Weddings at Marriotts
Jun 26, 2010, 9:59 am
#1
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Weddings at Marriotts
Okay peeps, I need a show of hands as to who has been involved in weddings being hosted at Marriott properties.
I'm in the great spot of being newly engaged (yay!! go me!) to a fabulous Irish man who captivates my soul. Being from two different countries, it's easiest to get married in a third independent country in Europe (as both UK / IRL and US recognize a marriage legal in EU as legal back home).
BUT I've submitted RFPs via the website for three hotels in Italy and have received nothing back. One request was submitted 3 weeks ago and after not hearing back, 2 others were submitted 1 week ago. How long does it normally take to get a response to a query of availability. If available, let's talk plans. if not, let me know so i can cross ya off the list! But I'm gettin nothin -- Not even an automated response acknowledging my request!
Is this normal? Does Marriott suck with weddings (despite advertising internal professional experienced wedding planners)??
I'm in the great spot of being newly engaged (yay!! go me!) to a fabulous Irish man who captivates my soul. Being from two different countries, it's easiest to get married in a third independent country in Europe (as both UK / IRL and US recognize a marriage legal in EU as legal back home).
BUT I've submitted RFPs via the website for three hotels in Italy and have received nothing back. One request was submitted 3 weeks ago and after not hearing back, 2 others were submitted 1 week ago. How long does it normally take to get a response to a query of availability. If available, let's talk plans. if not, let me know so i can cross ya off the list! But I'm gettin nothin -- Not even an automated response acknowledging my request!
Is this normal? Does Marriott suck with weddings (despite advertising internal professional experienced wedding planners)??
Jun 26, 2010, 10:30 am
#2
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I'm not a peep so I'm not sure if a qualify but why don't you just call?
Jun 26, 2010, 10:32 am
#3
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Great news. Can't help, we did not go the hotel route. Italy sounds like a great choice. I would discuss with a local sales manager and they might arrange an introduction to the right people.
Best of Luck
Mrs. Nub
Best of Luck
Mrs. Nub
Jun 26, 2010, 12:20 pm
#4
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deleted, company policy
Last edited by Hhonor Gguard; Dec 5, 2013 at 3:50 pm Reason: deleted, company policy
Jun 26, 2010, 12:27 pm
#5
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We did call. Got nowhere. The guy who we spoke with freaked out when we said we weren't Catholic and how they had NEVER had a ceremony at their hotel. Everyone gets married in a Catholic church! The brochure clearly shows photos of ceremonies at the specific hotel and advertises any type of ceremony.
So calling didn't get us anywhere either. Figured we were talking to just Joe Schmoes and need to wait for the wedding planner to get back to us...but have been waiting....and waiting.....
So calling didn't get us anywhere either. Figured we were talking to just Joe Schmoes and need to wait for the wedding planner to get back to us...but have been waiting....and waiting.....
Jun 26, 2010, 8:01 pm
#6
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Congrats on the engagement!
Marriott definitely does weddings (amongst my former roles in life, I was actually a wedding planner for a bit as well and have a certificate on my wall to prove it...I think I was the only 22 year old straight male wedding planner in the DC area, but that was several years ago).
Hotels definitely do ceremony's. Which hotels are you looking at? You can go online to and view ballroom specs in the meeting room capacity charts of a specific hotel, or you can go to this link - http://www.marriott.com/meetings/hot...ings/travel.mi
Depending on how well you negotiate, you can likely get your bridal suite thrown into the overall costs and get Marriott Rewards points for the overall costs too (I think it's 3 points per dollar, so spend $20k on your wedding and that's 60,000 points).
Not sure how the Italian hotels do business, but I'm sure there's got to be some way to effectively communicate, short of going to Italy on a preview trip (still that could be a good mileage run!)
Marriott definitely does weddings (amongst my former roles in life, I was actually a wedding planner for a bit as well and have a certificate on my wall to prove it...I think I was the only 22 year old straight male wedding planner in the DC area, but that was several years ago).
Hotels definitely do ceremony's. Which hotels are you looking at? You can go online to and view ballroom specs in the meeting room capacity charts of a specific hotel, or you can go to this link - http://www.marriott.com/meetings/hot...ings/travel.mi
Depending on how well you negotiate, you can likely get your bridal suite thrown into the overall costs and get Marriott Rewards points for the overall costs too (I think it's 3 points per dollar, so spend $20k on your wedding and that's 60,000 points).
