A Clifftop Wedding in Praiano, Italy

Photography by Lace & Luce for Amy & Danny

Sometimes places imprint so deeply, their magic stays with us long after we leave. The tonic of wandering minds and curious hearts – travel has a pull that forever impacts us.

Despite Amy & Danny’s plans for a large Byron Bay wedding already in place, beckoning them instead was Italy – a country that held special sentiment from their travels together. At the very last minute, Amy & Danny decided to abandon plans and head overseas for an intimate destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast.

Held on Casa Angelina’s clifftop gardens, suspended between the quaint village of Praiano, the vibrant town of Positano and engulfed by the sea, Amy & Danny exchanged vows infront of 17 of their closest friends and family. Afterwards, a trail of stone stairs lead down to the water’s edge where they sailed at sunset with sweeping views of the coastline.

As dusk fell, a rooftop reception mirrored the magical surrounds – tablescapes flickered with candlelight, fresh blooms cascaded over crisp white linens and melted into a pastel horizon.

Photography by Lace & Luce for Amy & Danny

Our Story

Names / Amy & Danny

Wedding Date / 21st September 2019

Guest Numbers / 17

How We Met

We both come from the same small town in regional South Australia. Funnily enough, we never met growing up. Years after both leaving, we happened to return home at the same time and met at the local pub. We quickly found out we had many mutual friends – which now makes our visits back home together really special.

Our Engagement Story

We visit Byron Bay multiple times throughout the year – it’s a special place for us. We were there for a few days in early January 2018 for the end of the New Year holiday. We woke up one morning to go for our usual walk before breakfast and to ‘check out the surf’. Danny grabbed a coffee for us both before we left and off we went. The walk was as beautiful as ever through the rainforest and around the cliff tops. We paused at times to take in the views across the ocean. It wasn’t until we got to an observation deck near Little Wategos Beach that Danny dropped to his knee and asked me to marry him. We celebrated our engagement later that day, just the two of us, at Paper Daisy Restaurant, Halcyon House.

Marriage to us means…

An eternal bond. To love and support each other for all of our days.

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

I wore a Jane Hill lace dress with a plunging v-neck, embroidered with floral appliqués, and for the ceremony – a long, cathedral veil.

Bride’s Shoes

I wore a neutral strappy heel by Senso.

Wedding Rings & Accessories

Our engagement ring and wedding bands were from Xennox Diamonds. I don’t wear much jewellery, so to accessorize I kept it simple with Tiffany & Co. pearl earrings.

Groomsmen Attire

Danny wore a classic M.J. Bale black slim suit and bow-tie with Aquila shoes.

Hair & Makeup

I wore my hair in soft curls and for makeup I opted for a natural look with a defined eye in neutral tones and nude lips.

The Details

Wedding Location

Our initial plans had us having a big wedding celebration in Byron Bay. We visited venues, had tastings and researched vendors. Everything was set. At the last minute, we made the decision to have an intimate wedding in Italy. We have fond memories of travelling together in Italy. One of the most special was time spent with my family in a villa in Tuscany. We wanted to re-create those feelings of togetherness in a beautiful location, celebrating with food and drinks with those closest to us. As Danny’s Nan was unable to make the wedding, it also meant we could visit her in London before the big day. It felt right to do it this way and more ‘us’. The wedding took place in Praiano, Amalfi Coast. The ceremony and reception was held at Casa Angelina. We chose the venue because of its dreamy location, modern features, stunning views and fine dining.

Event Aesthetic & Inspiration

Modern luxe. We wanted to keep the styling clean, modern and minimalistic.

Photography

The wonderful Jennifer & Salvatore from Lace & Luce were our photographers. We were drawn to their clean, soft and romantic images. We loved that Salvatore was from Praiano and felt comfort knowing their local knowledge would help capture the beauty of the location throughout our special day.

“After the ceremony, Danny and I took a private boat to Positano to have photos taken. It was such a special and surreal moment, just the two of us enjoying champagne together, as newly husband and wife with picture-perfect-Positano in the background. It was a real ‘pinch-me’ moment.”

Style Notes

Ceremony & Reception Decor

The ceremony took place in the garden terrace at Casa Angelina. A white minimal style square frame with florals was the feature. Guests sat on transparent modern chairs.

The reception was held on the rooftop of Casa Angelina, overlooking the ocean. The location and styling was an absolute dream. It was even more perfect than we could have ever imagined. Guests were seated at a long white table styled with white florals and foliage. A mix of glass cylinders and tea-light candles were also scattered down the length of the table.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

Catherine Bradfield from The Wedding Boutique Italy brought our dreams to reality. She made planning a wedding from the other side of the world easy! We are so thankful for all Catherine and her team did to make our day so special.

Stationery

We used Ink Hearts Paper for our ‘save the dates’ and wedding invitations. We had custom designs made – white textured card with navy blue print and a touch of floral.

Favors

We had Sketch & Etch luggage tags made as place cards and Malfy Gin Limone miniatures for each guest.

Flowers, Bouquets & Styling

We wanted the luxe-modern theme to flow through to the florals and chose to stick with a colour palette of white with touches of green. There were white hydrangea, white roses with petals turned back, white garden roses, white lisianthus, white anthurium and greens. My bouquet was simplistic, but perfect – white long stem roses. The Wedding Boutique Bloom were absolutely amazing – the florals were stunning.

Cake

We had a three tier lemon flavoured chantilly cream cake made by the Pastry Chef at Casa Angelina

Food & Beverages

Guests enjoyed champagne and canapes on the rooftop terrace and were treated to a live cooking show before the reception commenced. The reception was a 7 course sit down dinner (Italian style!) with a choice between two menus featuring local meat and seafood produce. Casa Angelina’s Sommelier recommended Italian wines based on our preferences and paired perfectly with our food menus…of course there was also limoncello!

Wedding Songs

I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Entertainment

We had an acoustic duo (violinist and guitarist) play during and after the ceremony. They played a modern instrumental playlist whilst guests sipped prosecco, peroni and aperol spritz in the garden!

Honeymoon

We spent our honeymoon exploring the Greek Islands. It was somewhere we hadn’t yet been. We love a mix between relaxation, exploration and cultural immersion when travelling. We enjoyed exploring the islands by scooter, finding picturesque swim spots and eating greek cuisine. We would highly recommend Charisma Suites in Santorini for a memorable and truly hospitable stay.

Celebrant

Our celebrant, Mr Raffaele Di Pino (Mr Raf), was recommended to us by Casa Angelina. He was highly professional and personalised the ceremony for us. We enjoyed Mr Raf’s humor and getting to know him via Facetime calls in the lead up to the wedding.

Special Details

Sources of Inspiration

We drew inspiration from Instagram – The Lane and other similar pages along with flicking through the occasional wedding magazine!

A Memorable Moment

After the ceremony, Danny and I took a private boat to Positano to have photos taken. It was such a special and surreal moment, just the two of us enjoying champagne together, as newly husband and wife with picture-perfect-Positano in the background. It was a real ‘pinch-me’ moment.

If I could give other Brides-To-Be one Piece of Advice

Celebrate your marriage in a way that truly reflects you and your husband-to-be. You don’t have to please anyone else – the day is all about you both – don’t forget that.