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Home » Travel Destinations » Italy » Our Wedding in Venice: A Photo Essay
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Our Wedding in Venice: A Photo Essay

Last updated: September 10, 2018- Written by Jessica Norah 26 Comments

A photo essay of our wedding in Venice. Two years ago today, Laurence and I got engaged at Point Reyes National Seashore in California next to a giant elephant seal. At that time, I was working full-time as a clinical psychologist and living in the San Francisco Bay area. A lot has changed since that time.

I don’t share a lot of personal posts but I’ve been asked several times to share some photos of our wedding in Venice on the blog, and have always meant to do so but never got around to doing it. So I thought I would do it today on our engagement anniversary. It also gave me a good excuse to go back through our wedding photos.

If you don’t enjoy wedding photos, this is your time to escape, otherwise, enjoy!

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah

As some of you know, Laurence and I actually had our legal wedding at sea aboard the Queen Mary 2 on a voyage between New York City and Southampton, England. We had decided to get married in between our two home countries (United States and the United Kingdom) and we were in the midst of moving to Europe at the time. So we decided to combine our wedding and our move into one trip!

You can read more about our Queen Mary 2 wedding in an earlier post about weddings at sea. For that wedding, it was just the two of us and we did not have any guests. However, we decided to plan a wedding ceremony a couple of months after our legal wedding to be able to celebrate with some of our family and friends.

Since no one lived in the same country, let alone the same city, we decided to have it in Italy as it was relatively close to those in Europe and Africa. Laurence also had very fond memories of visiting Venice as a kid with his family although I had never been to Venice. But we hoped for the best and decided to have a wedding in Venice.

Cunard Queen Mary 2 wedding at sea cruise

Cunard Queen Mary 2 wedding at sea cruise

Table of Contents:

  • The Arrival 
  • Our Wedding in Venice
  • Do you Want to Plan your Own Wedding in Venice? 

The Arrival 

Laurence and I actually arrived into Venice on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train, which was a fabulous and luxurious way to get from London to Venice for our wedding. We were met by Laurence’s parents and then checked into our hotel.

Belmond Venice Simplon Orient Express trainBelmond Venice Simplon Orient Express train cabin compartment Belmond Venice Simplon Orient Express train bar lounge car Walter Nisi

I loved our hotel, Locanda Leon Bianco, which was historic and charming. It also came with giant rooms! Then we had dinner with those who had already arrived in Venice for the wedding and then an early bedtime.

We were lucky though as we had the next day free so we could explore a little of Venice, catch up with some of our guests, and also do some last minute wedding preparations. Half of our guests had never been to Venice before (including me!), so it was fun to have time both before and after to explore the city.

wedding in Venice wedding day

Our Wedding in Venice

One of the biggest logistical issues we had for our wedding (at least on our end) was finding a salon that could do formal hair and make-up before our wedding. We got married super early in the morning and we knew that it would take at least an hour or so for someone to do my hair and make-up. We contacted many salons and either they were not open or the prices were too expensive for us.

We finally found someone at Parrucchieri Trolese Art Hair Studios who helped us arrange for two wonderful women (Barbara and her colleague) to come to my hotel and do my hair at 6:00 AM. They were on time and did a fantastic job in a very short time period despite a curling iron issue. Highly recommend them if you need salon services while in Venice!

wedding in Venice wedding day

Then I quickly got dressed with the help of these kind ladies so we could head to the ceremony location. One great thing about having a second wedding ceremony is that those wedding things you think you’ll never wear again, you get to wear them all again! It was cold so we tried to wrap me up as best as we could, which in the end just meant tying a shawl around my neck.

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

We did the actual ceremony in Piazza San Marco (a.ka. Saint Mark’s Square) and it was amazing to walk into the square and only see our small wedding party and no one else there!

We also were surprised to find that our friend Brian, the officiant for the wedding, had hired a local violinist to play to us before and after the wedding!

