Weddings in Italy - Testimonials from the UK

	Paul and Rebecca
	Hi guys Please find below our testimonial for our wedding! It was absolutely amazing- we now want to live in Maratea- if by any chance a job opportunity comes up please let me (Bex!!!) know!!! Thanks again- we will stay in touch! Perhaps one day you could organise our wedding blessing!! If you need anything else please let us know, if not look forward to receiving the photo link when ready! Love Paul and Bex xxx To Bill, Janie and Lucia Four days ago we had the wedding of our dreams, of which we would not have been able to achieve had it not been for you. As you know, we stayed at the Hotel Villa delle Meraviglie which was breathtaking- our guests were blown away when they arrived with the scenery, the stunning views and the beautiful grounds. We were so lucky with the weather as well, so for most of the week we all relaxed around the pool- the perfect way to chillax before the big day! Lucia- you were at hand the whole week to assist with anything we needed. Your family restaurant was lovely and all our guests loved the food. We are so grateful for everything you did. ...and then the big day! Where do we start!!! It went more or less like clock work, the hairdresser was brill, the manager and staff at The Santavenere could not have been more accommodating, and the food was exceptional. The weather looked a little miserable in the morning, but the sun shone in the afternoon making the ceremony magical. The Reverend was very personable and put us both at ease immediately, so we were able to enjoy every moment. The views from the ceremony were just gorgeous- our guests described it like a wedding in OK magazine! We just cant wait to see the professional photos. Initially when planning our Italian wedding we both had reservations on using a wedding planner service- it seemed a little scary to be making plans with people we had never met, however we would now unreservedly recommend Slow Dreams to anyone who wants to get married in the most beautiful place in Italy (possibly the world!). Every step of the way, from initially booking it with Bill to making the more detailed plans with Janie and Lucia, you were all at hand and were always so quick at responding to our emails. We knew our wedding day would be very special to us, but thanks to you guys, it exceeded our expectations. Thank you so much for making the start of our married life so amazing. Love Paul and Bex xxx Just to let you know we have the video DVD and it is perfect. Bex and I watched it as soon as we got home from work - it bought back lots of special memories (even though it was only a couple of months ago!!
	Stephanie & Guy
	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.
	Becky & James
	Bill, Janie & Lucia Thank you for everything you did to make our day special. Everyone had a fantastic time and a number of them said it was the best wedding they'd ever been to! We loved the location (Inn at Fiumicello), which lived up to the pictures on your site, and from seeing our photos we've had 3 couples ask us where we were as they are interested in getting married there. We're quite happy to recommend you as you ensured that everything ran smoothly, it can't have been easy with us finding decision-making so difficult but you coped with that admirably. Everything you organised we were very happy with, from the flowers to the meal. We were able to relax as we were confident everything was being looked after, and we're very grateful for that. We really don't think the day could have gone any better, it got our marriage off to a perfect start and we're so pleased we decided to come out to Maratea to do it. Thanks again James & Becky
	Haley & Martyn - Weddings in Italy
	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!
	Rachel & Duncan
	Dear Janie, Bill, Lucia & Rosa, Wow, where do we start? Firstly, thanks to Bill and Janie for all your emails of endless information and reassurance over the past year. It's difficult to arrange a wedding & accommodation for 30 people so far away but you guys were great and also very patient. Thanks also for the great welcome packs in everyone's rooms, all our guests were very grateful for those. When we first arrived in Maratea in absolute pouring rain, you 3 lovely ladies were there to reassure us that it'll all be fine on the day and if it was still raining, plan B was still a beautiful option. Luckily, my dad was looking down on us and the sun shone all day long which meant we could go ahead as planned and get married overlooking the sea at the stunning Il Carrubo at the Santavenere. All our guests were utterly gobsmacked at the amazing natural beauty of the surroundings at the Il Carrubo, we would recommend a wedding here to anyone and everyone! The staff at the Santavenere were more than helpful and the waiters were very charming. We had the tastiest, most fantastic 6 course meal ever (and the most filling as well!). The photographers, Sylvia and Luigie were great too, both so laid back they made us feel very relaxed. They even came back after the meal to take more pictures! Thank you both of you for your great work. Lucia and Rosa did a fantastic job with decorating the tables with all the little jars and butterflies we'd brought over from England.......thank you. To sum up the day, we had the most amazing, perfect day of our lives and feel very lucky that 28 of our closest family and friends came all the way to Maratea to share that day with us. Many of our guests have said it's the best wedding they've ever been to and also how they would love to return to that part of Italy again. The whole day ran extremely smoothly and we are both very thankful to all of you at slow dreams for making it possible. we are already planning to return for our first anniversary! with love from Rachel and Duncan x x
	Joanne & Chris
	Janie, Lucia, Bill and Rosa Well.....What can we say? We almost can not find words to describe what a perfect wedding, and all round experience we had. We had our wedding in Castello Praja, Praia a Mare, and it is something we will never, ever forget. The minute we first saw this imposing building, we were genuinely stunned at its sheer beauty and breathtaking views, and it only got better once we had a look around inside! WOW! Never have we, or our guests been lucky enough to stay somewhere so special, in such a stunning location. From the minute the family of the castle met us it was genuine warmth and kindness all the way. Not only did they make us all feel very welcome, but we felt as though they had somehow embraced us almost as part of their own family, something we were very humbled by. Nothing was too much trouble for these wonderful people, in fact amongst the nicest we have ever met. Even when some of our guests had experienced problems en route, both Slow Dreams and the family were on hand to make sure things were sorted out, and relieve the stress from an already stressed out bride and groom. Wonderful. I have nothing but great things to say about Slow Dreams too....Every question that I have ever asked has been dealt with immediately and professionally (not always the case when dealing with other countries, I can tell you!). We had the best day of our lives, and without Slow Dreams it certainly would not have been possible, you were with us every step of the way, and it was lovely to finally meet you (sorry I did not get to meet you too Bill). I would recommend Slow Dreams to anyone considering a marriage in Italy, and the locations on offer can not be bettered. We honeymooned in Sorrento, which although we enjoyed, was in stark contrast to the wonderful Italian lifestyle we experienced around Calabria, and we secretly wished we would have stayed there for the honeymoon too! We will certainly be back, in fact, I am looking into flights as we speak!.... We can not wait to see Silvia and Luigi's handiwork on the photographs. I have never seen two more enthusiastic photographers! If the proofs are anything to go by they will be very interesting! Thank you all so much for everything you have done, and helping ensure we have had not only the best day of our lives, but the best holiday too. I'm sure most of the guests would bear testimony to that too. Love Joanne and Chris (Castello Praja, September 9th 2005).
photo coming	Liz & Darren
	Dear Lucia Thank you so much for everything that you and the company did for our wedding. Everything was perfect, even the thunderstorm in the evening added a bit of excitement! I couldn't think of enough superlatives! We recommend the Grand Hotel San Michele and the fantastic work of the Slow Dreams team to any couple looking for the perfect hideaway in which to spend their special day. The whole party loved every minute of their stay and we wish to thank everyone who was involved in making our wedding adventure the best and most perfect day to start our new life. The Grand Hotel San Michele is a stunning location with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean and nearby towns. The rooms and suites are beautifully furnished and have fabulous views from their balconies. We were warmly welcomed and all the guests settled in well with drinks and food on one of the many terraces. The service was impeccable and all the staff were on hand to provide the party with their needs. The first part of the wedding service took place in the old town hall of the quaint town of Cetraro. The afternoon part was held on the terrace which had been decorated like the rest of the hotel with fantastic floral arrangements. Much of which had been selected and hand picked from the vast array of flora from the estate. The planning and preparation of the wedding day was second to none and we both felt that we could not have had a more perfect day. Even the weather held out for us during the ceremony! The Italian wedding vows were the most beautiful any of the guests had ever heard and there were few dry eyes by the end. There are so many great places to have photographs taken, with the foliage, fruit trees, steps and buildings that offer amazing backdrops. The reception was superb and the food divine – even if there was too much! Everyone's taste was catered for on the seven courses and the chefs and waiting staff did us proud. Thanks again Liz
	Belinda & Michael
