Planning a Wedding on the Amalfi Coast
An Interview with The Amalfi Experience

by Grace Sydney

Like the fishing nets cast out over the waters of the Gulf of Salerno, the beauty of the Amalfi Coast captures the hearts of romantics, drawing them toward cliff top villages perfumed with lemons that ripen in the Mediterranean sun and churches that have been silent witnesses as centuries of brides and grooms have been united in matrimony. If you're dreaming of an Italian "I do," event manager Jacquie Coppola, the founder of The Amalfi Experience, offers her expertise on walking down the aisle on the Amalfi Coast in this exclusive interview with Lovetripper.com:

We understand that Italian wedding laws are detailed and sometimes challenging for non-Italian speakers.  As an Australian who now lives on the Amalfi Coast, can you tell us how you can help bridge the language gap which non-residents might experience?

It’s a very good question as it focuses on one of the main two ‘value adds’ that The Amalfi Experience  provides to our clients. While we’re  obviously able to recommend and arrange the logistical issues such as venues for wedding, reception, photographers, flowers, transportation etc, it is what we call the ‘softer ’or ‘hidden’  issues such as legal requirements, religious factors, documentation,  language and cultural matters that are not so easily identified, and indeed can cause most of the problems.  I, along with the rest of the team at The Amalfi Experience are fluent in both Italian and English, as English speaking countries represents the majority of the enquiries we receive.

We are well conversed with the not only the legal requirements and formalities for a marriage to take place, but also the religious requirements which can be very specific and in some cases non negotiable.  Could you imagine arranging a wedding with the bridal party and guests arriving from overseas only to find that it could not proceed because some formalities had not been observed or completed?

Photos courtesy The Amalfi Experience

Can you tell our readers about some of the services that The Amalfi Experience offers to couples on their wedding day?

Firstly, I like to qualify your question or rather our answer as the services we offer are not limited to ‘the wedding day’, but rather the entire duration of the visit to the Amalfi Coast, and this can include pre and post wedding day functions, be they formal,  casual or of a tourist nature.  The Amalfi Experience considers ourselves a very unique and somewhat boutique business as we work closely with our clients on a very personal and friendly level.  We do not restrict ourselves to set wedding packages as we prefer to offer each individual couple a personalised package designed to meet their particular needs and requests.

Basically The Amalfi Experience accepts enquiries for all size weddings, it may just be the bride and groom eloping or it may be for a group of 200 people, we have no limits.  The Amalfi Experience can arrange absolutely everything for the wedding allowing the bride and groom to sit back, relax and enjoy a stress free wedding day.

What are some of the most popular wedding ceremony sites along the Amalfi Coast, and what do you think are the reasons for their appeal?

That in itself is a very broad question, because it depends on so many factors.  For example the type of ceremony, be it Catholic, Anglican, Jewish or non denominational, the wedding venue, is it to be a cathedral, small church or a garden setting.  Then there’s the reception venue, and will this be the same as or close by the wedding venue, and what about accommodation for bridal party and guests?

In terms of actual locations there are probably two different options, a town actually on the coastline by the water, such as Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento, or one of the smaller towns higher up in the mountains such as Ravello.  Each of these have there own unique offerings and it is in consultation with the client that we give them some guidance, but ultimately the decision is theirs.

Can you suggest any local traditions which couples might wish to incorporate into their wedding ceremony?

Incorporating a local tradition into your wedding is always a nice touch, after all you are getting married in Italy.  We at The Amalfi Experience suggest to follow the Italian tradition of ‘confetti’ and bombinere.  Confetti is a small little sachet with five almonds and a little ticket inside, with the couple's name and date of wedding.  The bombinere is a small keepsake which the guest takes him in remembrance of the wedding. 

Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers about The Amalfi Experience?

The Amalfi Experience is a relatively new event management company that was launched early this year.  At the moment we are mainly focusing on Wedding Planning as there is great demand for this on the Amalfi Coast.  We’re receiving a large amount of enquiries from couples all over the world, including America, England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. We already have tentative bookings with a number of brides coming to meet with the team over the next couple of weeks to finalise arrangements, so are confident we will be able to confirm weddings for later this yearly and early 2009.  The response has been nothing less than amazing.

The Amalfi Experience has a lot to offer to couples who are considering the Amalfi Coast as their wedding destination.  We offer a complete ‘end to end service’ and so this saves our clients from having to arrive too early to take care of all the administrative matters, and this can be a significant saving in terms of both time and money.  The close relationship that is formed between the team and the bride & groom is seen more as a friendship than a working relationship.  I am fluent in both English and Italian, as are the rest my colleagues in the team, and this together with our close contact with the local hotel and service industries places us in a unique position for assisting our clients.

For More Information:

• visit www.theamalfiexperience.com