A Ravello Elopement at Villa Cimbrone
This Ravello Elopement will leave you breathless. With the stunning Amalfi Cliff views and all its gorgeous gardens, Villa Cimbrone is hard to beat. It’s one of my favorite venues to photograph as well, and it simply doesn’t get more beautiful than this.
Randi & Nick eloped to Ravello this past May in Ravello at Villa Cimbrone. Bride Randi tells all about her enchanting elopement:
What inspired you to choose to do a destination elopement?
“Deciding to elope wasn’t just a financial consideration, though I’d be fibbing if I said that didn’t play a role. However, it was financially motivating in a very different way. Because while we still spent nearly the same amount as the average wedding cost in the United States, we were able to really maximize our dollars. Rather than dump a ton of money into something that only lasted a few hours, we had the freedom to invest in what was most important to us – our marriage.
Most weddings end up being planned in an effort to please everyone else, and the entire purpose of celebrating the couple quickly becomes lost in the fuss. We wanted our wedding to be about us and our love and our lives, not about throwing the best party or bickering with family members over seating arrangements and dinner menus.
Eloping allowed us to book the wedding location of our dreams and make the most incredible memories galivanting around 14 different cities in Italy and enjoying the best accommodations, dining, and entertainment that the most romantic country on earth has to offer. More importantly, it kept things stress-free so that we could focus on what really mattered: our marriage and starting our lives together – truly together – just the two of us.”
In what ways did you personalize your wedding day?
“Anyone that knows me knows that I have a serious shoe obsession. I LOVE shoes. I was lucky enough to walk down the aisle in a pair signed by Sarah Jessica Parker, who not only played Carrie Bradshaw, a fellow shoe fanatic on Sex and the City, but IS the queen of shoes herself.”
What were your favorite wedding day details?
“The fact that it was just the two of us was my favorite wedding day detail. The look on my husband’s face as I walked down the aisle was completely unfiltered and you could see the joy just overflowing on his face. I don’t think he would have let go and shown the same level of emotion if we had an audience of friends and family staring at us.”
Inspiration/theme behind your elopement?
“The origins of the Casciano family can be traced back to San Casciano, Italy – which is a small village outside of Florence. In fact, Nick’s grandparents were the most recent generation to be born and live there. The original idea was to become a member of the family in this special town. However, once you discover the beautiful Villa Cimbrone, there’s no passing up that venue. We quickly decided to “go big, or go home” and that abandoning San Casciano for those beautiful views was worth it – and tying the knot in the county of Italy was good enough!”
Tell us a little bit about how you chose your invitations, flowers, venue, and dress:
“Choosing my dress was a classic case of don’t try on dresses outside of your price range. I love the glitz and glam of the Roaring 1920’s (think of The Great Gatsby) and fell in love with this Jenny Packham gown at the boutique. Without looking at the price tag I threw it on and instantly fell in love, my best friend started crying, and then the heart attack set in after I saw the cost. Thanks to pre-owned wedding dress websites I was able to locate the same dress in my size for a fraction of the original cost. After some patience and price negotiations with the lovely bride who wore it before me, I was able to own a hand-beaded gown made by a designer that has dressed so many celebrities including the likes of Taylor Swift, Kate Middleton, Blake Lively, Heidi Klum and Angelia Jolie. Wearing something that had that kind of craftsmanship made me feel so incredibly special on my wedding day!”
Overall, do you have any special advice you would like to share with other brides to help prepare them for their destination elopement?
“The biggest help I found was asking my vendors for recommendations on other vendors. Don’t try to navigate a million websites on your own – it will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Instead, let the experts who are well-versed in local reputations help you weed out the scams and identify the winners!”
From Rochelle:
Randi contacted me a year in advance as she had seen a recent wedding I had photographed at Villa Cimbrone. So, I helped her connect with the Rosa the Celebrant, the make-up artist and helped guide her with booking Villa Cimbrone. The lovely staff helped her with the flowers and also with other details. I gave her my input on the best light and also helped with the timing and photographic itinerary.
