Next to tiny weddings and sheer wedding dresses, destination celebrations are by far the most popular trend on SMP. And guess what? This gorgeous affair features all three of those very trends and does so in a way that will easily turn said trends into timeless must-haves. Set against the backdrop of Positano, Italy with a gown fit for a princess and a groom who is so clearly in love, this wedding was built by friends and family and a tiny but mighty group of destination vendors – like Carmen Santorelli behind the camera and The Amalfi Experience helping with coordination. And the result is the kind of loveliness that we crave all. day. long.
From the Bride…I feel so fortunate to tell people that we wouldn’t have changed a single thing when looking back at our wedding day. Donny and I have always been up for an adventure. After reloading halfway across the country, we knew that neither of our home towns were fitting for our wedding. We always knew we wanted to do something a little bit out of the ordinary, and little did he know, before he proposed, I already had my heart set on a European destination wedding.
Really for us there were only a few things that were a MUST: A Catholic Church, close to the beach, intimate, and anything but a standard “check the box wedding” for our guests. When I started scrolling the internet for a location, Positano couldn’t have been more fitting. The Church of Santa Maria Assunta was located steps from the beach, Rada Restaurant overlooked the ocean, and there was a discoteca located on the lower level of the restaurant. Perfection.
Don’t get me wrong, planning a wedding across the world wasn’t always easy, but we stuck to a timeless romantic theme and took advantage of the beautiful Italian elements. After deciding on the church and location for dinner, I hired The Amalfi Experience to help with reservations and day of coordination. I knew I wanted to let the Italian backdrop speak for itself, therefore, we kept things simple and did most everything on our own.
Our invitation suite was created by one of my college girlfriends Libby from “Libby Rae Studio”. She brought my vision of Italian tiles and lemons to life in our crest and watercolor details page. I ended up using her designs throughout the entire event including welcome gifts and day of stationary.
Looking back, one of the funniest and most chaotic parts of the entire day was regarding flowers. My mom has prior floral experience, and we thought it would be fun to design and decorate ourselves. We put in a large loose flower order and the morning of the wedding my dad hiked up the streets of Positano to grab our order, which of course, was at the very top!
I have to thank my sister-in-law and best friend for helping decorate the restaurant. And then the two of them, plus my mom, for creating my beautiful bouquet minutes before our first look. Yes, we got married in Positano, Italy, but for us it was much more than that. We accomplished our goal of creating a unique experience for those that mean the most to us. All of the right people were there and the trip was exactly what we wanted. I am so thankful we chose Carmen to capture every single moment in the most genuine fashion.
Photography: Carmen Santorelli Photography | Wedding Coordinator: The Amalfi Experience | Wedding Dress: Ines Di Santo | Ceremony Venue: Church Of Santa Maria Assunta | Reception Venue: Rada | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Jewelry: Mark Patterson | Getting Ready: Casa Buonocore | Hair Artist: Piero Mansi | Paper: Libby Rae Studio