Weddings in Italy - Testimonials
- Ireland & Rest of The World
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Brad & Emma - Australia |
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Dear Janie, Bill and Lucia,
When we first discovered your Slow Dreams
website and Castello Rocca on the Internet, there was no way we
could have possibly imagined what a true gift we had stumbled
upon.
I think it’s fair to say that we didn’t
give you an easy task. At every turn it seemed we were asking
the impossible from you: A short, minimally religious ceremony,
a scaled back menu, almost twice as many guests as the Castle
accommodated, a last minute boat trip down the coast, last
minute decisions about hair, make-up and hire cars, last minute
confirmations of numbers. The list goes on and on.
Of course this was made worse by the fact
that at the same time we had just relocated to London from
Australia, so were unable to devote as much attention as we
should have to the wedding arrangements. Plus we were doing it
all in a relatively short space of time, and of course there was
the endless stream of questions we bombarded you with.
Throughout all this you all remained so utterly helpful and
kind. We lost count of the number of times you gently reminded
us about something which had slipped our attention, or gave us
thoughtfully considered advice.
However, it wasn’t until we travelled to
the Castle that we truly realised what a gift you all were. You
met us at the station, and the greeting you gave us could not
have been more warm and genuine. Over the next four days you
were there to support and help us, and the arrangements you had
made on our behalf could not have been better.
The Castle itself was a dream. We could
not (and still can’t) believe we were lucky enough to be in such
a special place. Fiore, Marco, Daniella and the ladies at the
Castle gave us an equally warm welcome, and could not have
possibly have been more generous and thoughtful. They attended
to every detail, down to the gum leaves they included in the
decorations for the wedding. And the food was just superb.
I don’t think it is possible for us to
ever express our gratitude enough, for all you have done for us.
Our wedding celebrations were completely without stress, and
were full of laughter and happiness. A wedding is such a
personal moment in life, and we could not be more delighted that
you were part of it. You definitely have our highest
recommendation. We certainly echo the thoughts of all our guests
when we say it was such an amazing and special time. We are all
still pinching ourselves! Thank you so, so much once again.
Warmest regards,
Brad and Emma
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Sandra & Dominic
- Ireland |
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Dear Janie, Lucia, Rosa and Bill, Firstly I would like to
thank Bill for his quick responses for all my questions
regarding queries on the wedding itself. No other company or
agency were able to give me such a detailed and accurate answer
to any query I may have. This made dealing with Slow Dreams, a
joyous and stress free way to plan my wedding. So a big thanks
to Bill.
Secondly, I cannot thank Janie, Lucia and Rosa enough. You
also made my wedding event relaxed and stress free. Who can say
that on their wedding day two hours before the wedding ceremony
the groom was swimming in the pool, taking it all in his stride.
The formal ceremony in the evening was more than I ever
expected. It all went beautifully. with blue seas to my right
and glorious mountains to my left and clear blue skies above, I
could not have pictured a more romantic and idyllic setting for
my wedding day. The service at the dinner was next to none. To
the waiters and caters thank you for topping off an already
perfect day.
The hotel Meraviglie was absolutely beautiful. The staff were
brilliant and went out of their way to help with every
circumstance. From the Owner of the hotel to the taxi service, I
cannot write down in words how welcome and how well we were
looked after. So a big thank you there.
Again, I would like to Thank Janie, Lucia, Rosa and Bill for
making my wedding event something that I will look back with
great memories. I will have to get Dominic to bring me back each
year on our wedding anniversary.
THANK YOU ALL.
Sandra.
(Now,
a note from Bill the web site man
- Sandra goes on to say in this
subsequent email below
what she really wanted to say about Janie, Lucia and Rosa,
but could not say until she was safely out the country and had
received her wedding album that the evil trio was controlling).
Hi Bill,
I know you are the best Bill, I just had to mention them
(a note to readers - "them" refers to Janie, Lucia & Rosa,
the evil trio ). I didn't want them to feel left out.
