Weddings in Italy  - Testimonials

Dear Janie, Lucia & Bill,

Sorry about the delay with this. Firstly, thank you all very very very much for all your help in making our wedding even more amazing than I could have ever imagined.  We loved every single minute of it and couldn’t stop smiling the whole day and for the week after!!

I always wanted to get married abroad and after looking at your website I knew Maratea is where I wanted to get married and set my heart on it immediately. It wasn’t hard convincing Niall to get married there either.   Every aspect of the planning process the year up to the wedding was carried out expertly and efficiently. I got to make the fun decisions and let Slow Dreams do all the hard work.

Maratea is so beautiful, it's such an unspoilt, perfect hideaway. The Hotel Santavenere is the most magnificent hotel I have ever stayed in. Lucia and Rosa were absolutely brilliant, they brought us to see the hotel the day previous to the wedding and described how the day would go, they talked us through what to do and advised us on aspects of the day. On the day, they made sure everything ran smoothly and did some vital translating for us when needed. They were always there when we needed them, they are not only brilliant planners but very nice people too. 

The ceremony location outside, overlooking the sea was just spectacular. The guests were all amazed at how beautiful it was.  The ceremony itself was so romantic and I couldn’t stop myself from crying, very emotional.

Everything was planned so perfectly and I have to say I didn’t have to worry about anything the whole day. I was the most relaxed bride ever. My bridesmaids and I spent the afternoon by the pool and sipping champagne cocktails in our suite, before the hair and make-up people arrived.  The suite was lovely, with the most romantic balcony and view. 

The dinner in the evening was fantastic, we sat watching the sun go down as we ate beautiful food and drank wine. The staff were so good, very friendly and the attention to detail was noticeable.  We all danced the night away when the sun went down, including our 18 month old daughter, who had a ball.

I really didn’t want the day to end, it was so much fun. It was such a unique and beautiful wedding, something we will treasure forever. 

We really enjoyed the whole week, the area is so peaceful and laid back, the town of Maratea itself is so pretty. We took a walk around the town before we got married in the town hall that morning and it was such a romantic and intimate way to spend the time before we got officially married.

The Hotel Meraviglie, where we all stayed for the week was also brilliant. The staff were fantastic and really helpful and understanding. They put up with our late nights down at the pool bar and were very accommodating. The hotel itself is really lovely, it’s so quiet and relaxing, it was like having our own private villa for the week.

We would love to come back in a few years and visit the area again.  I would recommend the area and Slow Dreams to anyone. They took the stress and hassle out of planning a wedding and made it fun and exciting. I loved it so much I wish could do it all over again!! Thank you so so much, you were all great and we couldn't have done it without you. I could go on all day about how great it was..........best wishes,

Laura & Niall xxxx

Dear Janie, Bill, Lucia and team,

We wanted to say a huge thank you for the most amazing time in Maratea and the wedding day of our dreams, it truly was magical !!! From the very first enquiry we sent via your website Bill responded in less than 24hrs with a basic quote and the service we received from then on was brilliant and totally took the stress out of planning a wedding.

Once we’d agreed the budget with Bill, Janie was then on hand to answer all my questions about the wedding details and helping to sort out the whole week in Maratea for all our guests too. You made it all so easy, answering my many emails straight away. Every detail we requested was no trouble, from helping to match my colour scheme and suggesting ideas to booking transport from the airport and recommending alternative dishes on the menus.

 Once we arrived in Maratea, Lucia was on hand the next day to show us the venue again and go through all the fine details I’d arranged with Janie via email. I have to say that we cannot thank Lucia and her team enough, they did an absolutely amazing job. The venue we had chosen was Il Carrubo at the Santavenere Hotel and it was breath taking on the day, all our guests were speechless and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. I’d had a little trouble with the hairstyle I wanted and Lucia stayed with me while the hairdresser was there on the day to make sure I was happy, which I truly appreciated. When my wedding flowers arrived I couldn’t believe what a fantastic job the florist had done, matching the colour perfectly and copying the picture I had sent exactly. While I was in the hotel getting ready, we had arranged for the groom to arrive by boat from the port while the guests watched him arrive, the only little disappointment we have is that a just a few of our guests hadn’t arrived at this point. Everything else was absolutely perfect and more than we had hoped for. The food I would say was the biggest talking point after the venue itself – we could not believe how much there was and it was all fantastic! We’ve had the photographers photo’s and they are brilliant, in fact we are finding it very difficult to chose the ones we like best for our album!

