WEDDING FAQs

  • There’s no time like the present! While we’ll be accepting RSVPs through August, if you can let us know as early as you do, we’d appreciate it! We also understand things change, so feel free to reach out directly if you’ve got special circumstances that mean you won’t know for sure until we’re closer to October! All of our RSVPs are via our website – find yours here!

  • No! One of the reasons we settled on Tenuta Monaciano (and having our wedding in Italy!) was to bring our friends and family together in one place. All of our guests will stay on the estate property – either in the main villa or in the surrounding country houses. The country houses are broken down into apartments, and we’ll be working to ensure they suit each of our guests' needs. Each apartment has its own bathrooms, kitchen, wifi, heating, and A/C.

    Guests will be charged $250/person for the entire weekend’s accommodations. The bride and groom will follow up via email with accommodation assignments and payment instructions following the RSVP deadline.

    Check-in will be at 4 pm on Thursday and check-out will be at 10 am on Sunday.

  • The weekend’s festivities will begin in Siena on Thursday and all accommodations are booked from Thursday-Sunday. Check-in will begin at 4pm Thursday afternoon. We hope you can join us for the whole weekend, and to keep things simple, accommodation rates will remain the same regardless of when you arrive. We also recommend (if you’re able) arriving in Italy itself a day or two earlier to get used to the time change and ready to party!

  • Tenuta Monaciano is located in the heart of Tuscany just outside of Siena. It’s conveniently situated between Florence and Rome, making it an easy stop in between the two, if you’re looking to check out two of Italy’s most popular cities. In terms of arriving to Italy, flights are readily available to Rome, Florence, and Milan. From each of these cities, you can easily rent a car. If you are arriving from Rome, Milan, or elsewhere you can also easily get a fast train to Florence. From Florence you have the option of a car transfer service, renting a car, or taking a regional train to Siena. All of these options have pros and cons – check out our travel page [LINK] here for more info!

    Once you arrive, we generally recommend renting a car (or sharing a car rental with others) while you’re here. The villa is about 20 minutes from Siena, and while taxis are available, they’re not the easiest form of transportation in Tuscany (they usually require calling ahead, and some taxis will only begrudgingly go out to Monaciano due to the dirt road). There is no public transportation and nothing within walking distance of the estate.

  • Now! But really, as of our writing this (December) there are a number of great deals on flights to Italy around our wedding dates. We recommend monitoring flights regularly but definitely would not recommend waiting longer than 3-4 months out. We expect typical flight prices to range between $500-$700, and if you see something you like within that range, it’s probably worth booking sooner rather than later!

  • This probably goes without saying, but A PASSPORT. And not just that, but an up-to-date, non-expired passport. If you’re reading this and aren’t sure the status of your passport, do us all a favor and CHECK NOW. Please also note: while many countries will accept passports that are soon to be expired, there are lots that will not. Double-check that expiration date with the countries you’re visiting, especially if your passport expires in less than 6 months of your travel dates.

    If you’re renting a car, you are technically required to have an international driver's license. I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not going to advise you what to do here, but you will typically not be required to show this to rent a car – it’s only if you get pulled over/in an accident/etc. These can be obtained through AAA.

  • As mentioned above, renting a car will go a long way in terms of getting around. While not 100% necessary, if you plan to go into Siena, visit wineries, or make day trips to the surrounding towns, we highly recommend it. You can also buddy up with other guests to split a car (let us know if you’re looking to connect with others), or if you’d prefer, car hire services are available. There’s more about all of this in our travel section.

  • We’ll be hosting a happy hour on Thursday, a pizza party on Friday, and dinner will be served during the wedding reception on Saturday. There will also be pastries and coffee available every morning.

    Outside of these meals, you’re on your own! Siena is generally going to be your best bet in terms of restaurants close by. Check out our Siena & Nearby page for recommendations & more here! Another option that we HIGHLY recommend is stocking your kitchen at Monaciano with some snacks and perhaps options for a light lunch (especially for the ceremony day). As mentioned in our Siena & Nearby page, there’s a local ag co-op in Siena that has really great local meats, cheese, fresh-baked bread, wines, and more that we recommend swinging by (though it's in the City center, so keep in mind you’ll have to walk there from nearby parking). There’s also a Coop (not to be confused with the local co-op, Coop is one of Italy’s larger supermarket/ grocery chains, think Kroger) about 10 minutes away with parking, etc. You’ll also find lots of great meats and cheeses here as well as pretty much anything you’d look for in an American grocery store.

