When you start looking for a wedding venue in Italy, you quickly end up with the same names. Lake Como, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast – stunning, no question. But that’s exactly the problem: these venues are so in demand that the rental alone eats up a huge part of your budget before a single flower is in place.
Today we’re showing you a real hidden gem. A historic villa on the Italian Riviera, just under an hour from Monaco and the Côte d’Azur – with a grand staircase, palm garden and sea view. And with a rental fee that will make you look twice. This is where we, as wedding planners, created our luxury destination wedding “Mavi(e) Drapes”: three days, 135 guests, 54 suppliers and a concept that was completely custom-made.
In this article we break everything down for you: the venue, the budget, the logistics, the design and the comparison with the Côte d’Azur, Monaco and Lake Como. Let’s dive in!
Finding a wedding venue in Italy: Why a hidden gem is often the better choice
Real talk: most couples choose their wedding venue in Italy based on Instagram. And Instagram keeps showing you the same ten villas. They’re iconic, sure – but they’re also booked every weekend, have strict rules and often cost as much in rental as a whole wedding elsewhere.
A hidden gem works differently. You get a venue with just as much character, but without paying extra for the name. And the money you save on the venue goes where your guests actually see it: into design, lighting, florals, entertainment and a setting that has never existed before.
What to look for when searching for your wedding venue in Italy:
Character over name
Don’t ask “How famous is the venue?”, ask “What story does it tell?”. A villa with history, a garden with its own atmosphere, a view you’ll never forget – that’s what makes a wedding in Italy special. Not the name on the invitation.
Rental in relation to your total budget
This is the point almost everyone underestimates. If the venue already swallows 20 or 30 percent of your budget, there’s a lot less left for everything else. With a hidden gem, that ratio flips.
Freedom in wedding design
Many well-known venues in Italy have fixed supplier lists, decor rules and curfews. If you want to bring your own strong concept to life, you need a venue that allows it.
Logistics and travel
How do 100, 140 or 200 guests get there? Where do they sleep? And how does your setting even get on site? On the Riviera in particular, this is a real topic – more on that in a moment.
Villa Ormond in Sanremo: A hidden gem on the Italian Riviera
Villa Ormond sits right in the heart of Sanremo, on the Riviera dei Fiori – Liguria’s Riviera of Flowers. It was built in 1889 for the Swiss Michel Louis Ormond and his wife, the French poet Marie Marguerite Renet. The two had moved to the Riviera for health reasons and, together with Swiss architect Émile Reverdin, built a villa that still has its Belle Époque charm today.
Since 1930 the villa has belonged to the city of Sanremo. And that’s exactly why it’s such an insider tip: it isn’t a commercial wedding venue that’s booked every weekend, but a historic villa with a public park that can be rented for special events.
What to expect:
- Setting: right in the centre of Sanremo, just minutes from the sea.
- Architecture: a Belle Époque villa with a large terrace, Renaissance-style loggias and a grand staircase made for making an entrance.
- Garden: an extensive park with a palm grove, Mediterranean plants and even a Japanese garden – a gift from the friendship with the Japanese city of Atami.
- Atmosphere: Riviera glamour, but without the crowds of Monaco or Saint-Tropez.
Is there a better spot for a reception under the palms? We don’t think so. For a luxury wedding in Italy that shouldn’t look like a hotel, Villa Ormond is a venue with huge potential.
The Italian Riviera instead of the Côte d’Azur: A luxury wedding at a fair price
Now it gets exciting. Sanremo is around 45 minutes from Monaco, and Nice airport is about an hour’s drive away. So you get the same light, the same sea, the same Riviera aesthetic as on the Côte d’Azur – just on the Italian side of the border.
And that small difference has a big effect on your budget.
A wedding on the Côte d’Azur and in Monaco: What does it cost?
If you want to get married on the Côte d’Azur or in Monaco, you’re playing in a league of your own. In our experience, a wedding at this level isn’t possible there for under €500,000. The venues are extremely sought after, the rental fees are high accordingly, and hotels, catering and suppliers all come with Monaco prices.
A wedding on the Italian Riviera: Same aesthetic, different budget
The rental for Villa Ormond was €3,000. Not a typo. That means almost the entire budget could go into what really makes a luxury wedding – design, lighting, furniture, florals, entertainment, the guest experience.
