A Chic Cliffside Wedding in Positano

Photography by Kreativ Weddings for Tiarne and Daniel.

Nestled amongst the jeweled hills of Italy’s Amalfi Coast sits Villa San Giacomo, a sumptuous residence overlooking the everchanging shades of the Mediterranean Sea. For Tiarne and Daniel, the villa’s pink façade and tiled courtyards proved enticing enough to cross hemispheres for, an epitome of Positano charm that played host to their wedding abroad.

Hosting 80 of their closest friends and family, Tiarne and Daniel’s wedding was a celebration years in the making – as childhood sweethearts exchanged vows before Italy’s most famous harbor. Adorned in custom Inbal Dror, Tiarne made her wedding an ode to the surrounds, with blooms in saturated hues a nod to the colour-stained homes of the Positano Hills.

Guests ate family-style, gathered around a singular table wrapped in soft vines and sprigs of lemon. As the sun disappeared and the music started, the party moved to an al-fresco courtyard, a Neapolitan Quartet providing the soundtrack as guests danced on into an endless summer night…

Photography by Kreativ Weddings.

Our Story

Names / Tiarne & Daniel

Wedding Date / May 13, 2018

Guest Numbers / 80

How We Met

We met in primary school when we were put in the same class. We were close friends for years, before we started going out at 15. We’re both now 27.

Our Engagement Story

We were in Tulum, Mexico on a holiday with our four closest friends and one afternoon Dan wanted to go for a walk on the beach while the others stayed back. Ring in his pocket, plenty of nerves and two hours later he got down on one knee at a private beach area under a big wooden arch. He proposed with a thin diamond band which I then kept as my wedding ring.

Marriage To Us Means

Being a solid team through the great times and the tough times. Always knowing you have that person who will give you a cuddle at the end of the day and make you feel loved and cared for. Being united as one throughout the journey of life.

The Details

Wedding Location

Villa San Giacomo in Positano, Italy.

Theme & Style

As we were married in Spring, the flowers were in bloom and I knew I wanted our wedding to match this and be vibrant and romantic. Everyone expected me to have a monochrome wedding but in my mind I always wanted to go bright! It felt whimsical with all the bright colours around, and very Positano. The rich pops of colour just added to the amount of love and happiness that was in the room.

Photography

The Kreativ Wedding Team – Anne, Riccardo and Valerie – were our dream photographers and videographer. They are just so talented, professional and capture the most incredibly candid moments.

They said to us, ‘you won’t know we are here’, and that was true! We didn’t notice them at all but they were literally everywhere never missing a moment!

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

Helen from Helen Rodrigues in Sydney’s Neutral Bay looked after me with a beautiful, custom-fitted Inbal Dror gown. Traditional, with a touch of glamour were my key points finding my look. I think everyone expected me to wear a fitted gown with an open back, so again I wanted to do something different.

I also ended up changing into a fun second outfit which was a feather skirt & embellished top both by Aje. I left my accessories on and ballet flats as they worked well with the white outfit, then danced the night away!

Bride’s Shoes

Velvet embellished Aquazzura ballet slippers. I knew I wanted to opt with flats from the start as Dan isn’t too much taller than me and we were going to be on grass. I always end up in pain wearing heels and I wanted to dance the night away without any issues.

Bridesmaids’ Dresses

My Bridesmaids wore white ruffled dresses from Keepsake. They were in five different styles so each was slightly different but made from the same material. I wanted them to be fun and flirty to complement our surroundings and those laid-back Positano vibes. I also altered them, adding some more ruffles with my dress maker so they didn’t look so bridal.

Bridesmaids’ Shoes

I wanted the girls to be in a similar style to me so we opted for custom-made white ballet flats. As my flowers were bright, I didn’t want anyone to clash so they wore head-to-toe white. 

Wedding Rings

Dan chose a thin simple band with white gold diamonds going the entire way around for my wedding ring. Daniel’s is a simple white gold band. Anne Macpherson from Annie Mac Designs was our jeweler.

Jewelry & Accessories

My earrings and custom-made head band were both by Keren Wolf, who Inbal Dror use for their accessories on the runway.

Groomsmen’s Attire

Daniel wore head-to-toe Hugo Boss while his groomsmen were dressed in suits by Roger David.

Hair & Makeup

As my dress was the statement, I wanted to keep my hair and makeup natural. I kept my hair simple in a slicked-back low bun, while my makeup was a minimal look finished with a bronzed eye. My makeup was done was by my gorgeous friend Rachel Pitt from The Makeup Society. She flew over from Sydney to do it – I wouldn’t have had anyone else!

Style Notes

Stationery & Invitiations

My invitations were by Kathryn Green Illustrations. Kat created a bespoke water coloured map featuring some of the activities we would be doing in Positano and showcasing the pastel pink 300-year-old villa. Kathryn also did the menus, place cards and tags for the limoncello bottles. Kathryn’s work is magical and set the tone perfectly.

Favors

Dan and I decided to gift the famous Limoncello, in little glass bottles for our guests as we were in Positano after all!

