FAQs

Question

I want to learn some Italian before coming. Any recs?

Answer

Yes! Highly recommend at least getting greetings, farewells and a few phrases down. Especially since many people at the wedding will only speak English or Italian. Lonely planet Italian phrase book is helpful, pretty cheap Duolingo is free with ads (or ~$80/year without), you can learn a lot of words doing this, but I found the app isn't great at getting you fluent in conversation, but a good starting point! Here are some recommendations from my (Sam) Italian teacher: Podcasts: Italian Coffee break: https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/category/coffee-break-italian/ Joy of Languages: https://italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast Podcast Italiano: https://www.podcastitaliano.com/podcast/principiante# If you have Spotify > Henry N Raymond "learn in your car: Italian level 1": https://open.spotify.com/album/5ZWHCKsePFPX7O4Vd4EW4h Youtube Channels: Learn Italian with Lucrezia Oneworlditaliano Professor Dave Explains Italian Teacher Valentina

Question

When should I book flights? Hotels?

Answer

We usually book flights a few months before (sometimes have pushed it to even a couple weeks before). We always fly out of O'hare and usually there are plenty of flights. We book later flights so we can sleep overnight since Italy is 7 hours ahead. Recommend looking into hotels sooner than later as they can book up, but we have some rooms reserved for our guests (see travel page).

Question

Dress Code - What should I wear?

Answer

Formal/Cocktail Attire. Great question! Our wedding dress code is formal/cocktail attire. We encourage suits for men and elegant dresses for women. The ceremony will take place in a church, so please choose respectful attire (for example, covered shoulders are appreciated during the ceremony). We kindly ask guests to avoid wearing white ;) There is no specific color theme, so feel free to wear any colors you like. It will be Italy in July so chances are it'll be hot and possibly humid. I'd think light and flowy. For those planning on heels, there will be gravel, uneven stones, and grass, so perhaps best for your ankles to stick with wedges or platforms, however we will have plastic heel protectors available for those with skinnier heels to help with stability :)

Question

What kind of food will be available?

Answer

We picked the fish menu, so expect that. We will have a very large aperitivo after the ceremony at Rocca d'Ajello for about 2 hours which will have a wide variety of food to choose from. We're planning a bbq station for all the meat and potato Americans, too. Dinner will be coursed, then dessert after.

Question

The groom is from Macerata, right?

Answer

Yes! We are planning to have a tour organized of Macerata sometime during the wedding weekend - stay tuned!

Question

Are kids allowed?

Answer

Yes! According to Riccardo, kids are rarely—if ever—excluded from wedding celebrations in Italy, and we would be delighted to have them join us. At Rocca d’Ajello, there will be a large indoor play area with games and toys for younger guests. We will also have professional babysitters and organized entertainment during the reception so parents can relax and enjoy the evening. Once we receive your RSVP, we will arrange children’s meals as well (usually simple pasta or pizza).