This morning we’re off to Italy to indulge in Karen and David’s sumptuous Jewish wedding in Sorrento courtesy of Gianni di Natale Photography. Although I’ve blogged Jewish weddings from the Amalfi Coast before, this is the first one I’ve featured that takes place in Sorrento. It’s rather momentous for me to be blogging a wedding that took place in this magical part of the world, as it’s where Mr STG and I spent our honeymoon in 2013.
We loved the sunny climate and the jaw-dropping views of the Bay of Naples, not to mention the incredible Italian food. This wedding has all three in buckets as well as one of my favourite ever Hora (Jewish dancing) images of all time, featuring the bride doing a 180 ° — literally upside down!
And the guests…well if the photos at the end of the night are anything to go by, then it’s clear that they had a darned good time!
If you’re a fan of the classically elegant wedding then this one is for you…the same applies if you’re a bit of a fan of Italy as there’s some fairly stunning shots of the coast too.
a spectacular villa venue in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast
Karen, the Bride: David and I got married in Italy, on the Amalfi coast in a town called Sorrento. We instantly fell in love with the house we chose for our religious ceremony and reception called Villa Giusso. The venue was located on the top of a hill overlooking Sorrento bay, and the entire wedding took place in the beautiful garden which surrounded the house. The chuppah was set up outside overlooking the sea and the dinner under lemon trees. We could not have dreamt of a better setting for our wedding.
an elegant, white wedding
We wanted everything to be white and elegant. Our wedding planner, Rosy Fusillo at Eventi Di Classe took care of everything for us. She put together various options for us to choose from, and her experience, taste and attention to detail made everything perfect.
the dress
Unlike other girls, I didn’t have a precise idea about what I wanted to wear for my wedding. I probably tried 200 dresses in Paris and London until I made my mind up! The dress I chose was designed by Olivier Freine who after hours of discussions drew the perfect dress for me. The entire dress was made of silk. For the religious ceremony he designed a beautiful lace top which I wore over my dress.
I had a very simple veil for the religious ceremony. I didn’t want something to distract from the dress.
skyscraper heels
I wore a pair of towering skyscrapers of course! Who want to look short in their wedding dress?! I found my shoes during a trip in New York at Stuart Weitzman. Of all the shoes I tried they were the most comfortable.
A tiara to top off the look
I wore a tiara with pearls, crystals that I found in a tiny bridal shop in London.
hair + make up
My wedding planner worked with an excellent hair and makeup artist. She took care of me during the entire wedding celebration and I had two different hairstyles for my big day. My hair was up for the religious ceremony and down for the evening.
the handsome groom
My husband wore a dark blue suit with a cream tie. He looked super elegant and handsome. I couldn’t hold my tears of joy and emotion when I saw him standing at the end of the aisle. I still remember this moment like it was yesterday.
Our fabulous photographer
We used Gianni di Natale and he and his team are so talented! They travel the world for weddings and he didn’t miss a thing at ours. His photos are very artistic and he did a beautiful album for us with a mix of colour and black and white photos.
wedding cake and an Italian menu!
We had a classic French wedding cake called pià¨ce montà©e but the rest of the meal was Italian food, our favourite!
entertainment
Our live band came from Paris and they were fantastic. They managed to get everybody on their feet for the whole night!
Favours
We gave out biscuits from Sorrento wrapped in a silk pouch.
advice to other brides
My best piece of advice would be to chill out! Concentrate on what you want and don’t let anybody influence your choices. All the effort you put in is worth it, and until the birth of my son last November, it was the best day of my life…
KAREN + DAVID’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography — Gianni di Natale
Wedding Planner —Rosy Fusillo at Eventi Di Classe
Venue — Villa Giusso
Bride’s dress — Olivier Freine
Bride’s shoes — Stuart Weitzman