	When Mike and I decided to get married in Italy at first I was overjoyed, then a little panicked. How could I arrange a wedding in Italy to a venue I had never seen without speaking the language? As it turned out I didn’t have to arrange anything, Slow Dreams did it all for me and it was perfect. First I must thank Bill for his patience. I lost count of how many times I emailed him to add more guests and hotel rooms to my ever-growing guest list. Janie answered all my pre wedding questions at lightning speed, which was great. Although I was in another country while my wedding was being arranged I still felt like I was involved but without any of the stress! It was just a matter of outlining what I wanted and Janie did the rest. Lucia, Francesca and Rosa met us at the Hotel Gabbiano days before the wedding to go over minor details. It was obvious from the start that Lucia had everything under control and I was immediately put at ease. On the day of the wedding all Mike and I had to worry about were getting ourselves ready. The rest just seem to magically happen! Rosa translated the vows from Italian to English (so romantic), the weather was perfect and the backdrop was stunning. I never dreamt for a second that our wedding day would be so perfect. I have asked myself what would I change about the day if I had the chance? The answer is nothing; I honestly would not change a single thing. The Hotel Gabbiano was a dream come true, I am so glad that’s were we chose to get married. It is a very secluded hotel and we felt like we were in our very own paradise, the view was breathtaking, and the food was fantastic and both Mike and I were completely relaxed during the lead up to the wedding. Maratea is just beautiful. Slow Dreams did and amazing job of making our wedding day more perfect than we ever thought possible. A perfect way to start married life! Thank you all so much Belinda and Mike xx
	Jez & Liz
	Firstly, if you are thinking should we get married abroad, then don't hesitate, just do it - short of agreeing to marry the right person its the best decision you can possibly make. Yes, you'll have fewer guests, but you'll actually be able to talk to them and you'll have a wonderful and magical set of memories binding you with them. Secondly, if you are wondering where to get married, do it on the Maratea coast - look at the pictures on the site and times them by ten - it is simply jaw droppingly gorgeous and an infectiously relaxing place as well. Add in the fact that it's much quieter and cheaper than more well known locations and you'd be a fool to go anywhere else. Finally, if you are wondering who to use, then wonder no more and email Bill NOW - the service we received from everyone at Slow Dreams has been exemplary throughout the 18 months we spent planning our wedding through them. Bill, Janie and Lucia, we can't express our gratitude enough for all of your hard work - we had complete confidence in you all to turn our dreams into reality and you never once let us down. You were patient, helpful, knowledgeable and professional, but above all else you also made us feel that you cared that we had the wedding we wanted. The Hotel Villa della Meraviglie was the most perfect location, and the staff treated us so well. Silvia, the photographer, managed to put two camera shy people completely at ease and we are delighted with our photos, and the food and wine from 1999 was fantastic. Every single one of our guests have told us that it was the best wedding they had been to and if we did it all over again, we wouldn't change a thing. A million thanks to you all, and we'll look forward to seeing you again for our anniversary(ies)! With love, Jez and Liz Kinsman
	Natasha & Nick
	Hi Bill, Janie, Lucia, and Emma, Just back from Honey moon in Sardinia, and wanted to write and say a million thanks to all of you, you have been fantastic, right through from the very beginning to the end. Thanks so much Bill, for all your help in the beginning and answering all my questions, even the silly ones, I really did bombard you with them, and you were just great in answering them for me. Janie too, in getting things organised and also answering my questions, you have been fantastic. A really, really huge, special thank you to Lucia, you are one in a million, absolutely fantastic, from e-mail, answering all my questions, helping me put the final touches together, and then your amazing support too once out in Italy, and last but not least, Emma, thanks you so much also for all your support and help in Italy, for a new girl just training you were fab!! Slow Dream are an excellent organisation, you made everything so easy for us, and also made it all possible, we really couldn't have done it without you, You made our day like a fairytale, you took all the stress away, there were no hitches on the day, and you always kept us in the picture and made great suggestions! I have no doubts in recommending you. If only things had been easier when we tried to organise our UK reception, you were 100 times better than any UK supplier we encountered. The day it self was better than I ever imagined it would be, it all came together so well (We are still smiling about all of it), the band were brilliant, the photographers were amazing, what lovely people they were, they really made us feel relaxed. Big thanks to them. The church (on the mountain) itself and surrounding area was surreal, it was beautiful, like some out of a fairytale. Lucia, also big thanks for organising our boat trip with Mario, that was a great day, a nice wind down after the big day itself, Mario was fab, what a personality he is!! Nick and I had the time of our lives thanks to Slow Dreams, really can't say thank you enough, you've all been great and made the whole experience wonderful and memorable. You gave us the most amazing, emotional, memorable day. All of our guests say it is the best wedding they have ever been to. We all loved Maratea, and I think most of is will return at some point, it's a beautiful, breath taking place, and we all miss it. Hopefully Nick and I will return with our Bambino's one day. Once again thanks to all of you from the bottom of our hearts. Love Nat & Nick
	Olga & Nick
	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
Photo coming	Hannah & Rob
	Dear Janie, We had a lovely wedding, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Hotel Villa Sirio and Castellabate. We would highly recommend it, whether for a wedding, honeymoon or just a holiday. Allessandra, Andreas and their entire team at Hotel Villa Sirio were fantastic, the Hotel was beautiful, and the ceremony and reception were superb. We would like to thank you all at Slow Dreams, too - all the arrangements were made with minimal input from ourselves, and everything went perfectly. It was all so easy. In particular, Janie, I would like to thank you for your kindness and understanding re the difficulties I had last year. With best wishes and many thanks for a fantastic wedding, Hannah and Rob
	Laura & Dave
	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
	Lucy & Mark
	Dear Lucia, Janie & Bill, We wanted to say thank you so much for making our wedding truly amazing. From the first email (and the hundreds that followed) to the last day of our trip you have all been so helpful and have gone out of your way to make our wedding better than we could ever imagine. The Hotel Meraviglie and location was beautiful and our 35 guests were bowled over by the surroundings when they arrived. We had such a fantastic week leading up to the wedding day. Lucia was on hand all week in case there were any problems (which there weren't) leaving us to relax! The day of the wedding was perfect. We loved having two ceremonies. First the town hall where even the mayor fitted into our 'Red' theme and then the second ceremony at the Hotel. I will never forget walking down the steps to the aisle to be greeted by our guests, the sunshine, a string trio and seeing for the first time the area set up for the wedding. It was beautiful. There was not a dry eye in the house when the registrar read the most romantic reading we have ever heard accompanied by the strings. The fact that it was all in Italian made it even more special. Friends have since asked for copies of that reading and told us it was the most romantic wedding they have attended. The effort that Lucia and the caterers went to, to include our lemon theme into everything from the flowers to the cake to decorations on the canapé table was just fantastic. Everything just seemed to happen - it all ran so smoothly and not once did we worry about anything! We must have been the most relaxed bride and groom ever. We were able to enjoy our day without having to think of anything...and Lucia was there all night - she is amazing! Since we have arrived home we can not stop thinking back to our 'Italian Job'. Many of our guests have called to say how wonderful it all was and I think in many ways we are all unable to put into words just how fantastic it all was. We are definitely coming back for our 1st wedding anniversary and will invite our guests again! This could be an annual event! Thank you! It was perfect! Lucy & Mark Ashton xxx
	Gina & Terry
	Janie/Lucia The photo's have just arrived and they are amazing. Thank you again for all the hard work you have put in over the past year and helping to create a day I we will never forget. I will send a testimonial in the next few weeks when I get a moment to catch my breath. Thanks again Gina XX
	Diana & Ian
	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
	Natasha & Jody
	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. Natasha & Jody x x x
	Gemma & Rob
	Hi Janie: I am so happy with the way everything turned out the day couldn't have gone any better. Me and Rob have been planning this wedding for over 2 years ( which was probably a little too long ) but Janie and Lucia were with us every step of the way. The only real means of communication was via email but they would respond to every mail within 24 hours with an answer. There were a lot of changes to our guest list ( which I lost track of in the end ) but Janie was constantly on the ball with numbers and anything i may have forgotten or missed which was great. The hotel (Hotel Villa delle Meraviglie) the wedding party stayed in ( organised by slow-dreams ) was beautiful with stunning views over the sea and a lovely swimming pool in the hotel grounds. Everybody felt like they had a really chilled holiday most of which was spent by the pool and it gave everyone a chance to bond before the big day. The Santavenere grounds where we had the wedding are breath taking. If its an outdoor wedding you are after then this is the place to do it. Everywhere you look there is a stunning view with the sea one side of you and mountains the other. As soon as you arrive you know you are in a 5 star resort but the staff are really down to earth and friendly. We chose to have a buffet in the evening and i have never seen a buffet like it-forget sausage rolls and cheese on a stick this was fresh Parma ham presented on a 3 tier platter and lots of different types of fresh fish. There were at least 4 tables full of food with plenty of variety with everything from fresh prawns and fresh meat to vegetarian pasta dishes and risotto. The party went on well into the small hours no-body wanted the day to end! We will be going back to the Santavenere for a holiday and so will some of our wedding party no doubt! Thank you so much for your time, effort and patience Janie,, Lucia, Rosa and Bill. Gemma and Rob.