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah violinist wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

During the ceremony we repeated much of what we had said on our legal wedding on the Queen Mary 2, but Brian also added in some extra bits. Everyone that attended, including us, chose a reading (whether it be from a book, poem, Bible, or fable) that related to love, marriage, or us and read it during the ceremony.

We were very lucky as the family and friends who attended did so much work and preparation to make it a wonderful day for us, particularly Brian and our best man Ryngan. Ryngan even prepared and printed programs for everyone!

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah

By the time we finished our ceremony, people were starting to arrive in the square and we were obviously attracting a bit of attention. So we headed off towards the lagoon to find some benches and there we had some wedding champagne toasts. Some lovely words were said! There was also orange juice and pastries for those who wanted a bit of breakfast.

We also presented our wedding guests with wedding favors, which were Venetian style masks. Then we took loads of photos and posed for a lot of tourists’ photos who always love to take a photo of a bride. I am purposely trying not to share too many photos of our guests as I have no idea if they would want photos of themselves on our blog!

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norahwedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Laurence Norahwedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

While we usually take our photography seriously, and obviously wanted some great photos from our wedding we didn’t hire a photographer. In fact, Laurence shot almost all the photos from both of our weddings. We decided that since we weren’t going to sell these photos and we just needed to please ourselves, so weren’t going to scout out locations or waste the whole day taking photos as we decided it was better to spend it with those who came to our wedding.

We also handed out our cameras to guests and they took photos during the ceremony and throughout the day. We even had tourists email us photos they took of us!  The photos are fun to look at as they range from beautiful photos next to canals to out of focus shots of someone’s foot! It was truly a bit of a crowdsourced wedding shoot.

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah

wedding in Venice wedding day Laurence Norahwedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

One thing about being in a wedding dress is that a lot of people want to talk to you, so we ended up meeting people from all over the world who wanted to congratulate us. We even ran into people we had met on the Orient Express and people who had been on a walking tour with us the day before.

One older man came over to us and said he’d been on the train with us and we gladly shared a glass of champagne with him for a toast. He went back to his hotel and then his daughter came out to find us, as she wanted to actually verify how her father had come back with a glass of champagne so early in the morning!

We also had another couple from Taiwan take our photo in Venice and a week or so later we ran into them again in the Vatican while we were in Rome. Such a small world!

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

After a lot of photos, we stopped for a coffee break. Some people decided to take off to have a nap as everyone had gotten up so early while we took some final photos. Afterward, those remaining came back to our hotel room so that Laurence and I could change out of our wedding clothes. We wanted to be comfortable for the rest of the day. 

Caffè Florian Context Travel tour Casanova Venice

 wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah

We rejoined everyone for lunch at a restaurant called Ristoteca Oniga on a square in the Dorsoduro area of Venice. We had reserved the restaurant and were hosting the lunch, so I was nervous that the food might not be great or that it wouldn’t please everyone at the table. But it ended up being a wonderful lunch with lots of great Italian wine and conversation.

Definitely recommend it if you are looking for an easygoing traditional Venetian eatery with rustic local food. A couple of our wedding guests actually went back again the next day.

venice restaurant

After lunch, most of us took a ferry to the island of Burano, which is known for its lace work and brightly colored homes. We spent a couple of hours on the island before heading back. Later we had dinner together. Laurence and I were exhausted, as were most of the party, but a few of the hardier souls stayed out late to explore the Venetian nightlife. 

Burano Venice

It was an amazing day! Venice is such a romantic location and was a perfect setting for our wedding. We were also very lucky with the weather although it could definitely have been a little warmer.

Given that it was not a legal ceremony, we were much less stressed out or nervous about it, and the whole day was very laid back. Everyone who came for the wedding stayed for at least a few days and since we had such a small group, Laurence and I were lucky to be able to spent a lot of quality time with everyone while we were in Venice.

We are very grateful to everyone who made it a special day for us.

wedding in Venice wedding day Jessica Norah Laurence Norah

Do you Want to Plan your Own Wedding in Venice? 

