When you think Italy, it’s natural that the one-of-a-kind city of Venice would come to mind. Romanticized for its opulent architecture surrounded by water + gondoliers serenading couples as they drift down narrow canals, this magical slice of Italian heaven is a popular destination for couples looking to fulfill their dreams of an unforgettable celebration abroad. Venice’s Belmond Hotel Cipriani orchestrates a beautiful beginning for newlyweds, with lush gardens (once host to Italian adventurer Casanova) + panoramic lagoon views as far as the eye can see. It’s a truly unique backdrop for your wedding.
The Belmond Hotel group has many amazing hotels, trains and cruises throughout the world. And since they have a a handful of absolutely stunning properties in Italy, we’ve been loving sharing them with you through our fun Belmond Hotel series! We hope this series will help those of you with dreams of marrying or honeymooning in Italy turn your ideas into a reality. Or if you’re already married, consider one of the Belmond properties for an anniversary trip.
Today, we thought it would be fun to chat with Belmond Hotel Cipriani’s banqueting supervisorMarco Dalla Via to learn more about this beautiful property:
GWS: What’s something unique to your property that you can offer to couples to make their wedding or honeymoon truly special?
We like to surprise guests with romantic in room touches like scattering rose petals on their bed or lighting up the bathtub with candles and leaving pure scented oils for them to use for a long bubble bath. When they return to their room after a romantic dinner, it’s a nice way to end the evening.
Honeymooners love our tour of the lagoon with our private wooden boat escorted by Captain Fabio. Venice and its islands from the water offer a unique experience, especially if it’s the first time for the couple. What could be more romantic that a Venetian adventure around the islands and canals?
GWS: Where is your favorite location on property for a wedding ceremony and why?
The most magical location for the ceremony has to be the Antique Gardens overlooking the lagoon. They’re so calm and romantic, guests do not expect such greenery in Venice and when the chairs and flowers are in place it’s very beautiful.
GWS: What is your must have dish at a restaurant on property?
One dish we always suggest to guests at our lagoon-side restaurant the Cip’s Club is linguine with ham au gratin made with homemade pasta and prosciutto ham. It’s light but very tasty.
Across at our more formal restaurant, Oro, foodies can enjoy Chef Davide Bisetto’s creative Venetian cuisine. One dish not to miss is the colour explosion of red prawns and spider crab, pink grapefruit aspic, essence of citrus, Sant’Erasmo cucumber foam on a sea of Bloody Mary water.
GWS: Do you have a favorite wedding that was held at your property? If so, what made the wedding so special and memorable?
Our favorite wedding was arranged two years ago in October for a Russian Couple. The ceremony was scheduled to take place in our Casanova Garden but unfortunately it was raining in the morning. We had the option for the ceremony to take place inside as an alternative, but the bride was insistent that they would marry in the Garden regardless of the rain. Bride’s prerogative is always right!
At the last minute we had to find 100 Cipriani umbrellas to keep the guests and the bridal party dry! It was a very atmospheric wedding, and the rain cleared towards the end of the ceremony and a rainbow came out over the lagoon. Afterwards guests celebrated with the happy couple in the Granaries of the Republic which sit on the ruins of Palazzo Dandolo. The high ceilings and views of the lagoon and St Mark’s Square create a sense of grandeur for a wedding.
GWS: What activities offered by your property or locally do you recommend to your guests?
There’s no better way to see a city on water than by boat, so our private Bacaro tour – Venetian wine bars, is a very unique experience for couples. They can discover Venetian life on a local boat, slowly sailing through hidden canals and stopping by a few bacaro and have a local glass of wine and a tasty cicchetto, the local “tapas”.
GWS: What is one local destination, store or restaurant you recommend our readers experience during their stay to give them a true sense of the local culture?
A jewel in the Venetian calendar, the annual Redentore Festival which takes place in July is a spectacular event where the whole of Venice comes out to party. The evening culminates with an extravagant firework display and our guests can catch this spectacle from the best seats in Venice at the Cip’s Club. We finish the evening by dancing into the small hours.
And for those looking for the perfect spot to honeymoon, Venice is an amazing choice + the amenities found at Belmond Hotel Cipriani just can’t be beat. Enjoy a couples’ treatment at the Casanova Wellness Centre or a romantic dinner at the iconic Fortuny or Oro Restaurant. Or, if you’re looking for a little more of an adventurous experience, you can waterbike or kayak the canals, take a wine tour of the nearby Collio region, or discover the best and most unusual Venice wine bars aboard a vintage wooden boat. Sounds so fun, right? The options are endless, but one thing we do know is that Venice’s Belmond Hotel Cipriani would be an amazing backdrop for your destination wedding or make for an unforgettable honeymoon experience!
To learn more about the Belmond Hotel group’s amazing properties + the incredible events and special occasions that can be hosted at them, be sure to take a flip through their latest magazine, Celebrations.
* This post is sponsored by The Belmond Hotel Cipriani and is part of our series, Find Your Italian Honeymoon + Wedding Destination with Belmond. Be sure to check out all the other amazing properties. Thanks for supporting our sponsors!
The cipriani hotel has The most amazing team to organize a wedding!! We can not say how much we thanks them for their work, flexibility and professionnal spirit! We got married in Venice and had the reception at the Cipriani, 5 mn of boat from Piazza San marco, with this amazing view on all the grand canal, was our dream. The Cipriani makes our fairytale dream comes true… The place is amazing, every single people working in the Cipriani is 100% professionnal and devoted to their customers need. In the Cipriani, we dont have problem because they have a solution for everything! They find us a solution to every single needs or problems we had and this way our wedding was totally stressless…. We also stayed their for the night of our wedding and the rooms are beautifull… they take care of us like to all of our guests like if we were their family! My only regret is not having listened to them and book not only the night of our wedding but also the night before. Booking the night before in such an amazing place where you get married would have been the best way to appreciate more every moment when we get ready, enjoy the place and relax because they would have helped us with everything. If you get married there, you dont even need a wedding planner for the reception part and the coordination. The entire team is (really….) here for you and your wedding… they manage everything around the reception, all the details and planning around and they have the best providers, like munaretto for the flowers. The site inspection, the tasting meal, the exchanges we had for months to prepare our wedding, the spa, the incredible Chef, the great Roberto to manage all luggages and transportation needs, the incredible cocktail of walter at the swimming pool bar and every moment of our Big day were fantastic, so many thanks to all the team! You re the best!!