My husband and I met in Germany but when we decided to get married, we were quite sure since the beginning that we would have chosen my home city as our wedding destination: Venice, Italy. There were several reasons behind our choice for Venice.
First of all, we wanted to choose a location that belonged to either my traditions or to my husband’s. So, the choice was between Venice and New York. After starting to investigate different wedding venue options, we came to the conclusion that Venice was a better choice for us overall.
Different venues in Venice were able to provide us with high quality of service for a good price. Instead, in our experience, venues that we contacted for wedding quotes in the USA were for a higher price.
On top of that, I have always loved the idea to celebrate our wedding in a historical location, surrounded by frescos, paintings, and arts in general.
I knew from living in Venice that the city offered these types of venues.
Another reason for choosing Venice is its proximity to Germany, the country where we were organizing the event from. We planned to organize the wedding celebration mainly by email correspondence with the hotel events managers, but we also wanted to visit the venue a couple of times before the event. Venice offered us an easier way to arrange the wedding celebrations compared to the USA.
The research of our wedding venue in Venice started approximately a year before the actual marriage date.
I mainly took care of the online research for different options, since I speak Italian and better understand what the city can offer. I then picked the top options that I liked and that were feasible for our budget and number of guests.
I then let my husband review the list of the venues I liked and together we decided which venues we would put on our short list.
After approximately a couple of months of research, I continued to engage with the Baglioni Hotel Luna Events team and we were happy with the quotations. So my husband and I decided to visit the venue in person. This would give us a better idea whether Baglioni Hotel Luna was really the right location for us.
As soon as we stepped into the main hall, my husband and I looked at each other and with great surprise realized that Baglioni Hotel Luna was the venue where we wanted to celebrate our marriage. And indeed, at the end, this location became part of our memories.
These are the reasons why we chose Baglioni Hotel Luna as our wedding venue in Venice.
Venue Architecture & Historical Paintings
As I have stated initially, it has always been one of my dreams to get married in a historic location.
Just by visiting the Baglioni Hotel Luna website, I immediately realized that this hotel offered the iconic Venetian atmosphere that I was looking for.
In fact, when we visited the location in person, we were welcomed by the elegant environment at Baglioni Hotel Luna.
The hotel has original Tiepolo frescoes with Murano glass chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.
The floors are made of Carrara white marble, with also pink and red marble that recall the typical colors of Venice, its buildings, and Doge’s Palace.
There is the Fireplace Lounge on the ground floor as soon as you enter on the right side. Here, the Venetian style of the marble, high ceilings, and colors meet all in one place.
We hosted our reception here before heading to the Marco Polo Lounge, where we hosted the wedding dinner.
Marco Polo Lounge is the venue where we welcomed our guests for dinner. There are high ceilings with Tiepolo’s fresco, Murano glass chandeliers, and luxury fabrics adorning the windows and the tables: this was exactly what I had in mind.
Both my husband and I were very impressed by all this beauty during our first visit to the venue.
The way Baglioni Hotel Luna presents itself and the care the hotel takes to welcome its guests was one of the main reasons why we chose this one as our wedding location.
Hotel Staff: Great Management & Support
Living in Germany while trying to organize a wedding in Venice, Italy is not easy.
The hotel we were going to choose had to provide great support managing the organization of all the details just by email and conference calls.
Hotel Baglioni Luna staff did a great job assisting us during the whole time (with over a year of correspondences!), from the initial quotes and informational requests, up to the preparation of final touches.
The staff worked hard to let my husband and I fully enjoy our celebrations on our wedding day. They worked a lot “behind the scenes” to prepare everything in detail, and made everything appear as we wished.
Since my first email when I asked for basic information, I was introduced to the Baglioni Hotel Luna Group & Event Coordinator. Giulia became my go-to person every time I had any questions and her support and efficiency was greatly appreciated. Quick email replies, detailed answers to all our questions, and great suggestions: organizing a wedding at Baglioni Hotel Luna from Germany did not give us any headaches!
Location
Another reason why we chose Baglioni Hotel Luna is because of its location.
Situated just a few steps from St Mark’s Square, this hotel is in the heart of Venice.
We wanted to make sure that the venue could allow our guests from all around the world to enjoy the city as much as possible during their stay.
Many guests traveled to Venice from the USA, the Netherlands, Germany, and Hong Kong for just a few days. We wanted to make sure they all could take some time to explore St Mark’s Square and its surroundings during our special day.
For this reason, the location of Baglioni Hotel Luna was strategic for us.