Regards
Sandra Kelly |
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Stephanie & Guy
- France & England |
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Dear
Janie and Bill, many thanks for all the hard work you put into
making our wedding day so special. The venue, catering and
accommodation was all top notch, and the setting at the Inn at
Fiumicello was spectacular. The paperwork, ceremony, and the
whole day was superbly organised. We would have no hesitation in
recommending Slow Dreams to anyone looking for a romantic
Italian wedding in a stunning location.
Steph and Guy. |
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Haley & Martyn
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Wales |
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Dear Janie,
Bill, Lucia and Rosa, Both of us
wanted to say how very much we enjoyed our wedding day. It
really was the most fantastic day and better than we could have
ever imagined. Thank you all so much for making our day so
special, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the time our
ceremony was over! You all made the whole process so easy, even
providing answers to questions that we hadn’t got round to
asking! You were all so great in dealing with our
unreasonable/unusual requests (the cricket themed table plan,
Welsh and English flags, etc) and for accommodating all of our
guests. The setting for our ceremony at the
Hotel Meraviglie was so romantic and perfect, and all the staff so
friendly and helpful. The area of Maratea itself is beautiful
and unspoilt, and all the people we met were friendly. We have
both already recommended Maratea and your company to other
people. I am also holding Martyn to his promise of taking me
back to Italy’s last hideaway for our wedding anniversaries.
Thank you once
again so much, it is a day we will both remember for ever.
Hayley and
Martyn Cushing! |
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Vera & Korstiaan -
Ireland & Holland |
Janie,
Lucia, Rosa & Bill
Many
thanks for helping us to organise our wedding. We could not
have been more happy with the way everything turned out.
From the
moment that we contacted Slow Dreams (on a rainy Sunday in
Ireland) the plans for the wedding & honeymoon just came
together so quickly and easily. It was just the two of us
travelling over and both Janie & Bill reassured me that we
would have a lovely wedding day and holiday in Italy. It was
true! We spent a few months emailing and making decisions
but this was all greatly helped by Janie and Bill's quick
replies and recommendations.
Maratea is
a really beautiful part of Italy and the La Locanda is a
beautiful hotel with the best Receptionists I have ever come
across. Please pass on our appreciation to them - they
answered all our queries, booked restaurants, beauty
treatments etc. and made us feel very welcome during our
stay. The restaurant in La Locanda is really excellent and
we enjoyed many nice dinners there. We also used the beach
in the Santavenere hotel and we have to say that the
facilities and food were excellent there also.
We cannot
thank Lucia and Rosa enough for making our wedding day so
relaxed and stress free. From meeting us outside the Town
Hall, delivering our flowers, introducing us to our
photographer to translating both Italian ceremonies and
providing a tissue when it was required (thanks Lucia!),
both Lucia and Rosa were great. The church was really really
lovely and exactly what I imagined it would be like. Our
pastor gave us a present of a bible after the ceremony and
it will be something we will treasure for a long time.
What can
we say about our photographers Luigi and Sylvia? They were
really good and even though we had to dodge the puddles
caused by the rain earlier, we had many laughs and giggles
walking around Maratea's old town for photo opportunities.
1999 in Porto Maratea was an excellent restaurant and
provided a lovely ending to a really excellent day. The
service and food were both very good and in fact we visited
it again on our last night in Maratea.
We spent
our second week up in Castellabate and stayed in the Palazzo - what a lovely place! With a big
pool, access to a beautiful sandy beach, excellent food ,
wonderful gardens it was the perfect spot to relax and enjoy
the lovely warm weather before heading onto the busy city of
Naples.
Again, we
would like to thank you all for making our wedding day an
event that we will look back on with great memories.
Regards,
Vera &
Korstiaan
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Jody & Darren - Canada |
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Janie, Lucia, Rosa and Bill,
We wanted to let you all know how
much we appreciated all the work that was put into our
wedding. Everything was perfect. It was the wedding of our
dreams!
