Weddings in Italy - Testimonials From The US
Weddings In Italy - with Slow Dreams
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Michele & Steve |
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Janie - For us, our Italian
Wedding was like a
fairy tale. Thank you for all that you, Bill, and Lucia did to
help things go smoothly. Whenever there were glitches beyond
anyone's
control, like initially with the villa and the delayed plane
arrivals, you always had a Plan B, or in our case, a Plan C.
We were impressed with your organization, attention to details,
your professionalism, promptness, friendly personalities, and the
special touches like the cup for our floral arrangement that you
had a local potter create. We were also appreciative for all
of your guidance. When we arrived in Sapri, you and
Lucia were there to meet us, escort us to the rental agency,
communicate to eliminate any language barriers, and had a
folder complete with itineraries, schedules, and directions.
The day of our wedding blessing, you and Lucia were there to guide
and direct everything from the florist's arrival, through the
video and photo sessions, the ceremony, and the toast.
The staff at the Inn at Fiumicello was excellent. Again,
they made us feel welcome and prepared fantastic meals for Steve
and I. They simply spoiled us. We were grateful to be in
such beautiful surroundings where we felt so welcomed. Please tell
the inn how thankful and pleased we were.
As for the photographer, we were extremely pleased with our
photos. We loved the shots that were captured, the
angles chosen, the scenery, the expressions captured.
We've received many compliments! Thank you! Thank you! We
absolutely love our photographs. Our families thought the
photographs looked just like we'd stepped out of a magazine.
Please also tell the videographer that we loved the video.
The music was perfect. The footage was beautiful, the editing was
terrific! We liked how he did the old movie effects, faded into
black and white, and did the layering effect during the footage in
the Maratea Center. Thanks for including the footage of the
local people. That's what personalized it so much for us.
The video helped our families feel like they were in Italy
with us. It's exactly what Steve and I wanted them to
feel---like they were there with us.
We were especially impressed that the photographer and the
videographer did such an amazing job, considering that they both
had less than 72 hours to have everything ready! Amazing! (Steve's
sister got married in October and she still doesn't have her
wedding video or her photos...And she paid much more money.)
The video and photographs were all worth every Euro and
more...Thank you so much!
Again, Janie, Bill, and Lucia, thank you for everything. We will
recommend Slow Dreams to others. Thank you also for using
quality services especially with the photographer, lodging,
florists, and videographer. We would repeat this
entire experience again!!
We loved it that much!
Many thanks,
Michele and Steve Ulness |
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Tina & Kevin |
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
When Kevin and I first decided to get married in another
country, we knew we had a lot of obstacles to overcome,
mainly with family and friends. I can't even begin to
express my gratitude to all of you for making this decision
the best decision I've ever made... (besides marrying Kevin
of course! ) I was concerned that juggling a full time
career, a new home as well as planning a wedding was going
to be too much to handle-you all made it so easy! I
hardly had to do anything. I am still in awe of how
beautiful everything turned out. I spent 6 months with
Janie and Bill on Email making all kinds of decisions "sight
un-seen", leaving my trust in them. I could not have
been more happy with how everything turned out.
Maratea is the most beautiful place in Italy and La Locanda
is an amazing hotel with an amazing staff. I had
always had a vision of how I wanted my wedding to be and
Janie, Lucia and Bill not only made it come true, but far
exceeded my dreams! It was like a fairytale wedding
and it is an experience I will never forget and always
cherish!
Thank you all for making my dreams come
true! Thanks again Janie for everything-I could not
have asked for more-you guys are awesome!
A Note from Tina's Mom & Dad
We want to thank you for making
Tina's and Kevin's wedding possible. We were very
pleased with all the work you have done to make their
dreams come true. Thank you for trying so hard to
find sign language interpreters but we were not able to
use them for a reason. Maratea and the Locanda
Hotel was a perfect place not only for them but for all
of us. Standing next to us, your help in following
their vows by pointing at those words as they are being
spoken will forever be etched in our memories.
Some day we hope to return and spend our vacation time
in this lovely quaint town. We have given
our wonderful travel agent, Debbie, your name and email
address for her future clients and others who hope to
have the same experience as Tina and Kevin.
We know that you and your associates love doing your
jobs to see happiness among those participated in your
plans.
