Tying the knot in Positano

I have a strong connection with Campania. My Mother is from a tiny little town in rural Campania called Paupisi. It's nothing but a speck on the map. I have been back there a handful of times; even visiting the house she was born in. However 12 months ago my partner and I decided to strengthen that connection by marrying in a place that is a much bigger dot on that very same map.
We were married in one of the most beautiful places in Italy (if not the world, in our opinion), on the Amalfi Coast.

On and off the beaten track

We invited 50 of our nearest and dearest and, to our shock, they all agreed to make the big trip over from Australia to celebrate our special day!

The magical thing about the Amalfi Coast, and indeed Italy, is that by venturing a little off the beaten tourist track you stumble across some amazing places in which to enjoy once-in-a-life-time experiences

We wanted our guests to experience all the different faces of the Coast, not just the 'touristy' spots. So we came up with the rather novel idea of having a progressive wedding reception (that would go on all day) rather than just picking the one venue. It was a rather challenging task but we knew that if we could pull it off, it would be a day to remember.

Vows with wow! factor

We had spent a month in Italy before the wedding and I was a little worried that all my hard work of watching what I was eating and gym work outs was going to quickly unravel in a country home to such mouth watering dishes.
I was most concerned that my very fitted wedding gown was not going to zip up!! I needn't have worried as anyone who has visited Positano knows that its beauty lies in the fact the town cascades down the hill to meet the ocean - which means lots and lots of stairs. The perfect workout for any bride or groom!
We had selected the Positano Town Hall for the ceremony as it has the most amazing terrace that overlooks the ocean, a stunning and breathtaking view for our guests especially as many of them had not been to the Amalfi Coast before.

After a relaxed ceremony that included a string trio and tenor and with lots of laughs and tears we became Husband and Wife in our favourite place in the world

Auguri!

But the real fun began as we walked out of the Town hall to be greeted with a traditional Napolitano duo that was to play music for us as we walked to the first of our four venues, a stunning roof top bar above the very glamorous Villa Franca.
We had decided to add to the excitement of the day by not telling any of our guests where they were going. It was a bit of a dream walking through the streets of Positano to the shouts of 'Auguri' ('Congratulations') from all the locals, with 50 of our friends and family, whilst singing along with the band. After much dancing in the streets we finally arrived at Villa Franca and we headed up to the roof top bar.
If you've never been to Villa Franca I can highly recommend you add it to your list. The view from the bar is stunning. It is right at the top of the hill so it has 180 degree views of Positano and right along the coast. It's the perfect spot to soak up the beauty of the Amalfi Coast and enjoy a Bellini and some antipasti just as our guests did.

A little piece of Tuscany - on the Amalfi Coast

Next stop was a wonderful small organic Agriturismo farm called Le Tore in Massa Lubrense.

If you are planning a visit to Italy I cannot stress enough how wonderful the Agriturismo farms are, either to stay at or to visit for the day. These are working farms that grow all of the food, oils and in some cases wine that you will consume whilst visiting there or it will be from the local area

Le Tore is like a little slice of Tuscany but on the Amalfi Coast. It's got the crumbling farm house, the rows of olive trees and fruit trees, the grape vines and it's as green as far as the eye can see (though walk 5 minutes down the road and you're greeted with the ocean views you'd expect).
Here our guests enjoyed a smorgasbord of local delicacies like lemon ricotta, risotto and melanzane parmigana (eggplant parmigana) whilst we had an impromptu bridal waltz and danced in the vines like gypsies!

Bubbles on the rocks

Our next stop had to be on the beach so again we picked a fabulous little known spot called Marina Del Cantone and picked a restaurant called Lo Scoglio as it is famed for its local seafood.
Lo Scoglio actually means the rock which is what the restaurant is built on and they have turned the tip of the rock into a kitsch fountain in the middle of the restaurant. Here we enjoyed the afternoon sea breeze, more prosecco and freshly shucked seafood.

Capri-watching

The last venue was the villa that we (both mine and my husband's family) were staying at. We were fortunate enough to find a villa with a huge sun terrace that had the most amazing view along the coast and all the way over to Capri.
Here we enjoyed local limoncello (another must for the Amalfi Coast), Strega and torrone (a liqueur and nougat from Benevento a town near my Mum's little town), sweets and a cake made from wheels of cheese that we had collected on our trip the week before. So as the sun set over Capri we toasted what had been the most amazing day of our lives in the most amazing area in the world.

Felicity's wedding photos are by Hayden Phoenix

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