La vita è più bella insieme - life is more beautiful together. It’s impossible to disagree with such a wonderful – and true – affirmation!
This very beautiful sentiment is the theme of our bride and groom Philana and Rob’s life, love and wedding!
With our planning and coordination, this fabulous couple hosted a extravagant and unforgettable wedding weekend on the Amalfi Coast and life truly was more beautiful for them and for all of their guests.
The kind and caring couple ensured their guests were pampered and cared for from the very moment they arrived on the Amalfi Coast. They asked us to create stunning ‘welcome’ gift bags for their guests full of traditional local treats. Guests were thrilled to receive a chic woven straw bag containing a hand-painted decorative ceramic tray with two tiny glasses, a heart-shaped bottle of limoncello, delicious lemon biscuits and lovely lemon sweets. It was the perfect way to welcome their guests to a weekend full of excitement, elegance and emotion.
Philana and Rob’s visit began with a boat excursion along the Amalfi Coast, a day spent gliding through the sparkling Mediterranean waters, relaxing, soaking up the September sunshine and admiring the amazing views.
The following day, guests gathered for an evening of dinner and entertainment at the stunning Hotel Villa Cimbrone, a 12th Century residence and luxury hotel set in breathtaking botanical gardens, perched at the very top of the tiny town of Ravello. On arrival at the villa, we ensured guests were wowed by the panoramic views from the Infinity terrace before being accompanied to the villa’s lush gardens where our talented, traditional Neapolitan guitar and mandolin duo played as they sampled delicious aperitifs against the beautiful coastal backdrop. Later guests were escorted to the evocative setting of the villa’s vaulted-ceilinged stone crypt, where they dined by candlelight and happy laughter and animated conversation blended with the lilting Neapolitan musical notes.
Bright and early the next morning, the adventure continued as we arranged for Philana and Rob to take their guests on a boat excursion to the incredible island of Capri. Following an exploration of the delights of this tiny paradise, guests took a refreshing and fun dip in the crystal clear waters close to the island before re-boarding and returning to the mainland as excitement began building for the next day: Philana & Rob’s wedding day!
We were onsite with Philana and Rob from the beginning of their wedding day, ensuring the many wonderful elements and events were in place and that the whole day would be flawless! While our Amalfi Coast hair and make-up artists ensured the bride and her attendants were pampered and perfected, the fabulous photographer and videographer immortalized every amazing moment.
In the mid afternoon as the sun sparkled and the warm breeze soothed, guests gathered at the Belmond Hotel Caruso. Perched on a cliff, at the top of the town of Ravello, the Belmond Caruso is an incredibly luxurious hotel, set in a beautiful 11th-century palace, nestled in terraced Mediterranean gardens and boasting incredible panoramic views.
The hotel’s Wagner Gardens with lush green lawns, vibrant flowers bursting to life and ancient olive trees providing prettiness and shade, played host to Philana and Rob’s wedding ceremony. Guests were escorted to their seats to enjoy the gentle tones of our string trio of harp, cello and violin and admire the views as they waited for the ceremony to commence.
The ceremony setting was divinely-decorated by our amazing Ravello floral design team, with an aisle border of delicate white and green flowers and foliage seemingly bursting forth from the ground and adding to the romantic and natural garden ambience, complimented by classic white Tiffany-style chairs.
Bride Philana, breathtaking in an exquisite Vera Wang bridal gown, carried a bouquet of deep red roses with matched with groom Rob’s boutonniere, worn with an elegant black tuxedo.
The bespoke symbolic ceremony, officiated by our native-English speaking celebrant, was full of laughter and love. Our celebrant created a ceremony especially for Philana and Rob which celebrated their amazing love story, included favourite readings, heartfelt vows, a special hand-holding remembrance rite in memory of the groom’s mother, from whom the couple’s wonderful wedding and life motto came and a lei-inspired rite, featuring beautiful fresh flower garlands, to symbolise Philana and Rob’s Hawaii home.
After the ceremony, guests shared a toast with the newlyweds as they tasted fabulous finger foods and sipped delicious drinks in the hotel’s gardens, accompanied by a Neapolitan guitar and mandolin duo, then by a renowned local pianist and vocalist.
The pianist continued to play throughout Philana and Rob’s wedding banquet on one of the pretty garden terraces afternoon turned to evening and the wedding party dined by candlelight and thousands of tiny fairy lights lit up the ancient olive trees. Each of the elegantly-decorated dining tables was named for one of the Amalfi Coast’s beautiful towns and displayed a blue and white hand-painted ceramic tile featuring the table name. Of course Rhilana and Rob were seated at the Ravello table!
We arranged for each guest to receive a traditional Amalfi Coast gift of a lovely hand-painted blue and white ceramic tile as both an escort card and wedding favour – known in Italy as a bomboniera.
After the laughter and emotion-filled speeches, guests were led to one of the hotel’s most spectacular settings, the infinity pool, for the cutting of the wedding cake and dancing. The infinity pool seems to hover in mid air and is absolutely magical when atmospherically lit at nighttime. We arranged additional lighting to create the perfect ambience for Philana and Rob’s Ravello wedding after party.
Guests were given sparklers to create additional magic during the cake cutting and the bride and groom’s first dance. As the couple and their guests took to the dance floor, sampled a slice of the delectable wedding cake or simply relaxed with a delicious drink from the open bar their smiles told us everything we needed to know…that everyone had had an amazing experience and it really is true: la vita è più bella insieme!
Philana and Rob’s Amalfi Coast wedding experience was a wonderful creative challenge and one that we at Ravello Events loved meeting. It was so much fun! We are incredibly grateful to the Philana, Rob and their lovely guests and to our amazing team of creative individuals who enabled us to create this amazing Amalfi Coast wedding weekend and to make life more beautiful together!