	Creena & Michael
	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 x
	Manda & Rob
	Dear Lucia, Janie and Bill Thank you so much for your help, advice and organisation of our recent wedding, we couldn’t have been more thrilled with your input throughout the process. From Bill’s (very patient!) advice which helped pinpoint exactly what we wanted from our day, to Janie’s efficient organisation throughout the planning stages, onto Lucia’s responsiveness to our needs on the day, it was more than we could ever have hoped for . When researching wedding planners, Slow Dreams stood out as genuinely flexible, exceptionally helpful and friendly, and very accommodating – truly understanding our desire for a really intimate day. Your sensitivity to our wishes made the planning and carrying out of the day a true pleasure. On the day of our wedding, Lucia genuinely seemed to be enjoying herself, which added to our pleasure immensely. It was like having a great friend around to look after us, and who handled our queries and requests with exceptional charm. Stopping for a coffee between ceremonies was one of the unexpected highlights of the day, and looks great as part of the photographic memories beautifully provided by Luigi and Silvia. We can’t recommend Slow Dreams highly enough, and have already passed on your details to others. If we’d thought getting married was going to be this much fun we’d have done it years ago! Thanks again, and all the best, Manda and Rob xx
Photo coming	Rachael & Dan
	Dear Lucia, Janie and Bill From start to finish you surpassed all our expectations to ensure our wedding was beyond our wildest dreams…. And then some…. Our wedding planning journey began in the UK with exploring different ceremony options and wedding venues. As nothing felt right, we became convinced that we would have to settle for something we didn’t necessarily desire for the big day. Urged by a friend to describe my dream wedding, I confided that I’d always wanted to get married on a beach, surrounded by close family and friends. The next day I googled “Beach Weddings Europe” and found Slow Dreams. Bill responded to all queries efficiently and it soon became clear that Slow Dreams could fulfil our wish list by providing something different to the other companies, such as getting married on a Sunday, on a beach and offering us hotels we could take over. The entire wedding planning process was so easy. My family were amazed that I was so relaxed, but this was as Lucia and Janie helped me with absolutely everything. They often responded to my emails within hours and I was reassured by their experienced advice as they guided us towards what would become our dream wedding. My only concern was whether our 70 guests would be as enthralled with the area as we were - but they all absolutely loved Sapri! The restaurants were of excellent quality and value, the bars were great fun, and being so close to the beach was fantastic. We were totally spoiled by the staff at Hotel Pisacane who couldn’t do enough to ensure our stay was amazing. I can not recommend them highly enough. The Wedding Day was phenomenal. I’d repeatedly told Lucia that we didn’t need a plan B as it wasn’t’ going to rain. In fact, there was not a cloud in the sky all day. The ceremony on the deserted beach was breathtakingly magical. The beauty of the bay and the intensity of being lucky enough to get married there overwhelmed us all. Our biggest surprise was how welcomed we were by the entire town of Sapri. There were over 100 people lining the beach waiting for our boat to return - they seemed to really enjoy having us there and this really added to the atmosphere. I must thank Hotel Pisacane so much for ensuring the reception went as smoothly as it did. We were not an easy party to cater for as we literally danced from the moment we arrived back. They totally accommodated us in this respect and the buffet was outstanding. Everyone thought the food was incredible I feel so privileged to have found such a fantastic wedding planner in Lucia. EVERYTHING she suggested, from the hotel, to the band, to the hairdresser etc was perfect. I felt as if my hand was held from start to finish. All our guests had a fantastic time and many told us it was the best wedding and event they had ever been to. I must say, we agree!! I hope to see you all soon!! Love Rachael and Dan xx
	Emma & Nick
	Dear Slow Dreams We would like to say a huge thank you for organising our wedding in Maratea. The whole experience was stress-free, and far easier than we had imagined arranging a wedding abroad to be. It was a lovely gift to our friends and family to bring them to such a beautiful place, and they all fell in love with Maratea. Our wedding was absolutely perfect, the Santavenere with its breathtaking views, the weather and our choice to have the classical trio (who were excellent by the way), helped to make a romantic, fairytale setting that left not a dry eye in the house! Indeed, almost all of our guests said it was the best wedding they had been to. I don't think we could have found a more beautiful place to say our vows. The Santavenere hotel is certainly a hidden jewel, the hotel's setting and the service were exceptional. The staff were so professional and accommodating without being at all intrusive. Lucia, Bill & Janie were great, everything ran smoothly, going from our initial enquiry until the wedding day and I would highly recommend Slow Dreams and the area of Maratea to anyone considering getting married in Italy. It was truly the best day of our lives, and a day that neither us nor our family and friends will ever forget. Nick & Emma
	Mandy & Mark
	Dear Janie, Lucia and Bill, Many apologies for the delay in sending you this testimonial, however it has been extremely difficult to put into words just how perfect our wedding was and how exemplary the service was, Not just by the Slow Dreams team, but all the staff at the Hotel Meraviglie, Franco and Co, Angelo and all the staff at 1999 and lastly the photographers who kindly stayed with us for longer than they normally would. Our journey started in November 2005 when we first set eyes on Maratea. Lucia was our fabulous tour guide around many of the properties Slow Dreams have on offer. However the Hotel Meraviglie captured our hearts that day. Set in it's beautiful pine forests and with the rocky alcove at the bottom with the breathtaking view; there really was no other place on earth more perfect for our wedding. Over the next nine months or so Bill, Janie and Lucia were attentive, reassuring and efficient with our various queries, worries and ideas. Nothing seemed to be beyond their capabilities to arrange. They were good humoured and patient throughout our stresses over guests, DJ systems, wild ideas about flowers etc etc!! Upon arrival at Maratea in September we were pleasantly surprised to see that the hotel and surroundings where even more beautiful in the summer. The rooms were spacious and elegantly decorated (the shower head was just pure luxury!!) We were extremely surprised that the venue was described as budget on the website as to us it was pure luxury and we already anticipate our return. As soon as we had settled in Lucia came to visit to provide us with activities for our guests and cards for restaurants (Thank you so much for all your help with reservations and boat trips etc a potentially extremely stressful situation was a piece of cake with all your assistance which all seems so effortless to you). Lucia also gave us more info about the wedding and took us to 1999 where Angelo was absolutely fantastic with allowing us to have anything we could possibly desire. My (Mandy) biggest fear with getting married abroad was the lack of knowledge as to how the tables and venue was going to be decorated (as I am a complete soppy romantic at heart!!). But to be absolutely honest the tables and venue thanks to Lucia, Angelo, my Mum and Ali, was beyond my wildest dreams and way and above the quality of any I have ever seen in England. It was pure magic!!!! On the day of the wedding Lucia was in hand again floating effortlessly and extremely organised between Bride, Groom and guests soothing any nerves or last minute questions in her good humoured and bubbly way. The hotel were very accommodating in allowing our family's to decorate the pagoda where the ceremony took place. The day and evening flowed through relaxed and magical under the watchful eye of Lucia. Over the nine months that we were organising the wedding we had both played the wedding day through our minds over and over again, but the day was 100% better than any expectations we had ever had. Friends and family have all said it was the best wedding they have ever been to and I don't think anybody else's wedding that we attend in the future will ever come close to the beautiful, emotional, romantic day we had. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.........I don't think we can do justice as to just how grateful we are to you all. Lucia please pop in and see us when you go to Broadstairs next and we will give you a tour!! Anyhow we could waffle on forever about how wonderful our day was....... Take care and Arrivaderci. Love Mandy and Mark Wood xx
	Mark & Sara
	Bill, Janie & Lucia, We had a fantastic Wedding Day, and enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Pisacane immensely. You made the whole process of organising our Wedding Day and accommodation for ourselves and our guests very easy and completely stress free. The Wedding Day itself was amazing and everything ran smoothly as you had arranged, down to the smallest of details, and the little extras, which altogether far exceeded our expectations. Not only did you make our Wedding Day so special, but you also found time to keep ourselves and our guests entertained during our stay by arranging a boat trip along the coast of Maratea which was stunning and breathless under fantastic clear blue skies and sunshine, as it was for our Wedding Day and our entire stay. The staff at the Hotel Pisacane were so helpful and attentive to our needs, they made our stay that extra bit special, like on our last day when they gave the children gifts and sweets wrapped up in a present. The entire experience will stay with us for the rest of our and our guests lives forever. We cannot wait to receive our photos and video to remind us of our special day and the fun we had, especially with the Italian folk band at our reception. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, Mark & Sara XXX
	Patrycja & Gavin
	Dear Slow Dreams Team, Ornella and All Staff at San Michele, We would like to thank Ornella and All Staff at San Michele for their hospitality, advice, help and patience! Also a huge thank you to everyone at Slow Dreams – Janie, Bill: thanks for promptly answering thousands of my emails, Lucia : thank you so much for everything on our wedding day…your help, advise, translation service… not sure how we would do it without you! We recommend the Grand Hotel San Michele to any couple looking for the perfect wedding… San Michele offers everything from amazing history, through stunning location, breathtaking views, fantastic cuisine, beautifully furnished rooms and finally the true Italian hospitality! From the minute we arrived we became the members of the San Michele family…Ornella's warm welcome followed by the tour of San Michele estate were outstanding! All Staff were so friendly and helpful we couldn't have asked for more…in fact EVERYTHING we asked for was not only delivered on time and to requested specifications…no EVERYTHING was bigger and better…I still can't believe the size of our beautiful wedding cake, a true masterpiece! The Italian Religious ceremony and the reception were excellent; our guests couldn't stop complementing the waiters and our Maitre De who was fantastic on the night and also did a great job with table arrangements and seating plan suggestions, THANK YOU!!! When we were leaving Ornella asked me if we were planning to have children I said yes, then she smiled mysteriously and said "there is something special and magical about San Michele…good luck" well I can confirm the "magic" as I'm now 7 weeks pregnant and am the happiest wife and mum to be! Thanks again and see you soon, we can't wait to visit San Michele again! Patrycja & Gavin.
	Pip & Neil
	Hi Janie, Thank you so much to all the people involved for making our wedding such a special and stress free occasion. Castello Praja was such a beautiful venue and everything we wanted, relaxing, picturesque and friendly. The team at Slow Dreams have been fantastic from the very initial arrangements. Many thanks to you all, we had a truly memorable and amazing time. Neil and Pip
	Melissa & Sam
	Dear Bill, Janie and Lucia Thank you ever so much for making are dream wedding come true. It was perfect and a day that we and all our friends and family will never forget. The way we could do everything in our own way made it a different and original one of a kind wedding just for us. The boat was really ideal as all of Sam's family are great boat lovers it went down really well. The beach is now a place that we will always love and want to go back to. The reception was beautiful, really peaceful and relaxing everyone was so wonderful and took good care of us and our guests. The food was great and what a setting at Santojanni. The magical part for us was the fact that the statue was over looking everything and the weather was perfect. We could not of asked for a more perfect day. The weeks holiday before relaxed us both so we were not nervous at all just enjoying the beautiful scenery and having our friends and family around us it felt like Christmas everyday. Any concerns or worries we did have Lucia was on the end of the phone line ready to help. We were both pleased with the service that you gave us. It took the pressure off us so we could enjoy ourselves. We just wish we could do it all again. Many thanks. Sam and Melissa.
