Shana Malinowski & Eric Frost
Amalfi Coast wedding May 23, 2005
I first visited Positano as a twelve year-old girl. I still remeber sitting out on the balcony at Le Sirenuse hotel, looking out over the beautiful crystal blue sea, the gorgeous mosaic dome holding court in the center of Positano, and the seemingly impossible verticle town built into the hillside. As I sat gazing at this beauty, I thought to myself "someday I'll come back here with someone special."
It only took about twenty years to find that someone! When Eric and I got engaged, we decided we wanted to do something really special for our wedding. I told him about Positano - the most special place on earth - and he readily agreed. We started to look online for wedding coordinators, and I spoke with a number of people who I knew immediately I would not be able to work with. I am a type-A control freak lawyer, and the idea of having someone that I never met, that lived thousands of miles away, plan my wedding was a bit unsettling. When I met Laura Frappa (virtually) I knew that I found someone I could trust. Her constant communication with me and tolerance of every little detail I threw her way put me at ease and won me over.
Eric and I took a 3-day whirlwind trip to Positano about 7 months before the wedding. It was important to me that he get to see the town, and that I have reassurance that it had not changed in all the years since I had been there. It hadn't. It was still as lovely as ever, with the same shops (and shopkeepers!) that I had seen as a child. We spent our time there going in and out of EVERY hotel (we actually stayed in a different hotel each night) and checking out as many restaurants as we could. Laura handled all the reservations, gave us suggestions as to where to go, and even organized an itinerary for our brief visit by separating the hotels we wanted to see by area in the town so we could easily walk from one to the next. This was invaluable.
I was so glad that we did this trip, because the places we thought we would like to stay and have the reception turned out to not be our first choices. When we returned for our wedding, we ended up staying at the Hotel Marincanto. The staff at the Marincanto was wonderful - they really made us feel at home. The hotel has a beautiful terrace with private steps down to the beach. Some of the rooms have jacuzzis on their private terraces. A number of our guests stayed at the Marincanto, as well as the Villa Rosa (just down the street) which I think is the best B&B I have ever seen. One room has a super-large terrace - some of our friends stayed there and were the hosts of the greatest cocktail parties ever! Also great was the Villa La Tartana.
We had our ceremony on the terrace at the Town Hall. Positano is one of the few places in Italy where you can have an official civil ceremony performed outdoors. The terrace is simple, but the view breathtaking. The staff at the Town Hall was very helpful, especially because they knew we were with Laura, who has an excellent relationship with many in Positano - it truly made a difference in processing the paperwork and getting things done. They were also open to ideas that I had for the ceremony - we incorporated with the traditional Italian ceremony and English version, performed by a close friend who is a judge here in the States, with vows that Eric and I composed.
We had our reception at the Palazzo Murat. I was a bit skeptical at first, since I wanted a view of the sea. When I visited the Murat, and realized that we could have a private garden with a partial sea view in the shadow of the mosaic dome, I was sold (even before we tried the food, which was fantastic). The staff at the Murat was very professional, and so pleasant. We arranged for cocktails and appetizers on the upper part of the guarden, followed by dinner in the private garden. Our reception could not have been more perfect. The weather was beautiful, and there was this unbelievable full moon that cast a beam across the sea and into the garden. One of my most favorite memories of the evening was of my stepfather playing "Come Back to Sorrento" on the accordian in the moonlight.
Speaking of music - the band Laura recommended for the reception was great. We had a jazz quartet who was tolerant enough to let my husband (a one-time jazz drummer) sit in for a bit, accompanied by my stepfather on the accordian, and a close friend who is a Broadway performer singing along. For the ceremony we had a guitar and mandolin player. I was a bit disappointed in their choice of music and attire - they kind of looked like they fell off a tomato truck and played music that has been adapted for pasta commercials here in the U.S. - but the guests seemed to enjoy it, so I can't complain.
Our photographer was quite talented - and fast - the pictures were delivered to our hotel less than 24 hours after the wedding. It is so nice to have such beautiful pictures of the day - it goes by so fast.
In addition to creating the perfect wedding, Laura helped organize group trips for our guests to Vesuvius and Pompeii. We had about 32 people total, and Laura was unbelievably helpful in getting everyone to and from Positano - it is not an easy place to travel to as the closest airport/train station is an hour away in Naples. Also, she assisted us in planning our honeymoon, arranging for rental cars, and just surviving the whole ordeal!
Our wedding was an amazing and beautiful event, due in great part to the professionalism and dedication that Exclusive Italy Weddings provided. I cannot say enough good things about her company. In our daily email communication, we became close and I came to admire her not only professionally, but as a wonderful person as well.
Shana Frost