  • Hopefully, beautiful! In good news for us (bad news for the planet/wineries across Italy), October has been increasingly warmer and warmer in Italy. Last year the highs were in the mid-70s and the lows high-50s. So plan for it to be very comfortably warm during the day with a light jacket for the evenings.

  • Our wedding attire is black tie optional but preferred. The rest of the time, it’s whatever you want! The bride and groom will be sporting garden chic to the pizza party and will be fairly casual for the welcome aperitivo. All of the above will take place at least partially or entirely outdoors, so a light jacket or wrap might not be a bad idea!

    For general attire in Italy, it’s worth noting that Italians tend to dress up a bit more than Americans. Athleisure isn’t super common nor are shorts, but stylish tennis shoes are definitely okay. Northern Italians typically dress in more blacks/neutrals, while in Southern Italy you’ll get a lot more color. At the end of the day, wear what you’re comfortable in – a note that especially applies to shoes as much Siena is paved in cobblestones!

    For more on what to pack, etc. check out our Travel Tips page.

  • You can find more on this topic in our travel tips section [LINK] but a couple of important notes:

    • If you read nothing else: Italian city centers are usually OFF LIMITS to all but local drivers. These off-limits zones (called ZTLs) ensure that traffic is minimal in the city centers and give Italy the pedestrian charm we know and love. BUT for practical purposes, it means that you MUST park outside the city limits if you want to avoid large and excessive fines. Siena has a number of very accessible parking lots that are easy walking distance from the city center. Read more on our Siena and Nearby page.

    • Italian cars are smaller – you may need to size up to fit your luggage.

    • Italian cars are usually manual unless you specifically rent an automatic. If you or someone you’re traveling with can drive a stick, you’ll save $$ by doing so!

  • Well for starters, get yourself ready for a 3-day experience. We chose Italy because we wanted to bring our favorite people together in our favorite place, for more than just one night of festivities. As noted on our events page, there will be things to do throughout the weekend – with more to come and some time to just all hang out in between!

    Another thing to note – while we don’t expect everyone to be a night owl, Italian weddings are known for going late, and we’re not ones to break with tradition! We’re excited to party into the early hours of the morning, and hope you’ll join us for a full night of dancing and celebration.

  • While we love your children, our ceremony and reception will be adults-only. Kids are however welcome to stay on the property and attend the events on Thursday & Friday. If you’re interested in bringing your children, please let us know and we’ll work together to ensure your accommodations are appropriate and discuss options for childcare on Saturday.

  • Wifi is very readily available in Italy. Most restaurants have it and will offer it to you in addition to the usual suspects (the Villa for the wedding of course, hotels, and other accommodations). Trains also usually have wifi (though we’ve experienced differing degrees of success in connecting).

    In terms of navigating, both Google Maps and Apple Maps have offline map options that you download while on wifi and then use without having to waste data.

    All this being said, having cellular data in a foreign country is certainly hugely beneficial. If nothing else, it’s a nice security blanket. Your options are to buy international service through your current provider (safest bet, but expensive) or (in the latest tech!) to buy an eSim card either at an Italian telephone store or online via an app like Airalo. Truth be told, I have not used this option before, so I rec doing your own research here, but from what I’ve read it seems like a really solid option and is beneficial in that it can be used across Europe and be bought prior to traveling. You also are able to keep your own phone number (as opposed to buying a physical Sim card), so you can continue to message friends, etc. without any hassle.

  • Call, text, email, carrier pigeon, whatever to let us know! Having a destination wedding is a lot, so we would LOVE to help facilitate your trip in any way we can. No question is off limits, and we (really, the bride) love travel and planning so don’t hesitate to ask. Also, it will help us recognize if we’re missing an important detail we should add here!