The team behind Married in Sicily
Dom Hebblethwaite, founder
Dom is bilingual in English and Italian and has spent his working life between the two countries. For over a decade he ran Live in Italy, a property and relocation service for English speakers, which meant years of getting real things done inside Italian bureaucracy: contracts, comuni, notaries, deadlines, and the thousand small phone calls in Italian that make the difference between a plan and an outcome. Married in Sicily applies that same craft to the wedding you want. A number of Live in Italy's clients wrote up their stories at the time: past property clients, in their own words (PDF, 12 pages).
He is a bilingual translator and interpreter. At an Italian civil ceremony the law requires an independent interpreter; we provide one as part of every service. The team around each wedding grows with the help you want, from a two-person elopement to a full villa weekend delivered with a coordinated Sicilian team on the day.
We deal with the comune in person, so the only appointments you attend are your own: the declaration and the ceremony.
Doris Cheng, design and creative consultant
Doris is our design and creative consultant. She works with couples who want their wedding in Sicily to feel personal and carefully considered.
Doris shapes the look, feel and atmosphere of the day: the choice and styling of the setting, the colour palette, the flowers, the table design and the finer details. She joins venue visits, sets the creative direction and makes sure every element works with the others.
After early experience in the Alexander McQueen studio, Doris graduated with first- class honours in fashion design from Central Saint Martins in 2005, and her graduate collection appeared on the front page of the London edition of The Daily Telegraph. She went on to run the studio of a London couture house, followed by five years as a bridal wear consultant and fourteen years at Van Cleef & Arpels, advising a clientele for whom discretion and impeccable service were everything.
Twenty years of shaping how people look and feel on the most significant occasions of their lives have given Doris a rare eye. She brings it to every wedding we plan, drawing the setting, the styling and the smallest details into one experience that feels effortless, entirely yours, and unmistakably Sicilian.
Giulia Lucania, Sicilian wedding logistics
Giulia is a dynamic Sicilian translator, interpreter and hospitality expert who works for Married in Sicily on the Italian logistics of your wedding. She looks after the official translations of your UK documents, sworn before a court in Italy when the Italian authorities require it, and she is our extra pair of Italian hands when something needs doing on the ground.
A qualified member of AITI, Italy's professional association of translators and interpreters, she also holds a master's in hospitality management and worked in tourism before turning to languages, so she knows the world your venues and suppliers work in from the inside.
A particular specialism is food and drink, and she has written regularly for the Italian online foodie newspaper Dissapore; of course, there are few more important subjects at a Sicilian wedding.
How much you see of her depends on the service you choose: from mainly translation for an elopement to the full range of Italian logistics for a fully planned wedding.
Key facts
| Name | Married in Sicily |
|---|---|
| What we do | Legal weddings in Sicily for British couples: the comune (the local council), the paperwork and the interpreter. Planning is there if you want it, from a few touches to the whole day. |
| Services | Ceremony; Ceremony and Celebration; The Whole Wedding. Starting points, tailored to each couple. |
| Who it is for | British couples, from two-person elopements to small weddings with family and friends. |
| Where | Anywhere in Sicily the comune allows a legal ceremony. |
| Languages | English and Italian. |
| Interpreter | Provided in every service, as Italian law requires at the declaration and the ceremony. |
| Translations | Sworn translations included in the fee. |
| Fees | One fixed fee, agreed up front; couples pay venues and suppliers directly. |
| Independence | Not tied to any venue or agency. |
| Founder | Dom Hebblethwaite, bilingual translator and interpreter. |
| Company | A trading name of Real Italian Weddings Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17305376. |
| Sister site | Italian Elopements, for legal elopements elsewhere in Italy. |
| Contact | ciao@marriedinsicily.com, WhatsApp, or book a call. |
Let's talk about your wedding
A 30-minute call with Dom to talk through where and when to marry in Sicily, and what the paperwork involves for the two of you.
Or message us on WhatsApp, or email us at ciao@marriedinsicily.com.