Love, Jerry and Cheryl Attix
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Shannon & Jerry
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Jerry and I send many thanks to you for
creating our fairytale wedding. We have endless happy
memories and look forward to our next visit on our anniversary.
Our friends can not believe our pictures. (note:
Shannon & Jerry are set designers in Hollywood).
and a note from Shannon's Dad - who
arranged everything
Dear Bill, Janie, Lucia and Dino,
It took us a while, but I believe Joy and I
have finally managed to "return to earth" following our
daughter's wedding on the North Star, and in Maratea, on July 6,
2004. I doubt if I'll be able to put in words how truly
wonderful the wedding was, and what a truly magnificent team you
are.
From the beginning Bill, you patiently helped
us get through the management of emails and questions that
flowed from Los Angeles, Florida and New Jersey, as our family
was spread from coast to coast. Your suggestion of Villa Cheeta
was perfect, and for the week, the entire wedding party felt at
home, pampered and treated with courtesy and respect. Of
particular mention are: Nadia (with her beautiful smile and
gracious manner), Biaggio (who tolerated our ever changing
numbers for dinner with a smile and grace, and who our ladies
just adored), and the lovely Angela (who hosted our pre-wedding
dinner with charm and elegance).
Then, as the wedding day approached, the
"Dream Team" of Janie and Lucia took over. Seemed like I just
had to whisper either one's name and they were right there to
answer any question. solve any problem - no matter how small, or
unimportant. Always happy, never flustered, they truly were the
best wedding planners we could have possibly been blessed with.
I would be remiss if I left out the wonderful
blessing on board the "North Star". The Captain and his wife
were wonderful hosts, and cruising the coast of the
Mediterranean? Well, it was truly a highlight of the week.
And last, but certainly not least, Dino, our
driver, treated us like friends, and more importantly, like
family. From his presenting our daughter with flowers, to his
Personal tour of Policastro, to his thirteen hour drive to take
us to Nice, he never once lost his smile or manners. Do let him
know he shall always have a friend in New Jersey.
I cannot say enough, about how very honored
and fortunate we feel to have entrusted our only daughter's
wedding to Slow-Dreams. You will always have our undying
gratitude for making July 6, 2004 a "dream" believed only for
fairy tales.
Until we all return for a reunion ...... with
grandchildren, please extend our sincerest thanks to all
mentioned above.
Michael and Joy Spinella
Crazy Spinella Mom here! (a note from Shannon's Mom)
Well, we're back in Jersey and can't thank the three of you
enough for a wonderful experience and memory. Mike and I both
said how do we explain to our friends and families back
here..........the pictures will have to
tell................Janie, you and Lucia did such a wonderful
job............ the artistic talent of the Maratea people is
unreal..............and the warmth of the people at the
Villa.............I can go on and on.............really,
thanks..............
Enjoy your next Wedding............you have a gift of giving of
yourself...........Joy.
And from the groom's mother
Hi Janie,
Thank you for the news articles...what a treat! We are all fine
and think of all of you very often. I took Amberly & Jessica
school shopping yesterday and all we talked about was our trip.
One thing we did decide is that we will visit Maratea again and
hopefully soon. I asked them to tell me what the highlight of
their trip was, excluding the wedding because we know that was
the # 1 highlight. They said the little town of Maratea.
Everyone should have a vacation there...just wonderful! The next
thing that was a highlight was a person and that was Dino
(the driver) and I
have to agree with them. The next time you see him tell him that
we miss him.
Best Regards,
Merle Howarth
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Linda & Shannon |
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Our trip was more than we ever thought possible. The whole
wedding package was awesome. The Inn at Fiumicello was
wonderful!! The wedding was something we will never forget. The
whole process from the Mayor to the town showing up to help us
celebrate was awesome. It was all we were hoping for plus!!
Having a cell phone came in handy. Great idea!!! It was nice to
meet Lucia and she was very helpful coordinating our stay in the
Maratea area. We could spend hours telling you about all the fun
and exciting things we did while in Italy. Thank you for doing a
great job!!!!!!!!! |
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Dan & Linda |
Janie - It was wonderful to meet you and
Lucia! Our time in Italy was so special and very romantic!! Slow
Dreams perfectly orchestrated our wedding and helped to make
everything run smoothly. I don't know any Brides who could have
had as leisure a morning as I did....with a long walk on the
beach holding hands with my one and true love. Thank you so much
for making plans behind the scenes and handling all the
potential "upsets" before I even knew about them!! Things could
not have gone smoother or been more special.
