A dream Positano destination wedding at the fabulous San Pietro. The whole Amalfi Coast, especially Positano, is probably one of the most iconic places to have a destination elopement or intimate wedding.
The problem with high-end destinations is that they can get overcrowded and end up of losing some of its local charm as often they try to cater to the typical tourist. Positano is a quaint village and fills up very quickly. From Mid-June to the beginning of September it is almost impossible to visit anymore; it is super packed with people, and the beaches tend to look like a box of sardines with umbrellas side by side. I personally don’t take on any commissions during this period as it is just to difficult to get around and to work.
If you are thinking of having an intimate wedding in Positano, then take a look at this post Elope to Positano.
Il San Pietro, instead, is removed from the chaos and maintains its Italian Charm while preserving its excellent hospitality. The property is nestled in a cliffside with its own private beach front and is out of the mainstream hosting a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Arian and Som’s Positano destination wedding at Il San Pietro
Arian and Som, had their Positano destination wedding at Il San Pietro and it was simply magical. Som is one of the leading designers for J Crew so she had fun adding her own touch and details. I absolutely loved her vintage Valentino gown….
Arian and Som, what inspired you to choose to do a destination wedding in Italy?
We have been vacationing to Italy and Positano for a few years and have always been fond of Italy. Arian proposed in Positano so we decided to get married where I said yes! Arian’s ancestry is from Italy as well so that helped to make the decision.
In what ways did you personalize your Positano destination wedding?
We had Somphone’s brother illustrate designs for our website, invites, menu’s etc. (chief designer J.Crew). We also did our own hand drawn calligraphy for all materials. For the actual wedding we provided our own custom menus and handwritten name cards for place seatings. Also we made our gift bags for our guests. We hand dyed tote bangs with indigo, had a ceramic shop in Positano make a custom plate to commemorate the day with our initials and date painted on them. We also provided each guest with a small book that John Steinbeck wrote about Positano.
What were your favorite wedding day details?
Favorite details would have to be the lemon arch we had Floragarden do for the ceremony. The fish baked in pastry that was made to look like a big fish. The wedding cake. The gift bags we made for our guests.
What was your theme or inspiration for your Positano wedding
We tried to keep the theme as rustic and Italian as possible.
Did you have any DIY (do it yourself) details? If so please, explain below.
We did a lot of DIY details. We did not have a wedding planner so we were in contact with all the vendors and tried to give as much detail and direction as possible. We also traveled to Positano in June to meet with the vendors to finalize details and planning as well. We created our own website, invitations, gift bags and menus.
Tell us a little bit about how you chose your invitations, flowers, venue, and dress:
We wanted to have unique wedding invitations and decided to make our own. We created our own design and did the layout ourselves. We used Wedding Paper Divas to print them. The flowers were inspired by the local flowers of Positano and the Amalfi Coast. We wanted a unique archway for the ceremony and fell in love with the idea of lemons. Since lemons are famous in this region we thought it only fitting. The venue was chosen because of it’s beauty and amazing service. We had visited here in the past and thought it was ideal. The dress was from Valentino and actually found at the last minute. Originally there was a Delpozo dress but I ended up wearing that as my change outfit during the reception.
Overall, do you have any special advice you would like to share with other brides to help prepare them for their destination wedding?
The best advice I can give you about a destination wedding is to pick your venue with the most reputable people you can find. We chose Il San Pietro because not only is it a beautiful location but the service is the best. If at all possible we recommend traveling to the destination before your wedding day to familiarize yourself with the town. Also, arrive well before your wedding day to give yourself time to finalize details early and also time to relax.
We would love to hear how you met? Or, How did you get engaged?
We met at a mutual friends summer BBQ party in NYC. The friend was Arian’s old roommate and was trying to connect us for a year before we ever met. Finally we met at that party and have been together everyday since.
Is there anything else you would like to share from your big day?
Enjoy the day! It goes by fast but it is a memory of a life time.