Not sure how the Italian hotels do business, but I'm sure there's got to be some way to effectively communicate, short of going to Italy on a preview trip (still that could be a good mileage run!)
Jun 26, 2010, 8:43 pm
#7
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Jun 26, 2010, 8:46 pm
#8
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Yeah we plan to do a preview trip and do all final tastings, etc, but kinda wanted to negotiate and set up stuff beforehand. But I need to trust the wedding planner to be able to do it from a distance!
I'm hoping it's an Italy thing and maybe if we try a different place, but with the few family and friends we expect to travel, we want to make it special for them, too. Figured they could extend in Rome and make a vaca out of it, too. With most of my fam having never been outside the US, want to make it easy and comfortable and familiar for them at a Marriott as a homebase while they explore.
Starting the Plan B and C list now....
I'm hoping it's an Italy thing and maybe if we try a different place, but with the few family and friends we expect to travel, we want to make it special for them, too. Figured they could extend in Rome and make a vaca out of it, too. With most of my fam having never been outside the US, want to make it easy and comfortable and familiar for them at a Marriott as a homebase while they explore.
Starting the Plan B and C list now....
Jun 27, 2010, 2:22 pm
#9
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MemphisQueen congratulations on your engagement! My wife and I got married at The Pittsburgh City Center Marriott a little less than 12 years ago. We're an interfaith couple and we had our ceremony and our reception at the hotel. We were pleased with the job they did and had a good wedding planner to work with throughout the process. Hopefully the overseas Marriott's will do just as nice a job for you.
--Jon
--Jon
Last edited by Jon Maiman; Jun 27, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Jun 27, 2010, 4:50 pm
#10
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Congrats on the engagement. Which Marriott Italy property are you looking at? BTW - some friends of mine got married in Italy last September. I can ask them if they used a wedding planner or went through the hotels or what they did if that will help. Let me know.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Jun 27, 2010, 5:45 pm
#11
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Congrats on the engagement. Which Marriott Italy property are you looking at? BTW - some friends of mine got married in Italy last September. I can ask them if they used a wedding planner or went through the hotels or what they did if that will help. Let me know.
Cheers.
Cheers.
gonna swing by the Renaissance near me and see about meeting with someone locally who can hook me up with someone at a property of choice. Fingers and toes crossed!
Jun 28, 2010, 9:02 am
#12
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Firstly, conratulations.
Secondly. be aware of the law...
Until only a few years ago you couldn't marry in a hotel in England, it was a choice between Church of England, Catholic church, Registry office (a government building, usually ugly) or one of a few nonconformist churches that had obtained the requisite certification.
The Catholic Church still has a very powerful influence on Italian life and you may find you either have to marry in a church or at a government office, hence the hotels confusion. You can of course still have the reception there, hence the glossy website. Different countries in the EU have minimum residence restrictions prior to marriage, and those in turn can differ from the church rules, and indeed between different faiths. Sometimes thsoe rules vary by town. Marriage has some deeply held customs that vary considerably throughout the EU, and the EU accepts this allowing all member states margins on their marital laws. I would imagine the strictest are where the Catholic church is strongest, and that'll be Italy and Eire.
I remember the first hotel wedding I ever attended about 10 years ago, shortly after the law changed to allow them in hotels, everyone was remarking what a convenient idea it was, and why our lawmakers hadn't thought of it earlier. Perhaps in Italy they still haven't...
You still cant marry on a beach in England, even now. Mind you, who'd want to marry on a condom festooned windswept strip of slurry in the pouring rain?
Secondly. be aware of the law...
Until only a few years ago you couldn't marry in a hotel in England, it was a choice between Church of England, Catholic church, Registry office (a government building, usually ugly) or one of a few nonconformist churches that had obtained the requisite certification.
The Catholic Church still has a very powerful influence on Italian life and you may find you either have to marry in a church or at a government office, hence the hotels confusion. You can of course still have the reception there, hence the glossy website. Different countries in the EU have minimum residence restrictions prior to marriage, and those in turn can differ from the church rules, and indeed between different faiths. Sometimes thsoe rules vary by town. Marriage has some deeply held customs that vary considerably throughout the EU, and the EU accepts this allowing all member states margins on their marital laws. I would imagine the strictest are where the Catholic church is strongest, and that'll be Italy and Eire.
