Selecting the Location
I had always dreamed of a beach wedding as my love of the sun and beach is no hidden fact; however, as Doug and I were relaxing on a beach in Maui thinking it might be the perfect spot, I saw something in a Travel and Leisure magazine that captured my attention. It was an advertisement for a Mediterranean cruise. I said to Doug, “Let’s just get married in Italy!” Doug had proposed to me on the beautiful Isle of Capri in Italy on October 6, 2009 and we both agree it was the most scenic and romantic spot…along with the wonderful memories we have of the evening we got engaged. With all of our special memories of Italy and especially Capri, we knew that we wanted to return to the Amalfi Coast for our wedding.
Selecting the Dress
Ironically, Antonia was not the first dress I picked out. I saw another dress online, absolutely fell in love with it, and after calling around looking for it, I decided to order it without having seen it in person or trying it on. What a disappointment when it arrived! I then saw “Antonia”online and again was in love, but not willing to make the same mistake twice. Again I called around and it must have been fate as a bridal store within 3 hours of me was having a trunk show the following week and Antonia was one of the sample dresses to be included. It was love at first sight and love when I tried it on. Antonia it was! (I should add….the dress is perfect for a destination wedding and traveling)
The Wedding
We planned our wedding for the picturesque town of Positano on Italy’s beautiful Amalfi Coast. We chose the The Comune di Positano, which is a panoramic terrace overlooking the sea. We flew photographers out from Austin, Texas, Forever Photography Studio, to capture every special moment of our celebration. It started with a bridal session the day prior to the wedding at Villa Rufolo in Ravello with its vibrant flowers, beautiful trees and did I mention outrageous views?! Our wedding day itself was beautiful and the Mediterranean Sea sparkled behind us as we said “Si lo voglio” (I do) to each other. Following the ceremony, we again headed to Ravello and after a quick stop at the historic town square with all its charm for a gelato and cafe, we headed to Villa Cimbrone for additional pictures. Once again, we were surrounded by countless gardens, statues, colorful flowers and the Infinity Terrace, which alone would be reason to visit. We ended the evening hosted by Antonio Mansi at Hotel Parsifal for an intimate candlelit dinner on a terrace with amazing views of the Amalfi Coast and sea. Antonio truly made our evening special and it was the perfect ending to our fairytale wedding. But wait, it wasn't over yet! The following day and our after session, I arranged for a private boat trip over to Capri where we once again took the chairlift up to Monte Solero, the highest point on Capri and Anacapri, only this time in our wedding attire! We then made our way to the town square where we were surrounded by a circle of both locals and tourists cheering "Auguri" (congratulations) as we danced and Doug serenaded me to "Your Song" by Elton John, which is our song. We then visited the exact spot where Doug had proposed. It was truly the wedding of our dreams! It was the most magical, memorable and beautiful experience we could have hoped for...and thanks to our photographers, we have beautiful pictures that captured every special moment to share with our family and friends. As we love many parts of Italy, we actually planned for two additional mini after sessions in Rome and Venice as well. Antonia was literally worn and photographed all over Italy: Ravello, Positano, Capri, Rome, Venice and again on the first formal night on our Mediterranean cruise!