Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Their Big Fat Italian Wedding or how the locals get married on the Amalfi Coast

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As the bride in her long cream dress and the  attired groom  in his spanking new suit walked back down the aisle, ladies held platefuls of flower petals mingling mimosa, bougainvillea, roses and orange blossom with the rice and young men hid handfuls of sugar coated almonds in tight fists and coat pockets waiting to be hurled at the newly wed couple. The trepidation of the newly married was tangible and as they reached the door they raised their arms to protect themselves from the energetic launch of confetti candy. A traditional prerogative of Italian guests, it was a ritual which signaled the beginning of the Festa part of the wedding party  and boy do Italians know how to throw a wedding.
It was a winter wedding. The only free time that Positano locals have to get married and take a honeymoon in. Strictly out of season, Positanesi  leave the brighter months to admiring the board walk foreign brides found around every corner of town in the Amalfi Coast and instead take their wedding custom  further afield to the neighboring town of Praiano or St.Agata in Sorrento. P1020200 P1020193
Definitely better value for money, Il Tramonto D’Oro Hotel  in Vettica di Praiano features heavily in the local’s choice for wedding venues. The name meaning Golden Sunset promises magical red skies all through late September to November and in February on a certain day, the sun sets right in the hole visible of the Capri Faraglione (Capri rock formations in the sea). And then, if there’s one thing Italians won’t do, that’s compromise on the taste buds, so when excellent food is thrown together with a magnificent view all the way to Capri for much less than what you would pay for a similar reception in Positano, you sure have the winning combination.
But don’t expect to be in and out in a few hours.  Food abounds at these weddings. For Italians, hospitality means mounds of food. Not counting the aperitifs and wedding cake at the reception I went to, there were 14 courses with seconds for whoever wanted it.
A sea themed wedding, my friend’s wedding featured dishes with whimsical names like ‘Abbraccio di Gamberone con speck’ (King prawns embraced in Italian bacon) Ventaglio di Frutta di Mare gratinati ( a fan of Seafood  toasted in breadcrumbs) or Cuore di Pasta fresca con ricotta e spinaci which really was heart shaped pasta ravioli filled with ricotta cheese and spinaci. Romantic names for truely great food.
Loud music, singing (not only on the part of the band) and dancing naturally help digest between delicious morsels as did the frequent visits to the spectacular terrace views for some sea air, glass of wine in hand.

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The groom kept returning to the main table handing his father wedding gifts in envelopes that his guest would press upon him on their rounds of the tables. His father evidently hadn’t thought this part out and his pockets were soon stuffed full. The bride and groom even spent a good ten minutes with a bundle of ‘Scratch and win’ lottery tickets that a friend had given them as his quota of gift.
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The hours flew by and eventually the reception which had started at 1pm drew into nightfall and the fireworks lit next to the hotel in Piazza San Gennaro signaled the drawing to a close of the reception. P1020198
Going back into the reception room after having had our dessert, well, actually three desserts, a waft of garlic hit my nostrils. The traditional ‘pasta aglio e olio’ was being served to finish the meal. After literally having eaten all day, I skipped this dish but the men all happily tucked in. The light sponge and Italian cream wedding cake followed and the wedding guests began to leave. It was 9pm. Which made an eight hour meal!
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Brides from the Amalfi coast do all the arrangements themselves looking after details, wedding favours and decorations but many foreign brides booking far ahead manage to organize the events too without too many problems.
My recommendations are (they do a great job with less expenses):
Tramonto D’Oro for receptions. They also have a pool on the top terrace for summer events with buffet style catering.
Art, Color Fashion for hairdressers,
Aldo for flowers,
Bar Internazionale for the cake.
There are also a few blogs around from Amalfi Coast brides where you can get tips in or try sites like Trip advisor for discussions centering around weddings.
http://www.weddingblog.ie/category/real-bride-blogs/

http://amalficoastweddingabridesdiary.blogspot.com/

or see
Italofile for Susan Van Allen’s tips on Italian weddings.

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What about you?  Have any of you married or had your honeymoon on the Coast?
If you have, share your experience and leave your tips on the good and bad services encountered in this post’s comments for future brides!

19 comments:

Saretta said...

I just love a wedding. Even though Italian weddings are both expensive and exhausting I love them, too!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Could always renew our vows there, that would be brilliant .. even though my husband said "why we are already married" oh not romance left in him at all !!

LindyLouMac said...

Very romantic setting, now who do I know that should get married there?

I just read your comment about Marcus of Umbria on Saretta's blog a few minutes ago and decided to mention this to you. I also do not like reading books on the computer, completely different to blogs. However I have treated myself to a Sony E-Reader and it is so similar to reading a book, great for the summer in the sunshine, although it will never replace the real thing
http://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/sony-e-reader.html

Forgive me for going off on a tangent.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a lovely setting for a wedding.

Eleonora Baldwin said...

You skipped the aglio & olio after "only" 8 courses and before dessert, are you crazy?! ;)

I agree on all your fantastic wedding planner recommendations, especially Adlo, a truly great florist and lover of flora in general.

If and when I ever get married (starting to lose hope it'll ever happen), it will HAVE to be in Positano. In September.

Luray va accommodations said...

When most people dream of a vacation, Amalfi is one of the first places that comes to mind. Amalfi offers guests a great atmosphere of calming, peaceful and relaxing scenery.

The beautiful white sandy beaches, the clear skies and the crystal clear water offer something for anyone traveling to the beautiful islands of Amalfi.

Rosa said...

Luray - We are obviously not talking about the same Amalfi in Italy. There are no White Sandy beaches nor Islands. Grey pebbles is all you get here!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Wonderful pictures and a wonderful description.

NEWS said...

こんにちは!暖かい挨拶。
日本食が好きなのですか?

私はイタリアにいつか行きたい。

Lisa at Wanderlust Weddings said...

Pasta aglio olio for dessert? I LOVE that but that's a new one on me. And wherever did you find parking in Praiano to take that stunning church photo - bellissima.

casalba said...

Your descrition was spot on. I couldn't believe the amount of food at my first Italian wedding - it just kept coming and coming. I think we were at the table for about 6 hours!

Chef Chuck said...

Simply a beautiful place to tie the knot:)

Chef Chuck said...

Simply a beautiful place to tie the knot:)

Cathi said...

Such a beautiful place - someday I will ge there! xxoo :)

Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels said...

Not on that coat, but definitely on the Sardinian coast :-) being born on an island,d I have been to my fair share of coastal weddings, and being a guest is always fun: the food, the party atmosphere, the dancing...

However when the time came to choose a venue for my wedding, I chose differently. I lived in LA at the time, and I chose not to go home for the big wedding, but rather have an intimate wedding in LA with a few close friends.

But I did go back home with my husband, to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean, and we go back almost every summer!

Zubaidatariq said...

Hi..

great blog! Looks like a lovely setting for a wedding.Wonderful pictures and a wonderful description.
Such a beautiful place!.....thanks for sharing this.

John Williams
Zubaida tips and recipes

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness. I want that cake with the sparkler candles at my wedding, or even for no special occasion! Your photos are making me desperate to visit Positano again.

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Gorgeous photos! And this is coming from someone who rather, ahem, doesn't enjoy weddings ;)

Amalfi coast said...

Absolutely fantastic. Loved the pictures too. How many people was that cake for :-)