A Brief Guide to Getting Started With Your Planning
The Amalfi Coast is a stunning stretch of coastline in Italy that is known for its dramatic cliffs, beautiful beaches and charming villages. It is a popular destination for weddings — with good reason. The scenery is simply breathtaking, the food is divine, and the Italian culture is warm and welcoming.
People come from all over the world to host a wedding on the Amalfi Coast and, in recent years, it has become one of the top wedding destinations in the world. Let’s look at some of the key considerations and planning points to help kick-start planning a wedding on the Amalfi Coast.
Why Host a Wedding on the Amalfi Coast?
As stated, the Amalfi Coast is absolutely dramatic, beautiful, and full of charming villages. Visiting the Amalfi Coast is nothing short of stepping into a real-life fairy tale … and who wouldn’t want to get married in that sort of magical place?
Another perk of hosting a wedding on the Amalfi Coast is that it is a destination that so many people want to visit. Asking your guests to come to your destination wedding is basically asking them to take their yearly vacation on your account — so you want to make sure your destination is one that appeals to a large majority of people.
Thankfully, the Amalfi Coast is on the bucket list of most people. Who doesn’t love great scenery, amazing food, and kind, friendly locals?
When to Have a Wedding on the Amalfi Coast?
The Amalfi Coast is largely a summer destination. This doesn’t mean that the summer is the only time you can go but it is the time of year when most everything is open and the weather is the loveliest. In contrast, the negative side of this is that the summer is also the busiest time of year. This means the lines will be longer, the streets will be more crowded, and reservations may be more difficult to come by.
While the winters are rather temperate and enjoyable, I do not recommend hosting a wedding then. Too many businesses are shut down, the ferries and tours aren’t running, and your guests won’t have the same type of experience they would otherwise.
If you want to avoid the summer crowds, hosting a wedding on the Amalfi Coast during shoulder season may be your best bet. From April to June and September to October, most businesses are open, the weather is great, the water is still warm, and the crowds are less.
Considerations for the Area
As you start planning your wedding on the Amalfi Coast, there are a few things you need to consider.
1 – As we already know, the Amalfi Coast is a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer months, so you want to book your venue, vendors, and guest accommodations well in advance. There can be no procrastination or major last-minute changes or moves when planning a wedding here.
2 – The weather in this area of the country can be unpredictable so make sure you have a backup plan in case of rain.
3 – The Amalfi Coast is not super easy to get to. Most people fly into Naples or Rome and then take a train or bus to Sorrento. They then take a private car or taxi to the Amalfi Coast. It takes some time and planning to get there. Make sure you consider this as you are planning and give your guests as much information as possible. You might even want to consider arranging transportation from the airport.
4 – Make sure you hire a wedding planner. The Amalfi Coast is a tight-knit community but it isn’t always easy to navigate. Hiring a local wedding planner is key.
5 – Incorporate the local culture into your celebration. You picked the Amalfi Coast for a reason. Utilizing the local cuisine and local customs is only right.
The First Steps of Planning Your Wedding on the Amalfi Coast
Pick Your Date
Your first step in planning your wedding on the Amalfi Coast is to pick a date or, at the very least, decide what season you want to get married in. That will give you a starting spot when talking to venues and wedding planners to see what their availability is.
It’s your wedding, so obviously you want to pick a date that is meaningful and convenient to you. But you also want to be considerate of your guests and what will work best with the majority of their schedules. Do a lot of your guests have school-age kids? You may want to consider hosting a wedding during the summer. Is budget a consideration for your guests? Shoulder-season has lower rates for both the Amalfi Coast and for flights to the area.
Find Your Key Vendors
The next step is to start looking for your venue (the most important step) and your key vendors. Key vendors are ones that can only take one wedding day so they end up booking out more quickly and are in higher demand.
Venue
Your first step is finding your venue. Book early and find a place that speaks to you and the aesthetic you desire. Here are a few popular venues to get your search started:
*The Villa Cimbrone in Ravello is a stunning villa that offers amazing views and an immaculate garden.
*The Ruins of the Basilica of Sant’Eustachio is a uniquely authentic and beautiful location that offers views of the Amalfi region and a romantic ambiance.
*Il San Pietro di Positano is an elegant, 5-star hotel nestled on a cliff overlooking the area. Weddings here are elegant and timeless.
*Atrani Cathedral is a historic cathedral located in the small town of Atrani. The interior is elegant and ornate and the perfect place for a classic church ceremony.
Planner
The next step in your vendor search must be a planner. Hiring a wedding planner for your wedding in the Amalfi coast is absolutely necessary in order to successfully plan a destination wedding.
I wrote an entire article about it that you can find here.
Photographer & Videographer
Your next steps should always be the vendors that only book one wedding a day as they are always going to be more in demand and harder to book. Plus, finding a photographer and videographer that you get along with well and whose work you love is paramount to your wedding experience and the memories that you will bring with you.
After that, you start working down the list of vendors in terms of what is most important to you (think catering, hair & makeup, and florals to start).
Planning Your Wedding Weekend on the Amalfi Coast
One of the great things about planning a destination wedding at the Amalfi Coast is that you are planning so much more than just a wedding. You have the opportunity to plan an experience that your guests will never forget.
Think about restaurants you and your guests can enjoy (such as Ristorante La Sponda or Ristorante Chez Black) or even some excursions you can enjoy together (like hiking the Path of the Gods, visiting Pompeii, or taking a boat trip to Capri). The options are limitless.
As a photographer, I would love to chat with you more about photographing your wedding on the Amalfi Coast. It is truly going to be an unforgettable event.
