First came the guest list. Giuliana has a huge family, and Bill knows the entire city of Chicago, so it looked like this was not going to be your average destination wedding.
The invitations, the flowers, the bridesmaid dresses, the gift bags, the band, the church, the tablecloths, the chair covers, the candles, the tuxes, the shoes, the makeup, the hair, the hotels, the flights…the list went on and on. This was the most important day of Giuliana's life, and I was a nervous wreck. I wanted it to be perfect.
We ordered these darling mini chocolate Godiva wedding cakes for the guests. Ordering them was the easy part; getting them across the Atlantic to the island of Capri was the hard part. We shipped boxes of gift-bag goodies, but half of them were stopped in customs and never made it. That was one of the hardest parts about the whole affair. Where did our boxes go?! To this day, I still imagine a little Italian man in the customs department eating our Godiva chocolates and spraying his feet with our peppermint foot spray.
Italy, here I come! Giuliana and Bill flew in a couple days early to relax before the guests arrived. (More than 200 people traveled from all over to be there for the wedding!) The night before we left, Giuliana and I packed our suitcases full of everything we needed—because shipping boxes did not seem to work. I had two elephant-size suitcases full of everything from candles to name cards. (One of the suitcases was pink.) You have to take a ferry from the Port of Naples to Capri. I guarded those suitcases with my life, as if they were my children. If I had lost them or they had been stolen, I would have been in deep trouble.
I had never been to Italy, but it was everything I imagined. Warm weather, incredible architecture, delicious food and really good-looking people. (Ha!) Capri is like no other place. It is a small island surrounded by the bluest water. Hotels, shops and restaurants fill the island—there's even a Prada store!
The reception was at the Quisisana Hotel. It was gorgeous and overlooked the water. Giuliana and Bill put me up at a hotel in between the church and the reception, so I had easy access to everything. My room was off the charts! I had my own balcony, where I could eat my breakfast every morning.
I had a ton of work to do before the big day: I put together all the gift bags, made sure all the guests arrived safely and began coordinating the decorating for the reception area. In the days going up to the wedding, all the guests would get together in the piazza and hang out. It is one of my most favorite memories, all of us staying up till all hours of the night laughing and having the time of our lives.
The day of the wedding, I was sweating bullets. The seating chart was being changed, the centerpieces were being put together, and the guests needed to board their private cars to the church on time. I had a lot on my plate. The church was on the very top of the island, and I stood outside making sure the bridal party entered at the right time and in the right order. Everyone looked amazing. The bridesmaids wore soft yellow flowing gowns, and the groomsmen looked so dapper in their tuxes. Bill looked like a movie star in his tux, waiting for Giuliana to come through the big church doors. When she entered, I can remember looking at his face—you could feel the love in the air. She looked beautiful!
Click here to see tons of gorgeous wedding photos!
The reception was a total blast. There was a lot of dancing, and everyone was so happy for Giuliana and Bill and so excited to be there. It felt like a huge party. I will never in a million years forget about going to Italy and being part of their wedding.
My advice to everyone out there who wants to plan a wedding in another country: Make sure you know the language, be very organized, and take in absolutely every minute. It is sooo worth it.
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