Throughout the entire planning
process Janie's constant help, attentiveness and wonderful
suggestions were invaluable. And when we arrived in
Acquafredda we met Lucia and Rosa and were immediately
impressed. Everything was planned so well that there was
virtually no stress involved! And this was something that was
very important to us!
We would also like everyone to
know how much we enjoyed the Maratea area. I must say that
there is no way that pictures could ever do it justice. From
the moment that we arrived our breath was taken away from the
beauty of the area. The hotel staff at Hotel Club San Diego
were wonderful! They were so helpful and generous. It was
a great place to stay! I would definitely recommend it to
anyone.
Thank you again for everything.
We still can not believe how lucky we were to have such a
beautiful wedding and wonderful family vacation. We would
recommend your company to anyone!
With much thanks,
Jody and Darren Wick
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Laura & Dave - Scotland &
England |
Janie, Bill, Lucia
and Francesca,
Just back from
honeymoon and wanted
to thank you all so
much for organising
THE BEST wedding for
us, we had such a
wonderful time. We
fell in love with
Maratea and the
venue ‘Inn at
Fiumicello’ from the
moment Bill showed
us around! We
couldn’t have
received a better
service, from the
minute we got in
touch with you
nearly 18 months ago
to the day of our
wedding, the whole
experience has been
tremendous and
stress free.
From initial
discussions with
Bill, who answered a
million questions
and took the time to
show us lots of
different venues, to
planning the details
of the wedding with
Janie and then the
onsite expertise of
Lucia – everything
exceeded our
expectations. I
would like to say a
HUGE thank you to
Lucia & Francesca
who made everything
on the day possible,
even when it
rained!! It was
probably the only
day of rain in the 3
weeks we were in
Italy but with the
stunning setting and
smooth organisation
of the wedding, it
didn’t matter at
all. Thank you Lucia
for answering all
our pre-wedding
emails (and there
were loads), for
getting the ‘guest
gifts’ for the
rooms, and for
sorting out small
surprises for us on
the day such as the
frame for our table
planner – you are
simply the best!! Oh
and finally, thank
you to Luigi the
photographer who
captured all the
events of the day in
some stunning
photos, he even took
the time to take
pictures the next
day because it was
so wet on the day of
the wedding.
We had an amazing
time in Maratea, and
all our guests did
too. The area is
much more stunning
than the Amalfi
coast and we would
definitely recommend
Maratea and Slow
Dreams to anyone
that is considering
getting married in
Italy.
Thanks again to a
great team for
organising our
special day!
Laura and Dave
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Emma & Irwin - Ireland |
Hi Janie,
We had a truly fantastic
time in Maratea, the wedding
turned out so beautiful
it was way beyond our
expectations. Everyone
enjoyed it so much it was
unbelievable!!
We are still on our
honeymoon and have just
checked the email this
evening.
The photos look fantastic we
will have a hard job
choosing!! Is there a number
of photos we are allowed to
choose for the album and how
many loose?
Please thank Lucia and Emma
for their help and guidance
on the day.
We will be back in Ireland
mid week so will get back to
you on the choice of photos
then.
We will definitely be
sending on a glowing
testimonial when we get
back, we couldn't be happier
with how it all turned out.
Once again thanks so much!!
Emma and Irwin Malone
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Olga & Nick - Russia & England |
Bill, Janie and Lucia
I wanted to thank you all for a wonderful job that you did organizing our wedding – it has been a great experience for us and our friends and family. From the very beginning you have been very responsive and professional. Organizing a wedding in a different country may be very difficult but you made it very easy and efficient for us!
The event was exactly what we both wanted our wedding to be. I think the choice of the country and the location was perfect! Maratea will always be a very special place for us and we will be going back for many years. It is such a beautiful place and the fact that it is so secluded makes it even more special. I think we were very privileged that we were able to find such a special place and such a great company to work with!
