Get ready to be blown away by one of the most exquisite Italian destination Jewish weddings we’ve seen in, well, ever! Travel lovers Marianna, an artist and handbag, footwear, and accessory designer, and Ari, a hospitality entrepreneur, worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Infinity Weddings to plan a truly unforgettable multi-day celebration with 50 of their nearest and dearest, making the most of the Amalfi Coast’s incredible food, vibrant culture, and stunning landscape.
Being a designer herself, Marianna wanted to be closely involved in the design process, yet she and Ari also wanted to work with a planner who could help them execute their vision with as little stress as possible. Sara of Infinity Weddings was the absolute perfect fit, executing the couple’s vision perfectly and allowing them to be fully present to enjoy the day.
We couldn’t be any more in love with the couple’s venue, the Belmond Caruso, which Marianna calls “the epitome of Italian Riviera.” The whole thing looks like a dream, and the amazing Nakutis Photography captured it all so artfully.
There’s lots more to say about this exquisite wedding – we haven’t even mentioned the bride’s unreal Galia Lahav gown – but we’ll leave it to Marianna to fill you in on the rest…
How we Met
Marianna, the bride: Ari reached out to me on Facebook when I came up for him as a suggested friend. After a few unanswered message and pick up lines about “sending me a kiss” (my last name is Senderkis), I finally replied. A few days later he surprised me by calling me through the Facebook app. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our conversation. I agreed to meet him for lunch near my office. Although we only had 20 minutes together before I had to rush back to work, we were both instantly attracted to one another. We became a couple very soon after
Italian Adventure
Traveling is a big part of our lives and when we got engaged, we knew we wanted to make an adventure out of it.
Nothing sounded more exciting than an intimate multi day wedding celebration with 50 of our nearest and dearest. We have always loved Italy for its incredible food, vibrant culture and stunning landscape. We wanted to have 3 day wedding adventure. Welcome dinner in Amalfi, a boat day to Capri and finally the wedding on the mountain tops of Ravello.
The lush gardens and stunning views at the Belmond Caruso make it the epitome of “Italian Riviera”. On top of this, the garden was perfectly sized to fit our party of 50 comfortably on one long table underneath a row of olive trees overlooking the dramatic Italian landscape. We knew it was the one right away and didn’t even consider other options.
All these plans were made and secured in January of 2020- right before COVID hit and our wedding dreams along with everything else in the world were thrown into a state of uncertainty. Not to mention, Italy was hit worst of all. We had no choice but to postpone our date to May 2021. As the day approached with no opening of Italy in sight, we decided we couldn’t live in uncertainty any longer organized a religious ceremony with 30 guests on our terrace in Williamsburg.
Shortly after our home Covid wedding, news broke that Italy would open! We knew in our hearts that we still wanted to have our Italian Adventure so we locked in September 2021- a full year after our initially selected date.
Planned to Perfection
As a designer, the themes and decor of the wedding events were very important to me. I knew I wanted to be closely involved in the design process. I’m so happy we chose our wedding planner Sara, from Infinity Weddings. She has an exceptional eye and taste level and executed the vision just beautifully.
I wanted to add a personal touch to our wedding. I designed and made each gift bag- inspired by the traditional Sicilian Coffa market bags. I also hand painted our emblem as well as the menus for the welcome dinner and wedding.
For our welcome dinner, I knew I wanted to have an Italian market table theme. Sara and her team beautifully dressed the table with fresh herbs in terracotta pots, and colorful vegetables. The table decor not only turned out to be a work of art, but was fully interactive- our guests were biting into the juicy tomatoes and crisp peppers all evening. It was a hit.
Our wedding ceremony and dinner was to take place in a lush mountaintop garden overlooking the Amalfi coast. I knew I wanted to stay with the soft rose garden theme. Our palette consisted of soft pastels and tied in the peaches, pinks, and lilac of the sunset in the background.
A Galia Lahav Dress
Shortly before I was engaged, I came across an image of Galia Lahav‘s Fabiana dress. I instantly fell in love with it. Flash-forward to us selecting the Belmond Caruso as our venue. The Fabiana has stayed in my mind. I knew the airy and whimsical floral appliqué would work perfectly with our garden wedding. I tried a bunch of other dress but nothing came close to the fit, airiness, and soft details of the Fabiana. It was always the one.
Ceremony & Chuppah
Our ceremony was one of the most beautiful and memorable moments of our lives. To reach the chuppah, we descended a long staircase that opened to a beautiful garden suspended above the clouds, overlooking the stunning coastline of Amalfi.
Our nearest and dearest all looking at us, illuminated by the pinks and golds of the sunset and the sound beautiful voice of our rabbi, Rav Azran from Israel, singing the Hebrew version of Pavarotti’s ‘Caruso’. The whole thing was absolutely surreal.
I wanted to choose a color scheme that matched the colors of the sunset. Soft pastels- pinks, peaches, lilacs, and soft sage to pull in the colors of the garden and surrounding landscape.
Ketubah
I was our ketubah designer! I was so excited to add the artistic touches to our wedding. I hand painted our kettubah to match our whimsical emblem and wedding menus.
Photographer and Videographer
I came across the amazing Nakutis Photography and Medus House videographers on instagram. Their portfolio was stunning and working with them was an absolute pleasure. They are true artists with an exceptional eye. They have excellent communication and were always available to answer questions and accommodate any requests throughout our process. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
We always look back at our wedding as one of the funnest parties we’ve ever attended. We were fully present and were experiencing every moment as one of the guests. This is all thanks to our incredible planner, Sara. As we celebrated and enjoyed, Sara was carefully operating in the background to ensure all went smoothly.
As we moved from the ceremony in the garden, to the dinner under the olive trees, to the party by the infinity pool, we felt like we were inside a story that was unfolding in front of us. A good planner you can count on is the most important thing and we are forever grateful for her.
MARIANNA & ARI’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Nakutis Photography
Wedding planner – Infinity Weddings {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videography – Medus House
Venue – Belmond Caruso
Bride’s dress – Galia Lahav
Rabbi – Rav Azran
If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.
