Italy vs Greece Destination Wedding: Lake Como or Santorini?

In an Italy vs Greece destination wedding decision, Santorini usually costs less for the same guest list and suits couples who want sea, sunset and a compact celebration, while Lake Como asks for a larger budget and gives back villas, gardens, boats and a long dinner in soft lake light. The right answer depends less on which country is more beautiful and more on your guest count, the weekend you want and how much wind and sun you are willing to plan around.

Konstantyn Zakhariy and Mariya Gritsak are based at Lake Como and have also photographed on Santorini, from a three day celebration with a cliffside ceremony to a sunset elopement in Oia. This comparison comes from working in both places, checked against published planner figures and official requirements.

Choosing the country first matters because it fixes three things no venue can change for you. It decides the legal route for your ceremony, the months in which an outdoor wedding is comfortable, and the rhythm of the weekend your guests are flying across the Atlantic for. A caldera terrace and a lakeside villa garden are not two versions of the same day; they lead to different timelines, different guest logistics and different photographs.

Below we compare published budgets and VAT, the civil paperwork Americans need in each country, light and wind on the day, the venue types and the shape of a wedding weekend. We are also clear about when Santorini is simply the better fit. If you are still weighing regions within Italy, read how Lake Como compares with the Amalfi Coast as well.

The honest answer to whether it is cheaper to marry in Greece or Italy is yes, Greece is usually cheaper, and the gap is widest between Santorini and Lake Como. The figures below are typical published ranges, not quotes, and they come from planners who explain their numbers.

Santorini. The Greek planning guide Big Fat Greek Day, in its 2026 Santorini guide, puts a ten guest elopement at about 9,000 to 13,000 EUR, a classic wedding for around 50 guests at 22,000 to 32,000 EUR and a 100 guest luxury celebration at 50,000 to 80,000 EUR or more. Venue fees explain much of the difference: the same guide lists Venetsanos Winery from 2,500 EUR and the caldera venue Le Ciel from 4,200 EUR including VAT.

Lake Como. The planning company WeddingItaly gives 70,000 to 150,000 EUR for weddings of up to 50 guests and 250,000 to 450,000 EUR or more for 150 guests and above. It puts event only villa rentals between 15,000 and 60,000 EUR, with Villa del Balbianello at 15,000 to 30,000 EUR, and catering at 150 to 300 EUR or more per guest. Exclusive villas, approved vendor lists, boat transfers and multi day buyouts are what push the lake into a different bracket. For the full picture, see our Italy destination wedding cost breakdown.

VAT. The standard rate is 24% in Greece and 22% in Italy. Both countries also use reduced rates for food. Big Fat Greek Day notes that catered food in Greece carries 13% while drinks, service fees and rentals stay at 24%, and Italian tax commentary confirms that a wedding meal served as a catering service is taxed at 10%, with planning consultancy at 22%. Many quotes in both countries are written net, so ask every supplier whether the price includes VAT.

Service charges. On Santorini, venues and caterers often add 10 to 20% on food and drink, separate from VAT. Ask whether it applies to your quote and whether it is calculated before or after tax, because on a 50 guest dinner it can change the total by more than a thousand euros.

One point in Lake Como's favour: per guest, the lake can be more predictable once you sign a villa, because one contract usually covers the grounds, the timings and the approved caterer. Santorini packages look smaller but leave out more, so compare both countries by realistic totals, never by headline price.

Both countries let American citizens marry legally without living there, and in both the paperwork takes a few months. The steps are different, though, and so is the language of the ceremony.

Greece. According to Big Fat Greek Day's 2026 guide for US citizens, you need valid passports, long form birth certificates with a Hague apostille and a certified Greek translation, and a single status affidavit sworn before a US consular officer at the Embassy in Athens or the Consulate in Thessaloniki. Translations must come from a translator on the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs register, and apostilles must be obtained before translation. The marriage license is requested from the local municipality, at least two weeks ahead, the civil ceremony is conducted in Greek with two adult witnesses, and the marriage must be registered within 40 days of the ceremony. The guide suggests three to four months for the whole process.

Italy. The Italian Consulate in Los Angeles lists a US passport, an atto notorio sworn at an Italian consulate in the United States with four adult witnesses who are not related to either of you, and a sworn declaration made before a US consulate in Italy that nothing in US law prevents the marriage. Exclusive Italy Weddings adds that this declaration is then legalised at the local Prefettura, and that most documents cannot be older than six months, so the work is done in the months just before the wedding. Some towns also ask for an apostilled, translated birth certificate. The full sequence is in the legal guide for Americans marrying in Italy.

