L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS chilled Spritz, right? Alas, the paper trail marathon is not quite over. The above d o c u m e n t s i n h a n d , i t ' s now time to head to the U f f i c i o M a t r i m o n i within the town nearest your wedding destination. H e r e , y o u ' l l c h e e r f u l l y d e c l a r e y o u r D i c h i a r a z i o n e d i M a t r i m o n i o – y o u r intention to marry. If your Italian is not up to par, be sure to have a hired trans- lator with you. No matter how meticulous the docu- ments have been rendered, t h e u f f i c i a l e d i s t a t o civile (civil registrar) isn't r e s p o n s i b l e f o r m a k i n g sure you understand the plethora of nuances. Once the official stamp slams ink to paper, the wedding is on! The wedding and the marriage are two different entities, however. There is yet one more document to s i g n - s e a l - d e l i v e r b e f o r e your marriage is consid- ered valid back home in t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . A C e r t i f i c a t o d i Matrimonio will verify the dream became reality a n d i s o b t a i n e d a t t h e beginning of the ceremony. Both civil and religious ceremonies are possible f o r a n I t a l i a n w e d d i n g . S l i g h t v a r i a n c e s a p p l y , however, for a couple seek- i n g a c h u r c h s a n c t i f i e d wedding. If not performed b y a R o m a n C a t h o l i c priest, the marriage won't be recognized unless a civil ceremony is first carried o u t , g u a r a n t e e i n g t h e legality of the marriage. One more hoop…jump! "Evviva gli sposi!" ~ Hurray for the newly- weds! There is much to be nav- igated if planning a wed- ding in Italy; therefore, many choose to hire a local planner to assist with the p r o c e s s . F o r t h e p a p e r - w o r k w o r r i e s a l o n e , t h e cost is probably worth it. An Italian planner can also assist with incorporating some of the fun traditions t h a t g o a l o n g w i t h a n Italian wedding. For exam- p l e , w h y n o t b o o s t t h e wedding budget with the tradition of the bride wear- ing a small satin bag for collecting monetary gifts in e x c h a n g e f o r a d a n c e ! Often, the groom's tie is c u t a n d s m a l l p i e c e s "sold," as well. No worries if the skies darken on your wedding day. A rainy-day wedding is seen as good luck – a showering of prosperity from above! For increased good fortune, tradition has the bride wear green on t h e e v e b e f o r e h e r w e d - ding. And of course, the g r o o m m u s t p a y f o r t h e bride's bouquet and cere- moniously have it deliv- ered to her on the wedding d a y , h i s l a s t g i f t t o h e r before marriage. Another "sweet" tradi- tion is offering guests a small wrapped gift, bom- boniere, filled with con- f e t t i – s u g a r c o a t e d a l m o n d s . T h e a l m o n d s symbolize the bitter times of life, while the coating r e p r e s e n t s w i s h e s f o r sweet times to overcome. They must, however, be only given in odd amounts! Three are said to represent t h e c o u p l e a n d a c h i l d , while five convey wishes for wealth, health, fertility, happiness, and long lives. Some traditions, such as the bride snipping a part of her veil for good luck or perhaps the groom pocket- ing a small piece of iron to ward off nasty spirits, are observed less frequently by young couples. Other time- honored traditions live on v i g o r o u s l y , h o w e v e r . Exuberant dancing of the ages-old Tarantella is still a part of many Italian wed- ding receptions through- out the country today. Despite the extra effort to make an Italian wedding reality, it most certainly vale la pena – it is worth it – to make that dream come true. Salute! Continued from page 4 Just married in Venice… (Photo: Hreniuc/Dreamstime) In 2015 , the Italian wedding tourism industry reported 380 million euro in revenue that rose to 540 million in 2019. Maybe money really can buy happiness, at least when we're talking about weddings … and in front of the Colosseum (Photo: IVASHstudio/Shutterstock)

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