Umbrian mornings start like a secret. Olive trees hold their breath, a tiny Fiat hums past a frescoed doorway, and somewhere a bell warms up its vowels. If your heart is set on Italy’s “green heart,” here’s a calm, human, luxury shortlist of Umbria wedding planners—plus how to choose the right fit, which venues pair beautifully, and what a three-day celebration actually feels like (spoiler: slower, softer, better).
Why Umbria works (and what a great planner actually does)
Between Tuscany and Rome, Umbria gives you medieval towns, cloisters, abbeys, and real silence—the luxurious kind. Think Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, Lake Trasimeno, and the Valnerina. For bearings and guest activities, keep the official Umbria tourism portal handy; it’s a simple map to towns, lakes, and seasons. sposiamovi.it+1
A top planner here is your translator, advocate, timeline bodyguard, and “we already handled it” person. They pre-approve Plan B spaces, tame ZTL (limited-traffic zones) around hilltowns, and keep paperwork/interpretation for civil ceremonies from photobombing your sanity.
Luxury Shortlist: the top Umbria wedding planners (alphabetical)
Dream On Wedding (Perugia & Umbria)
Warm, precise, and strong on multi-day weekends. Clear service tiers (full/partial/coordination) and a design process that stays human. Official site: dreamonwedding.it. Dream On Wedding
Intimate Italian Weddings (Umbria-based)
Simonetta Pollera’s studio specializes in bespoke, small-to-medium destination weddings—editorial taste without losing the human heartbeat. Official site: intimateitalianweddings.com. Intimate Italian Weddings
Italian Wedding Company — Umbria
Destination specialists with a dedicated Umbria section; helpful if you’re eyeing Assisi/Orvieto and want civil/religious guidance plus venue scouting. Official:
italianweddingcompany.com (Umbria hub). italianweddingcompany.com
Sposiamovi (Umbria team)
A renowned Italy-wide agency with an Umbria arm—useful for larger guest counts or when you’re pairing Umbria with Rome/Tuscany over several days. Umbria page: sposiamovi.it/umbria-weddings. sposiamovi.it
Umbria Weddings & Events
Boutique, region-first perspective—great local vendor network and realistic bus/coach strategies for hilltowns. Official site: umbriaweddingsandevents.com. Umbria Weddings and Events
Note: some venues have “in-house coordinators,” which is wonderful—but they work for the property. An external planner protects the whole day (transport, light, sound, timing, guest flow).
Quick planner comparison (skimmable)
| Planner |
Best for |
Standout strengths |
Sweet spot guest count |
| Dream On Wedding |
Multi-day, elegant estates |
Clear design process, calm execution |
60–150 Dream On Wedding |
| Intimate Italian Weddings |
Intimate/bespoke |
Detail-driven, personal guidance |
20–80 Intimate Italian Weddings |
| Italian Wedding Company |
Towns & civil/religious |
Legal know-how + venue scouting |
30–150 italianweddingcompany.com |
| Sposiamovi (Umbria) |
Larger productions |
Complex vendor orchestration |
100–250 sposiamovi.it |
| Umbria Weddings & Events |
Region-focused villas |
Local network, ZTL-wise logistics |
40–120 Umbria Weddings and Events |
(No hype—just patterns I see repeatedly in real weddings.)
Planner fit quiz (three questions that reveal a lot)
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“What’s our beautiful Plan B for wind or rain?”
Cloisters and loggias are Umbria’s secret weapon; a good planner has backup spaces pre-approved, not just “umbrellas and optimism.”
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“How will you handle ZTL and shuttles for a hilltown venue?”
Ask for a drop-off map and timings that sync with cocktails, not the other way around.
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“Who owns the civil ceremony admin?”
Confirm Town Hall windows, documents, interpreter, and when the legal bit happens versus the pretty bit.
Venues that pair beautifully with top planners (official links)
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Castello di Monterone (Perugia) — Medieval castle-hotel overlooking the valley; terraces and stone corners that make sound and light behave. [Weddings at Castello di Monterone] (official). castellomonterone.com
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Abbazia San Pietro in Valle (Valnerina) — 12th-century abbey residence between Marmore Falls and Spoleto; cloister dinners up to ~80; on-site catering or curated partners. [Official weddings page]. sanpietroinvalle.com
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Tenuta di Murlo (north of Perugia) — Private estate of villas and valleys; Villa Castiglione Ugolino with an annexed 13th-century church is a jewel for smaller luxury weddings. [Murlo Weddings & Events brochure / estate site]. Murlo+1
For guest day-trips and weekend planning, send them to the Umbria tourism portal—one clean place for towns, lakes, and waterfalls (hello, Marmore Falls). sposiamovi.it
How a three-day Umbrian celebration actually feels
Day −1 (Welcome): a borgo square or pool-terrace dinner; buses practice the route; grandparents discover Aperol is a verb.
Day 0 (Wedding): ceremony angled with sun behind guests, speeches between courses (warm reactions + hot plates), a five-minute “stone & stars” portrait pocket, then the band wins.
Day +1 (Exhale): truffles or olive oil tasting, a quick Perugia walk, or lake time on Trasimeno.
Your planner front-loads the logistics (coach sizes, kitchen specs, curfews) so the timeline reads like poetry, not a spreadsheet.
Real micro-scenes (the human texture)
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A florist whispers “un attimo,” fixes a boutonnière that didn’t need fixing; the cloister air turns to velvet.
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The bus driver radios that the lane feels tight; your planner shifts drop-off by one corner and guests arrive laughing, not hiking.
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An uncle appears with an iPad—he’s gently moved one meter left and becomes the best light flag we could have asked for.
Buyer’s guide (hire like a pro)
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Scope: full planning vs partial vs month-of. In rural Umbria, full is often worth it.
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Crew on the day: who’s physically there (lead + assistant + production)?
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Local leverage: caterers who know abbey kitchens, bus companies who know ZTL, sound techs who know cloister acoustics.
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Paperwork: civil/religious process, interpreter, Town Hall time slots.
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Design brain: ask for past galleries from similar venues (abbey, castle, lake). Mood boards are great; executed floor plans are better.
Tiny Umbrian glossary (you’ll hear these soon)
Borgo — a little hamlet; welcome-dinner catnip.
ZTL — limited traffic zone; shuttle maps matter.
Loggia / Cloister — semi-covered lifesavers for sound, strings, and speeches.
Aperitivo lungo — the Italian art of making cocktail hour so good nobody wants to sit.
When to book (and light that flatters)
Prime months: May–June, September–early October (cooler evenings, generous blue hour).
Lead time: 12–18 months for peak Saturdays; weekdays are a quiet luxury.
Ceremony window cues: aim the aisle so the sun sits behind guests; eyes relax, colors breathe.
Why couples book me (and our film team) for Umbria
I photograph with an editorial-meets-documentary approach: clean composition, true color, and human pace. I plan portrait pockets that are five to seven minutes and a short walk from your guests; I coordinate with your planner so no one steals your cocktail hour. When you add cinema, our video team works in the same quiet rhythm—layered angles, honest sound, zero production circus.
Packages, portfolio, contact & video
If Umbria already has your heart, let’s give it the light it deserves—the hush of an abbey cloister, the valley turning rose at aperitivo, the way your people sound when the band hits the first chorus. I’ll handle the scouting, the shade, the sound, the timing—and the thousand tiny decisions you shouldn’t think about. Explore the Portfolio & Journal, request a bespoke quote via Packages & Investment, share your wishlist and dates on Contact, and see films by our team on the Video Portfolio.
Handy official links (for your research)