	Leanne & Mark
	When we started planning our wedding, we had our hearts set on going abroad, but no idea where in the world we wanted to be for our special day. Then we found the Slow Dreams website and the decision was made. Not only did Maratea stand out as providing a beautiful setting for our special day, but Slow Dreams seemed to know exactly what we wanted. We’re glad to say that we were proved to be absolutely right on both counts. What a special place, we honestly could not believe how beautiful it is, the website doesn’t do it justice really. As we drove south from Naples airport the scenery grew more and more breathtaking and we knew we had made the right choice. Obviously us Brides have a few wobbles and niggles and I have to say that Lucia was brilliant. I needn’t have worried, and when I did, she knew exactly what was needed. All in all, I have to say that it was relatively stress free, any changes or additions to day were never too much trouble and dealt with straight away. We arrived at Villa Cheta quite late in the evening, so it wasn’t until the following morning that we realised just how gorgeous the grounds and patios were. Everyone at the Villa was lovely, so excited for us and helpful. They really helped to make our day special and nothing was too much trouble. In fact, the Villa is one of the best places we have ever stayed and absolutely perfect for a wedding. The service was excellent, food lovely, and it had such a pleasant, calm atmosphere, everyone was smiling. Our room was fantastic, we had our own terrace, which made life interesting on the day of the wedding. Mum, sister and myself all in various stages of make up and hair preparations, and hairdresser and beautician despairing of us as we tried to catch a few last rays of sun before the ceremony. Lucia popped up all over the place, honestly, we never felt any anxiety, she gave us a phone to keep in touch, took us through everything on our first morning, made sure everything was going well at the beauticians and even told off the hairdresser for me! Our guests have also asked me to thank Lucia, they really appreciated her help from booking their nail appointments to helping my mum pin on her corsage. All the guests stayed in the San Diego, which is actually right next door, very handy for keeping tabs on them and everyone getting to know each other. Many a happy hour was spent socialising in the bar and the pool is something else! So, to the day itself, well, it had been a little chilly in the evenings for a few days and being British we decided that we would not let that deter us from holding our wedding breakfast on the terrace overlooking the bay. Luckily, we woke up on the morning to brilliant sunshine and an excellent weather forecast (I know it sounds insane, but we weren’t entirely sure Lucia hadn’t had a word!), which I think greatly relieved the owners, they had been quite sweet - worrying about us being cold. The beautician and hairdresser were great, and our lack of Italian wasn’t a problem, we managed to have such fun. The flowers were wonderful they had recreated my ideas and added a touch of flair which really wowed everyone. The ceremony was wonderful, everyone at the Villa had put so much effort into creating a beautiful setting and making all our guests feel special, and the photo’s went brilliantly. Our photographer didn’t have that bossy wedding photographer thing going on, he was so laid back and fun, everyone just went with the flow. We couldn’t have imagined that everything would go so well, and looking back we really wouldn’t change a thing. The wedding breakfast was superb, from the setting and the service, to the food and wine. People are still remarking on the meal and the staff, who we really didn’t thank enough. The whole occasion was so elegant and well managed and it was the people that made it so special. We have fantastic memories, not only of the day, but of our whole stay, as do our guests; Mark’s parents are determined to return to the Villa next year. Thank you all at Slow Dreams and Villa Cheta.
	Gina & Billy
	Bill, Janie & Lucia We would like to thank you for organising the most perfect wedding we could have ever dreamed of, we couldn’t have asked for a more stunning location than the Hotel Grand San Michele. We would like to especially thank Ornella (owner of the hotel) and her staff who made sure all our guests felt welcome with their exceptional service. The wedding itself was no less than perfect from the amazing view on the terrace to the delicious five course wedding meal, everything met our expectations and beyond. The hotel staff even managed to help Billy when he forgot to bring his wedding trousers which we discovered the night before the wedding. They found a matching pair of trousers and even had them tailored on the morning of the wedding itself, I think without the help of the staff we wouldn’t be married today! We had the most fabulous wedding with many special memories to last a lifetime. Some of our guests commented they enjoyed our wedding so much they were thinking of doing the same, which I think says it all. All our love Billy and Gina xx
	Gail & Mark
	Hi Janie, please find below our testimonial which cannot begin to express the memories we have for our Wedding Day. I hope these few paragraphs are ok, but it was really difficult in trying to express our thoughts on paper. Many thanks (and sorry for the delay), Mark & Gail Dear Janie, Bill, Lucia, Ornella and all at the San Michele, Gail and I would just like to convey our thanks to Slow Dreams and the staff at the Grand Hotel San Michele for making our Wedding Day so memorable. As we were being driven up the coast to the hotel with our families, there was a chorus of sighs on first sighting of the cliff top hotel and the anticipation of such a spectacular setting for our wedding. We cannot thank Slow Dreams enough for all the detailed preparation that made everything run so smoothly on the day, especially Lucia and Ornella who were so attentive at both the Town Hall & Hotel Garden ceremony. The photographers, Silvia and Luigi created some fantastic photographs that really captured the spirit of the day and a final thanks to all staff in the hotel for making it such a wonderful relaxed experience. We would highly recommend Slow Dreams and the Grand Hotel San Michele to anyone considering getting married in Italy, it met all our expectations and so much more. Thanks once again Best Wishes Mark & Gail
	Fiona & Clive
	Hi Janie, Sorry it's been so long coming but here, finally, is our testimonial. As you can see, we had an absolute ball and exactly the wedding we wanted. And it was all thanks to you guys. We can't thank you enough. If we can exchange the favour at any time just let us know. Best regards Fi and Clive Occasionally, just very occasionally, you do something absolutely right and they say things happen in three's! Deciding to get married in Italy was one. Picking Slow Dreams was the other and taking Bill and Janie's advice to stay at the Santavenere Hotel was the third. Our huge thanks to Janie and Bill who right from the start were always there. Bill with his clear advice and transparent costings. Janie with her good ideas and support. Ours was only a small wedding, in fact just the two of us, but having both been married before we wanted it to be absolutely right and extremely special. As we're well travelled our expectations were high – wow – were they not only met they were exceeded beyond our hopes. The Santavenere Hotel was amazing. Lucia, Slow Dreams' Italian-American partner in Maratea, handled all the paperwork with aplomb. Her arrangements were immaculate and the day went off just as we wanted – low key, high class and fun, so many thanks Lucia. The wedding pictures were superb. Thanks to Luigi and Silvia, the laid back, ultra professional photographers, who helped the make the day so relaxed and fun and captured all of those things. Many thanks to the staff of the Hotel, always friendly and courteous. It's hard to pick out one but special mention must go to Denisa, the hostess, concierge, helper, friend and hand-holder. Take our advice. Have your wedding in Italy, have it in Maratea, stay in the Santavenere – and sit back and let Slow Dreams to do it all the hard work for you knowing their professionalism will result in your perfect day.
	Tom & Clare
	Dear Bill, Janie and Lucia Where do we start? Thank you so much for the most beautiful wedding we could ever have imagined! With Slow Dreams, we managed to organise our wedding in 6 months and avoid many of the typical wedding stresses and anxieties. From the outset Bill was so quick and efficient with all our queries on location , accommodation, flights and quotes, usually replying to emails within the day. After the initial organising Janie and Lucia liaised with us to sort all the details of the day from flowers to table settings, readings and local info. When we encountered problems with flights and airport issues, they calmly advised us and adapted the accommodation needs. We stayed in the Hotel Villa delle Meraviglie with 35 friends and family. The area of Maratea took our breath away immediately. It is totally unspoilt and stunning. The town of Maratea itself is full of character and gives guests somewhere to wander, eat out and relax in the days up to the wedding. Hotel Villa delle Meraviglie is so secluded, with beautiful grounds leading down to the sea. The staff were fantastic and catered for our every need, from providing meals throughout the day, drinks by the pool and taxis. They were so friendly and professional and we are already talking about going back there for a group holiday! We chose the Hotel Santavenere venue of Il Carrubo which is down by the sea, for our ceremony and venue. Without having had the time to visit the venue at all, we were a little apprehensive about seeing it the day before. However the photographs on the website are an absolute true reflection of just how beautiful and stunning a venue it is. Unfortunately the day of the wedding was rainy but Lucia was immediately on hand to reassure us of any concerns and had an amazing Plan B. We ended up having our ceremony in the Hotel Santavenere which was so beautiful and intimate for us and our guests. Even with the rain the views from the balcony were stunning and the photographs came out so well. Everyone has commented on the venue and the delicious bellinis and vast selection of 'nibbles' were very popular! The hotel staff were fantastic, so professional, but friendly. We had the reception on a large terrace and enjoyed the most delicious meal. Even when our speeches ran on and on, the staff stood back and were very understanding. The whole event was completely magical and so many guests have said how beautiful they found the hotel, views, food and accommodation. We strongly recommend anyone to book their wedding with Slow Dreams. The team were so fantastic that we can't put into words how impressed and grateful we still are. Thank you Bill, Janie and Lucia and we only wish we could do it all over again! Love Clare and Tom x
	Helen & Robert
	We have just come back down to earth after a dream wedding in the Hotel Santavenere on 7 July, 2007! We decided to go through Slow Dreams when we saw the beautiful places on the website, we were determined to be married in the sunshine-and reading every testimonial of couples who were extremely happy with the service. Bill & Janie provided us with a dream wedding within our budget and there were no hidden costs, which was exactly what we needed as it was all going to be planned online! We knew we had made the right choice of company and place and but work commitments meant we were unable to visit the location beforehand so we didn’t actually get to see stunning Maratea and the Hotel Santavenere, until our arrival 2 days before the wedding! We needn’t have worried, Lucia was on hand to answer any questions we had and her professional and engaging personality relaxed us immediately. The day itself was absolutely the best day of our lives-we had the ceremony at Il Carrubo, a stunning and secluded part of the hotel grounds overlooking the sea, our guests were lost for words at the stunning setting, the beautiful Italian ceremony, and the food was nothing less than 5*. All 25 of our guests said it was THE best wedding they had ever attended and that they felt part of something special, which is exactly what we wanted. We danced the night away to out favourite music with our special friends and family in a place that only fairytales are made of! Thank you Slow Dreams for making this possible and for being so helpful and friendly in the run up to the day! We have just made the choice of our pictures, which are fantastic and we had so much fun in the Old Town, we felt like movie stars and each shot captures how happy we are, again, exactly what we wanted! If you, like me, were searching for that dream place to have your wedding, look no further than the Hotel Santavenere with Slow Dreams, don’t hesitate, it will be the best decision you have ever made! Helen & Robert.
Photo coming	Justine & Andrew
	Janie, Alessandra, Lucia and Bill, We arrived home at 2am this morning but felt that my priority was to let you know how pleased we were by how well everything went. Andrew and I would like to say a big thank you to all of you. Initially thanks to Bill on his guidance on a hotel to suit our group; secondly, to Janie for the quick and clear response to our many questions. When we arrived in San Marco, we had a meeting with Alessandra who went through the day's events and was very friendly and professional and actually went above what we would have expected which included being our personal shopper! She also sorted out any “non wedding” queries which was much appreciated. We met Lucia on the wedding day and again she was lovely, very calm and efficient which is just what was needed! Also the flowers, music, food, etc, were fantastic. The staff in the hotel (L'Approdo) were great, especially the head waiter whose name unfortunately I didn’t get. All my guests were very impressed also, so you could well be getting some more English wedding requests. Thanks once again for making our day so special and easy! We will be adding on to the testimonials, Thanks once again, Justine and Andrew.
