Positano is our “happy place”, a place we visit every year. It was during a romantic dinner at La Sponda restaurant, when the waiter brought over what I assumed was a birthday card as it was my birthday during our holiday. As I opened the card, T was down on one knee and asked me to marry him. The card is such a precious keepsake I’ll cherish forever, personalised with photos of us throughout the years and the most meaningful, beautiful words inside.
The best part of our day was…
It’s so hard to name just one. But, walking up the aisle hand in hand as Mr & Mrs was a moment we’ll never forget. Overlooking the spectacular views of Positano with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” playing and seeing the faces of everyone we love cheering and smiling back at us was just pure magic. It was such a euphoric, joyful moment and we both just kept looking at each other like “Wow we did it!”. Having our son, Joshua there and being a part of the ceremony was also so special, he was just 18 months at the time so we expected the worst, however he was an absolute angel.
We chose to get married in…
Positano, Italy with our ceremony taking place on the panoramic terrace at Hotel Marincanto. An 18th century historical building situated in the most beautiful part of Positano known as “La Sponda” (also the name of the restaurant where we got engaged). It’s the only panoramic terrace in the town with a breathtaking view of the town and bay. Our reception was at Rada Restaurant down on the beachfront – we loved the idea of having two completely different views and settings for our guests to enjoy.
I knew I found ‘The One’ when…
I fell in love with my dress the moment I tried it on, I kept trying on different styles to compare but would always come back to my dress and wouldn’t want to take it off. However, the moment I really knew it was ‘The One’ wasn’t until the second try on, when I noticed there were tiny embroidered feathers amongst the floral lace bodice and scattered around the skirt. White feathers have a sentimental meaning to me connected to my late Mum, so I took this as her seal of approval.
The most enjoyable moments of planning were…
Numerous trips to Positano for site visits and delicious food & wine tastings. Our wedding was a three day celebration so we had three seperate dinner menus to choose at three different restaurants – my husband and I are massive foodies so we were totally in our element.
The hardest part of planning was…
COVID. Our original wedding date was set for June 2020 so we ended up having to postpone the wedding date twice due to all of the uncertainties with the new variants and ever changing travel restrictions. There were so many variables totally out of our control which we found quite stressful. Flights were constantly being canceled right up until the week of our wedding. It wasn’t until all of our family and friends had arrived that we could totally relax and believe the wedding was actually going ahead as planned.
Our first dance song was…
John Legend – All Of Me
The best accounts to follow on Instagram for big-day inspo are…
@theweddingedition. As well as @thebridaljourney, @the_lane and @stylemepretty
Wedding menu highlights…
The Limoncello Spritz went down a treat during cocktail hour and the homemade tiramisu was delicious.
For our honeymoon we chose…
For our mini moon we stayed in Positano for five days after the wedding at our ceremony venue, Hotel Marincanto. For our honeymoon, we visited Mauritius for two weeks at LUX* Grand Baie & LUX* Le Mourne which was total paradise.
My top three tips for any couple would be…
We didn’t have a wedding planner so building trusting relationships with our suppliers was key. Clear and concise communication was super important – especially when planning a destination wedding. Although most suppliers spoke good English, you’d be surprised how much can get lost in translation through the hundreds of emails. We found actually meeting our suppliers in person multiple times and arranging video calls was invaluable.
Secondly, It’s so easy to get carried away with all of the decorations and flowers but if you focus more on the setting and surroundings of a stunning location you won’t need to spend as much dressing it (which can easily eat up your budget).
Lastly and most importantly, just remember to enjoy the day and soak up every minute. Remind yourself the day is all about you and your husband and really be present.
If I was able to do it all over again, the one thing I would change is…
The only thing that springs to mind is Covid to save us all of the stress. However, if it wasn’t for the wedding being postponed our son wouldn’t have been born so in that case, nothing. It was honestly the best weekend of our lives and perfect in every way.
List of suppliers
Flowers – Rosalinda Flowers @rosalinda_flowersweddingslab
Ceremony venue – Hotel Marincanto @marincanto_romantichotel
Celebrant – Carmela Italy Wedding Celebrant @carmela_italyweddingcelebrant
Reception venue – Rada Restaurant @radaristoranterooftop
Calligraphy – Gemma Milly Studios @gemmamilly
Make-up – Positano Makeup @positanomakeup
Hair – Alessandro Mancino Studios @alessandromancinostudios
Bride dress – Pronovias @pronovias
Bridesmaids dresses – Rewritten @rewrittenbridesmaids
Bride shoes – Jimmy Choo @jimmychoo
Groom suit – Canali @canali
Groom shoes – Gucci @gucci
Photographer – @chloewinstanleyphotography
Videographer – @kulik_videographer
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