Italy is a romantic place and a popular wedding destination. Now, if you are reading this post looking for tips on how to plan own wedding in Venice, this won’t help you much although we can recommend a good hair salon (Parrucchieri Trolese Art Hair Studios). For instance I don’t believe any legal weddings can take place in Piazza San Marco although weddings can be arranged in the crypt of St. Mark’s Church!

We actually did some research into having a legal wedding ceremony in Italy (as well as in several other countries) but the legal issues and restrictions outweighed the benefits for us. Note that there are different procedures for civil and religious ceremonies in Italy, and also the requirements vary widely depending on your nationality.

Start your research with your own country’s legal requirements and then check out  those for Italy. We’d definitely recommend considering a wedding planner familiar with destination weddings in Italy to make sure everything runs smoothly.

But here are a few good resources for those looking to have a legal wedding in Venice and are not Italian citizens:

  • U.S. Embassy & Consultate Guide to Weddings in Italy for American Citizens
  • UK guide to requirements for British nationals getting married abroad
  • Legal requirements for citizens of 8 countries to get married in Italy

Our Destination Wedding In Venice Italy in photos.

So there is our wedding in Venice!  Hope you enjoyed it and feel free to share a little of your own wedding story in the comments below. As always, we welcome your comments and are happy to answer any questions you may have (about our wedding in Venice or otherwise).

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There are 26 comments on this post

Please scroll to the end to leave a comment

  1. Alessandra Post author

    March 8, 2021 at 5:44 am

    Hi there,
    I am working on a dissertation on getting married in Venice.
    Is there any chance I could have a little interview with yous?
    Couldyou get in touch with me?
    Thank you so much 😊
    Alessandra
    PS beautiful pics of my hometown 😊

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      March 10, 2021 at 7:37 am

      Hi Alessandra,

      Glad that you enjoyed reading about our wedding in Venice! Venice is such a lovely place to have as a hometown.

      Of course, and I think we are already in touch via email!

      Best,
      Jessica

      Reply
  2. Rosemary Post author

    October 15, 2019 at 8:44 am

    It was lovely to meet you both today and of course I put my feet up with a cup of tea as soon as my pottery closed and clicked over here. What a lovely blog sharing your special day ? lovely to see you both following your dreams, happy travels and enjoy that teapot x

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      October 15, 2019 at 9:28 am

      Hi Rosemary, Glad you found our travel blogs! Yes, it was lovely meeting you as well and we are very excited to try out our new teapot from Persabus Pottery in our new home (hopefully we can manage to get it home without incident!). Now over on Jura and fingers crossed for good weather over the next couple of days for some hiking 😉 Best, Jessica

      Reply
  3. David smith Post author

    November 21, 2018 at 11:38 pm

    Hello Jessica, you both are just looking awesome in your wedding dress. The photos you shared are superb, I loved it. Thanks for sharing your memorable wedding moments with us.

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      November 22, 2018 at 5:37 am

      Hi David, Glad you enjoyed our wedding photos from Venice 😉 Best, Jessica

      Reply
  4. Kyla Jocson Post author

    October 7, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    Your wedding looks so lovely! Plus it looks so relaxing. Thank you for sharing the photos. Wishing you a prosperous marriage <3

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      October 10, 2018 at 10:35 am

      Hi Kyla, We had a wonderful wedding in Venice, and thanks so much for your well wishes!! Its been 3 years now and all is going well so far 😉 Best, Jessica & Laurence

      Reply
  5. cheryl Post author

    May 16, 2018 at 11:41 pm

    You guys look so cute. These photos are amazing!
    I recently planned my sister’s wedding and it was awesome. I found a great event planning software that really saved my life. It made all the planning much easier. I also chose to work with a seating plan software and it really saved a lot of spends. Thanks and congratulations you two!

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      May 17, 2018 at 1:13 am

      Hi Cheryl, Thanks so much for your kind comments! Yes, our wedding in Venice was fairly easy as it included few people, wasn’t legal, and was very relaxed. It took very little time to plan with the exception of choosing a place and booking a restaurant. Sounds like your sister’s wedding was much larger and more complicated, glad the planning all came together! Best, Jessica

      Reply
  6. Groove Collective Post author

    October 10, 2017 at 1:38 am

    Thanks for sharing your wedding in Venice! Loved it. And you dress is amazing. 🙂 Just the best for you.