	Clare & Andrew
	To all at Slow Dreams & La Locanda Del Fiume, Pisciotta Thank you so much for everything we had a fabulous time and the wedding went perfectly and far better than either of us expected. It was a fairytale. The women from Slow Dreams who looked after us were absolutely brilliant and I cannot thank you enough for the most fabulous experience of our lives. The venue was fantastic and Sonja and her husband and staff looked after us and all our guests right into the small hours every evening we were there. The wedding meal, drinks, table arrangements, flowers and the wedding cake were absolutely fabulous. Their hospitality and patience was outstanding. The photographers were absolutely brilliant and stayed with us for the entire day to capture all the special moments which I will cherish in the album forever. The hairdresser was fantastic and did exactly what I wanted and the Mayor or Pisciotta who performed the civil ceremony was fantastic. To Janie, Bill, Lucia, Alida and all who made the day fantastic, I can’t thank you all enough. You made the happiest day of our lives a wonderful and relaxing experience and I want to do it all over again!!!
	Leisha & Damian
	Dear Janie, Lucia, Rosa & Bill We just wanted to email you to thank you for everything you did with organising our wedding in Maratea. We could not have asked for a better wedding and cannot imagine anything more perfect! You made the whole experience stress free which meant that we did not have to worry about anything and instead were able to just enjoy the whole experience. Everyone had a fantastic time and many of our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to!!! Your efforts really did contribute to making it the best day of our lives and gave us memories that will last a life time. We certainly will be recommending Slow Dreams to anyone who is thinking about having a wedding abroad and Maratea as the perfect wedding and holiday location. We will certainly be back! Attached are some pictures of the special day. Thank you for everything. Slow Dreams really did do an amazing job of making our wedding perfect and better than anything we could have expected. Take care and all the best. Leisha & Damian
photo coming soon	Simon & Claire
	Lucia & Janie, Just wanted to drop you a note of thanks on behalf of my “wife and I”….! We had a wonderful time in Maratea, it’s a very special place, fantastic food and stunning scenery. Everyone had a great time at the wedding and during the time they were there. I have already recommended the Santavenere to some friends it truly is a magical hotel, very attentive staff who did everything to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. Upgrading us to a suite for 2 nights was incredible. The only feedback I could offer would be a few more toys for the little ones to play with ! Your help, attention to detail and the sensitivity with which you handled all our requirements was absolutely first class and both Claire and I are really glad we made the effort to do something different. I have a feeling we may be coming back again. Thanks and best wishes. Simon Speak
photo coming	Rose & Matt
	Dear Lucia, Janie and Bill, Thank you so much for everything you have done for us. Our wedding was fantastic and couldn't have been more perfect. Villa Miranda was stunning and definitely had the wow factor. Many of our guests said that it was the best wedding they had ever been to and they were all crying at the ceremony because it was so beautiful. Janie and Bill organised us brilliantly before the wedding and Lucia was amazing while we were in Italy. We would highly recommend Slow Dreams to anyone thinking of getting married abroad. We had a wonderful wedding in Scario and we are looking forward to coming back to the area in the future. Thank you again for making our wedding so special. Rose and Matt.
	Jackie & Stewart
	Thanks to all at Slow Dreams who helped to ensure our wedding on the 3rd September 2007 was just perfect; especially Janie with her fast responses to our questions and Lucia who was with us on the day. I worried about every detail in the run up to the wedding as I wanted to be sure our 34 guests enjoyed themselves, so it was great when many of our friends and family said it had beat any wedding they had ever been to. 30 of our guests stayed at the Hotel Delle Villa de Meraviglie and 6 including Stewart and myself stayed at The Inn at Fiumicello, we can highly recommend each, their setting right on the coast at Maratea are equally as stunning. The Hotel was the ideal venue for all of our party to lounge around the pool with the licensed pool bar and delicious lunches to keep us happy, the staff were very helpful and friendly, and the The Inn at Fiumicello was the ideal venue for the wedding reception. We were married at the little Church at the Port we had a local soloist accompanied by a keyboard, the singing was amazing! After a drink and pictures at the Port it was back to the The Inn at Fiumicello for the wedding reception of Chicken or Tuna steak, all the food was delicious. The Champagne reception was outside but the tables had been set up inside because it had rained in the morning, eating inside actually made the meal more enjoyable as we didn’t have to worry about the wasps, which are quite a pain in September. After the meal we took our chairs outside and had the speeches then the 5 piece local folk ensemble we had hired gave our party a real Italian atmosphere, we can highly recommend them. At our request the band played from approx. 7.00pm to 10.30pm then we continued to party with our own music which we played on the hired music system until about 1.30am. The Hotel and Villa are very close, our guests made their way back to their hotel via a 5 minute walk through a wooded area. (Tip if you have the same set up remember to request the owner of the inn to switch the lanterns on which light up the path as you can easily lose your way in the dark especially if you have had lots of Italian wine) Our wedding in Maratea was fantastic everyone enjoyed every moment, many of our guests stayed the whole week it’s such a beautiful area! Maratea old town has a charm of its own and must be seen in the evening to fully appreciate it. For a good family restaurant to suit all tastes and purses try El Sol in Fiumicello, but give them some warning if you are taking a large party so they can get the extra staff or the service may be slow. They have a very varied menu which included grilled lamb chops for our least adventurous guests who didn’t appreciate Italian food. Thanks again to Slow Dreams. Jacky and Stewart.
photo coming	Rebecca & Manuel
	Dear Janie, Lucia, Alida & Bill, We just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone involved in making our wedding so special. All our family and friends had a fantastic time and thought the setting and the service at Il Carrubo and the Santavenere Hotel were second to none. Janie and Bill - You did an amazing job of organising things for us, showing us around so many venues, and generally keeping us informed of every little detail. It was great to know that we didn’t have to worry about anything. Your help was great – we would have been lost without you! Lucia and Alida - Your enthusiasm right from the first time we met you was infectious and we knew we had left the organising of the wedding in the right hands. You went above and beyond the call of duty: right from decorating the venue perfectly with all of our butterflies and helping us choose flowers, cake etc, to providing tissues for the criers on the day, right down to making sure lost guests arrived in one piece! The San Diego Hotel was a perfect base for everyone for the week: the staff are really friendly and sweet and the pool is amazing – we’ll definitely come back again. Silvia & Luigi the photographers were such good fun and got some really beautiful and special shots that we never would have thought of! We especially love the shots taken in Maratea town; it’s been really hard whittling the pictures down from over 500… We would definitely recommend Slow Dreams to anyone considering getting married abroad, as we were made to feel like royalty for the whole week! Thanks again, Rachel & Ciaran Dowling xxx
	Rachel & Ciaran
	Dear Janie, Bill, Lucia and Alida We wanted to say thank you for making our Wedding day such a success. It was a totally beautiful and unique experience. I had no desire to have a traditional boring white wedding in the UK. I felt strongly that it should be an alternative event abroad, so we could combine it as part of a memorable holiday. So after looking at numerous Italian Wedding Planner websites, there was just no contest when we came across Slow Dreams. The scenic photographs of the Maratea region were amazing. Bill was extremely efficient in providing us with a budget and answering our initial questions. We must say that throughout the whole wedding planning process we couldn’t fault Janie’s professionalism and superb organisation. She always explained everything so clearly in her e-mails and provided speedy responses to hundreds of our questions. The accommodation arranged for us at Hotel Meraviglie was a pleasant surprise. It had the most stunning grounds and view. The hotel’s swimming pool and private beach (rocky) also made it the perfect place to socialise with friends and family before the big day. Lucia paid great attention to detail, to make sure that everything was running smoothly up to our Wedding day. As soon as we arrived in Maratea, she made us feel at ease, with taking us for a tour of the Wedding venue and organising hairdresser appointments. Lucia was always happy to oblige when we had some last minute problems. She quickly arranged an alternative taxi transfer for the Best Man who had managed to miss his flight!, and when a forgetful bride realised that her Wedding dress was crumpled two hours beforehand, Lucia was on the case and had the dress steamed. Our Wedding at the Santavenere hotel was out of this world. The surrounding beauty of the mountains and sea were breathtaking as we had our Ceremony and reception dinner. Our guests have some good memories of watching the moon’s reflection on the water, as they ate dinner and enjoyed the Italian band. Again Lucia coordinated everything very well on the day. The dinner buffet was a real treat with the most delicious range of food, and the waiters couldn’t have been more helpful and attentive. Thank you so much to Alida for being creative as she decorated our wedding tables beautifully. We would also highly recommend our photographers Silvia and Luigi. They really took us by surprise, by making the whole photo shoot such good fun. Silvia and Luigi captured our expressions alongside Maratea’s beautiful scenery in an artistic and spontaneous way. Little did we expect that we would also be having photos taken on a boat! To summarise, we would like to thank all the team at Slow Dreams again for their hard work towards making our big day run smoothly. They really did take so much stress away from us. One of our guests told us that it was the most beautiful and magical wedding that he had ever been to. We definitely look forward to future holidays in the Maratea area.