Special thanks to Lucia for being so helpful and suggesting so many great ideas. Her knowledge of the area, the venues and other options was incredible. It’s a shame that we couldn’t have a boat trip due to the weather but again Lucia was very efficient in keeping us up to date and cancelling the arrangement. And the party was such a success that not that many people would have been able to make it to the boat anyway J.
For me a bride organizing a wedding overseas it was a real pleasure to work with both Janie and Lucia finalizing all the details for the big day. Thank you to both of you for being so flexible and supportive – I must have been the most “unstressed” bride as you made wedding planning a very easy and fun job for me. All I had to do is research what I wanted and let you know.
The set up of the dinner area was absolutely beautiful and the wedding flowers were stunning! The food was great! We seemed to have run out of appetizers but it was only a minor issues as we hade plenty of the main courses left. Thank you again for all your help!
Olga and Nick
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Diana & Ian -
Australia & Scotland |
Hi Janie:
We would to do it all
over again!! We had a
magical day. Throughout
the
whole day I kept saying
how amazing everything
was I truly couldn't
have imagined it to be
so beautiful. Your
attention to detail down
to the berries in our
champagne glasses. It
was first class all the
way. We only have praise
and admiration for the
team of slow dreams,
they made it all so
easy.
From the moment I found
the website definitely
the only one that
captured my imagination
and also the ease at
navigating my way round
was a joy !!
Bill answered every
question and more, from
the word go our whole
experience with
Bill, Janie and Lucia
was a complete stress
free joy. Any request
they considered and then
made possible.
The ceremony at Villa
Maratea was Romantic,
simple and true to us
both, there were tears
all round. The catering
was exceptional and the
staff and team were
polite, helpful and met
all our needs. From the
flowers to the music it
was all such a pleasure
for us to enjoy.
Ian and I our families
and friends had a great
holiday also the Villa
Maratea has an amazing
setting surrounded by
mountains overlooking
the sea.With 16 of us
staying there the hub
was the pool and BBQ
made perfect with the
gorgeous Maratea town
below.
We have many amazing
memories, we had guests
writing to us thanking
us for such an magical
day and introducing them
to the Romance of Italy.
Can't
wait to come back. Thank
you all for everything
and more, we couldn't
have ever imagined for
our wedding day so
perfect and the
beginning of our lives
together to be any
better. Thank you !!!!!
Diana and Ian
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Natasha & Jody - South Africa |
Hi Janie, I know
I have thanked
you all various
times during our
correspondence &
I have also told
everyone this
end about you
all but I just
realised that I
still had not
got round to
writing you a
testimonial for
your website, so
here goes:
THANK YOU FOR
THE BEST DAY OF
OUR LIVES !
If you are
reading this,
you have
probably just
found the Slow
Dreams website
during a search.
Don't look any
further !
If you want a
magical wedding
day that you
will always
remember, then
you have found
the right site.
December, I was
you, reading the
testimonials &
trying to
decide. I had
never been to
this region of
Italy however we
took the chance
& put the
deposit down on
a venue without
seeing it or
visiting the
area. Friends &
family thought
we were mad ! We
eventually
visited about 6
weeks later to
find everything
from the venue
to the area was
amazing. The
photographs on
the website do
not justify how
beautiful the
places really
are. On top of
that, the
wedding
co-ordinator
(Lucia) is
absolutely
amazing & gets
the impossible
done.
Everything we
asked for, she
arranged,
nothing was too
much trouble.
The whole team
was brilliant.
Emma who is
Lucia's right
hand man, helped
with a flower
display on the
day which turned
out absolutely
fantastic. We
can't say enough
about everything
& everybody. The
venue was a
dream come true,
the food was
excellent, the
DJ was brilliant
& the
photographers
took the most
amazing photos.
They say
arranging a
wedding is
stressful,
thanks to Slow
Dreams mine was
fun !
