Katie & Sam (Part 1)

Wedding at the Bellevue Syrene

Katie and Sam chose the beautiful Italian seaside setting of Sorrento for their Italian destination wedding. Their Civil Ceremony was held at the Chiostro di San Francesco and was followed by a reception at the stunning Bellevue Syrene, a luxury 5 star hotel which majestically clings to the cliffs of Sorrento.

Part 1 of Katie and Sam’s story is from the bride’s prospective. Katie shares her experience of having her wedding at the Bellevue Syrene, one of Sorrento’s most exclusive venues! In Part 2 of their story we are walked through their day by the couple’s wedding planner, Jo Daye from Accent Events Limited. Both Parts of Katie and Sam’s day are accompanied by the gorgeous imagery of Italian based destination wedding photographer Francesco Quaglia.

Our dream wedding

To go abroad and get married in Italy!

Our wedding day

The day was amazing! We got married in the Cloisters – which is such a lovely and unique setting – at 5.30pm. This meant we had a relaxing morning and early afternoon where we were primped and pampered whilst preparing for the exciting events of the day…with lots of lovely Italian bubbly on the go!

Important to us

Our guests’ experience, both of Sorrento and of our wedding at the Bellevue Syrene, was incredibly important to us – we wanted everyone to be happy, to enjoy the setting and to have fun. Oh and we wanted to be sure everything was perfectly on time!

My wedding dress & shoes

My dress was just beautiful, a delicate lace number with glamorous high heels to match!

The groom’s attire

The groom and his attendants wore dapper grey Ted Baker suits with teal ties to match the bridesmaids’ dresses!

Our wedding rings

My wedding ring matches my engagement ring – they were specially designed to fit perfectly into one other! Sam – my husband!!! – has a simple, elegant band.

Special Treat

A special treat for our guests – and for us too – was a trip on ‘Il Trenino’, a Dotto train that travels through the streets of Sorrento. It has been a family tradition, since I was little that wherever we are – and every country seems to have one – we always go on for a ride on a little train! So, this tradition had to be a part of our special day! The train picked us up from the Cloisters and took us on a mini tour of Sorrento – drivers beeped their car horns and strangers cheered and congratulated us as we rode around. This was one of the best moments of our wedding day!

The whole day and evening was amazing. Everyone was perfect, professional and ensured that we had the best day ever. We just wish we could do it all over again.

Words of thanks from the father of the bride to Accent Events

“I would just like to add my own words of thanks for all your help in planning Katie’s wedding at the Bellevue Syrene. Katie has probably told you, the arrangements were utterly smooth. Everything turned up exactly on cue and everyone was so friendly and professional. I don’t know how you choose the people you work with and through, but it’s obviously inspired choices.”

The wedding professionals involved with your wedding day

Wedding Planner

Oh, just wow! I would recommend our wedding planner, Jo Daye of Accent Events UK, in a heartbeat! We had perfect communication, she explained everything brilliantly, nothing was too much trouble and we completely trusted everything she said.

Celebrant

Our celebrant Carmela, was booked through our wedding planner Jo. She was very professional, explained things clearly and talked us through the civil wedding ceremony format, assisting us in personalising the ceremony where possible to us and our wishes.

Flowers

Sorrento florist Giuseppe provided wonderful bouquets, buttonholes and floral arrangements that were exactly what I wanted…beautiful flowers to match the colours of the day!

Photographer

Francesco Quaglia was fabulous! He made us feel very comfortable yet very glamorous throughout the day! Francesco was the perfect mix of professionalism and friendliness!

Hairdresser

Luisa of the BeautyLine salon in Sorrento was responsible for mine and my bridesmaids’ hair. She was so experienced and knew exactly what she was doing – I had photos to show her but she knew how to make our hair look lovely!

Make-up

Jimena was perfection! She took her time and made sure that the make-up looked impeccable. My make-up stayed in place all day and night, in spite of the sultry summer heat.

Music

The music during our wedding ceremony was provided  by a traditional Neapolitan mandolin & guitar duo. They played throughout the ceremony and then accompanied us to our reception venue with music. They played a great selection of music, including the less-traditional but absolutely enjoyable Postman Pat theme tune for the children. Perfect!

During dinner we put together a play list of our favourite songs on iPod. We had a variety of music which included swing, Michael Buble, Fleetwood Mac, Take That and even a bit of Barry Manilow!

Part 2

Don’t miss Part 2 of Katie & Sam’s wedding at the Bellevue Syrene. Jo takes us through the couples wedding day and their decisions leading up to it, starting with their first meeting in London.

The Perfect Partners

Wedding Planner: Jo Daye – Accent Events Limited – Weddings in Italy // Photographer: Francesco Quaglia // Reception Venue: Bellevue Syrene // Bride’s Accommodation: Roccia Suite // Civil Ceremony: Chiostro di San Francesco, Sorrento, Italy // Celebrant: ceremonies@accentevents.co.uk // Bouquets: Fiori Sorrento // Table Decorations: Bellevue Syrene Hotel // Make up: Jimena Puy  // Hair: Luisa Esposito – BeautyLine  // Musicians: Mario Generali