	Paula & Carl
	Dear Bill, Janie, Lucia & Rosa We just wanted to say a big thank you for organising the best wedding ever! If anyone is reading this and deciding whether to get married abroad then look no further, it will be the best decision you have ever made! :) We first fell in love with Maratea 3 years ago when we were guests at a wedding which slow dreams organised. The area is so unspoilt we decided we had to get married there. We contacted Bill and took his advice to have our wedding at The Santavenere even though we hadn't actually been to that venue. Slow dreams made the wedding planning so easy. We were a little concerned as it was all done via email but every time we had any questions Janie would be back with answers within 24 hrs. It was pretty much all done for us. We could choose exactly what we wanted, I even emailed pictures of bouquets which I liked, and they then took them to the florist to copy for us! A few months before the wedding Lucia took over with all the finer details and again she was always back to us within 24 hours. I must have driven you mad with all my questions but nothing was ever too much trouble We arrived a week before so that we could relax and get a tan first. We met Lucia & Rosa on the Monday and they took us to visit The Santavenere. We were totally blown away. It was stunning in fact I almost cried!! Lucia went out of her way to help; she booked us restaurants, spa treatments and even took me to my make up trial to make sure I got there ok. During the week we checked the weather and it was forecast that it may rain on our wedding day which really worried me but as soon as I told Lucia my concerns she took me back to the Santavenere and showed me plan B just in case it rained and it was just as stunning as Plan A so I stopped worrying and enjoyed my week in the sun! The San Diego was a fantastic base for the week and Francesca was great fun. All our friends and family really enjoyed it there and got into the party mood! Please send our thanks on to all the staff at the San Diego, they made us feel so special all week! The day of the wedding was wonderful. We were so impressed with how well things were handled. Just as I was about to walk out for the ceremony is started to rain. Lucia was so professional and quickly got our guests seated for plan B. The shower did not spoil a thing and we loved everything about the whole evening. All our guests commented on how romantic the venue was and have not stopped going on about how first class the food was. Some said it was the best food they had ever had at a function! We all loved the dancing outside on the terrace until the early hours with the statue of Redentore looking over us! If you are looking for an elegant wedding with spectacular views and first class service then I would definitely recommend getting married at the Santavenere through Slow Dreams! Thank you once again for all your help. We will be visiting again very soon! Love Paula & Carl
	Sara & Andy
	It’s hard to know where to start, to express our gratitude to Slow Dreams, for organizing our perfect wedding. After trawling through website after website, Slow Dreams stood out a mile as being a friendly, efficient organization, with weddings based in a quieter part of Italy than the Amalfi coast for example. All these factors appealed. Bill and Janie were wonderfully quick, accurate and patient with the hoards of questions I flooded them with over an eighteen month period. They couldn’t have been kinder or more helpful. When we got to Italy, the hotel was exactly as pictured and described on the Slow Dreams website. Ornella, our liaison there, was amazing – so friendly, warm and approachable, but also efficient and knowledgeable. The hotel staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful, and most spoke English. The hotel was so laid back about the location of the wedding and reception, and after showing us all the options, left us to decide over a few days. We hadn’t got any very specific ideas about what we wanted the wedding to look or be like, but what transpired exceeded any expectation we could possibly have had. The ceremony was sweet and simple, and the flowers were exactly what I had hoped for. We had our buffet reception meal on the terrace by the swimming pool, and the hotel had placed a large table (there were about 20 of us) in the centre, with flowers and candlesticks on the table. This was Ornella’s idea, and not something I had thought about (I assumed a few smaller tables would be provided) but it was an excellent idea. We ate the most amazing Italian buffet (many of the guests have since indicated this was some of the best food they’d ever had) and watched the sunset over what was a glorious day. I can’t thank Slow Dreams enough for their wonderful service
	Hayley & Daniel
	Hi Janie, We looked at so many wedding planners having made the decision to marry in Italy. From the beginning Slow Dreams were really prompt with every question we had. Their pricing system is clear and simple which allowed us to keep a definite track on our budget. Other companies we looked at just basically quoted up to our maximum budget with no clear indication or breakdown of exactly how much each thing cost and were nowhere near as prompt in replying to every single query we had. The coast of Maratea and Sapri are so beautiful and a perfect setting for a wedding. All our guests were blown away by the stunning surroundings during their stay. Having Slow Dreams arrange all the guest accommodation, as well as answering guests questions also removed a lot of pressure for us in the run up. We had our ceremony at the Santavenere Hotel. Unfortunately in rained (even though the rest of the week was really warm) however we truly believe this is lucky now! There were so many options for the ceremony, meal and party afterwards we were so happy with every location on the day and the guests were massively impressed with the beautiful views, fantastic food and amazing silver service. The staff at the Santavenere were thoroughly slick and professional, both meeting and exceeding our expectations! Having made the decision on the venue, we went to visit and were really happy with Lucia our planner. She remained warm and thoroughly organized, giving us every choice and option throughout and taking control to ensure smooth running and allowing us to just enjoy the day. We are both so thankful to the whole Slow Dreams team for making our Special Day just that! We couldn't have asked for anything more and to us the day was literally perfect. Thank you so much again! Hayley and Daniel Ellis
	Stephanie & Martin
	Martin and I would like to thank everyone of the Slow Dreams team for making our wedding very special. Our initial contact with Bill was very professional; all questions were answered in a timely manner. Our first visit to the region 12 months prior was an enjoyable weekend. Our parents and we felt privileged to be personally escorted by Lucia and Allegra to six venues. Within seconds of walking through the gates of Villa Miranda, we knew it was our venue, with Lucia explaining the layout of the ceremony and reception it confirmed to us the private villa would be a relaxed, intimate celebration for our 40 guests. Janie was extremely helpful during the email correspondence leading up to the week before. Then Lucia, although busy with many other weddings, fulfilled all our wishes upon arrival. I was over the moon when we managed to buy exactly the flowers I wanted at the market in Sapri, thanks to Lucia’s recommendation. The legal ceremony at San Giovanni Di Piro exceeded our expectations. The staff at the beautiful town hall made us feel very special. The day of the wedding Lucia was on hand to sort out all concerns, and many friends commented on her professionalism and warmth (not a given when hiring the services of a wedding planner in Italy from their personal experience). The stunning village of Scario (5mins drive from the villa) was a great backdrop for photos, and our guests really enjoyed their time spent at the cafes along the piazza. The buffet looked and tasted great, and the services of the sound system were ideal, we just connected our MP3 and the dance floor was crowded all night! We can honestly say our wedding was better than we could have imagined, and choosing Slow Dreams was the best decision, to make our celebrations personal and relatively stress-free. We’re looking forward to returning for our anniversary and to catch up with Lucia for a coffee.
	Francesca & Barrie
	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
	Jayne & Greg
	Hi Janie Jayne & Greg - Venue - Hotel Pisacane We married in Sapri on June 21st, it was a fantastic day and I would recommend using slow dreams as your wedding planners!, every member of the team was fantastic, Bill and Janie answered my many questions, and everything was perfect! Lucia was brilliant and she made Greg and I feel so important, we loved her!! My friends and family were all so impressed they will all be going back someday for a holiday! We wish I cold do it all again, and will definitely be going back for one of our anniversaries!! Lots of love KInd Regards Jayne xxx
	Lucy & Alex
	We would like to say a huge thank you to Bill, Janie, and Lucia. 3 weeks ago we had what we can only describe as the wedding of our dreams. The Santavenere is the most beautiful wedding venue ever, over-looking the mountains, surrounded by pretty vegetation. Our 50 guests, on seeing it immediately understood why we had asked them to travel there rather than settling for a venue in England. Prior to our wedding, in the initial stages Bill had been brilliant at accommodating our hundreds of questions, so with our confidence in his knowledge and honest answers, along with the pictures we had seen of Maratea and our venue, we decided to go ahead and book our wedding venue, even though we had not yet seen it. We then travelled out for a mini-break the summer before our wedding to find that Maratea in real life is more stunning than the photos can show, and our venue was outstanding. We met Lucia whilst visiting, she was very relaxed, welcoming and more than happy to go out of her way to help us whilst there. Once we got back Janie supported us through the fine-tuning of details for our wedding, nothing seeming too much trouble for her even though we had cancellations and needed to regularly change names within the hotel bookings. From the point of leaving Maratea after our visit we were counting down the weeks to go back there, and of course to get married! Our wedding day was, without a doubt, the best day of our lives. During the morning there had been a downpour. This meant that our plans had to change slightly as we had been planning to have our ceremony on the grass. I was informed that it would be too wet for this to go ahead so Lucia offered other options. It felt strange initially making the decision without my husband, but then I realised that it didn’t really matter where we had the ceremony because anywhere within the venue was lovely. We had the ceremony on the terrace which was a stunning spot, over-looking the mountains, perhaps even nicer and more intimate than our original planned spot on the grass. Lucia arranged for the hotel to put umbrellas up just in case it decided to rain anymore. She organised our guests and we didn’t have to worry about anything. Luckily it didn’t rain anymore, which meant that we were able to have everything we wanted outside, the meal down by the sea, our sky lanterns, fireworks and dancing. It was the most magical day and still feels like the most amazing dream. There was such a lovely atmosphere, I think with the dancing and everything being outside it created a real holiday, relaxed, fun feeling. The barman down at Il Carrubo, where we were dancing obviously felt this happy vibe as he let us all continue dancing until the wee hours!! During the evening I had had several friends come up to me saying that they didn’t want the day to ever end. We certainly felt that way, even our page boys aged 2 and 3 were dancing until 2am. We’ve recently got the photos back and are very impressed with them. We decided to have Sylvia and Luigi do the photos for us after looking at their other work during our visit. During the day they were very good, not intrusive in any way, just went along with the flow, taking natural shots more than anything. Some of our favourite photos are the ones that we had taken when the two of us went into Maratea town, so we would advise this to anyone if you get the chance. We are awaiting the dvd, we had initially said that we would just have the 2hr one, and at the last minute changed it to the full day one. I’m soo pleased that we did this as I know that the full day dvd will capture many more of the memories and be a reminder of such a special event. We look forward to returning to Maratea for our anniversaries and have talked about investing in a 2^nd home there at some point, as did some of our guests. A couple of our guests have already pre-booked a weeks break in Maratea for next summer. We feel truly privileged to have found such an amazing hide-away place, not taken over in any way by tourism which we love. Slow-dreams provided the best day and wedding venue we could have dreamed of having.