It was the best
day of our lives
& perfect in
every way. Our
guests can't
stop talking
about how
perfect it all
was & that it
was the best
wedding they
have ever been
to.
Lucia, thank you
for everything
you did for us
from sourcing
out a baker,
taste testing,
arranging our
favours & even
visiting a pet
shop which I am
sure was a first
& a very unusual
request.
We'll definitely
be back !
Thanks a million
times over for
everything.
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Creena & Michael - England & Ireland |
Dear
Janie,
Lucia
and Bill
Thanks
you all
so much
for
organising
my
wedding.
We had
such a
lovely
day,
maratea
was
absolutely
beautiful.
The boat
was
amazing. Everything
was just
perfect.
We have
all
fallen
in love
with
maratea
and are
returning
for hols
next
year.
Thank
you all
for your
hard
work.
Creena
and
Michael
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Deirdre & Cian - Ireland |
Dear Lucia, Janie and
Bill,
thank you very much
for making our wedding in the Church of the
Immaculata and in the Hotel Gabbiano such a
wonderful day.
Acquafredda is a
picturesque little village in a gorgeous setting and
the staff at the Gabbiano were extremely attentive
to everyone's needs. Our guests are still talking
about the wonderful setting and the delicious food
they had there.
Bill, Janie & Lucia:
from our initial contact with you by phone to your
responsiveness by email and your attention on the
day and follow-up you were available to answer every
question and handle any request. Thank you again! We
really enjoyed our wedding day and only wish we
could do the whole thing again.
Arrivaderci!
Deirdre & Cian
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Kristen & Mark - Australia & New Zealand |
Dear Janie, Bill and Ornella,
Mark and I would like to give our greatest thanks to you all for your fantastic help in organising our beautiful wedding at San Michele.
When we decided to marry in Italy, we were drawn to your website by the many lovely testimonials from couples that had already been married in Italy with the help of Slow Dreams. The glowing praise and grateful messages of thanks we can say are well and truly deserved.
When deciding at which location to marry, Bill was incredibly helpful; listening to what we wanted our day to be and recommending San Michele from our shortlist, bringing it to life for us from description of how he came across the hotel and from his own experience of visiting and staying there. We were sold.
Janie, what can we say? Thank you for being so wonderful in getting Mark and I organised! We were so appreciative for your help and patience in answering our many questions so promptly and for the gentle reminders of the things we needed to be focussed on or make decisions for. You kept us on track and we didn't have a thing to worry about because you'd already taken care of everything for us!!
We are sorry we didn't get to meet you and to thank you in person; as it was just the two of us on our wedding day, your enthusiasm and excitement for us in the lead up to the big day really meant a lot. Your lovely message on our wedding day (via Ornella) and also after our wedding photo's were published was so kind; and it's these small things that made our experience with Slow Dreams feel very personalised.
Finally, we'd especially like to thank the wonderful Ornella and the fabulous staff at San Michele for making both our wedding day - and our entire stay - absolutely magical. From the moment we arrived until the minute we left, we were were treated so warmly and like family. Ornella was an angel and went above and beyond in so many ways to make sure we were well taken care of - far more than we would have ever expected her to do. Her suggestions for where we might like to have our ceremony, our photographs and our wedding meal were perfect and were even more so on the day itself. We were so glad that we had chosen San Michele; what a stunningly beautiful place to exchange our vows on the balcony overlooking the coastline of Cetraro and the ocean.
Because of all the work that both Janie and Ornella had done, our wedding day went so smoothly. Mark and I had nothing to do other than to relax, dress up and enjoy the happiest day of our lives. Does it get much better than that?
San Michele will always be so incredibly special to us both and without doubt we will return to celebrate future anniversaries. Thank you again for helping to make the memories of our wedding as perfect as they are.
xx Kristen & Mark.
