Couples Can Get Married On Balcony That Inspired “Romeo & Juliet” – For A Price
Posted June 3, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Looking for the most romantic place in the world to get married?
Forget about a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, where your minister looks like Elvis.
You can honeymoon in Niagara Falls, but you don’t have to exchange vows there.
And they can get you to the church on time, but they can’t quite match this.
For a fee, you can now get hitched in what surely has to be the most famous spot for lovers on the entire planet. It’s the balcony in Verona, Italy believed to have served as the basis for the famous scene in William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
The perch, where Romeo wondered, “what light from yonder window breaks,” is actually the 13th century mansion owned by the Cappello family, who it’s believed were converted to the “Capulets” in the famous play.
Couples have been making pilgrimages there for years but now the town council has decided to turn the historic site into the real thing, letting couples stand on the actual balcony and say their “I do’s” at the fateful spot.
Soccer star Luca Ceccarelli was the first to take advantage of the offer on Monday (top left) and it couldn’t have been more appropriate. He plays for the local Verona team.
This Romeo insists he was emotional when he exchanged rings with his Juliet, whose real name is Irene Lamforti. He believes it will get their marriage off to a lucky start.
There are only two things you need to make it happen: love and money.
The former is a no-brainer. The latter will get you to Verona, but you’ll have to arrange for the special venue. A normal wedding licence in Italy costs about $70 in Canadian funds.
Securing the balcony is considerably more expensive. Non-European Union couples have to shell out almost Cdn$1,400 to make the reservation – and that doesn’t include the party that follows off site or any clergy you want to invite.
And while it may be tempting to tell the world you got hitched at the place where one of the most famous twosomes in literature fell in love, it might not be the price tag that stops you.
Just remember how that relationship worked out.
Photo credit: Luca Ghidoni/Getty Images