Photo coming	Andy Sharon
	Hi Janie, We would like to say a big thank you to you all at Slow Dreams and the San Diego hotel for our fantastic wedding day. [Testimonial] Right from the first enquiry to the wedding day itself, Slow Dreams sorted everything, leaving us to enjoy the experience. We stayed at the San Diego Hotel in Maratea for eight days with our family and had a great time. The hotel was beautiful and the views, breathtaking. Fabio and his family and staff were very welcoming and made our holiday and wedding something to remember. As for the wedding day itself, Lucia was with us all day and organised everything, leaving us to relax and soak it all in. San Diego hotel as a venue simply has to be the best location ever, the backdrop is amazing. Everyone commented on the wedding food, saying it was the best meal they had ever had at a wedding. We were unsure at first about conducting such a huge undertaking over the internet but are so pleased we did. Slow Dreams were unbeatable, customer service was second to none, all concerns quickly vanished. We would highly recommend Slow Dreams as the wedding planners and the San Diego Hotel as the Venue. It has been 3 months since our wedding and we are still talking about it, that says it all!! [Andy and Sharon, Nottinghamshire, England] Thanks again to you all, Andy and Sharon. P.S. We were hoping to send you a photo but the photographer is dragging his heels a bit.
photo coming	Angie & Damian
	Dear Janie, Bill and Lucia We have just returned from our recent wedding in Italy arranged through Slow Dreams and would just like to say a special thank you all your help from start through to finish. We had originally decided to arrange our wedding somewhere on the Amalfi Coast, however after some initial discussions with a number of wedding planners in this region we got chatting to Slow Dreams after settling on the Marulivo Hotel in Pisciotta. we fell in love with this hotel on the first sight of the pictures on your website and were not disappointed! We travelled down to the hotel for our wedding after spending a few nights in Positano and along the Amalfi Coast. On arrival were immediately charmed by the rustic and traditional Italian nature of the town, away from the maddening crowds and throngs of tourists. Hotel Vicino Palinuro was amazingly beautiful and the terrace overlooking hundreds of miles of sea, not even broken by a boat, was the most beautiful setting we could have wished for at our wedding. The owners of the hotel were one of the most friendly and helpful couples we have met, showing their genuine hospitality throughout our stay and assisting us and our guests with everything. Even spending 5 hours of the wedding morning helping some lost friends dig their hire car out of the mud! Watching the sun set from the terrace accompanied by a cello and violin was a beautiful backdrop to our wedding ceremony and reception. The Osteria Del Borgo restuarant was an excellent setting for the dinner. The food was amazingly tasty and even though it was for a party of 27 people was all freshly cooked and did not have the mass produced feel too often associated with large gatherings. Again, the restaurant had that rustic Italian charm found throughout Pisciotta. We were in Italy for a couple of weeks and this was by far our favourite restaurant, one which we returned to visit a couple times more after the wedding was over. The weather during our stay in Italy was somewhat variable, which was evidently unusual for this time of year. Needless to say, it was pouring with rain on the morning of the wedding. Lucia came to see us and reassured us that an alternative plan was to be created should the weather look to dampen our plans for an outdoor celebration. However, it appears Slow Dreams even have control of the weather, as 15 minutes before the ceremony the storm clouds moved on and we were met with amazing sunshine which stayed with us for the rest of the day and the remainder of our time in Italy. Having not been to this area of Italy before, nor having had any personal recommendation of Slow Dreams, it was with a little trepidation that we started the planning for our wedding. However, every query or question we asked of Slow Dreams was answered very quickly and you ensured that everything progressed exactly how we wished for. It would be safe to say that the day was as perfect as we could have imagined it to be and we wouldn't change a thing. Lucia remained on hand throughout the day to ensure that all was taken care of. A big thank you to all at Slow Dreams for the perfect wedding which was full of love and laughs and was as special and perfect as we could have wished for. It is nice to now have a sentimental reason to once again visit Vicino Palinuro, and the Osteria Del Borgo in the future, which are now some of our favourite places in the world. Thanks Damian & Angie
photo coming	Jade & Lee
	Hi Janie Our wedding day was the best day of our lives, Lucia was brilliant she was so helpful and so calm. The area of Castellabate was beautiful and so picturesque. It was allot more beautiful than I imagined. The hotel was beautiful to I would definitely revisit. The staff would bend over backwards for us and was so helpful, the head waiter there was so helpful and helped organise the reception. Thank you so much to you and Bill for all the planning we got exactly what we asked for and more and Lucia was brilliant we couldn't have asked for anything more from her. We will definitely return to the area and would love to meet Lucia again. I cannot wait to see the pictures. I would definitely recommend your company and the area to friends and family. Thank you again Jade and lee (Mr and Mrs Palmer)
photo coming	Dan & Janna
	Hi everyone Hope this email finds you all well, no doubt you are in the full swing of wedding season now and full of busy. We have been back in Australia for a week and have just about adjusted back to the work routine, it has been made all the more easy as we are still buzzing from a fantastic holiday and in particular a great time and wedding in Sapri, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your hard work in organizing a day that we will never forget. We have spoken to everyone who was in Sapri and without exception they have all said what a great trip they had and also how impressed they were with the wedding which we are obviously really pleased about. As you know we first approached Slow Dreams on 2009 and met Lucia at a couple of places including the Lido in August of that year, although we were only in Sapri for a few hours Lucia quickly got to grips with the sort of wedding we were looking for and also the need for wheelchair access for Nick. The fact that Lucia tuned into our ideas so quickly was a huge help as it saved us a lot of time looking at unsuitable venues and sure enough when we were shown around the Lido with Lucia's description of how the day could pan out it ticked most if not all of the boxes. We looked at a couple of other venues with other wedding planners on the trip some of which were very nice and we gave serious consideration to them when we returned to the UK, however after a few email conversations we decided that Sapri and the Lido was the place for us, for many reasons including Lucia's approach, the accommodation available, competitive pricing but also because of Bill's professional and patient approach when answering the multitude of questions that we sent his way. Our emails to Bill always received a swift response and questions were answered in full which was very helpul when we were weighing up the pros's and con's. Once we moved to Australia we were a bit concerned that it may be harder to organize the details of the wedding day but once we were in touch with Janie it became clear that we had nothing to worry about! As well as (again) being very patient and working through our various plans/concerns Janie made us feel very confident that the day would work out as we hoped with her professional but enthusiastic approach. We felt we made quite a lot of changes to our plans whether it was Nick's arrangements, the wedding meal, numbers etc but Janie stayed consistent in her helpfulness and no doubt with assistance from Lucia and Bill, worked through any problems we had. One comment we have had from anyone who booked accommodation in Sapri through Janie is how helpful and professional she is, and we can second that. When we finally arrived in Sapri for the week before the wedding we were blown away with the Hotel Pisacane and with Sapri itself, having only been there a short time two years earlier we very pleasantly surprised that the hotel and town seemed much better than we remembered it. Probably because we looked around Sapri mid afternoon when there wasn't much going on we hadn't appreciated what a lovely place it is in the evening and first thing in the morning. We also thought the Lido was fantastic, the new sides look great and other improvements all add up to make a special venue, and it was great to receive such as warm welcome from Lucia there the evening we arrived! The following day when we met Lucia at the Lido to go through plans for the wedding day was great, there was little Lucia hadn't thought of and her level of organisation made us fell everything was in hand, as you can imagine having anticipated being in Sapri and the Lido for so long we were fairly pumped for the occasion so it was good to have in Lucia a sense of measured excitement that meant we could relax and enjoy the time we had there. Lucia really went above and beyond, we had several things still to fine tune, mainly with Nicks travel arrangements, there was a impending ash cloud that was threatening to leave more than half of the wedding party stranded in the UK and at times it felt quite stressful. Fortunately Lucia took everything in her stride, not least the booking and re booking of Nicks train from Rome to Sapri and back at the Sapri train station which required several visits on her part and much interpretation. We got there in the end though and as it turned out his trip went without a hitch, we may not have been able to make that happen without Lucia's help. Regarding Nicks trip, he had a fantastic time. The Hotel Tirreno was great, we were given the choice of several rooms and once he and Helen were checked in we didn't have any worries at all. The Lido was also great with Nick, he loved it there and even if he wasn't actually eating or drinking there the staff were very considerate in letting him use the bathroom as some other places in town weren't accessible so please pass on our thanks for that. The big day itself came around and we all walked around to the town hall with Lucia where the ceremony with the deputy Mayor took place. This was a lovely occasion with just close family, we were naturally excited, a feeling which seemed to be shared by Lucia despite probably having done it dozens of times. This was something that we noticed throughout our time in Sapri, even if it was work and at times a bit of a chore Lucia was always sharing in our excitement which just made the occasion even more special. We know Lucia had other weddings to attend to that week and was approaching a very busy time but we never felt she had somewhere else to be. After the morning ceremony the two of us had a walk around town and had a coffee before heading back to the Pisacane to get ready, it was around this time the beautiful weather gave way to rain, thunder and lightening of epic proportions. One clap of thunder was so loud outside our room that everyone in there jumped a foot! The rain was interspersed with spells of sunshine but as 5:00pm came around the rain looked a little more set in and sure enough the decision was made to have the ceremony inside. Naturally Lucia handled this fairly major rearrangement with 15 minutes to go very professionally and plenty of people mucked in to move speakers etc. The set up of the Lido was fantastic, the tables looked great as did all of the flowers that were so fresh and just as we had imagined. Lucia made sure candles were lit and when the rain eventually stopped made sure there were some lit on the walkway to the beach. We would of course have preferred the weather to be lovely and sunny but it wasn't to be and we weren't worried, in fact the rain and thunder was so intense it made for a fairly dramatic atmosphere and a heightened sense of occasion on our part, it certainly didn't get in the way of everyone having a good time! The ceremony at the Lido was really nice, again everyone commented on the quality of the food, in particular the seafood was very good. All of the staff at the Lido were very attentive