Zena and Leo's stunning clifftop Amalfi wedding
Leo proposed to Zena against the spectacular backdrop of the Grand Canyon:
“Arriving in the canyon with a glass of champagne, Leo got down on one knee and with the words ‘I couldn’t imagine my life without you Zena please give me the honour of being my wife’ and with this, our futures together were sealed.
Italy had stolen our hearts and we were married on the clifftops of the Amalfi Coast at the Hotel Belmond Caruso, we had to choose the venue carefully to fit our aspirations for the day, and to ensure that every aspect of our wedding matched the perfection of the gown.
Meeting Caroline and seeing our vision come together on the final fitting was something I will never forget is Caroline’s face when I walked out with the gown and veil, I smiled at her while crying through tears of joy. She simply said:
“I told you it would be perfect ?”. It truly was.
Caroline and the whole team had worked tirelessly to deliver a gown that exceeded all my expectations. Although I was very apprehensive about not being able to visualise the finished gown, I placed my trust in Caroline and she didn’t let me down.”
How did you feel in your Castigliano gown?
“Incredible. It honestly made me feel so amazing, putting it on actually brought a tear to my eye. It truly exceeded all my expectations and I loved the fact that it was three different looks, ceremony, evening reception and bespoke, one of a kind.”
Looking back, what was one of the most memorable parts of your day?
“I have so many from the three days, our entire wedding party taking a yacht to sail to Capri is something all our guests still talk about to this day.
Of course the wedding day itself was full of too many memories to pick from, I was surprised with a wedding breakfast on our terrace which my husband had decorated with flowers and presented me with the most beautiful diamond bracelet, dressing my son of 8 months was incredibly special to me, and of course the moment I dressed, stepping into my gown for the first time as a Bride, rather than a bride-to-be feeling amazing, saying our vows, my husband’s wonderfully touching speech and being surrounded by all our family and friends who were having the time of their lives.
I really couldn’t choose any one moment; it was a day I will relive over and over again.”
What did you enjoy the most about your Caroline Castigliano experience?
“Meeting Caroline and seeing our vision come together on the final fitting. I remember her face when I walked out with the dress and veil and smiled at her crying my eyes out. She simply said “I told you it would be perfect”, and truly it was.
The whole team where a dream to work with and made the whole experience truly unforgettable. Together they created the most incredible dress that had different looks for both the ceremony, reception and evening. Leo, my husband, still comments now on how blown away he was by the material, detail and different looks that fitted each part of the wedding so perfectly.
The only problem now is no evening dress will ever fit the same, so I am sure I will be back for another Caroline dress soon.”
Best moment of the day?
“I have so many from the three days, the boat party sailing everyone to Capri really got the party started and everyone still talks about it today.
Then our wedding day which really was the most magical day of our lives. From my surprise wedding breakfast on our terrace which my husband had decorated with flowers and presented me with the most beautiful diamond bracelet, to getting my 8 month old son dressed, to putting on my dress and feeling amazing, to saying our vows, to my husband’s wonderfully touching speech and being surrounded by all our family and friends who were having the time of their lives. I really couldn’t choose it was a day I will relive over and over again.”
Any tips/advice for brides?
“Gosh where do I start. Of course it has to be the dress…. If you aren’t sure what type of dress you want then go to a good couture designer such as Caroline who can really make your vision come true and save you a lot of time and stress in trying to change off the shelve dresses. Caroline was a pleasure to deal with even despite my many meltdowns at various fittings she truly believed in her vision and kept me reassured. The quality of the finished dress took my breath away and that of my 90 guests.
Involve your partner and make it an adventure you do together. We didn’t agree on everything, put we tried to accommodate each other’s priorities. I don’t think my Husband will ever understand why we needed the amount of flowers we did!!
We both learned to compromise and I learned about the word budget! Which in end we agreed to forget about in favour of having what we both really wanted.
Get an amazing wedding planner who understands you and your vision and work as a team. Mine was incredible, she made a big 3 day wedding of multiple events, a white boat party sailing 90 guests to Capri, a Pizza welcome party the night before the wedding and a fairy-tale black tie wedding look like a piece of cake.”
Zena and Leo would like to thank:
Wedding planner: Federia Nasicimben; infor@italianweddingevent.com
Photography, videography: Simon Forti –simone.forti@d-video.it
