Lyndsey & John – You’ve got Mail
Lyndsey & John’s wedding at Villa Fondi in Italy is a story I’m incredibly happy (and if it’s okay to say a little proud) to share on the site.
The reason being, at the beginning of 2016 I started Weddings Abroad Guide Community, a Closed Facebook Group for Weddings Abroad Guide. My intention for the group was to add another dimension and a more personal layer to my website. I wanted to give anyone visiting my site the ability to quickly and easily ask questions, share ideas and get valuable help and feedback. I wanted to make the group a friendly place and full of value for those who participated.
Lyndsey and Jo Daye from Accent Events (who is a member of my Destination Wedding Directory and the Weddings Abroad Guide Community) are a fantastic example of two incredibly lovely people connecting through the group. I will let Jo share the rest of this story and their journey with you and hope everyone else using our group will also experience the same amount of value.
Accent Events Connects with Lyndsey…
Remember when Tom Hanks meets Meg Ryan in You’ve got Mail…well this is very similar to how I met Lyndsey; not quite by email but on the wonderful and extremely informative Weddings Abroad Guide Community forum. Lyndsey joined the community in search of help and as Accent Events is a regular contributor to the forum we saw Lyndsey’s post.
We first exchanged messages in May this year – Lyndsey posted a question relating to booking a wedding at Villa Fondi and wished to receive a confirmed date to move ahead with her plans. As John and Lyndsey are both Scottish it was important to receive the confirmed date to begin planning for their paperwork and obtaining the relevant documents all of which had to be achieved within a 3 month timeframe.
Sorrento and the surrounding area is one of Accent Events’ specialist areas so I reached out to Lyndsey through the forum to see how we could help and if we could answer any important questions Lyndsey had.
Neither of us at that time knew that this was the start of five months of wedding planning and how our simple exchange of messages led to Accent Events playing a part in Lyndsey and John’s dream Italy wedding.
la famiglia…
Lyndsey and her now husband John live in Glasgow, Scotland and have been regular visitors to Sant’Agnello and Sorrento for many years. They had chosen Villa Fondi for their civil ceremony because of their connection and love of this location. They have made life long friends in this region returning to cafes, restaurants where they are familiar faces and receive the warmest of welcomes – Italy Revisited! They are family – la famiglia
We immediately sensed their wedding day would evolve as a true Italian experience – they were ready to embrace everything that is authentic about this hugely popular region. Their wedding was always going to be personal – John and Lyndsey chose to keep their destination wedding small – sharing it with their closest family and friends and choosing those places that had meaning for them.
Lyndsey first opted for a wedding package – which was very comprehensive in terms of the services to be provided – a little later there came a change of heart – as a couple they felt they would like to have a deeper connection to their wedding day plans by doing some of the planning themselves. They wished to have more choice over the services and how their wedding day would be. This is when we came on the scene as their Italy wedding planner.
Expert Help…
They recognised they needed expert assistance to help with the legal process and communicating with the Town Hall – Comune of Piano di Sorrento for the ceremony and to smooth over some of the legacy planning that had already been put in to place. We were able to manage some of the sensitivities related to their personal situation – this was due to our understanding of how the process works and providing support both in the UK and Italy – this ensured everything ran smoothly leading up to and on the wedding day.
Distance Planning…
For the last three years Lyndsey and John have stayed at the four star Esperidi Resort a lush complex of designer self-catering apartments and villas in Sant’Agnello, an oasis of peace and relaxation immersed in a typical citrus and orange grove it is gorgeous – and this was to be their base for their wedding-honeymoon.
We had fabulous insight to Lyndsey and John through our private correspondence as well as aided by the accessibility of social media we were able to get to know their personalities and style – Lyndsey is a warm person, a genuine person who is very much in love with John, life in general, singing and music, her family, friends and her work colleagues (not only was Lyndsey planning her wedding she had recently changed her job too).
We were kept up-to-date with the travel itinerary to Italy – leaving Glasgow airport for a hop off hop on flight from Heathrow to Naples – ending their adventure travels that evening with family and friends at the very popular Il Buon Boccone Restaurant in Sant’Agnello – an enchanted evening.
The Wedding at Villa Fondi…
Lyndsey and John’s wedding at Villa Fondi can be described as a beautiful sunny day – a blue-sky day with white whispy clouds with a stronger than usual breeze – which later put in a cheeky appearance to create one of my absolute favourite photos of their wedding – an awesome dress moment!
Here is what our fabulous celebrant Carmela had to say about Lyndsey and John…
Smaller weddings really are very intimate occasions and John, Lyndsey and their families were such lovely people. John and Lyndsey’s wedding at Villa Fondi was truly filled with emotion. Lyndsey and John chose to keep their ceremony simple and significant focusing on the significance of the occasion with an exchange of traditional wedding vows and wedding rings.
My first impression of John was of a very dapper gentleman, impeccably kilted in shades of black and grey, smiling and keeping his (only natural) pre-wedding nerves in check! John was accompanied by his equally well attired son – and Best Man – Martin and his lovely auntie and her friend.
Lyndsey, arrived escorted by her mum, dad and two lovely bridesmaids, looking utterly radiant and wearing an enormous smile and a glowing expression. Lyndsey is someone who feels like a friend from the very first moment you meet her – she exudes friendliness, kindness and a vivacious spirit.
Personal Touches…
The terrace of the historic Villa Fondi, is a charming ceremony setting, perched on a cliff side and offering spectacular panoramic views. The summer heat, accompanied by particularly windy weather ensured the perfect temperature for Lyndsey and John’s heartfelt, intimate ceremony, celebrated amidst smiles, laughter and tears of happiness.
The mandolin and guitar duo – Nino & Mauro played typical Neapolitan songs and special requests this provided the Italian soundtrack to their day – adding to the atmosphere of their wedding at Villa Fondi.
Knowing Lyndsey’s love of music and singing – we were able to arrange for a special and unique rendition of one of Lyndsey’s favourite songs “Proud Mary” after the ceremony had finished – two reasons – Lyndsey’s mother is Mary and it’s one of the songs that tends to be sung on evenings out in Glasgow!
The wedding party were then whisked away to the little Piazzetta Marinella for their photography with Fabio of The Bros Photography. Oh, and here’s that wonderful dress action. A catch my breath moment – love this photo!
Authentic Italian Style…
The bride and groom and their guests then returned to Esperidi Resort where they changed out of their wedding finery for a relaxing afternoon.
They had planned their evening meal not at one of Sorrento’s five star hotels or wedding venues instead they opted for one of their personal favourite restaurants keeping it very authentic Italian style – to steal a line from a famous TV show – one where everyone knows their name!
Connect with us…
Accent Events truly loved helping Lyndsey and John – wonderful things come from wonderful wedding forums!
If you would like to find out more about having a wedding at Villa Fondi or getting married in Italy join The Weddings Abroad Guide Community. Here you will find JoDaye from Accent Events, Lyndsey and many others, who will be more than happy to help you.
Find out more about having a destination wedding in Italy
The Perfect Partners
Wedding Planner – Jo Daye, Accent Events Limited // Wedding Celebrant: Camela ceremonies@accentevents.co.uk // Photography: The Bros Photography // Ceremony Venue: Villa Fondi, Sorrento // Reception Venue: Sorrento Restaurant