For American couples, the Riviera is especially interesting: Nice has excellent international connections, many guests combine the wedding with a few days in Monaco or Cannes – and you still celebrate in Italy, with Italian food, the Italian way of life and Italian prices.
Dreaming of a wedding on the Côte d’Azur, but want your budget to go into the design? Let’s talk about the Riviera ↗
Lake Como or the Riviera? The honest comparison
Lake Como is and remains one of the most beautiful places for a wedding in Italy – we love it, and we plan weddings there ourselves. But a Lake Como wedding and a Riviera wedding are two completely different experiences.
Lake Como Wedding
Historic villas right on the water, arrival by boat, mountain views. On the flip side: the well-known venues are booked one to two years in advance, rental fees quickly reach five figures, and boats, guest limits and curfews turn planning into a real puzzle. You’ll find all the venues around the lake in our guide to wedding venues on Lake Como.
Riviera Wedding
Sea instead of lake, palms instead of mountains, Belle Époque instead of Renaissance villa. More Riviera glamour, more Côte d’Azur feeling, much more room in your budget – and venues that not everyone knows yet.
Our verdict: if you’re after the classic Italy postcard, Lake Como is your place. If you want to bring your own strong design to life and need a stage that doesn’t dictate everything, you’ll find your spot on the Riviera.
Destination Wedding in Sanremo: Our wedding weekend on the Riviera
A destination wedding in Italy is rarely just one day – and a luxury wedding certainly isn’t. Your guests travel, take time off, book flights – so make the most of it. Our wedding in Sanremo ran over three almost full days, at two venues, with three completely different settings. And every night everything was taken down and rebuilt the next morning, without the guests noticing a thing.
Day 1: Pizza party at the couple’s villa
Arrive, breathe, come together. The kick-off took place at the couple’s private villa – with pizza fresh from the oven, a long summer evening and all the people who would be there the next day. No stiff welcome dinner, but Italy the way you imagine it.
Day 2: Ceremony in the garden and reception at Villa Ormond
The ceremony took place in the private garden of the couple’s villa: velvet stools in deep blue, clouds of hydrangeas and heavy drapes silhouetted against the sky above Sanremo – with a view all the way to the sea.
In the evening came the grand entrance at Villa Ormond. The staircase, the terrace and the garden turned into one single blue scene: a curved table for 135 guests, lamps in the trees, hydrangeas on every step. Honestly: that was one of those moments we do this job for.
Day 3: Pool party to wind down
One last day under the Italian sun: blue-and-white pool floats, towels in toile de Jouy and an arch that picks up the concept one more time. Light, summery – and just as well thought-out as the night before.
Planning a wedding weekend in Italy and want every day to have its own setting? Request a free consultation ↗
Mavi(e) Drapes: The wedding design in blue
Mavi is the Turkish word for blue. “Ma vie” means “my life” in French. Our concept sits right in between: a wedding conceived uncompromisingly in a single colour – blue not as decoration, but as a space you move through.
“Blue not as decoration, but as a space you move through.”Mavi(e) Drapes · Kaipo Weddings
The appeal was in the contrast. Vintage elements like velvet lamps and toile de Jouy met clean, modern chairs and a minimal table setting. Plus around 800 metres of fabric in flowing drapes. From the first envelope to the last dessert plate, the same signature runs through everything: stationery in toile de Jouy, blue-and-white porcelain, fringed velvet lamps and a seating plan that flows across the wall as a length of fabric.
Custom wedding design: Everything custom-made, from the lamps to the DJ booth
Now comes the part we’re honestly most proud of. For this concept, there was simply no suitable furniture on the Italian rental market. Any off-the-shelf solution would have meant changing the idea piece by piece. And that wasn’t an option for us.
So we took the more demanding route: almost everything was custom-made – in Türkiye.
- More than 60 velvet table lamps, made especially for this concept.
- Around 800 metres of fabric for all the draping – from the altar island to the reception.
- The curved table for 135 guests, built just for this wedding.
- Sofa sets and lounge furniture in the concept’s colour palette.
- Bar elements and the DJ booth – matching the design, not out of a catalogue.
- The complete stationery, from the envelope to the seating plan.
