Formal Destination Wedding in Italy

It’s the wedding day!  After sharing day one and two of Lama and Suhail’s glamorous destination wedding in Capri, Italy it’s time to share the big moment!  The black-tie clad groom and his gorgeous bride celebrated with 200 friends and family in a magical, and culturally rich ceremony and reception at the famed Capri Palace Hotel.  The entire weekend was produced by Diana Sorensen for Sugokuii Events, who shared with us all the details from the day.

Lama’s wedding dress was designed with her input, by the famed Lebanese couture designer, Abed Mahfouz.  “Lama is a super stylish – true fashionista – who owns a well known avant garde fashion boutique in Dubai – and needless to say, this was one very stylish bride who was preparing for her three day wedding – with the most beautifully planned outfits for each evening & one of the most stunning wedding dresses you can imagine – a couture dress no less.” 

Lama had fun with the process.  “I worked directly with the Abed Mahfouz team. The fittings were so exciting; it was amazing to see the collaboration develop and finally come alive!  I thought to myself that the only time I would ever be able to go all out with a big dress would be on my wedding day – so I took full advantage, but kept it classic with the lace.”

The veil was equally beautiful & delicate. “I wanted to keep the same embellishment consistent on the veil with the Swarovski white crystals and tulle.  My jewelery was my mother’s earrings which have been passed down from my sister on her wedding day and finally to me.  The most special ring for me was when my husband and I picked out our gold Cartier bands. My engagement ring is a custom made cushion cut diamond and the wedding band is a Graff. I really love it.”

The groom, equally stylish was decked out in Givenchy & Lanvin which complimented her look perfectly.

Diana tells us more about this pair’s big day.  “The couple and all their friends rented out the entire Tiberio Palace hotel in Capri for the three day occasion. The hotel, has a very young, cool vibe feel – perfect getaway for this young crowd to feel at home in and all the luxuries you can imagine – while the parents and older generation stayed at the beautiful Grand Hotel Quisisana, only a few minutes apart from each other in the center of Capri – next to all the major boutiques, chic restaurants and clubs.” 

“The ceremony, was not a traditional one as such – it started with an Arabic tradition known as the “Zaffe” – a very festive type of wedding festival with musical procession accompanied by a percussionist we flew in for the occasion. First the groom goes out with his groomsmen accompanied by a percussionist – and all the guests clap and celebrate him for few minutes in a festive fashion – then she comes out with her bridesmaids – and is met by her father – who then “gives” her to the groom. They then dance together and are celebrated by their family and guests while they usually clap and cheer them on. There is no “altar”, no “celebrant/officiant” with readings.  It was definitely one of the “happiest” ceremonies we have ever arranged and when the bride came out in her amazing couture dress, the guests were stunned – not to mention the groom who had a true feeling of pride, when Lama came out.”

“Following the ceremony the guests were transported to the sea side venue Il Riccio, which they rented in its entirety for the night.  The couple followed the guests by arriving in style in a beautiful vintage Fiat cabriolet (owned by the proprietor of Capri Palace).

We had a caricaturist from Napoli brought in – to draw guests exaggerated portraits, we had a personalized Capri perfume bar which we created for the occasion – where guests could create & custom blend their own perfume by choosing scents & oils typical for Capri and then bottled into their very own tiny Caprese perfume – to take home afterwards as a gift from the couple.”

 “The reception took place on the roof top, al fresco, overlooking the sea. We had spent 24 hours building an open air white pergola structure on the rooftop of the restaurant – making sure that the white washed wood, blended in naturally with the rest of the actual building. From the pergola, we wanted to create a feel of sitting in an amazing Italian garden – but with a contemporary feel. We therefore hung hundreds upon hundreds of flowing jasmine – hung very close to each other, to give a feel almost of a “carpet” of white floral which was covering the entire roof top. In between these – to give some amazing & natural light, we had hundreds of glass candle holders made in white painted glass (not transparent glass) which we hung in between the white floral to give some additional warmth to all the white.”

“Lama and Suhail expressed to me that they wanted a contemporary styled event – with beautiful views of the sea – and wanted more of an “amazing party” feel than a “wedding-ish” feel. They wanted their guests to have the time of their lives – at each and every venue, representing a different perspective to Capri each night. Believe it or not – the couple had never previously been to Capri before – although had always wanted to go – and took great faith in us in making sure that we would be able to design the wedding & showcase Capri in the way they had being dreaming about it.”

 “The couple also chose to do a fun idea – in cooperation with the amazing videographer hired for the day. The videographer brought guests into a designated “video room” and asked them to sing the words of the Italian national anthem – in as good Italian they were able to speak…if you see their video at the very end (past the credits), you will see (and hear!) that at 2 am in the morning – this can sound pretty funny – and challenging to pronounce (and sing)…It was a fun detail that guests loved to view and remember after the wedding took place – as well as the wonderful video which not only captured the couple in some adorable moments – but also captured Capri in a beautiful way.

Additionally, we had cigarette girls pass Italian cigars & limoncello candies & servers passed bite sized Neapolitan desserts until early morning.” 

To see more from this stunning affair, check out the video by Marco Caputo Films.  What a wonderful weekend this couple and their guests had!!  Truly the trip of a lifetime!

Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Destination Wedding Photographers: Photographers: Anne Ciotola (couple photos & day/getting ready photos) & Capri Flash (roof top design photos)

Wedding Vendors:  Ceremony + Reception (Il Riccio) locations: Capri Palace Hotel, Wedding Planners + Designer, Caricaturist, Perfume Bar, Digital Invitation, Website + Magazine: Diana Sorensen for Sugokuii Events, Floral: Domenico Ruggiero for Capri Fiori e Piante, Wedding Dress: Abed Mahfouz, Bride’s Shoes: YSL, Hair and Makeup: Capri Palace Hotel, Guest Hotels: Tiberio Palace & Hotel Quisisana, Groom’s Suit: Givenchy, Groom’s Bow Tie: Lanvin, Groom’s Shoes: Dior, Videographer: Marco Caputo Films