to be so perfect had I tried!

TIP:

Although not as many flowers stalls as there used to be, you can still buy flowers from the Saturday morning market in Campo di Fiori. After buying our bouquet and buttonhole from Dordas, we bought a matching bunch of roses from the markets to make up more buttonholes and a small posy for the bridesmaid. Cost 10 Euro.

ACCOMMODATION

Minerva Apartment

If you would prefer to stay somewhere spacious with plenty of room then an apartment is an ideal choice. Hotel rooms in Rome are generally on the small side and if you are wanting to invite family and friends or even the photographer to your accommodation, then an apartment is a better option. Our apartment was roughly 15% -25% more than a double room one of 2 nearby 4 star hotels ( Hotel Pantheon and Albergo del Sole al Pantheon) but we had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a beautiful living room with settees and a dining table. This really did make our wedding so much more special as not only was there a spare bedroom and bathroom to hang the dress and get ready, but the spacious and comfortable living room meant we were able to regularly invite our family members for drinks with us. This apartment had a wonderful feel to it too, with windows opening up onto the narrow street below you could hear the clinking of coffee cups and the occasional scooter wizz by, you really felt the buzz and feel of living in central Rome.

Recommended B&B's

Citys' House B&B

The location of this B&B is just a stones throw from the Pantheon - it couldn't be better. It also seemed to have been newly refurbished, having lovely wooden floors throughout and beautifully fitted and tiled bathrooms.

The owner kept it all spotlessly clean and the whole place smelled fragrant and fresh

Baldassini B&B

This B&B is also wonderfully located very near the Pantheon, within walking distance of all the main attractions of Rome. The B7

Francesco was such a wonderful host and so very helpful. His knowledge of Rome and his willingness to offer help and advice really came in useful from dining out, to catching buses.

WEDDING CAR

We didn't want to spend a huge amount on wedding cars so we simply hired a Mercedes E Class and driver per hour (40 Euro per hour) We used a company called Rome Shuttle Limousines and the car arrived clean and on time as promised. The only thing I would say is ask for an English speaking driver, as ours only spoke Italian and at times there was a bit of confusion about drop of points. Luckily Siobhan our photographer spoke a little Italian so she helped when she could. We did also use this company for our airport transfers and all but one (due to a spontaneous presidential visit and the roads being closed) turned up as booked. Also each of these drivers did speak English.

Your own wedding is a very special but personal affair, and it can be quite difficult to be honest about any negatives you experienced on your own wedding day. To try and help give an honest view of getting married in Rome here are some considerations and points which you may want to take into account.

We married in July so the weather was very hot, I am not very good in the sun and heat and this was my main worry to having a wedding at this time of year. I also wore a very heavy dress with lots of layers so this added to the hot weather issue. I can honestly say although a little sticky and shiny throughout the day, it wasn't at all as bad as I had imagined. I carried a hanky with me to dab my forehead when needed and a rather nice paper fan helped during the warm evening reception meal. Do try to have access to water though, as half way through the location photo shoot we had to stop off at one of the drinks stalls for refreshment - always an option of you don't want to carry anything with you. As July is also the one of the hottest months in Rome, you may choose a different time of year to get married.
Because it's Italy, things are done differently so be aware that plans can change at the last minute and without warning. Due to a spontaneous presidential visit at the time of our wedding the Colosseum and all surrounding roads were closed without notice. Had this coincided with our photo shoot then we wouldn't have had location photos here. We had originally planned to have some photos taken by Castel St Angelo but again when we arrived there was filming for an event and the whole bridge in front of the castle was full of scaffolding. Just be prepared for last minute changes and have alternative locations for your photo shoot just in case!
Although all of our airport transfer drivers spoke English, our wedding car chauffeur (which was booked through the same company) did not, and unfortunately I had never thought to ask. So it was quite difficult to communicate with the driver where and when I needed to be. Luckily Siobhan our photographer spoke enough Italian to help us out with this. But it is worth mentioning this when you make your booking.