Why all the effort? Because that’s exactly what makes the difference between a beautiful wedding and a wedding nobody has ever seen before. If you save budget on the venue, you can afford to invest in details like these – and that’s the whole idea behind a hidden gem.
Want a wedding design that exists only once? Tell us about your idea ↗
Entertainment at a luxury wedding in Italy
A design can be as strong as it likes – if the party doesn’t take off, all you’re left with is a pretty photo. For a three-day wedding, plan entertainment not as a single programme item, but as a dramaturgy.
The spotlight moment
A single beam of light, the couple in the middle, all the guests around them – moments like this only work when light, music and timing are perfectly in sync.
Performers as a surprise
Performers wearing disco-ball helmets opened the party on the dance floor. It’s surprises like these that stay with your guests longer than any speech.
The DJ at the heart of it all
At the custom-made DJ booth, the party went on until late into the night. Our tip: plan a seamless transition from dinner to party, instead of switching the lights on hard after dessert.
Logistics of a destination wedding in Italy: Why this was next level
What looks effortless was one of the most logistically demanding projects we’ve ever done. And that’s exactly why we’re telling you about it in so much detail.
40-tonne truck, sea freight and customs
A 40-tonne truck brought the entire load from Türkiye to Italy by sea – including customs declaration and clearance. That alone takes lead time, paperwork and partners who know what they’re doing.
Five vans instead of an articulated lorry
In Sanremo itself, the streets are narrow. Far too narrow for an articulated lorry. So up at the motorway, everything was reloaded into five small vans and brought to the venues piece by piece. Deliveries on the Riviera are always a challenge – and even small delays can throw the entire set-up off balance.
Two venues, three settings
Every day was set up and taken down again so that the next scene could be ready the following morning. 54 suppliers, 135 guests, three events – that only works with a wedding planner who has every step under control. As a wedding planner for destination weddings in Italy, that’s exactly our job: making sure you don’t notice any of it.
How much does a wedding in Italy cost? Budget & reality check
Now it gets concrete. The good news first: a wedding venue in Italy doesn’t have to eat up half your budget. Villa Ormond cost €3,000 in rental. The rest of the budget went into what your guests see, feel and experience.
For a wedding in this style – with its own concept, a custom-made setting and a luxury standard – we recommend:
Reality check: Our wedding in Sanremo
To give you a feel for it: the wedding you see in the photos had a budget of around €300,000, 135 guests and three almost full days – including the pizza party, ceremony, reception at Villa Ormond and pool party.
The prices above are starting prices. And of course there’s no upper limit. How much you need in the end depends on your guest count, your date and above all your priorities: do you want to invest in design, in entertainment, in a three-day wedding weekend?
That’s exactly what we clarify in the free consultation. There, we create a budget plan together with you that is tailored specifically to your expectations and priorities.
Want to know what your budget can achieve on the Italian Riviera? Get your budget plan in a consultation ↗
Wedding in Italy for international couples: What you need to know
Our couples come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Türkiye – and more and more often from the US. For American couples, a wedding in Italy is often the ultimate dream. And for a destination wedding, the Riviera is a real sweet spot: fly into Nice, a one-hour transfer, and you’re in Italy – with the Côte d’Azur right next door for a few extra days.
Civil or symbolic ceremony?
Most of our couples have their civil ceremony at home and celebrate a symbolic ceremony in Italy. It’s more relaxed, more flexible and you can design the ceremony exactly the way you want – in your own garden, on a terrace, under the palms. A civil ceremony in Italy is possible, but it takes lead time and paperwork. If you want to know how it works in practice, read our article on getting married in Italy as a Turkish citizen.
The best time for a wedding on the Italian Riviera
May, June and September are ideal: warm but not too hot, and the light is a dream. July and August work too – our wedding in Sanremo was in July – but then you should factor in heat, holiday traffic and hotel prices.
Accommodation for your guests
Sanremo has hotels in different price ranges, plus private villas for the couple and family. Important: short distances and shuttles planned from the very start. On the Riviera, with its narrow streets, that’s not a bonus – it’s a must.
Wedding venues in Italy: Other regions at a glance
The Riviera is our insider tip – but of course it’s not the only option. Depending on the vibe you’re after, another region might suit you better:
- Tuscany: vineyards, cypresses, villas and wine estates – the classic for a wedding in Italy. All the spots are in our guide to wedding venues in Tuscany.