and along with Lucia made sure that we all had drinks etc when we needed them. All through the evening Lucia was checking with us to make sure everything was going ok which was very reassuring. After the meal as the night wore on the bar staff were great and very tolerent of everyones drunken state, particulary when some guests wanted a go at serving drinks! We were there 'til a lot later than planned, the time flew but no one was there tapping watches which was great, in fact after the Lido the bar staff (sorry we can't remember names) came and had a few drinks with us over the road which was good. We got to bed about 6, fair to say a good night was had by all! The next day those that were capable went on a great boat trip with Mario, again thanks for the heads up Lucia, he showed us some places of interest before we stopped for a swim which helped clear our heads. And on Saturday most people went their separate ways, we drove up to Pisa over a few days and then took the train to Nice where we hired a car and drove to a Gite about an hour away in the middle of nowhere apart from a small village where we spent a week relaxing. Quite a few people who were at the wedding are already planning a return trip to Sapri, some for a short break and others for a longer stay so that they can explore the area, we will certainly be back as of course Sapri is now a special place for us but also because its a great place to stay and we would really like to explore the area as well. We mustn't forget to mention Dominique, hope that is the correct spelling, and the other guys at the hotel Pisacane, please pass on our thanks to them for making our stay so enjoyable, they were always very attentive and helpful when we needed anything and again helped make out trip feel very special, in fact everyone who stayed at each of the three hotels said the staff and stay in general were great. Also please thank the wonderful hairdresser too, she was fabulous and had no worries doing people's hair on the day when it wasn't pre arranged, she was so lovely and although she didn't speak english and our Italian being a bit rubbish haha we understood each other brilliantly, she was excellent. Thanks again for helping to make our wedding very special, you make a great team and if we hear of anyone thinking of a wedding in Italy we will certainly recommend you. We are waiting for our photos from Sarah, we will send you some of those on asap, and Lucia, maybe catch you at the Lido in Sapri sometime! Many thanks Dan & Janna aka Mr & Mrs Stephenson xxxx
	Lyndsay & Martyn
	Dear Bill, Janie & Lucia, Martyn and myself would firstly like to take this opportunity to thank you all for everything you did for us in organising our fabulous and unforgettable day. When our first choice of venue cancelled four months prior to the big day, your commitment and attention to us never wavered. We felt that you handled the situation fantastically and went beyond the call of duty. You were proactive in finding us an alternative venue, which turned out to be even better than we had first planned. The new venue, Villa Miranda, is truly a magical place. All our guests were utterly gobsmacked at the amazing panoramic views the villa had to offer. We felt very lucky to be married surrounded by such natural beauty, and the photographer captured some beautiful shots that we can cherish for the rest of our lives. A special thank you to Lucia. From the first time we came out to visit the area, right through the entire holiday, you were never more than a phone call away to help or even just offer your local knowledge on all the lovely restaurants to eat in. You really made us feel very special. The meal on our last night at your family's restaurant, on the terrace with all our family and friends was a perfect way to end an amazing holiday. So a very big thank you. Martyn still believes he could eat more than the 1.2kg steak he had. We will have to come back for our anniversary so he can face that challenge!! We can never thank you enough for creating the most amazing day of our lives and we feel truly blessed that 20 of our closest family and friends came all the way to Scario to share that day with us. All of our guests agreed that it was the best wedding they have ever been to. The fact that no one left the wedding until 5am is a shining example of the fun we had. We are eternally grateful for everything you have done for us, and we will never forget it. We will always be first in line to recommend Slow Dreams to any couples wanting a relaxed, romantic and breath taking wedding. With all our love from Lyndsay & Martyn Hale Villa Miranda, Scario.
	Sarah & Matt
	Hi guys, sorry that this has taken so long, we have been so busy and wanted to make sure that we got it right for you! Many thanks to Bill Janie and Lucia for helping us to create our perfect wedding. We enquired with quite a few companies but found no others compared to the service offered by Bill, Janie and Lucia. What impressed us so much was how quickly all our inquiries were dealt with. No matter how many questions we asked they were always answered within a couple of hours! We were guided through everything, from the best ways to get to the venue to where to go afterwards! Bill and Janie are extremely organised and professional and make the whole process as straightforward as possible. When we arrived at our venue the albergo vicinio we couldn't believe how perfect it was! The hotel owners were absolutely fantastic and we cannot praise them enough. It was an unforgettable wedding venue and getting married on a cliff top terrace overlooking the sea is absolutely priceless. The hotel was fully occupied with our guests which added to the feeling of exclusivity. Lea who owned the venue decorated the terrace for the wedding absolutely beautifully with Lucia's help. We cannot praise Lucia enough, every last detail was perfect, she even helped lace up my dress when my mum was too nervous! I would without doubt recommend slow dreams to anyone who was looking for wedding planners in Italy and the venue is somewhere where we hope to visit year after year. Our wedding went without a single hitch, everything succeeded our expectations and we couldn't be happier so thank you to the whole team!
photo coming	Caroline & Paul
	27th May 2011 Staying at The Gabbiano Hotel Wedding at The Santavenere Hotel Where where do you start?! We have returned from two weeks of the most fabulous wedding and holiday we could have ever dreamed of - thanks to Slow Dreams. So the beginning - we trawled the internet looking for wedding venues all over the world when we came upon Slow Dreams. We were very impressed with their set up we decided to go one step further and arrange a short break touring the west coast of Italy and meet with their representative, Lucia, to check out the hotels they were offering for weddings. Eighteen months ago we met Lucia in the port of Maratea and already enjoying the location she drove us round the area to show us the hotels - we were not disappointed! Each one has there own individual attraction and in stunning locations to meet individual needs. Lucia is an encyclopedia of information on these hotels and the area and we found ourselves not having any questions at all to ask! During this guided tour we were taken to the Santavenere Hotel - luxury an understatement! We had seen this hotel on the Slow Dreams website and had thought it was out of our price range BUT the good news - you can actually stay elsewhere and have your wedding at the Santavenere (and stay for your wedding night) PERFECT for those on a budget! We decided on the Gabbiano as our base due to the beautiful location on the beach and very reasonable price. At the end of our informative tour we said our goodbyes to Lucia and left totally in love with the area. Just to say at this point, which was the start of Lucia's helpfulness and kindness, our car key snapped in our ignition on leaving and we were stuck! Lucia to the rescue - mechanic who she knew was called (at siesta time too!) who came without hesitation and sorted us out - incredible! On returning to England we had no hesitation whatsoever in getting in touch with Slow Dreams to book our wedding. This is quite a scary step putting your whole wedding into someone else's hands in America however do not worry because we can assure you everything is dealt with to perfection. Janie and Bill are with you every step of the way - everything is clearly explained and any questions are answered within 24 hours, even at weekends! There is so much you think of trying to make sure the day is going to be perfect but a quick email to Janie and you have no worries! We found with Slow Dreams that no matter how many times you email them a friendly response comes back! Menus, flowers, music etc. all arranged so easily. We were taking family and friends with us which is nerve racking organising their holiday too but again this was easily dealt with on an emailed spreadsheet showing their names, accommodation and amounts due at what time. By the time May 2011 all preparations made, paperwork done and time to relax? Yes would you believe we could - we had total faith and trust in Slow Dreams and with Lucia in Italy to arrange our Day from all our dealings with them over the past 18 months. We arrived with family and friends five days before our wedding day at the lovely Gabbiano Hotel and all our party adored the beauty of the location and the hotel itself - good start! This continued throughout our half board stay at the Gabbiano with helpful, friendly staff, excellent food, very clean and great pool and beach areas. Lucia arranged to meet with us the day after we arrived and it was wonderful to see her again! Her expertise and organisation proved perfect yet again as we were taken to meet with our photographer to chat about what pictures we would like and also the Santavenere to go over the final details on how our wedding would pan out. So the Day arrived and I was rather nervous - just wedding jitters - I knew Lucia would have everything else in hand! Of course she did from our appointment at the Town Hall, conducted by a lovely Mayor, to coming to bring my flowers to our room at the Santavenere and giving me the nod that everyone had arrived and we were ready! The whole day ran to perfection - a beautiful service in the most stunning location on the veranda with the mountains and sea in the background. Lucia translated the service so clearly and it was wonderful having the service in both Italian and English. We celebrated with some bubbly before our photographer took us into the town of Maratea to take more pictures. This was an incredible experience, walking through the town and being greeted with cheers and car horns by the residents of Maratea who are so warmhearted. We had fabulous pictures taken around the centre and then back to the Santavenere for the party to begin! The meal was without question the most incredible food we have ever eaten and we finished off with a Tiramisu Weddiing Cake - THE BEST! We danced the night away and even our 87 year old Nanna was reluctant to leave! The Santavenere is without question the most beautiful hotel. Our family and friends were speechless on how we found such an amazing place - one answer - Slow Dreams! We continued our stay at the Gabbiano for a further week and had a lovely relaxing time, meeting up again with Lucia before we left. We could not thank her enough for everything she did for us - we could call for help at any time. Lucia goes a step further than just organising your wedding, she is your friend. When we wanted a recommendation for a restaurant in Maratea for our final night, within five minutes a call was made and table booked! We could not have asked for more. I felt very sad saying goodbye to Lucia and gave her a small bunch of flowers as a token of thanks - I wish I could have bought her a whole florist because that is what she deserves. So we are back home happily married with the beautiful memories of our Wedding. All our guests are still talking about their stay and the day - one saying it was the best wedding he had ever been to! We think so too of course and all this could not have been done without Bill, Janie and our Wonder Woman Lucia! Our huge THANKS and best wishes to Slow Dreams and for those who are looking for the perfect wedding organised for you and in the most beautiful part of Italy - LOOK NO FURTHER :-) Paul & Caroline Gerrard PS: If you would like to contact me for any questions regarding dealing with Slow Dreams please do not hesitate to contact me. EMAIL - caroline.gerrard@hotmail.co.uk

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