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Jennifer & Scott - Canada |
When Scott first contacted Bill at Slow Dreams we were immediately impressed with the timeliness of his responses and attention to detail. He answered each and every one of my endless questions, patiently and comprehensively and we were confident with his suggestions as his knowledge of the venues and area was excellent.After we had finalized the location and general details with Bill, we began working with Janie and Lucia, two wonderfully warm and helpful people, to make the final arrangements. We continually impressed with the promptness of their replies; they were even in touch when they went on vacation!! Hotel arrangements were made for our guests and in turn also answered our families’ many questions. Unbeknownst to me, my mom also made some secret arrangements with Janie and was very impressed with her discretion and support. It certainly took the stress out of arranging a wedding halfway around the world, complete with surprises!
When we arrived in Maratea, Lucia had everything organized for the ceremonies. Thoughtful suggestions were made about locations for the evening ceremony and she even drove us around to show us some beaches in the area (as I was determined to have champagne on the beach with our families!) Appointments had been arranged for our legal ceremony with the Mayor of Maratea, and for our nails and hair so we had nothing to fret about.
On the day of the ceremony, while the girls drank champagne (seeing a trend here?!) and got ready, the boys were jumping off cliffs into the Mediterranean Sea; there wasn’t a single thing to get organized or worry about. The ceremony and reception were truly a fairytale. I cannot possibly describe what romance the sunset, sea and mountains and the setting of a historic, exotic place brings to a wedding. (Two months later it still chokes me up!) My family commented repeatedly about the romance of the Italian vows, and how unique and distinctive the ceremony was.
*It absolutely could not have been more perfect.*
I cannot say enough about the staff and setting of Villa Cheta. The receptionists, waiters and hospitality staff were among the most friendly and considerate service staff we have ever met. Scott regularly travels the world on business and Villa Cheta ranks right up among the top hotels in the world. They went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect for our wedding, all very unobtrusively. Even a simple lunch on the patio was made special with lace, silver and china to present the fresh seafood, fabulous!
I cannot forget to mention Dora and her two brothers who shuttled us and our families around, definitely the best taxi in town!
Slow Dreams is an example of how businesses should be run. The service was exceptional from our first contact in June to over two months after the wedding when we had some minor issues after we got back to Canada. Lucia has been as prompt and professional as ever in resolving the problem. Really our only complaint was that it went too fast!! I want to do it all again!
Thanks again Slow Dreams: Lucia, Janie and Bill. It was a fairytale!
Jen and Scott Lumsden
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John & Debbie - Ireland |
Hi Janie,
Just to let you know we received the package today, just finished watching the video. Wow, we are at a loss for words the video is simply stunning, the best wedding video we have ever seen. Equally the pictures are breathtaking, more then we could have hoped. Please pass-on our sincere thanks to them both (Sylvia & Luigi).
John.
Dear Janie, Bill & Lucia,
Thank you doesn¹t seem enough for everything you did for us. Not just the wedding day but for the entire week. And not just for us but for our families too.
We never thought organising a wedding abroad would be so exciting and stress free. We both had an idea of a perfect setting, beautiful scenery & sunsets. Maratea was all of that and more, it is definitely one of the most beautiful places we have been and to have our wedding there was amazing.
Janie and Bill you were so patient and helpful in the beginning which made it a lot easier for us to decide on what we wanted. Nothing was ever a problem and anything we asked for, you got - even the Harpist who came all the way from Naples. This gave the ceremony a beautiful touch. Every email we sent you, had a response within 24-48 hours.
You were with us every step of the way and never lost touch, which was a great comfort.
Lucia, our Angel, thank you for being like a big sister to us. You were so wonderful, everyone fell in love with you. We were really nervous about the big day and you were just so relaxed and never stopped smiling. Anytime we needed you, you were there. You were so wonderful with our families and friends too and everything was organised perfectly.
We couldn¹t have imagined our day to be more perfect then it was and a great part of that was down to the Slow-Dreams team. Everyone has said they will find it hard to find a wedding to match ours and that¹s all thanks to you, Janie, Bill and Lucia.