I remember the first hotel wedding I ever attended about 10 years ago, shortly after the law changed to allow them in hotels, everyone was remarking what a convenient idea it was, and why our lawmakers hadn't thought of it earlier. Perhaps in Italy they still haven't...
You still cant marry on a beach in England, even now. Mind you, who'd want to marry on a condom festooned windswept strip of slurry in the pouring rain?
Last edited by BrightlyBob; Jun 28, 2010 at 9:09 am
Jun 28, 2010, 1:03 pm
#13
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Have no fear - we've done more research than god about getting married abroad (and in our own countries, hence the reason its' easier to get married abroad!).
Talk about some weird stuff - technically in Italy you can't get married outside! But the actual legal paperwork will be done in a civil office (not so romantic) and we'll just have a civil ceremony at the hotel (which is fine since we already have the paperwork done at an office). The hotel ceremony is more for show than anything else. The actual marriage will be earlier in the week at an office.
Assuming Marriott gets off their ... and responds to us. If not, we'll find someone else willing to allow us to pay them per head for an event plus two nights hotel stay for each guest.
Talk about some weird stuff - technically in Italy you can't get married outside! But the actual legal paperwork will be done in a civil office (not so romantic) and we'll just have a civil ceremony at the hotel (which is fine since we already have the paperwork done at an office). The hotel ceremony is more for show than anything else. The actual marriage will be earlier in the week at an office.
Assuming Marriott gets off their ... and responds to us. If not, we'll find someone else willing to allow us to pay them per head for an event plus two nights hotel stay for each guest.
Jun 28, 2010, 2:52 pm
#14
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Good to hear you've researched it well.
I know the kind of ceremony you're talking about, but I can well understand the confusion at an Italian hotel. The Church really does have a monopoly on marriage and the idea of some kind of commitment cermony "for friends" at a hotel may well raise some eyebrows, hence the "we've never done one of those before, they're all done at church" response.
I think wherever you go in Italy, you'll have to explain carefully what you're looking for. This is a real conflict of cultures, after all, if you're already married, how can you marry again (they'll ask). They'll not do you a marriage ceremony for a couple that got married last week...
You may even find it could be bigamy... the definition of which is the marriage of 2 people, at least one of whom is already married. Is it a defence to say you're already married to each other? In many countries it is straightforwardly illegal to go through a ceremony of marriage until any previous one has been dissolved. And, of course, nothing alters the fact that the hotel still can't conduct a marriage ceremony...
Italy is a beautiful country but wherever you go I think you'll be greeted with incomprehension at the request. You need to explain very carefully what you're trying to do, I just hope your Italian is up to it
I know the kind of ceremony you're talking about, but I can well understand the confusion at an Italian hotel. The Church really does have a monopoly on marriage and the idea of some kind of commitment cermony "for friends" at a hotel may well raise some eyebrows, hence the "we've never done one of those before, they're all done at church" response.
I think wherever you go in Italy, you'll have to explain carefully what you're looking for. This is a real conflict of cultures, after all, if you're already married, how can you marry again (they'll ask). They'll not do you a marriage ceremony for a couple that got married last week...
You may even find it could be bigamy... the definition of which is the marriage of 2 people, at least one of whom is already married. Is it a defence to say you're already married to each other? In many countries it is straightforwardly illegal to go through a ceremony of marriage until any previous one has been dissolved. And, of course, nothing alters the fact that the hotel still can't conduct a marriage ceremony...
Italy is a beautiful country but wherever you go I think you'll be greeted with incomprehension at the request. You need to explain very carefully what you're trying to do, I just hope your Italian is up to it
Jun 28, 2010, 3:48 pm
#15
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I sent this via PM to the OP, but in case anyone else is thinking of getting married in Italy, an American couple I'm close to got married in Italy last September & used the following:
"Yes, Regency San Marino. They were GREAT!!! Can't say enough about how they managed everything meticulously. They have the process down pat. We worked with this woman but the whole organization seems to be top notch. Good luck to the FTer!
Federica Casagrande
Senior Wedding Consultant
Regency San Marino S.R.L.
www.weddingsitaly.com
"
Cheers.
"Yes, Regency San Marino. They were GREAT!!! Can't say enough about how they managed everything meticulously. They have the process down pat. We worked with this woman but the whole organization seems to be top notch. Good luck to the FTer!
Federica Casagrande
Senior Wedding Consultant
Regency San Marino S.R.L.
www.weddingsitaly.com
"
Cheers.