You also provided an excellent photographer!!! WE LOVE THE
PHOTOS and loved working with you and the photographer to
capture the beauty of Southern Italy! They were very creative
and easy to work with - thank you for walking around with us to
help spot the perfect setting for a photo!
Dan and I would highly recommend Slow Dreams to anyone! Let us
know what you would like for us to fill out for your website
comments & we will be happy to comply. Slow Dreams helped us to
understand all the steps necessary for getting married abroad.
You took care of the arrangements for everything......and
remembered every detail....even down to a daily agenda.
We loved your personalities and that you were flexible and easy
to talk with via emails. Thank you for making our wedding day
EXTRA SPECIAL!!
Take care, Linda
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Melissa & Kevin
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Thank you so much for everyone's help
planning our wedding - it was
incredible, just what we wanted, and virtually
stress-free which was the best part!
You're welcome to use me for anyone that has any
questions or needs a reference...Thank you so much for all
your help!
The hotel (La Locanda) was
amazing - the entire staff was just outstanding. If we ever
happen to go back to that area or hear of someone that is we
will definitely
recommend that hotel. Nicola down in the restaurant was the
best. Although Cathy, at the front desk, didn't speak much
English she tried her best to understand us and get us what
we needed.
Our pictures turned out wonderful - Luigi and Silvia
were incredibly nice and they did an outstanding job on the
pictures - this is exactly what I had in mind when I
thought of pictures in Italy.
Thank you for arranging everything - you helped make it
exactly what we wanted!
Melissa & Kevin
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Laura & Bryan |
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Janie, Bill and Lucia:
Just wanted to let you know that we have all
made it home safely. What an incredible adventure we all
had in Italy. Thank you so much for all of your hard work,
we definitely couldn't have gotten it all together without your
help. The wedding was absolutely perfect! We
couldn't have asked for anything more beautiful. Besides
that, the food was to die for!
Also, I just want you to know that our group
can't say enough good things about the staff at the Grand Hotel
Pianeta. They were incredible. The hotel, staff and
food were all excellent.
If you have anyone that would like to contact
someone who had used Slow Dreams, we would definitely be willing
to give you a huge thumbs up.
Thanks again,
Laura and Bryan Nelson
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Chris & Karen |
Hi Janie, I would like to thank you
for absolutely everything!!! Our wedding day was
the most wonderful day of my life. I couldn't have
asked for anything more, or painted a prettier picture.
I think that I can speak for both of us when I say that
we would be more than happy to give a testimonial when
and where you would like. There is nothing
negative that we could possibly say about Slow-Dreams
or the hotel. Both were most helpful and
accommodating. It was definitely an experience of
a lifetime and we will cherish those memories forever.
Your job has to be most rewarding.
The rest of our trip was
wonderful. We are both looking forward to returning and
possibly visiting your area one day.
Thanks again for everything and
please convey my gratitude to Angela and the staff at
the hotel!!
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Jeremy & Autumn |
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The Slow Dreams
team took care of our every need. They were there to help us
with every step of the way, from planning and decision making,
to helping us find the right train to get to Rome. They hotels
they recommended were all first rate, and we would not have had
as much time to relax and enjoy the honeymoon without their hard
work. My wife and I were already planning the next trip on the
plane home, and Slow Dreams will definitely be helping us plan
that as well.
In all honestly, I can’t think of a single bad thing to report,
Bill. You guys answered every question we had, and
the arrangements were perfect.
Thanks again,
Jeremy
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Amanda &
Nicholas
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Dear Bill, Janie, Lucia,
and Alessandra,
Where do we start...we are
so grateful to each of you for making our wedding day
absolutely perfect. Bill and Janie were always extremely
detailed and responded immediately to our every query. You
were all very patient during the planning phase and answered
each and every one of our endless questions. John and Marta
were invaluable in guiding us through the bureaucracies of
the American Consulate and the Italian Prefettura in Naples.
