Read about how Gavin Dooley and Arlene Sharkey’s dream wedding in Santa Maria di Castellabate turned into the holiday of a lifetime

GAVIN AND I met back in college, and after eight years together, Gavin finally managed to do the unthinkable and surprise me when he proposed just before New Year’s Eve in 2006.

Gavin and I had often spoken prior to our engagement about the kind of wedding that we would like to have when our day came. We had been to many big traditional weddings at home in Ireland throughout the years, and decided that we wanted to do something a bit more intimate and special.
The romance and magic of Italy had always appealed to us and so the search for the perfect wedding location commenced.

After contacting many wedding planners in Italy, I was given several personal recommendations for a wedding planner called Lisa Crotty at Amore Weddings, whose head office is based in Ireland. We met Lisa shortly afterwards and were so impressed with her professionalism and the company’s portfolio of venues, suppliers and testimonials from previous clients that we whisked ourselves out to Italy to visit a few of her suggested locations.

…gavin and i had nothing more to worry about than organising our guest list…

THE CHARMS OF CASTELLABATE

Arriving at Santa Maria di Castellabate could only be described as idyllic. We were met by Niki our wedding coordinator, who is part of the South Italy based Amore Weddings team. We viewed several potential venues in the area as well as the little chapel in the medieval town of Castellabate. Words can hardly describe the spectacular view from the old town perched high on the hill above Santa Maria, overlooking the countryside on one side and the coastline on the other, and the winding cobbled streets and stone built houses in the streets leading to the chapel. The last reception location we looked at was the Palazzo Belmonte, a 17th-century Palace set in five acres of luscious green gardens overlooking the beach, which we fell in love with immediately. After deciding that this was exactly what we had in mind for our dream wedding, we soon signed on the dotted line and let Lisa and Amore Weddings take over the reins to organise our special day.

The months passed quickly and after a couple of meetings and the exchange of a few emails between us and Lisa and her team, everything was organised, from the flowers to the cars to the songs that the band would play on the day. Lisa had every aspect of our wedding covered and so Gavin and I had nothing more to worry about than organising our guest list, invitations, honeymoon and the all important wedding dress. My wedding dress was a layered lace halter-neck with just enough sequins and sparkle to make it perfect! As my crowning glory, I had a church-length veil which swept to the floor and was covered with tiny crystals that shimmered as they caught the light.

It seemed like only the blink of an eye and we were packing our things to head out to Italy. We flew out on the Sunday, five days before the wedding, to give us time to relax and to sort out a few last minute details with the Amore Weddings team before the big day.

as the soprano sang AVE MARIA… I couldn’t stop myself from shedding a few tears

NO TIME FOR NERVES

When Friday, June 27th 2008 finally arrived, my nerves had begun to set in, but all too soon it was time to start getting ready and the hairdresser and beautician arrived to work their magic. At half past three, I had just put on my dress, Alfredo my hairdresser fixed the veil in place and it was time to go.

The vintage open topped Excalibur car waited outside to take my Dad and me up the winding road to the chapel high above in Castellabate, and the locals cheered and shouted ‘Auguri!’ as we drove past.

My Dad and I stood at the door of the church waiting for Niki to give us our cue to walk up the aisle. As the soprano sang Ave Maria, the emotion of the day came to a head and I couldn’t stop myself from shedding a few tears as I walked up between the pews, seeing how beautiful the church looked with the arrangements of candles and white flowers and Gavin looking so handsome in his suit waiting nervously for me at the alter. The priest, Fr Charles, gave a lovely ceremony and finally we walked back down the aisle to the wedding march as husband and wife.

The reception venue in the Palazzo was like something out of a fairytale – the aperitif by the pool, the beautifully decorated marquee on the lawn with its chandeliers, the elegant table settings and seat covers, down to the waiters dressed in bow ties with white dinner jackets - every little detail was covered to the highest standard. Nothing could have been more perfect as we sat at the top table enjoying the fabulous meal, the band playing in the background, and with views across the gardens of the Palazzo of the sun setting behind a red sea on the horizon. As the dusk settled, the little lanterns hanging from the branches of the trees and the candles all around the marquee and pathways made the scene all the more magical, their flickering light pitched against the background of the old Palazzo walls.

The band played our first dance, David Gray’s The One I Love and finally it was time to let our hair down on the dance floor and show them how it’s done Irish style! Once the band finished playing at midnight we moved to the disco beside the pool. Lisa had wisely advised us to put together a play list of all our favourite songs and floor fillers for the DJ, Pio, who did a brilliant job. Soon the dance floor was jumping as we boogied away into the night.

we can safely say that not one aspect of our italian wedding could be faulted...

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

The day couldn’t have gone any better and was everything we had hoped for and more. Our guests had a fabulous time and loved the beautiful setting of the Palazzo for our reception. Everything ran without a hitch on the day. The photographers Antonio and Luciano, who were mad as hatters, provided us the most fantastic photographs and DVD that captured all the special memories of our big day.

The night after the wedding, we had a BBQ on the beach organised by Amore Weddings and hosted by the Lido staff and Franco who put on a surprise fireworks display for us! Not only did we have the wedding of our dreams in Santa Maria di Castellabate but we had the holiday of a lifetime that our guests still talk about to this day, many months later.

This place can only be described as captivating, and like the local legend that tells of the mythical sirens who lured many a sailor with their enchanting song, we too were spellbound by the charms and romance of this olde worlde town.

Our honeymoon was arranged for Thailand which was a bit of a culture shock after our time spent in Italy, and when we came home, we had a party in a local hotel for all those family and friends who could not make the trip to Italy.

SAY SI! IN ITALY

We can safely say that not one aspect of our Italian wedding could be faulted and that we would recommend getting married in Italy to anyone who was thinking of doing it. The one piece of advice that we would give is to find a wedding planner who has the same meticulous attention to detail and thoroughness as Amore Weddings. The paperwork involved in getting married abroad can be daunting especially if you want to have a Catholic ceremony as we did, but the right guidance and help and a gentle shove in the right direction by Lisa when it mattered ensured that we had all our documents in order and ready for the day.

Looking back, we both have absolutely no regrets for the wedding that we chose and each would undoubtedly say it was everything we had wanted and more - the best time of both our lives. We hold Santa Maria di Castellabate very close to our hearts and the fantastic memories of our time there, and cannot express enough praise and gratitude for Lisa Crotty and her team at Amore Weddings for the hard work and efforts that they made to ensure that we all had a fantastic time and that everything went like a dream.

Details: Lisa Crotty of Amore Weddings organises romantic weddings in Sorrento and The Amalfi Coast, Castellabate and the Cilento Coast, Maratea and Tuscany. Other locations not listed may be available upon request. For more information, visit: www.amoreweddings.ie