The practical difference is where you have to be. In Italy, the sworn declaration happens in person at a US consulate in Italy shortly before the wedding, while in Greece the consular affidavit happens at the embassy in Athens or the consulate in Thessaloniki, which means a trip to the mainland before you reach the island. In both countries, requirements vary by town, so confirm the current list with the municipality where you will marry.

Many American couples sign the legal papers at home and hold a symbolic ceremony abroad. It removes the translations, the ceremony language question and the timing pressure, and it frees you to choose the terrace, garden or hour that photographs best rather than the one a registry office allows.

Light. Santorini in summer means clear skies and long days; climate data shows around 11 to 12 hours of sunshine a day from June to August and almost no rain. In the middle of the day, whitewashed walls and pale paving bounce that sun straight back, which is flattering to architecture and hard on faces. We plan Santorini portraits for the last hour before sunset or for sunrise, when the villages are quiet. Lake Como light behaves differently: the water and the mountains soften it, terraces fall into open shade before the sun has actually set, and the long dinner takes place in warm, even light that a lake evening holds well.

Wind. The meltemi is the Aegean's summer north wind. Real Greek Experiences describes it as strongest in July and August, sometimes arriving in June or September, usually building in the afternoon and early evening and easing at night, with occasional force 7 to 8 days. On a cliff edge it moves veils, candles and floral arches, so ask your venue for a sheltered ceremony position and think about a later start.

Venues and crowds. Santorini venues are mostly caldera terraces, hotels, wineries and private villas, with published capacities of around 100 to 120 guests at venues such as Le Ciel, El Viento and Venetsanos Winery. Big Fat Greek Day also warns that Oia becomes very crowded on days with several cruise ships in port. Lake Como offers historic villas, grand hotels and gardens reached by boat, with room for much larger weddings. Brittany and Jason's weekend shows the lake format well: three days that began at Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio and led to a ceremony at Villa del Balbianello, with the whole property to themselves and opera singers at the outdoor reception. You can see it in Brittany and Jason's wedding at Villa del Balbianello.

When Santorini fits better. Choose the island if you are planning an elopement or a wedding under about 60 guests, if your budget sits closer to the Greek ranges than the Lake Como ones, if the sea and the sunset matter more to you than gardens and architecture, or if you love a Greek weekend with a welcome party and a day on the water. For a small sunset celebration, look at a sunset elopement in Oia. Choose Lake Como for larger guest lists, a long seated dinner, boat arrivals and a weekend spread across several villas.

We photograph in both countries as a two photographer team and we photograph a limited number of weddings each year. Weddings start from 7,000 EUR, net with VAT added, and engagement and proposal sessions from 1,800 EUR, with travel to Greece quoted for your dates. If you are still deciding between the lake and the island, send us your guest count and month and check your date with us; we are happy to tell you how each option would photograph.

Is it cheaper to get married in Greece or Italy?

Usually Greece. Published 2026 figures put a 50 guest Santorini wedding at about 22,000 to 32,000 EUR, while Lake Como planners give 70,000 to 150,000 EUR for up to 50 guests. Other parts of Italy cost less than Lake Como, so compare regions as well as countries.

Can Americans legally marry in Santorini?

Yes. There is no national residency requirement. You need apostilled birth certificates with certified Greek translations, a single status affidavit sworn at the US Embassy in Athens or the Consulate in Thessaloniki, and a license from the municipality. The civil ceremony is held in Greek with two witnesses.

Is Santorini too windy for a summer wedding?

Not too windy, but windy enough to plan for. The meltemi is strongest in July and August and tends to build in the afternoon, so a sheltered ceremony spot, a later start and secure florals help. Late September and early October are often calmer and cooler.

Which suits a large wedding better, Lake Como or Santorini?

Lake Como. Published Santorini venue capacities sit at around 100 to 120 guests, while the lake has villas and hotels used for weddings of 150 guests and more, with boats and gardens that spread a large group comfortably.

Do you photograph weddings in both Greece and Italy?

Yes. We live at Lake Como and travel to Santorini for weddings and elopements, including a three day celebration with a catamaran cruise and a cliffside ceremony. Travel to Greece is quoted once we know your dates.