The staff at the hotel was outstanding and
always very accommodating. The photographers, Luigi and
Silvia created beautiful memories that will be treasured
forever. The location (Santa Maria di Castellabate) is
truly a piece of heaven on earth and the people that live
there are extraordinarily warm and welcoming. We will look
forward to returning to this special place to celebrate our
marriage in the years to come. Making the decision to get
married in Italy was a difficult one, but discovering Slow
Dreams made our romantic dreams a reality. Thanks to each
of you for all of your hard work and caring attention to
detail.
Nicholas & Amanda |
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Michelle & Tim
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Hi Janie:
Thank you for planning such a beautiful wedding day for Tim and
I. The hotel was much better than either
of us could have ever expected. The
professionalism of the SLOW DREAMS staff, the attention to
detail, FAST response to emails, and the
HOTEL VILLA SIRIO were just perfect. The entire
week was like a fairy tale. We still talk about it
often, and cant wait to visit again. I
would recommend SLOW DREAMS to anyone thinking of getting
married in ITALY. At first, we were discouraged at all
the paperwork needed to marry US citizens
in ITALY. SLOW DREAMS took care of all the details,
from large to small. It was very easy to get it all
done. There isn't one
thing Tim and I would change about the entire week and of
course the wedding day. I still cant get
over how special the day was! The pictures, the
video, the dinner, the harpist, to the accommodations!
Everything was absolutely perfect! Thank
you so very much for a wedding to treasure.
Sincerely,
Michelle & Tim Kirkelie |
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Sandy & Jerry |
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Hi Janie & Lucia:
Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to making
our wedding day perfect!! Let us start thanking you for the
Villa Ceeta. You recommended the perfect
setting for our stay and our wedding. The villa was wonderful,
the service excellent , the food... well perfect, and the
setting charming. I think our girls enjoyed Maratea as much as
any of the marvellous sights of Italy. They got this wonderful
opportunity to explore the town, shop in the shops and imagine
life in a coastal Italian village. I have to tell you... we will
be back!
The wedding day went off without a hitch, or the slightest of
nerves! Everything was perfectly planned and the minister was
lovely. As any bride and groom, getting married across the sea,
we worried a bit about how will our clothes be pressed, or what
will the flowers would be like... honestly, we met you both, and
the wonderful people at Villa Cheta, and we knew we were in good
hands! We are still wondering how you managed to pull off the
beautiful sunny day!
There are so many places today that cater to the
"destination" wedding. So many choices. We are absolutely
thrilled with ours! No crowd, no fuss, no stress. We felt so
blessed to have found each other, we wanted a quite, private and
intimate setting to make our commitment and receive our wedding
blessing. You surpassed our expectations.
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Shawn & Phil |
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Janie,
We received our pictures yesterday. They are amazing. The
video, album and all the pictures made our day-we have already
watched it again.
We are attaching our testimonial and a picture if you choose
to use them. We could have easily written more, but.........
Thanks again for all your hard work. We will treasure our
memories forever!
Phil & Shawn
Janie & Bill:
When we decided to get married in Italy,
neither of us knew the memories that we would walk away with.
After so much time looking online for a wedding service we
finally found Slow-Dreams, and what a find it was.
Along the Campania coastline lies the
sleepy village of Castellabate di Santa Maria and the hotel
Villa Sirio, a true hidden treasure. From its ocean views to
its elegant rooms, the Villa Sirio lives up to its royal
heritage. Alessandra, Gino and the whole Villa Sirio staff
worked tirelessly with Janie and the Slow Dreams organization to
make our dream come true.
Despite the maze of governmental
paperwork, Slow Dreams was by our side each step of the way. A
special thank you to John & Martina during our Naples
experience, we absolutely could not have done it with out them.
The exceptional pictures and video seemed
to capture our every emotion. Each time we view them we are
transported back to the terrace and the shining sun where we
began our journey as man and wife.
Our Slow Dreams experience was truly
magnificent. There are not enough words to express our gratitude
for making our wedding into a true fairytale.
Lilliot (Phil) & Shawn Phillips |
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Kiyomi & Lee |
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Dear Slow Dreams,
Thank you,
너를감사하십시요,
Arigato, Danke, Orbigado, Merci and Grazie!! There are not
enough ways to say thank you. Kiyomi and I are truly grateful
for the efforts of Slow Dreams. When we hit Send on the
initial E-mail contact with Slow Dreams, we were doubtful that
anyone would entertain the idea of planning a wedding with only
8 weeks notice. Oh yeah, and did we mention that my bride-to-be
and I we were living in 2 separate countries, 8,291 miles apart,
to be exact? Not only did we receive a reply from Bill the
following day, but we were given the assurance that the wedding
would be spectacular. From that moment on, the adventure began.