We stayed at the Hotel Villa Delle Meraviglie for a week with all our guests and it is such a lovely villa style hotel in a gorgeous location, it was like our own little hide away. The rooms were lovely and the staff very friendly and helpful, especially Franco who was brilliant.

Our wedding day really was a dream come true and wouldn’t have happened without all of you. I would like to say a special thank you to Lucia who not only ensured we had the best wedding day ever but that our entire stay in Maratea was thoroughly enjoyable, recommending places to go and helping to book restaurants so that we all got to see the most of the area and what it has to offer. We will most definitely be back to visit Maratea very soon and a lot of our guests have said the same, it really is a beautiful part of Italy.

If you are thinking of planning a wedding abroad, don’t hesitate to use Slow-Dreams services and have the wedding of your dreams in Maratea!

Warmest regards,

Francesca & Barrie Hodson

Initially Bill looked after all our enquiries. He was so patient and efficient and explained everything so clearly. One of our big concerns at first was 'Can we afford this?' ( That was one of the best things about Slow-dreams , you know exactly what you're getting and how much it costs). But Bill made it easy for us to work within our budget. Big thank you Bill!

After we decided on the venue and dates, Janie looked after all the details and planning. We were genuinely moved by how she shared in all the excitement of the planning, from choosing flowers to planning the ceremony itself. She was so utterly lovely and so helpful and efficient. Our only regret is that we didn't get to meet her in person to thank her!

We stayed at the Villa Maratea for the week and got married in the garden, just as we had dreamed of. The villa itself was fantastic. Big enough for both our families, with a great swimming pool for our nieces and nephews to splash around in, bar-b-ques in the evening and just a 5 minute stroll down to the village. Heaven.  Lucia came to meet us the day after we arrived to see how we were doing and to give us a schedule for the week. She was so friendly and helpful. Everything had been taken care of, from trial hair and make-up sessions for Brenda to a meeting with the photographers to discuss what we would like.

The day before the wedding, we were down at our friends beautiful villa by the sea swimming in a little cove on a private beach with about 20 of our closest friends, jumping off the rocks and swimming in the cave - it was one of our favourite memories of the week. It was so nice to feel so relaxed the day before our wedding.

On the morning of our wedding day, Lucia took us down to the town hall to sign the official paperwork, which was actually really lovely. The town mayor presiding, Lucia translating and just us and our parents there. It was a lovely start to the day. Afterwards we went back to the villa where Lucia took charge of everything. She was AMAZING! All we had to do was get ready!
We got married in the gardens of the villa, just as we had dreamed of, on a raised terrace under an arch of pink roses overlooking the town and the sea below. It was beautiful.
The caterers had arranged tables in the garden around the pool, with fairy lights in the trees, and as the sun set it looked like a fairytale, with the lights reflected in the water. It took our breaths away! The food was served as a buffet with our guests helping themselves, just as we had wanted. We cannot stress enough how gorgeous the food was. The service was second to none, and all the while Lucia was looking after everything. She was so non intrusive and professional and lovely. Fantastic at her job! We hired a sound system and our guests took turns to d.j and we danced til the early hours! So much fun, we just didn't want it to end!

We want to mention our photographers also. Sylvia and her partner, who did a brilliant job with the photographs. We were so happy with the results and the town of Maratea is such a beautiful backdrop for them. The difficult part was trying to pick which ones to keep!
We also want to mention Dora, who was amazing, and drove us round in her taxi van all week. She was literally at our beck and call, day and night. Also the restaurant (the name escapes us) down in the town. It is on the second floor with an open terrace overlooking the fountain in the main square. They took such good care of us (all 50 of us!), especially Gwendolyne, our waitress.
We were really happy with the flowers also.

In fact everything from the moment we arrived in Maratea was magic. Our wedding was everything we could have dreamed of and more, and our friends and family had such a fantastic holiday that I am sure we will still be talking about it in years to come. None of this would have been possible without Slow-dreams - Lucia, Janie and Bill. Thank you so much for everything! We would have no hesitation in recommending them to any couple thinking of getting married in Italy - you won't find anyone more caring, professional and friendly.
We send you all our love, thanks and best wishes,

Brenda & Dave