Flowers & Bouquets

I typically go for simple florals so took my wedding as an opportunity to mix things up! I knew from the moment I was having my wedding in Positano that bright colours and vibrant styling was going to be my theme. I wanted the vibe to be fun, and romantic with lemons scattered on the tables mixed with soft vines, and big bunches of peonies and roses on the tables. The flowers on the tables turned out exactly how I envisioned them. I wanted them to be a wow factor, but I also didn’t want to take away from the beautiful greenery and colours that the villa naturally showcased. Being on one large family dinner style table, I really didn’t want it to be difficult to talk across from one another, and so we made sure they didn’t block anyone’s view.

Videography

The Kreativ Wedding Team, particulary Riccardo, put together the video of my dreams. Their work is inspiring and they capture emotions and moments like no other videographer I have ever witnessed.

We were so privileged to have them film our wedding day and put together a movie style video that we will cherish forever.

Preparation

My bridesmaids, my mum and my mother-in-law stayed in the villa the night before the wedding. Daniel and his groomsmen stayed at another hotel (Hotel Poseidon) as we wanted to keep it traditional and stay apart the night before.

Wedding Stylists

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Ceremony Décor & Reception Décor

As there was 80 of us, I wanted one long family style dinner set up, with lemons, candles and soft vines entwined through the table along with 12 large bunches of bright, rich flowers. We set these up on the terrace, which had big pots and greenery climbing everywhere, even covering the entire roof which was completely open with large antique light pendants hanging above. It was so breathtaking and romantic… It really was something out of a movie.

Wedding Planner & Wedding Stylist

I did the styling on my own, and as I am based in Sydney and I had never been to Italy let alone Positano, I was stepping into the unknown. The time difference was honestly very difficult, the currency and the communication. However, I had seen a few wedding images and video footage from past weddings there, and it was everything I had ever dreamed of and more.. So I wanted to run with it, and just had to pray that it all went to plan.

I collaborated with the Villa’s manager to put everything together. 15 mood boards and 350 emails later, we arrived at Villa San Giacomo, and it was better than expected. Everything went to plan, we had a rehearsal the day before and everyone was across it all. In the end, I wouldn’t have it any other way, it was a real-life fairytale.

Cake

I went with a simple white 4 tier cake, and my girlfriend who has a cake business Spice & The Icing decorated it with some simple, bright florals to tie into the theme.

Wedding Songs

The entrance song was Pachelbel – Canon in D and my exit song was We Found Love by Rhianna both played by a live Harpist & Violinist duo. For our first dance, it was Sam Smith – Latch (Acoustic)

Entertainment

We had a Neapolitan/ Italian Quintet group of about five guys who were spectacular! Marco from Amalfi Coast Wedding Music was fantastic from the start, very easy to communicate with – I would highly recommend.

Food & Beverages

We had cocktail service at the start when we were in the garden after the ceremony, then a four-course sit down Italian feast, dessert and cake back up in the garden, with wood fire pizzas served for the late night snack!

Honeymoon

We travelled around Italy for six weeks for our honeymoon. Half of the trip was with family and friends, while the other half was just the two of us. It was the perfect balance! We loved Camogli, a little fishing village in between Portofino and Cinque Terre.

Our trip: Rome, Positano, Calabria, Panarea, Florence, Cinque Terre, Camogli, Portofino, Venice and Dubai.

Gift Registry

We didn’t put a wishing well or anything on our initiations as we didn’t want any gifts as everyone was travelling so far for our wedding as it was. Their presence meant everything to us! 

Special Details

Any Other Special Details

Both my sets of grandparents (who are over 70), and Dan’s Nonna all made it over to the wedding from Sydney, which was really special for us. When looking around at the 80 guests, most were our family and approx. 20 of our closest friends. It was so surreal having dinner with everyone on a 300-year-old terrace overlooking Positano. I still can’t believe it happened, and they are very special memories that with be with everyone for a lifetime.

Sources Of Inspiration

I was always looking on The Lane for inspiration! However, I love being creative and I had a strong vision from the start once we confirmed Positano.

I also own a fashion label – ZALIAH, and we have a store in Sydney. Our customers are so beautiful, with lots of wedding tips, and one even pointed me in Kathryn’s direction for our invites. There are sources of inspiration, everywhere you look!

A Memorable Moment 

I definitely had a huge moment when we were all sitting at the table together listening to the speeches, but another big moment was walking down the aisle seeing Dan standing there, looking out over Positano.

One Thing I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Wedding Plans

That everything was going to fall into place on the wedding day, mainly because they are a “wedding villa” and have done it so many times, that I needed to just trust them from the start.

If I Could Give Other Brides To Be One Piece Of Advice

I was so relaxed on my wedding day, and it made everything so much fun and exciting! It’s not worth the stress! Everyone is there because they love and adore you both, and they don’t care if things don’t go to plan how you envisioned it. You also have to remember why you are there, and why you are getting married. Once you just let go and relax you will have the best day of your life!