When we initiated the
paperwork in the United States and Bahrain to obtain the
infamous Atto Nottorio, we found obstacles at every turn and
wondered if the paperwork, and therefore the wedding, would come
to fruition. We figured that if we couldn’t handle getting
things done in the areas in which we lived, how were we going to
get things done in a country to which neither of us had ever
been nor did either of us speak the language? Thankfully we
managed the paperwork on the American end, but surviving Napoli
was another story. John was our savior in Napoli. We highly
recommend his services to help maneuver through the chaos known
to us as Napoli.
We chose Castello Praja
as the place we would pledge our eternal love. With John’s help
in Napoli, we were in the car headed for Castello Praja by
midday. What a choice we made!! In the dictionary under the
word picturesque, it says, see Castello Praja. The castle was
not only exquisite, but the castle’s family literally treated us
like royalty. From the moment we arrived at Castello Praja, we
were waited on hand and foot, fed extraordinary cuisine, and
treated to guided tours of the spectacular region in Praia a
Mare and the surrounding villages. We simply cannot say enough
wonderful things about the family of Castello Praja and the
property itself. We were in heaven during our week stay at the
castle and Kiyomi’s parents can now brag about their stint as
the Lord and Lady of Castello Praja.
Our wedding, on the turrets
of Castello Praja overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on a perfect
spring afternoon, is something that not only Kiyomi and I will
talk about for the rest of our lives, but our guests will as
well. Our goal was an intimate wedding adventure, and we
succeeded with a quaint wedding ceremony in Italian and English
translation, fabulous sights, adventurous photographers and
guests, and incredible food to keep our stomachs’ happy. Silvia
and Luigi, the photographers, took us around the town and port
of Maratea and produced a fabulous album and DVD. We are
incredibly thankful to Silvia and Luigi for their hard work and
creativity. The entire experience at Castello Praja was
fabulous. Everyone left the castle with memories that will be
forever etched in their minds and hearts. And Kiyomi and I have
a sneaky suspicion that we will be back someday to renew our
memories. Castello Praja is just that beautiful and special.
Thank you Slow Dreams for helping Kiyomi and I create a wedding
adventure that suited our every whim. We will cherish our
experiences forever.
Our best to you all,
The Griffeys
Note : Kiyomi
and Lee's experience getting their Atto Notorio is quite unsual
- them being in two different countries and with only 8
weeks to get the approval radically complicated the process.
Also, there is new process in place (quite expensive) for
the ancient and beautiful town of Castellabate, which
allows US Citizens to get married there very easily and very
quickly -
- see ceremony
packages. eliminating the
effort that Kiyomi and Lee went through. |
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Jody & Mark
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Dear Janie,
On behalf of myself and my husband, I want to
sincerely thank you and Slow Dreams for all of your assistance
in creating the most beautiful and
romantic wedding any woman (or man) could ask for.
To be clear, I would like to commend you
on the following:
-- You and your team held the up
most level professionalism
-- Incredible follow-up and responsiveness
-- Friendly and caring associates at every
step of the wedding/ceremonies
-- Amazing accommodations and a beautiful
setting in Santa Maria Castellabate
I was a little nervous at first working
with an overseas company to plan my wedding (one of the most
important days of my life). However, you and Slow Dreams way
exceeded my expectations and I will be forever thankful for how
special your company made our wedding day.
Thank you so much,
Jodie |
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photo coming |
Jennifer & Billy - Weddings in Italy |
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hey janie,
everything went great.. the castle
(Castello Praja) and the wedding were more amazing than
we could have hoped for! And Adriano and Fiore were just
amazing... they took such good care of us. It was really
fabulous!
we will definitely work on a
testimonial and send you some pics in the coming week.
sorry this is so short, but I've got
a lot of catching up to do back at home, but we really were very
pleased!
thanks for everything!!!!
jennifer
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Brent & Lynda |
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Here is the long-awaited
testimonial. I am sorry it took so long:
Everything went miles beyond
our expectations. We were blown away by the beauty of
Maratea the whole time that we were there. Our
accommodations were quaint but gorgeous. Lucia and Rosa
were just an absolute pleasure to deal with. The Pastor and
Church were perfect. It was a fairytale experience the
whole way. There could not be a more wonderful place to get
married and Slow Dreams did a spectacular job. Putting your
faith in someone 6,000 miles away to handle your wedding is
a leap of faith and Slow Dreams delivered and then some.