- Lake Como: historic villas right on the water and arrival by boat. More in our wedding venues on Lake Como.
- Puglia: masserias, olive groves and white villages – perfect for big celebrations. Here’s our guide to wedding venues in Puglia.
- Italian Riviera: Belle Époque, palms and sea, close to Monaco and the Côte d’Azur – with much more room in your budget.
Typical mistakes when choosing your wedding venue in Italy
Booking by name instead of concept
A famous venue doesn’t make a special wedding. First think about what story you want to tell – then look for the venue that fits.
Not putting the rental into perspective
If the venue already eats up a large part of your budget, things get tight on the design side. Always calculate from your total budget.
Underestimating logistics
Narrow streets, delivery times, set-up and take-down, guest transfers – on the Riviera especially, all of this has to be planned in advance. Underestimate it and you’ll have a real problem on your wedding day.
Going without a wedding planner on site
A foreign language, unfamiliar suppliers, unfamiliar rules. A destination wedding in Italy without an experienced wedding planner is possible – but it costs you nerves, time and often more money in the end than you save.
FAQ: Wedding venue in Italy & weddings on the Riviera
How much does a wedding venue in Italy cost?
It depends heavily on the region and the venue. Well-known villas on Lake Como or in Tuscany quickly reach five figures in rental alone. Hidden gems like Villa Ormond in Sanremo start at around €3,000 rental.
How much does a luxury wedding in Italy cost?
For a wedding with its own concept and a custom-made setting, we recommend a budget from €150,000 for a one-day wedding and from €200,000 for a multi-day wedding. Our wedding in Sanremo with 135 guests over three days came to around €300,000.
Is the Italian Riviera an alternative to the Côte d’Azur?
Yes. Sanremo is around 45 minutes from Monaco and about an hour from Nice airport. You get Riviera flair and the sea, but at a fraction of the cost: in our experience, a wedding of a comparable standard on the Côte d’Azur or in Monaco isn’t possible for under €500,000.
Can you get married at Villa Ormond in Sanremo?
Villa Ormond belongs to the city of Sanremo and can be rented for special events. We hosted the reception of a wedding with 135 guests there; the ceremony took place in the private garden of the couple’s villa.
How can you get married on the Côte d’Azur or in Monaco without blowing your budget?
By moving to the Italian side of the Riviera. You celebrate in Sanremo, your guests fly into Nice and can combine the wedding with a few days in Monaco or Cannes.
Which wedding planner plans luxury weddings on the Italian Riviera?
Kaipo Weddings is a wedding planning agency specialising in luxury destination weddings in Italy, Türkiye and Greece. Founder Büsra Deniz-Sicak planned a wedding in Sanremo with 135 guests, 54 suppliers and a completely custom-made wedding design – including furniture production in Türkiye and transport to Italy.
Conclusion – Is a hidden gem the right wedding venue in Italy for you?
If you want a destination wedding in Italy that doesn’t look like everyone else’s – then yes. A hidden gem like Villa Ormond gives you a stage with history and Riviera glamour, without the venue swallowing a large part of your budget. And that budget is what makes the difference: in the design, in the entertainment, in the experience for your guests.
If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a well-known venue with an all-in package, you’re probably better off on Lake Como or in a luxury hotel. Both are beautiful. It just depends on what story you want to tell.
Want more? You’ll find the full story of this wedding, with all the details and the film, on our page Mavi(e) Drapes.
Free consultation with Kaipo Weddings
Planning a wedding in Italy can feel overwhelming. Maybe you already have a rough idea, or you’re not sure where to start? You’re wondering what your budget can achieve and how to turn your ideas into reality?
That’s exactly why we offer a free consultation. Together we’ll find out whether and how we can support you with your planning. We’ll show you what your wedding in Italy could look like, create an individual budget plan and give you a roadmap for your wedding planning.
Simply apply via this link for your free, no-obligation consultation – we can’t wait to get to know you and your story.
See you soon!
If you can imagine getting married at other venues in Türkiye, be sure to check out this blog article on the 22 top wedding venues in Bodrum, Izmir and beyond on!
Looking for more inspiration? Take a look at our past weddings on!