After getting married in the Venice town hall, we surprised our guests with a gondola tour along the narrow canals of Venice. Everyone was amazed, my husband and I, too!
The gondola tour ended after approximately 30 minutes near St Mark’s Square. After a short walk, we were there: facing the beauty of the Basilica and the Doge Palace at sunset.
We took the time to take pictures there and then we all walked to the Baglioni Hotel Luna, just 5 minutes from the square, to start the celebrations!
Direct Access to Water Taxi
Baglioni Hotel Luna has a dock for private water taxis to access. This was another reason why this hotel was the perfect location for our wedding celebrations.
In fact, I decided to get ready in the hotel on the wedding day before heading to the town hall. I was able to arrange a water taxi to come pick me up at the hotel and drive me directly to Rialto, where the town hall is situated.
This gave me the flexibility to get ready with plenty of time and not needing to rush to the town hall.
Also, we were able to organize a water taxi that could come to pick my husband and I at the dock of Baglioni Hotel Luna and could drive us across the Canal Grande to take wedding pictures before the main dinner started.
Venue’s Capacity
We hosted approximately 90 people at our wedding
The Fireplace Lounge, where we held our cocktail party, and the main Marco Polo Lounge, where we celebrated the dinner, were the perfect size for all of us.
The Baglioni Hotel Luna team supported us in finding the best way to arrange the tables across the room.
All our guests sat at tables of 8 to 10 people.
Meanwhile, my husband and I, along with our witnesses, sat on a long table, facing all the tables of our guests in front of us.
We liked this position very much, because it gave us the possibility to enjoy every moment of the celebration, while watching the happiness of friends and family in front of us.
Possibility to Get Ready at the Venue
Another reason why we chose the Baglioni Hotel Luna as our wedding venue is that the hotel offered us a great opportunity to sleep in one of their suites and for me to get ready there before heading to the town hall.
The suite we slept at was superb: the room had a big living area with some couches and sofas and a couple tables. There were big windows that let the sunlight enter during the day and created the perfect atmosphere to take pictures while getting ready.
The bedroom opened on the right side of this living area, and in here there was a queen sized bed.
The bathroom was accessible from the bedroom, too, and it was large and made of white marble. This experience definitely gave us the chance to experience something new.
Also, I was able to use the glamorous backdrop of the bedroom to take some pictures with the photographer while getting ready before arriving at the town hall.
High Quality of the Food & Drinks - Italian style
Our friends and family still speak about the high quality of the food and drinks that we had at Baglioni Hotel Luna.
In fact, for my husband and I, the dinner we enjoyed on our wedding night was one of the best experiences of our life.
As an Italian, offering our guests the best quality of food possible was a high priority. Also, I wanted to offer a menu of maily fish that is abundant and fresh from the region.
For this reason, I really stressed the F&B Manager of Baglioni Hotel Luna with the quality & quantity of food served to our guests, and the team did an excellent job!
Our reception was hosted at the Fireplace Lounge, where we mainly offered finger foods, soft drinks, wine, and beers.
The dinner was held at the Marco Polo Lounge and we opted for the following menu:
- Salmon marinated with dill and yogurt sauce
- Crispy prawns with wasabi mayonnaise
- Risotto creamed with stewed cuttlefish and black sauce
- Tagliolini grilled with shrimps, zucchini, and saffron sauce
- Grilled sea bass with Mediterranean potatoes and fresh oregano
- Lemon and green apple sorbet
- Wedding Cake – Millefoglie
- Coffee
We served our guests Cabernet Sauvignon Venezia – Villa Sandi and Chardonnay Veneto – Corte Giara.
The full bar was also available with all other types of beverages to everyone.
Also, the F&B Manager helped us to craft a vegetarian and kid-friendly menu for guests who did not wish to eat fish.
Overall, the quality of all the food was very high: for us, the most delicious dishes were the crispy prawns with wasabi mayonnaise and the cake. Oh, that cake! That was the most delicious Millefoglie we have ever had in our entire life!
Summary
Planning our wedding celebrations at Baglioni Hotel Luna in Venice was a great experience. We had the pleasure to organize it with the efficient and friendly staff of the Events team, who did a great job at meeting each and every request we had. But also, the location is a gem in itself: we felt immersed for a night in the beauty of the Venice of the past, in a location where in each room’s marble, historical paintings, and luxurious drapes tolda story of the past. On top of that, the easy accessibility to St Mark’s Square offered a great advantage to admire the Basilica and the Doge’s Place in a few minutes walk.