Destination weddings have grown more popular in the past years. Like all wedding decisions, there are trade-offs. But if having a once in a lifetime, amazing experience is your top priority, a destination wedding can be just the ticket.

Take it from me — my wedding was on the Isle of Capri! Like any destination bride, I chose a meaningful location and entertained my guests prior to the big event. 

Both my husband and I have traveled extensively through Italy, but Capri has always been our all-time favorite. Situated off the Mediterranean coast of Italy just west of the incredibly picturesque city of Positano, Capri is the stuff of fairy tales. It’s tricky to get there, but always worth the adventure. 

So what was the trade-off for us? The size of the guest list. We honed our guest list to a very intimate 16 family and friends. Thus, we could afford to pull out all the stops.

Our heart was set on Hotel Quisisana, the jewel of the island and a world-class setting for a wedding. The intrepid party flew into Rome, where we were met by a private guide.  After checking into the St. Regis, she gave us a Best of Rome tour…the Forum, the Coliseum, tossing coins in Trevi fountain and lingering on the Spanish Steps. Oh, did I leave out shopping on Via Veneto?

On a trip like this, you call in your favors. I had my cousin call the Mayor of Rome to request assistance in making a reservation at a restaurant so exclusive it has no sign and the entry is a small door off an alley.  It was che sogni sono fatti, what dreams are made of.  The room, the food and the service were absolutely first rate. While the older crowd lingered after dinner, my grown kids and friends headed out for a Boy George concert.

We couldn’t make it too late a night because the next morning, we were off to Capri. Everyone rode by bus – no complaints! It was so modern, so comfortable, so air conditioned…until it broke down on the side of the highway! That’s when things got interesting. We waited two hours by the side of the road only to be “rescued” by two drivers in matching vans. But neither was familiar with the roads of Naples, neither spoke English, and we were now trying to beat the clock to the port to catch the 4:00 hydrofoil.

No big deal you say? Allow me to explain: The two cities in the world with the worst traffic are Cairo and Naples. Add to this fact that there is no GPS, cell phone coverage is spotty at best, and we were a party of 16 tourists with overstuffed suitcases. It was a tense drive, but we made it in time. 

Everyone was very happy to a have a drink on the hydrofoil and happier to hand over their belongings while we were transported to the hotel. That trip up the windy, narrow road to Capri is worthy of its own blog post another time! One peek out of my hotel window, and all the challenges were worth it. Truly Heaven on earth!

And even halfway across the world, I had the luck to run into none other than Wolfgang Puck and his fiancée Gelila Assefa, who were also staying at the Quisi as they rested the week before their nuptials the following Saturday! The one and only Kevin Lee (my co-star on “Brides of Beverly Hills”) was also there – a blur of activity as he prepared for the Puck nuptials. We exchanged a “Chi Chi Chic” as we headed out for our day at sea.

Our chartered yacht skimmed through the gorgeous blue waters on a perfect picture day to Il San Pietro.  This restaurant (also a hotel) is literally set within one of the steep cliffs of the Amalfi Coast. Located about 2 miles outside the town center of Positano, the entrance to this hotel is an elevator, set within a rock, obscured by climbing vines, located down a flight of stone steps behind a solitary, tiny chapel dedicated to St. Peter off the side of the main Amalfi Coast highway. Visualize that for a moment. As luck would have it, we ran into yet another friend. Dr. Filomena McAndrews and her husband, Charlie, good friends of my husband, had reservations at this very hotel…great minds think alike. It seemed as though Beverly Hills was on vacation in Italy.

Cruising the Amalfi Coast and not stopping in Positano for an hour of shopping would be sinful.  So into the dinghy we piled and drifted to shore, wading barefoot over the cobblestone floor of crystal clear water to land’s edge, up the hill, skirts held high, clutching our Euros in our fists.

And after our day of sightseeing, we made it back in time to freshen up for the main event. With only 16 people to coordinate, we had great flexibility in timing for our wedding ceremony under the stars. It was just as we had envisioned it, but more on that in Part 2!

The most amazing wedding I ever organized was also my first. A morning ceremony at none other than the Vatican followed by a reception at a country estate on one of the seven hills of Rome.

The bridal business is all about relationships.Years back, I had worked with a Los Angeles-based Italian family in selecting a wedding dress for their younger of two daughters. In the process, I grew very close to the parents and was delighted and honored when they returned to my salon with their eldest daughter, who was now engaged. A prominent importer of Italian wines and vinegars, their dream was to have the wedding take place at the Vatican. What a dream! We continued to talk, and the father said to me “Would you plan the wedding for us?” After initially feeling surprised and overwhelmed at even being asked, I thought about it and agreed to help them.

I am no stranger to Italy. My yearly European buying trips bring me to Milan and Rome regularly, where I am the guest of the Italian Trade Commission. By combining my skills and connections, I felt confident I could make this happen.

The first order of the day was to get the necessary dispensations from the couple’s local diocese in Los Angeles. And the family needed to commit to erect a statue of Pope John Paul in tribute of the occasion. Once that was squared away, my focus shifted to Italy. The family underwrote an initial trip for me to research hotels, transport, hotels flowers, horse and carriage, reception locations, entertainment, gifts for the guests and how to correctly  work with the Vatican.

THE VATICAN!

Like all weddings, the pieces started to come together. The bride selected a gorgeous gown by an Italian designer. We finalized the hotel selection, contracting with Hotel Hasler and the Intercontinental, both located at the top of the famed Spanish Steps. The Secretary of State of the Vatican (being its own city-state, it has its own Secretary of State) agreed to serve as the officiate and the largest Capella (Chapel) inside St.Peter’s was reserved for the wedding. And in a rare exception to usual procedure, it was agreed that all foot traffic through Saint Peter’s Square of the Vatican would be stopped for 2 hours to accommodate the ceremony and the guests’ departure.

With the stage set, the plan was put into action. Guests were met at the airport  by a contracted coach service. Upon arriving at their hotel, they received a welcoming gift; fountain pens for the gentlemen and perfume for the ladies, along with traditional Italian candy-coated almonds, a longtime symbol of fertility and love. A welcoming note was also included, outlining the activities and timeline for the coming days.

The morning of the ceremony, the guests were transported to the back of the Vatican, where they made their way past the Swiss Guard (the Vatican’s standing  army) and on to the Capella. No music was allowed, but hundreds of fragrant flowers perfumed the air and it felt like a slice of heaven itself.

A full mass was celebrated, and as the bride knelt and stood again, I went down to the chapel floor to fix her beautiful train as she nodded and winked at me with a side glance.

When the ceremony concluded, the guests then traveled to an exclusive Roman estate complete with ancient gardens and gravel footpaths. They entered a lavish garden along a winding gravel path and entered the villa through arched passages laden with yellow and ivory flowers and candles. Famed Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, whose mother is a longtime friend of the bride’s family, appeared on an oversized screen via Skype to greet the guests, toast the couple and sing a song in honor of the day.

The menu featured traditional Italian fare…………while music was played by a string quartet as we dined. We all then left the villa back out to the gardens, where a dance floor had been assembled and a live band played as the international crowd danced the hours away.

As the daylight gradually gave way to dusk, the guests departed quite satisfied after an afternoon of feasting, fun and celebration. Dusk came quite late that summer day, around 9:30 p.m.

It was a magical day…and the magic lives on to this day. Not only did the family return to me to assist the younger daughter with her second wedding gown, but the family graciously provides the Asti Spumante used in the opening titles and served on Brides of Beverly Hills.