Suzanne & Daniel
Suzanne and Daniel were married in an intimate Sorrento Wedding in May this year. With a small wedding party they wished to keep things simple and private, and with the help of Jo Daye from Accent Events Limited for planning and photography by The Bros Photography, that’s exactly what they got.
From: United Kingdom
Nearest Airport: Naples International Airport
To fulfil Suzanne’s and Daniel’s wishes for an intimate Sorrento Wedding, Villa Fondi and the ultra modern and stylish Relais Blu proved to be the perfect combination. All the elements came together beautifully – sunshine, whispy clouds, the chosen pieces of music both classical and modern set the scene for their I do moment.
From Accent Events…
The planning for their wedding day started just under 12 months ago – 1 July 2015 Suzanne contacted me in a short but sweet email to ask for help for an intimate and simple ceremony in their chosen location of Sorrento. This first communication set the precedent for all our correspondence – no fuss and hassle free.
Suzanne & Daniel fell into the growing category of DIY couples. They had chosen their holiday accommodation themselves and Suzanne had arranged for a friend who was holidaying in Sorrento and happened to be a hairstylist to do Suzanne’s hair on her wedding day.
Accent stepped in to help with booking the town hall, the document translation and finding the perfect celebrant for the ceremony to do the interpreting and the personalisation.
We also sent over a shortlist of reception venue recommendations which would give them the privacy they required. Our happy couple opted for a very modern and stylish boutique hotel with a minimalist white theme and tasteful decor – this removed the need to decorate further but is perfect for the little accents and details – such as the sunset table plan, delicate amber coloured hearts and sunset name cards that were placed next to each table-setting, organised for Suzanne and Daniel in Italy.
We then arranged for the wedding day transport to take guests comfortably between locations, with a little added drama – even Italian drivers can take a wrong turn! We also organised a “cocktail hour” after the ceremony which seamlessly linked the end of the ceremony to the start of the reception. We also used our favourite florist in Sorrento for the wedding flowers – Suzanne’s vintage style bouquet, boutonnieres for the gentlemen, and the bridesmaid’s wrist corsage.
We had one very important special requirement from the couple and this was related to dietary requirements and allergies – Suzanne had a very serious and severe nut allergy – it was important that this was clearly conveyed to the chef for the reception meal. We then used our fabulous wedding professional grapevine to find a pasticceria that could accommodate a nut free designer cheesecake wedding cake.
As the wedding date approached, focus was on the civil ceremony – we are so very lucky to work with Carmela who is a super talented celebrant and wordsmith – who guides and proposes ideas for personalising each individual couple on their wedding ceremony. Suzanne and I share the absence our fathers so I knew this would be a day of mixed emotions – Suzanne wished to honour her father’s memory but this had to be managed delicately so that the elation of the ceremony would not become subdued but it would be enhanced by the gesture of remembrance. Carmela helped Suzanne with her decision – this was to take a moment just before joining Daniel and to set a single rose on a vacant chair.
Suzanne & Daniel’s villa was up in Sant’Agata outside of the centre of Sorrento and one of our wedding day challenges was the communication between myself, Carmela and the wedding party due to poor signal coverage – it is worth mentioning this – as there is much to bring together on the day of the wedding that the loss of phone use can have an impact on the flow of activities – we were so fortunate to have an incredibly efficient team that have worked together many times previously to ensure everything came together and any unforeseen events were addressed and dealt with behind the scenes.
Our Intimate Sorrento Wedding – From the Bride……
Getting Started:
It has taken me a while to try to find the right words to accurately describe the level and quality of service, support and overall awesomeness that Jo and her team provide. Not being the sort of girl who has been planning her wedding for years, I wanted something romantic and easy going, but I hadn’t got a clue where to start.
We had decided on Italy after a few google searches and had contacted a couple of wedding planners only to be ignored or told that our size of ceremony wasn’t worth their time. Thank heavens we came across Accent Events. Jo replied to my enquiry swiftly and after a lengthy chat on the phone, I was convinced that Jo was the one to help create our intimate Sorrento wedding of our dreams.
About Us:
Despite our wedding party being small, there were no short cuts with regards to the details from Jo. There were plenty of suggestions and options for all elements of the day, with no loss of enthusiasm from Jo when we weren’t sure or had another request.
We were tricky customers too, with my severe nut allergy and my now husbands love of cheesecake! Jo went above and beyond on this point, sourcing a nut free, delicious cheesecake wedding cake that looked as amazing as it tasted, whilst being happy in the knowledge it was safe for me to eat! It is only after reading her blog that we realised quite how much effort Jo went to for us, and it couldn’t be more appreciated.
The A-team:
Jo was fantastic, responding swiftly to our every email contact, and especially when a few logistical jitters got the better of me once in Italy, Jo was there with reassuring words day and night, right up to the wedding cars arriving to whisk us to the ceremony. (The only thing she can’t reassure with is the driving on the slightly scary roads! We went the wrong way down a one way street! I guess it took my mind off the ceremony nerves!)
Carmela was also an absolute star, helping me to plan the ceremony in such a beautiful way to incorporate personal touches to acknowledge my late father. Her warm and super friendly manner provided a fantastic personal ceremony, with a perfect mix of tears and laughter.
I cannot gush enough about how wonderful the service provided by Gio and her team was. From the superb planning, to the beautiful ceremony, the stunning venues, the fabulous weather (I’m sure she arranged for the sunshine, on what had been a very rainy week!), the brilliantly funny photographers (the Bros Photography), the amazing cake, the additional and unexpected touches. Most of all, the genuine feeling of love for her work, felt throughout, our time with her.
Jo and her team made our wedding dreams come true. I would not have changed a thing!
Everyone should have a wedding planner like Jo, who makes you feel like your wedding really is the most important wedding she has ever planned. I cannot thank her enough.
It is a real shame that you only have one wedding day as we would love to work with Gio and her team again……now there’s a thought…
Find out more about having a destination wedding in Italy
The Perfect Partners
Wedding Planner – Jo Daye, Accent Events Limited – A-Team // Wedding Celebrant: Camela ceremonies@accentevents.co.uk // Hair – Bride’s friend // Photography: The Bros Photography // Musicians: Mario Generali // Post Wedding Drinks Circolo dei Forestieri // Reception: Relais Blu – Antonino // Flowers: Fiori Sorrento – Giuseppe Terrecuso
