If you are dreaming of a fairytale Italian wedding, you can rest easy now that you have found the gold standard of all wedding venues. I don’t have the words to explain just how perfect Relais La Corte dei Papi is, but I will try.

David and his team deliver 5 star service without fail, regardless of difficulty or time of day. It is increasingly rare to find a person as passionate and dedicated to impeccable hospitality as David. His immense pride for the villa and the lifelong memories that are created there does not only shine through the physical quality that is provided, but also through the rest of the incredible team that works tirelessly alongside him to ensure that standard is held as high as it is.

We booked the entire villa for a 3 night wedding weekend. We had an amazing breakfast for all guests every morning along with a beautiful dinner each night that provided some of the best food any of us have had!

Needless to say, Relais La Corte dei Papi provided us with a wedding unlike any of us could imagine. Many of our guests have since told us that there will never be an event that can top it, for which we owe a huge part of that to David and the team!

We will most certainly be back to cherish those memories, make new ones and just enjoy all that the villa has to offer!

Our wedding day was everything we could have hoped for! Every single guest told us it was the best wedding they had ever been to and will ever go to.

First Contact: Out of every venue we enquired with, La Corte dei Papi stood out immediately as they were the fastest to reply, the most thorough with information, and the most organised from the very first email. When we visited for the tour, we were completely blown away. The gardens are breathtaking, every space has its own character, and the bedrooms are so grand that our guests each thought they had been put in the bridal suite at check in when they were just the standard rooms! Davide's pride in the venue is tangible, and the team greeted us with warmth and professionalism from day one.

The planning stage: Sara, our wedding planner, is wonderful. Responses were always prompt, thorough and thoughtful, and she treated our wedding as far more than just a job, you could feel how much she wanted the day to go well for us. That care means everything.

The planning process had its stressful moments. There were times we felt we had to fight for things we had assumed were straightforward, which led to some sleepless nights. Some of this may come down to differences between UK expectations and Italian wedding standards, or language barriers. My strongest piece of advice to any couple: read your contract extremely carefully before signing or paying your deposit. Make sure you fully understand the terms around external suppliers, drinks packages, and what is and isn't included (for example, the night ends when the bar closes so you have to pay for additional hours is something that might not be immediately obvious, but can add thousands to your budget).

The day itself: The venue is stunning: the ceremony garden, the pool area for cocktail hour, the dining hall, the little gardens dotted throughout. You genuinely do not need to leave the venue for couple photos; every corner is gorgeous. And Sara and the team delivered on the day: it was windy so they adapted. It was hot so they adapted. A last-minute idea to move the dinner candles outside transformed the evening atmosphere into something magical and romantic. The dining hall was laid out beautifully, the ceremony chairs and layout were perfect, and the little personal touches like our custom stirrers placed in every glass were noticed and loved.

The food is outstanding. Guests are still talking about how delicious everything was. The buffets had incredible variety (the meat sandwiches were the standout, I only wish I had time to try more!), the wedding breakfast was beautifully cooked, and the cake was both stunning and genuinely delicious. The team also catered thoughtfully for gluten-free and meat-free guests with lovely alternatives.

A couple of things around food and drink service on the day to consider:
- Buffet dishes were not labelled on either evening, which caused confusion for guests with dietary requirements.
- Breakfast table service is slow; some people were waiting half an hour for a coffee and I didn't even realise hot breakfast was available until the second day - so I didn't eat properly on the wedding day. so just schedule extra time than you think for breakfast. There is of course room service if you don't have the time.
- Drinks service during dinner was slower than we had hoped so glasses were left empty for long stretches, and by the end of the evening there were long queues at the bar. If you have a large guest list, it is worth discussing additional bar staffing or a second bar station during the planning stage. These are things that can absolutely be resolved and the team are clearly capable so just make sure you have the conversation in advance.

In summary: We had the best day of our lives at La Corte dei Papi, and we will treasure every memory of it forever. The venue is extraordinary, Sara and her team genuinely care, and the on-the-day experience was overwhelmingly beautiful. Go in with clear communication, read everything carefully, and ask every question and you will have a wedding that your guests will talk about for the rest of their lives

We are incredibly grateful to David and all the staff at Corte Dei Papi who made our wedding absolutely perfect. David was incredibly welcoming and ensured we had a memorable stay at Corte Dei Papi. It was a beautifully romantic and picturesque setting for our elopement - we loved every moment of our stay there. We cannot speak highly enough of the staff and how accommodating they were, and the room we stayed in was pure luxury.