When we talk about civil marriage we can refer to two types of situations: official civil rite or symbolic rite. In both cases the location will not be a church or, for example, another sacred place, but a space that will be set up for a ceremony that we also define as secular-humanistic.

There is often great confusion and it is good to clarify the point.

An official civil ceremony is an act that is performed by a civil registrar (such as the mayor or his delegate) in a municipal house (the hall of the municipality or a place that has been set up and has the permission of the police to call itself such).

In all other cases, the rite may be said to be symbolic, which therefore does not produce civil effects for the purposes of Italian law.

In the latter case, i.e. if, for instance, a wedding venue is not a municipal house and therefore cannot hold an official civil ceremony in-house, the bride and groom may be advised to carry out the formalities of the official civil ceremony in their municipality of residence on the day before the wedding date or on the day itself (or even the day after if they like).

Thus, in the chosen location, the wedding celebrant will create a ceremony that is symbolic as far as civil effects are concerned, but very emotional, personalised and involving.

Often the municipal fees required are very high and lead many couples of future brides and grooms to opt for the symbolic ceremony where, instead, there are no municipal fees, but only the fee of the celebrant who will be hired to perform the wedding.

A good celebrant is able to perform both the official civil ceremony and the symbolic ceremony with passion, empathy and authority; it all lies in the preparation and path that will be undertaken with the couple.