Are you planning to pop the question and change the rest of your life, forever?? Great, it’s a big thing!

There will probably be so many moments and ideal ways to make your proposal throughout the year, but nothing compares to the magical atmosphere of the New Year coming.

When the countdown starts, the past year will bring back to your mind every single memory and at the stroke of midnight everyone will be mesmerized by the fireworks show, with their eyes staring at the stars and their mind towards the future. Such a unique moment! And… the clock ticking from 23:59 to midnight will set the rhythm of your heart and your desires. It’s not an everyday thing, just like a marriage proposal!

A new year has just started symbolizing the beginning of a journey… and why not embark on it? Grab the moment and run with it, wait for the midnight and get down on your knees! But, wait! Don’t forget to choose a meaningful location to you two – the place where you met or you first kissed – work on your speech, simple but effective, emotions could trick and since it will be an epic moment to your beloved make sure everything goes smoothly. If you want to give a romantic touch: lanterns, candles and flowers will make the atmosphere dreamy all around!

In order to make your proposal-moment even more romantic and breathtaking, involve your family members and close friends in a proposal-party. People are not used to waiting for the New Year alone, so make sure the other guests know all about your proposal-plan in advance. Once the ‘3-2-1’ moment arrives, ask to your relatives and friends to freeze… an unexpected silence will completely surprise your better half, then you will pull the engagement ring out and pronounce the fateful words: ‘Will you marry me?’ … on the ‘Y es, I will!!!’ let the party begin! With this flawless setting, the toast will taste more sparkling this year!

A funny-tip for all those who are forgetful: you’ll hardly forget your anniversary day if it’s on New Year’s Eve!

At last, I wish you a new year full of ‘ Yes, I will’ and a #destinationlove to plan together…

Alessandra

Winter season is about to start and the Christmas spirit has totally enveloped us! How could we not think about presents? And since there is nothing more exciting than giving and receiving gifts, even your guests deserve a surprise on your wedding day!

Weddings are not just about brides & grooms, guests also matter.

If you’re planning on having a destination wedding in our wonderful Coast… for sure your guests are out-of-town and they will travel a long-long way just to join your big day. What can be better to thank them than welcome bags stuffed to the brim?

Here I share my tips about the perfect welcome bag to ensure your guests the-time-of-their-lives throughout your wedding celebrations. It’s a gentle way to show your gratitude to your guests for coming and make them feel really special to you!

First of all, you should consider what packaging you want to use. Your welcome bag can be a mere paper bag or can be turned into a box or funny basket. But, the real issue regards what to fill a welcome bag with. Let’s go and see!

Start telling your guests how thrilled you are about their attendance through a heartfelt welcome note from you and your groom – maybe it would be better to add a personalized map for your guests who aren’t as familiar as you with your destination wedding or  itineraries and excursions to let them enjoy the area – Capri Island, Pompei, Herculaneum,  Naples, wine tasting, olive oil tasting, we can plan a lot of activities.

After this, mini bottles of fresh water are a must! You should add some beverage or traditional liquors of your destination venue – such as mini Limoncello bottles with customized labels as a typical favors of our Coast to get the party started! Another favor surely loved by your guests will be yummy treats such as candies, mints or locally made sweets to give to your guests a taste of our land and ensure no one gets hungry before your party dinner. And then why not insert paper fans to your wedding bags – really useful with summer temperatures of the Amalfi Coast – and never forget tissues for happy tears!

The best way to make even happier your guests and their welcome bags even more equipped you should include a pair of flip-flops for ladies and cigars for men. These items will definitely make them feel comfortable to the full. Wait, wait, wait! Give a final and playful touch including a sort of post-party ‘recovery kit’ for all those friends who will have more than a drink.

Last but not least, I wish you merry Christmas Holidays & a breathtaking New Year planning with me your dreamy destination wedding.

With love,
Alessandra

Among all the arrangements of your big day, planning a sit-down wedding reception plays a defining role in the entire atmosphere of your wedding-party!

Why? Your guests will spend most of their time sitting at the table. That’s why, nothing of your table details can be left to chance! Everything must be perfect!

Do you want to know what will give to your reception table a never-before-seen-style?

Hence, you can’t absolutely miss this table styling tips:

– Make it “SO ME!”

First things first, you should set-up your wedding-vision, because it will totally rule the style of your reception table. Your table styling should mix & match your personality with all the elements of your wedding day, from the flower design to the stationery.

Thus, your day will go smoothly without false notes, in every single moment. Don’t forget: your special day is supposed to tell something about you and your concept of love!

