Alex and Kelly, wedding in Ravello

Ravello, August 5^th 2013.

Hey Laura!

How are you? We are back from our amazing trip to Italy. We had such a good time, it could not have been more perfect. I want to thank you again for everything you did in planning the wedding. Lots of our friends are sending us photos and videos, and every time I see one I am amazed by how beautiful it all looks. It was an amazing wedding! 

I wish you could have been there to see it all, but I'll send you some details about how everything went.

Ravello

When we arrived in Ravello, we quickly decided that it was the perfect choice to have our destination wedding. Such a beautiful little town, quiet and more upscale than the larger towns on the coast. We loved that everything was within walking distance. The first time we starting running into our guests exploring the streets, we realized that this was really happening! The main square was the perfect meeting spot, and every night our guests would mingle and have drinks there until the early hours of the morning! 

The Pizza Party

Our welcome pizza party was a huge hit. Rosie was there and was very helpful in communicating with the staff and getting everything organized. Our guests were very impressed by the gorgeous view. There was plenty of food for everyone and the pizza was delicious. Many of our guests returned to the restaurant the following night! The drinks were flowing and we were very impressed by the friendliness and professionalism of the restaurant staff. Everyone had a great time and it was the perfect way to welcome all our guests and get the weekend started!

The Boat Trip

The boat trip to Capri went perfectly as well! The buses were there on time to pick us up in the morning, and the boat was waiting for us at the pier. Rosie met us at the buses and came down with us to Amalfi to see us on the boat. It was a gorgeous day and our guests really enjoyed photographing the beautiful Amalfi coast. In Capri everyone split up and some people went to the beach while others explored the towns. On the way back, everything was again really punctual. Once again, an amazing day!

The Wedding

Finally, the wedding day! I checked in to Villa Cimbrone with my bridesmaids at around noon. Gerardo came to the suite and started doing the ladies' hair, while the rest of us chatted, had snacks and drank Prosecco. The suites were beautiful! Meanwhile, Kelly and his groomsmen checked in as well and spent all afternoon by the pool!

When it finally came time for the ceremony, everything was perfectly organized. Rosie and the Villa staff made sure everything was punctual. The string quartet played beautifully and everything looked stunning at the tea room. I am sooo impressed by the pictures some of our guests took! The decorations at the ceremony were gorgeous as well. The flower arrangements were stunning and very large :) It's funny, many of the guest wore a vibrant blue shade, so all the colours really complement each other in the pictures!

The celebrants were excellent and many guests commented on how beautiful and touching the ceremony was. For me, it all went by very quickly!

Then we were off to take pictures. I think our guests really enjoyed a bit of time to chat and enjoy the gardens, they took some amazing pictures from what I have seen so far!

Then it came time for cocktails on the terrace. The Infinity Terrace was stunning and I think our guests were really impressed by the view. They loved the cocktails that were served and the appetizers were delicious. Everything was very upscale! We have a nice picture on the terrace that has been posted on Facebook and our friends are just amazed by how beautiful it was!

After a big group picture, we all went down for dinner in the Crypt. When I entered the Crypt, I was absolutely amazed!!! The flowers, candles and overall look of the Crypt was so beautiful, it really exceeded my expectations! The colours of the flowers were stunning, the light coming from the outside was a little low as it was around sunset, and the overall effect was very romantic. Our sweetheart table was beautifully decorated as well. I can't say enough about how impressed I was! Throughout the night the service, food and wine were absolutely amazing! The bossa nova band also set a classy but upbeat vibe to the dinner. Guests seemed to really be enjoying themselves and many of them came over to our sweetheart table to take pictures and talk to us.

Before I knew it, the dinner was over and it was time to cut the cake! I thought the cake was gorgeous and again I got many comments about how beautiful it was! It was also delicious although I was so full by then I didn't get to each much.. After the cake came the dancing, which was a blast! The dancing was very lively and our guests loved the music, everyone commented on how great the DJ was. When we had to end the event at midnight, the guests were chanting "One more song! One more song!" We were so happy that everyone had such a good time. Kelly and I stayed behind at the Villa, but our guests left to continue partying in the Main Square, and on their way there we could hear them laughing and cheering. I think everyone had an amazing time which was the most important thing to us!

I am sure I'm missing a lot of details, but overall I can't say enough about how great the wedding was! It completely exceeded my expectations and it was truly a fairytale wedding. Many guests told us it was the best wedding they have ever attended. Others told us it will never be topped!!! Being someone who has never thought much about what my wedding would be like, I am so thrilled about how fantastic it turned out. And I know it was thanks to you, your amazing planning skills and the fantastic vendors you recommended for us!

And now, a word about the vendors. I know this email is becoming really long, but I have to comment on how amazing and professional all the vendors were. I was really impressed at the high level of professionalism and competence of all the vendors!!

Rosie

Rosie was a fantastic wedding coordinator. We met a few times and we loved her calm and friendly personality. She was always punctual and helped us communicate with the other vendors and with the staff at the Villa. She was there the whole time at the wedding and we felt like we were in great hands. I didn't have to worry about a thing because I knew Rosie was in the background coordinating everything and making sure the event progressed in a timely fashion. We really loved her!

Gerardo

Gerardo was professional and an excellent hairdresser! He did a fabulous job with my updo and with all of the other ladies' hair. We were all very happy with his services. On the day of my trial, I was a bit upset because I wasn't very happy with my hair colour (which I had gotten done in Canada). Despite Gerardo having a fully booked day in the hair salon, he agreed to book me in and fixed my highlights. I think it made a huge difference and made me feel much more beautiful on my wedding day!

Carlo

I can't say enough about him! I know he is a highly respected photographer and I can't wait to see the pictures he took. While there was sometimes a language barrier, I was so happy with all the instructions he gave us, and how he asked us to do lots of different actions to get the best pictures! I have never seen any other photographer do that in Canada. We felt like he is truly an artist! I am so excited to see how everything turns out!

Piero

Piero the videographer was also very professional and I really enjoyed his calm and courteous manner. He was there the whole time and I really feel he captured all of our moments. Because he wasn't able to capture our vows (I guess we were a bit quiet when saying them), he came back to the villa the following day to record them again! We were obviously very impressed by this and we are so excited to see the video!

Musicians

The music was really excellent the whole time. It set the mood perfectly, from the string quartet for the ceremony and cocktails, to the bossa nova band for dinner and the DJ for dancing. We had many comments about how amazing all the music was and how much the guests enjoyed it!

Villa Cimbrone

The staff at the Villa were extremely courteous and professional. Their experience with weddings was a huge asset. They did everything perfectly, from the timeliness of the event, to the decorations, to the setting of all our wedding stationery and place cards. The dinner and drink service was impeccable.

So that's about it!!! I'm sure I am forgetting some details but this email is probably long enough at this point!!! I can't thank you enough for helping us and for how great everything turned out. I think hiring you to be our wedding planner was the best decision we made!

Alex