Silvia and Luigi from TTL Photo Agency were also incredible, remaining discreet throughout the day but capturing it with such clarity and emotion in both photo and video. We asked for informal and candid and they just took our breath away with what they produced.
Again, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making our special day so perfect.
Love
John & Debbie
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Terra & Elliot - Canada |
We would like to thank Bill, Janie and Lucia at Slow Dreams for making our wedding day truly unforgettable! First of all, Bill answered all of our email questions promptly and thoroughly, no matter how many there were! Janie was wonderful in terms of organizing everything. Lucia was extremely helpful once we arrived in Maratea, making sure that we were happy at Hotel San Diego and ensuring our wedding day ran smoothly. She did the little things, such as recommending our ceremony to be on the mountain top, arranging a great cab driver when we needed one and checking in during the week. Thank you Lucia! Even though it was a small wedding of just the two of us, everyone at Slow Dreams treated us with attention and thoughtfulness. We are thrilled to have chosen Slow Dreams and Maratea, the most stunning and breath-taking area in Italy, for our wedding day
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Russell & Janice - Australia |
Well its Sunday afternoon & Janice and I have just got back from Capri, the last couple of days we have been staying at Villa Scaparella, (1km from Amalfi) we are sitting in our little apartment overlooking the water writing a few post cards to friends back home and thought we need to write to you and just say a big "Thank You"
Its difficult to say in words what we feel about our time in Maratea and the Wedding, we are just so grateful that we took your advice and came there to celebrate our wedding.
Maratea is just such a beautiful place, peaceful, tranquil, however your business name expresses it all "Slow Dreams" and our time there certainly forfilled all our expectations.
Firstly Bill your quick responses to our emails, your matter fact approach and wit really made organising our wedding a real adventure. You read our emails and understood what we were looking for, and for this I say thank you.
Janie & Lucia, once the business was agreed on, you both made it happen in what seemed like effortless fashion, to do this I know takes experience, professionalism and patience, again thank you.
I am sorry we didn't meet you Bill & Janie, but with Lucia representing you we didn't want for anything. Lucia we really appreciated your professionalism, attention to detail, timeliness and most importantly how you made it all so personal, we felt you were part of the family. "Thank You"
We look forward to getting the web address for our Photos so that we can relive the experience over and over again.
We have no hesitation in recommending you all and the amazing service you provide
regards
Russell & Janice
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Caroline & Simon - Ireland |
Dear Janie, Bill and Lucia We would like to say a huge thank you to you all for making our wedding day and week in Maratea, so fantastic from start to finish. What an incredible day! We hardly know where to start as there was so much that you did, but here goes.
We were firstly extremely impressed by your comprehensive website (head and shoulders above the rest) that includes so much info to make things easy to plan. On our visit to Maratea in October we were enchanted by the town and the coastline as we were guided, by Bill, through our options.
Over the following 8 months Janie (so sorry never to have met you in person) was prompt and helpful with her replies to all our emails concerning everything from the big decisions about the day to the tiniest details.
Our choice of the Santavenere Hotel could not have been better. Our guests were treated to one idyllic setting and view after another as they made their way from the welcome drinks on the terrace, to the ceremony looking over the sea and finally down to the beach side restaurant. Lucia (you are amazing) was constantly on hand throughout the week and on the day itself to ensure things went smoothly and we are hugely grateful to you for your friendly, calm and efficient qualities.
The sunset provided the perfect backdrop for our exquisite meal and our guests were both surprised and impressed by the fireworks before dancing into the small hours of the night.
All our guests said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to and that they’d had an amazing time. That was not only down to the coastline and the hotel but the planning, organisation of the day and indeed the whole week. Thank you, thank you. Nothing was left to chance and as a result we felt extremely relaxed (the massage helped as well!) on what could have been a stressful day.
We would thoroughly recommend Maratea as a stunning location for a wedding and Slow Dreams as the organisation to run it.