– Pick your color palette

You may tend to think that picking your color palette is an easy-peasy choice, but it’s not like that at all! Generally, people think just about the ‘bridal-white’ as an iconic wedding color related to pure romance and love, but why stop there? Don’t pick banally! Let’s incorporate seasonally hues and on-trend tones in each decorative details that will ‘pop’ your party-table!

And… don’t forget: your color palette should also match with your groom!

– Play with shapes

No matter if your reception table will be a squared table or a classic circular one, what really matters is playing with shapes and giving to your table-look depth and dimension. Hence, incorporating different heights and creating layers on your table will add more harmony and lush! You don’t want your table setting to be flat! From centrepieces to glassware, a creative table styling can really set the scene of your wedding dinner. Just a little note: don’t overload your table, your guests need to talk and look one another!

– Take blooms to your table

You can’t think about your table-design without thinking about flowers too! Blooms are a must-have to give a wow-look to your tables! Classic peaches roses, modern white buds and eucalyptus or sprawling centrepieces including ranunculus, berries and variegated foliage or even lush garlands of white flowers, greenery and lemons are just some of the endless-combos to dress your table up! You just have to choose!

– Light your table up

Chandeliers are a timeless complement for any wedding dinner and if you are looking for a classy and delicate touch… candles are the best way to turn your reception table into a light-filled show! When the golden hour comes, lots of candles will surprisingly work with the twinkle of silver cutlery and crystal glassware creating an eye-catching atmosphere for your guests! Let’s shine!

– Never forget placecards

On each napkins place a namecard with your guests’ names. You’re the star of the day, but don’t forget to make your guests feel important too thanking them for their presence! You can combine fonts, shades and style with your centrepieces for a cohesive look on your table!

If you’re curious to discover additional tips to bring creativity and know-how to your #destinationlove… Here I am!

Enchanting sceneries, luxury private villas, breathtaking views, romantic boat cruises… just a little of the Amalfi Coast’s charm that has captivated engaged couples to tie-the-knot even a thousand miles away from home.

Are you thinking of taking off and getting married in Italy? Are you looking for the right tips? Well, don’t panic! Here are my 7 #destinationlove top-tips:

1. Pick your venue

Suggestive terraces overlooking the sea or private villas: where you will say ‘ Yes, I do ’ is clearly the key of a destination wedding – not just a location, but the place where you and your guests will feel at home – which means that you might think about some entertainment activities they could do on their own for the day before and the day after around the Amalfi Coast too! So hilarious! Enjoy!

2. Save the date

Doubtless, another key thing is to set the date. Planning a destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast takes the right timing! In Italy, generally, people tend to get married during peak season – from May to September – hence, considering the favorable weather conditions, you should set the date and book your dream venue as soon as possible in order to have a better chance to find it available. On the flip side, if you’re going for a destination elopement, the off season is the best – from October to March – for a more intimate ceremony to enjoy to the fullest the unique atmosphere of the Amalfi Coast.

3. Give your guests a Heads-up

One of the main destination wedding tips is: send out the save-the-date-cards well in advance – 10 or 8 months before – Your dearest will be thrilled to share your special day with you, basically, you are giving them the opportunity to ‘switch off’ and take a holiday, but don’t forget that there are a lot of logistics details to arrange. Be sure to give your guests all necessary information in time.

4. The more the merrier or not?

This one can be tricky! It’s totally on you and on how long or short you want your guest list to be. Keep in mind that a destination wedding is a trip experience. Then, I suggest you surround yourselves with your nearest & dearest!

5. Have a pre-wedding trip

Planning a wedding in Italy when you’re far-far away can be a tough issue. Once on board, I’ll make sure to guarantee you a memorable Italian wedding experience! Anyway, after having preliminary meetings, I could not recommend you enough to take the opportunity to land in Italy and meet in person. Moreover, you can have a look-see at the venue, have a rehearsal dinner and plan a trial with a local hairdressing and make-up artist for the bride – they tend to be full.

6. Kind of ceremony

What kind of ceremony would you like? A traditional religious ceremony, a civil outdoor rite or a fascinating symbolic ceremony… Regardless of your choice, you need to start the procedure to get the necessary documentation, naturally with my support.

7. Have fun & Not-Planning

Tying the knot out-of-country can be really complicated and it’s easy to freak out when start the planning process. By the way, take time just for the two of you and don’t stress you out anymore! All you have to do is relying on your professional planner and having the most stress-free experience ever.

