For many of us, marriage is one of the most important moments of life, an important tile to place along our journey of existence and to share with the one person you love and your loved ones.

While in the past a “Yes. I do” was enough, today the street leading to the wedding is a little bit more complicated as regards the organizational aspect. With the increase of civil ceremonies, you have a wider choice and several declinations of it.

Castles, theatres, museums, historical municipal sites, beaches and much more: all these are some of the locations where the special “yes” can be said.

If you are head over heels in love and are willing to get married in the near future, then look at the suggestions we decided to give you about some original and exclusive places in Emilia-Romagna where you can promise undying love to your other half.

P.S. = the mentioned places are all recognised by the civil authorities and you can celebrate a really legal wedding, and not only a non-legal reproduction of the marriage.

Getting married in a theatre

If you are in search of an unusual place where to get married, a theatre could suit you; after all, the wedding day is a bit like performing a première in front of your public.

In Emilia-Romagna, there are a number of solutions: from the intimate Municipal Theatre of Ferrara to the one in Carpi, from the Teatro Regio in Parma to the renovated foyer of the Galli Theatre in Rimini. Ready to ring up the curtain?

Inside the walls of a Castle

Ladies and knights, times change and with them, also fashion, but dreams – real dreams, remain. I know, maybe it’s because of all those books and fairytales we read when we were children, but who wouldn’t want to celebrate the wedding inside the walls of a real CASTLE?

From Piacenza to Rimini, in Emilia Romagna, you have but to choose. You could, for instance, opt for one of the several Ducal Castles of Parma, Piacenza and Pontremoli, like Torrechiara or Castell’Arquato, or you can rely on the grandeur of Rocchetta Mattei in Grizzana Morandi, of the Malatesta fortress of Verucchio, of Castel Sismondo in Rimini, or you might decide for the fortresses of Montefiore Conca and San Leo or the walls of Rocca Manfrediana in Brisighella.

In the rooms of a library or amidst the artworks of a museum

If you love literature, if you have always dreamt about a wedding surrounded by books, the Classense Library in Ravenna and the Malatestiana Library in Cesena – two of the most important national library institutions – are what you are searching for.

In the former, you can make the love of your dreams come true inside the Sala Muratori room or in the prestigious Sala Dantesca, the old refectory of the 16th-century Camaldolese monastery (click here); whereas in the latter, you can celebrate your wedding in the so-called Sala Lignea (click here).

If you are, however, sculpture and painting enthusiasts, just like me, and you would like to have a wedding “down to a fine art”, you may opt for one of the many museums in the region.

In Ravenna, for example, you can get married with a civil union in the extraordinary venue of Loggetta Lombardesca at MAR – Ravenna Art Museum (click here), or amidst the suggestive mosaics of the Tamo Museum (click here).

In Rimini, you can engrave your names “in big bold capital letters” on a stone inside the Roman Lapidary of the City Museum (click here). In Zona Pedrosa, a few km away from Bologna, you can get lost among the Modern artworks of the museum of Ca’ La Ghironda.

The magic of a Historic Residence

‘Totally out of my league’ – you would say, but Emilia Romagna is actually dotted by several stately homes and exclusive villas where to celebrate your wedding.

There are of any kind and – of course – price. It depends on your personal taste and how much you are willing to spend (or can afford) to make your wedding day something magical and unique.

Let’s just say that, if you are searching for something extremely exclusive, prestigious and expensive, one option might be to consult the website of all the historical residences in Italy (Dimore storiche in Italia), finding the solution that best suits you.

Otherwise, there are many other locations spread throughout the region where you can spend the most important day of your life.

Just a few examples: you can swear undying love in Villa La Clausura in Piacenza, in Casa della Musica (Palazzo Cusani) in Parma, in the Court of Honour of Palazzo Pio in Carpi, in the villa Delizia Del Verginese in Porto Maggiore, in the central Palazzo Rasponi dalle Teste in Ravenna, in the venues of Grand Hotel (the one of Fellini – to be clear) in Rimini, in Villa Lodi Fè or in Villa Mussolini in Riccione, in Palazzo Albergati in Zola Pedrosa, etc.

Love at full speed 

If you share with your lover a strong passion for engines and speed, you should know that it is recently possible to get married in one of the world’s most iconic circuits of Formula 1, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola (Info).

The “Ayrton Senna” hall, a space overlooking the plaza dedicated to the famous driver, located after the racetrack’s entrance tower, is available for getting married.

In contact with Nature

Nature and outdoor life enthusiasts will certainly love this opportunity. And in fact, immersed in the green Valleys of Comacchio, you can get married in the big Casone di Valle, also known as “Bettolino di Foce”.

A comeback to ancient traditions for all those who love simplicity, without frills, authentic just like the popular culture that used to be.

Barefoot on the seashore

“See the sea and you’ll get married”, just like in one of those American films we grew up with. If you have an endless love for the sea and you would like to get married in front of its vastness, two cities may make your dream come true in Emilia-Romagna: Rimini and Riccione.

You can say the special “yes” accompanied by the wash of the sea on the water’s edge.

Getting married in Emilia Romagna, but in another State

In Emilia-Romagna – but in another State… We are talking about San Marino, of course, where even strangers go to get married. There are different options, all with a Medieval and chivalric taste.