Many guests said they would return to the area, as we will, very soon and also others are already thinking of recommending that friends should get married in Maratea.
We hope you are still operating when we return to renew our vows in 25 years time as we will put ourselves and our guests in your so very capable hands again.
With lots of love and thanks
Caroline and Simon
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Esther & Kristian - Wales & Norway |
We chose slow-dreams to be our wedding organisers as soon as we saw their website, and the Grand Hotel San Michele.
Like many of others we fell in love with the surroundings and olde-worlde look of this historic hotel.
Replies to emails were always swift, friendly and helpful. Bill and Janie understood how important it was for the whole holiday to work, not only the wedding, but it would be the first time for our families to meet.
When we arrived at the hotel, unbelievably, it was better than the website. The slow-dreams representative\owner of the hotel, Ornella was amazing from start to finish and met every single bridal demand! She took us on a little tour of the grounds the first morning we arrived, introduced us to the family and made us feel totally welcome, it felt more like a big house than a hotel. The staff...where do I start..amazing, friendly and incredibly kind, we were so glad to have them in some wedding photo's too. Anywhere we wanted to go around the area was no trouble to the drivers and staff at the the hotel, every recommendation to a restaurant turned out to be a great night. Ornella also took us on a tour for a day to a few local towns and scenic places, she was so informative and went out of her way to show us special things, all with a great sense of humour!
The day of the wedding...what can I say ..went without a "hitch"....due to Ornella, Lucia and Alida. We had fun from start to finish, beginning at the small registry office ceremony, followed by an amazingly relaxing afternoon. It all went to plan and was weirdly un-stressful. From the ceremony to the photo's, speeches to dancing, we had a ball!!!!!
We can't thank you all enough for making our wedding totally perfect, a fantastic holiday in itself, and for giving our families a perfect place to cement the beginning of a great friendship.
Thanks to you all from the bottom of our hearts......makes me want to get married again!!!
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Laura & Micheal - Ireland |
When we first went out to Italy to meet with Janie & Bill we were had set the date of our wedding for 8th August 2008! As soon as we saw the places, we moved it to 26th October 2007! From the very beginning every question and worry we had was answered and reassured by Bill & Janie. We picked Hotel Gabbiano for our reception, which is in an amazing location, right at the foot of a cliff on the waters edge! We picked the beautiful Church at the Port of Maratea, which is so quaint and romantic.
I have to say we had the most amazing time in Maratea, everything went perfect! It was the day I had dreamt about all my life! We had around 80 guests who came out with us to Maratea, each and every one of them loved it and couldn’t get over how beautiful the place was. The hotel staff couldn’t do enough for you and they made us feel so welcome and joined in with our celebrations. The food was amazing and the cake was stunning! I just got the photos back from the photographer and they are out of this world, truly amazing.
If you’re thinking of getting married in Italy, go for it, it’s the best decision we made, and definitely use Slow Dreams, they’re fantastic!
Thank you to Janie, Bill, and especially Lucia. She really is a fairy godmother, she looked after everything on the day, making sure it all went smoothly!
Thanks Slow Dreams for giving us the best day of our lives, we are eternally grateful.
Laura & Micheal Newell
Galway, Ireland
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Brenda & Dave - Ireland |
We always knew that our dream wedding would be to hire a villa in Italy and have our closest family and friends there with us while we exchanged our vows in a garden. But we thought that's all it was - a dream. How could we possibly organize a wedding in Italy from Ireland when neither of us even speak Italian? But after a few internet searches we stumbled across the slow-dreams website - little did we realize how lucky we were! Some of our friends thought we were crazy to be organizing our wedding over the internet through people we had never met in a place we had never been to - some would say it was blind faith! - but we knew very quickly how fantastic and professional Slow dreams were and they completely won our trust.
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
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Laura & Niall - Ireland |
Dear everyone at Slow Dreams,
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
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