Think outside the box! I’ll be your toolbox to make your #destinationlove as flawless as it can be from the get-to… your call!

Flourishing commercial and productive center, the favorite dwelling of ducal aristocracy, Minori was in competition with Amalfi and held the supremacy in the whole district for lemons, writing paper and pastries.

Famous for its cultural and artistic heritage: the marvellous S.Trofimena Basilica, a real coffer of Baroque works of arts, S.S. Sacramento Church, where you can admire the priceless triptych of XIV century, a Roman villa of I century decorated with stucco and mosaic works of Pompeian style, the amazing Moorish fountain placed on the promenade.

“One of the most enchanting spot of the Amalfi Coast is Ravello, where many rich men live; one of these was extremely rich and his name was Landolfo Rufolo… ” (G. Boccaccio). As we see in the 4th novella in the 2nd day of the Decameron, the scenery and the monuments of Ravello, which was founded by a roman colony in the 6th century A.D., were already famous centuries ago. Perched on a 350 ft high cliff overlooking the blue sea of the Amalfi Coast, it has conserved its historical monuments through the ages in a natural setting which has few equals in the world.

One of the most important monuments in Ravello is the cathedral, a XI century church, founded in 1086, where one can admire the ambo and the pulpit decorated with Byzantine mosaics, relics such as the bust of Sigilgaita Rufolo, the splendid bronze doors by Barisano da Trani and the museum situated in the crypt.

Villa Rufolo

Villa Rufolo’s today looks come mostly from the arrangement carried out by the Scotsman Neville Reid, who owned the Villa in the second half of the 19th century. But the site is much older, as it is given evidence by the remains from the 13th-14th century period of the building. The Rufolos’ splendour reached its peak from the half of the 13th century to 1285 when, according to Wiedemann, the Rufolos were completely ruined because they sided against Angevins during the Sicilian Vespers. During Norman times the Rufolos were already wealthy merchants, well placed in the commercial and cultural exchanges of the Mediterranean, from Northern Africa to the Eastern Greek and Arab speaking countries, which influenced constantly the Southern Campania’s art and architecture.

The Rufolos helped the Angevins to come to Southern Italy and they were rewarded with particular privileges. When their power reached its peak, they built again their “house”, which represented their new political power and therefore, it was gorgeous, princely, rich; at that time it extended as far as the sea. The Rufolos succeeded in finding, out of the Arab and Byzantine influences, an architectural language able to express their social status with an architectural image which had no connection at all with the new sovereigns’ artistic culture, as if it could stress their political autonomy from the Angevins.

These circumstances made Villa Rufolo something unique, creating an image which was handed down by the popular imagination as the “one hundred sixty-five rooms villa”. In the following centuries the Villa slowly fell into decay because of the property subdivisions and of the collapses due to earthquakes and to negligence. Many parts were then lost and some rooms still lie under the present floor. In the 19th century the Villa was bought by Neville Reid, who carried out its restoration, according to the culture of the time, deeply influenced by the romantic taste for ruins. He restructured the principal building for housing, arranged the gardens to create a series of terraces, which often rested on the ancient structures. It is well known that the beauty of these gardens was such as to influence R. Wagner. In 1974 Villa Rufolo became part of public heritage thanks to the Ente Provinciale per il Turismo of Salerno and nowadays it hosts several musical events; it is the headquarters of the European University Centre for Cultural Heritage and of the Piano High School directed by Michele Campanella.

Since the beginning of the 20th century Positano has been the favourite place of many famous people from all over the world, especially artists. All guidebooks will offer you the long list of famous writers, musicians, dancers, painters, sculptors, photographers and actors who have lived or spent their holidays here, being inspired by the magic of the spots. Nowadays not only businessmen, politicians and TV stars but also a lot of common people are guests of the town all year long.

The small streets and the flights of steps that characterise Positano offer a wide variety of small shops, typical workshops, ateliers, and cafes. That’s why shopping or just strolling and wandering around are the first thing that all tourists do in Positano. The place is popular for the production of clothes, lemon liqueurs and sweets, handmade shoes, and many other specialities that you will discover here.

Positano has an ancient history as part of the medieval Republic of Amalfi, but there are very few founds from that period. The most part of the monuments date back to the 18th century. The church of Santa Maria Assunta, near the beach, has a fine majolica dome and a couple of notable old paintings. Palazzo Murat is now a luxurious hotel, but it often hosts public cultural events, so it is quite easy to visit its interiors. Classic music, literature and ballet are also at home in Positano.