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      October 11, 2017 at 4:12 am

      Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, it was a lovely day! Best, Jessica

      Reply
  7. izadora Post author

    September 15, 2017 at 6:27 am

    Beautiful pictures! Venice is wonderful!

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      September 15, 2017 at 10:40 am

      Indeed it is! Venice was a great second wedding spot to have our family & friends. Best, Jessica

      Reply
  8. John Post author

    April 27, 2017 at 6:32 am

    The pictures of your wedding ceremony and time in Venice is awesome and thanks for sharing these wonderful and beautiful pictures! The wedding dress is very pretty – I love such designs that give such elegant look to one who wears it. Keep sharing more stories!

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      April 30, 2017 at 11:40 am

      Hi John, Glad you enjoyed our photos from our wedding in Venice 😉 Venice is such a beautiful place and it made for a wonderful place for our wedding ceremony. Best, Jessica

      Reply
  9. Lyn @ A Hole in my Shoe Post author

    March 5, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    Gorgeous photos of a lovely couple. How special to have a 2nd wedding with your family and close friends. Steve and I married 6 years ago and only had a small ceremony and had special readings from our two best friends. Our honeymoon was our first trip overseas together, even more special travelling the first of our many trips as man and wife.

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      March 6, 2017 at 8:43 am

      Hi Lyn, Thanks so much, yes it was a fantastic wedding and trip. We are both excited to return to Venice together (although only for a day) later this year. Sound like you also had a special ceremony and honeymoon! Best, Jessica

      Reply
  10. Kendra Kroll Post author

    February 17, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    Gorgeous, girl! Love the post and the stunning photos. how lucky you both are, indeed :))
    your pix brought back memories for me…. James & I were in Venice in April of 2001, (the year after we married on the Big Island in Hawaii) although hardly seems that long ago. It’s a beautiful city and one I’d love to share with my daughter some day.
    I’m trying to instill the love of travel in her in these formative years. She and I just took our 1st international trip together in Aug to UK .(bummed we missed you in Edinburgh!), but I hope that was just the first of many. 😉
    All the best to you… keep up the excellent work!
    xox

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      February 17, 2017 at 3:34 pm

      Thanks Kendra! I hope that your daughter learns to love travel as well and it sounds like you also have some great memories of Venice as well! Best, Jessica

      Reply
  11. Suze Post author

    February 17, 2017 at 4:01 am

    What an incredible experience! I love the photo of you both on the ship and also the one where Jessica is in the middle of St Mark’s Square with everyone standing at the side but all of these shots are amazing. Looks like you had a wonderful day and how nice that your guests all did a reading

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      February 17, 2017 at 4:16 am

      Thanks Suze, yes we were lucky with good weather and great guests 😉

      Reply
  12. Seana Turner Post author

    February 16, 2017 at 5:34 am

    Awww… congratulations, and thanks for sharing this little window into your life. You look stunning, and I love the ribbons down the back of the gown. What a special idea to marry early in St. Marks before the crowds had gathered. Spontaneous and precious. I wish you many blessings!!

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      February 16, 2017 at 7:06 am

      Hi Seana, Thanks so much!! Haha, those ribbon ties took forever to thread through and tie in the back, a lady at the store had to teach Laurence how to do it so he’d be able to help me. We were lucky with our timing in Venice and interestingly later in the afternoon there was some sort of marching band event and that is where you see the crowds lined on both sides of me and we also have photos in front of the band. Thanks again for all your kind wishes! ~ Jessica

      Reply
  13. Mum Post author

    February 15, 2017 at 11:50 pm

    Thank you for posting this with all the lovely photos, it brings back lots of happy memories of our time together.

    Reply
    • Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

      February 16, 2017 at 7:03 am

      Glad you enjoyed it!! 😉

      Reply

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