Brent and Lynda
Brent
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Lisa & Brian |
WOW! Where do I begin? The
positive experience that my husband, Brian and I had with Slow
Dreams was so much more than we imagined and hoped for.
We knew we wanted to get married
in Italy because that's where we fell in love over three years
ago. We thought that Italy was such a romantic place. When
we did more research, we realized that our ancestors were both
from around the area near Maratea! How perfect!
We researched many different
websites and coordinators extensively for many different
regions all over Italy. Bill and Janie at Slow Dreams were
the most thorough and efficient coordinators we found!
We simply told Bill and Janie what our priorities for our
wedding were, and they found us the perfect hotel. My husband
called them with three pages of questions :-) and they had
great answers for every one of them. We paid for the wedding
ourselves and had a strict budget. They always responded
quickly, and held our hands throughout the paperwork process.
They are fluent in Italian and English which made things very
easy. They are both very diligent and organized... much more
than we could have been.
We finally arrived in Italy, and
Slow Dreams had organized everything to complete our paperwork
in Naples. It was so easy with all of their help! Lucia
contacted a great guide and translator named John, who was so
kind and helpful! The price for the guide was very
reasonable. The hotel in Naples was very spacious, clean and
friendly. However, the hotel was near the train station and
we recommend staying in a more aesthetic area.
We decided to get away from the
city and went to Sapri (10 minutes outside of Maratea) a week
early. We didn't expect Slow Dreams to take care of us until
the time of the wedding, but Lucia was there to greet us at
8pm with all the necessary information and the cell phone.
She took our wedding dress and suit, so we didn’t have to
travel with it. She also took our big bags so we could back-pack
around Italy, and she even delivered them to our hotel in
Maratea! She was SO organized, caring, and helpful. She was
available to us as early or as late as we needed her. We
hopefully didn't take too much advantage of her availability
of that because she had numerous other weddings to worry
about, but she did not let us know if we were too obtrusive
:-) She went ABOVE AND BEYOND what we expected! She
organized everything for us! She helped us with renting cars,
cabs, restaurants, and with ideas with seating charts. She
even walked us over to get materials for our wedding!
Lucia went out of her way to
ensure our happiness any time we started getting stressed
before the wedding. We even had a slight paperwork issue
(which was my fault), and she not only remained calm and had a
plan B, but she also had a plan C and D too:-) We had so much
confidence by the time the wedding came, that NEITHER of us
were stressed at all! All of the guests and the coordinators
commented on how I was the calmest bride that they had ever
seen! I did not have to worry about anything. Not only were
they competent, organized, and thorough, but everyone in
Slow Dreams really cared about us! I think they even shed
a tear or two when we exchanged vows:-) We really enjoyed
everyone we met from Slow Dreams. Our guests had such a
beautiful time. The rooms were affordable, and the amazing
breakfasts AND dinners came with the rooms! All of the rooms
at Gabbiano had ocean views, and at the end of the night, all
of the guests would walk to the beach with a bottle of wine
and look at the billions of stars that were
out. Southern Italy in May was the perfect time!
Anytime we wanted something that
was not listed on their website, they were very eager to
provide it for us. For example, they helped us put together
very beautiful welcome baskets for our guests. We wanted a
Calabrian Band for our wedding instead of a DJ, which they had
never done before at our hotel, but they accommodated us.
Slow Dreams was very concerned
with detail, and they were worth every penny for coordination,
even though we were on a tight budget.
THANK YOU Bill and Janie. And
ESPECIALLY thanks to Lucia who went above and beyond every
time we needed her! You are great at your job Lucia:-)
Brian and I truly had the
happiest day of our life, and you really enabled that:-)
Lisa and Brian
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Mary & Sean |
from the bride's mother and joint
wedding organizer:
Hi
Janie, I just want to thank you for all your work, it
was just a beautiful wedding, all of you went beyond our
expectation, Alessandra & Andrea were absolutely
fantastic, we could not have asked for a better setting
and welcome by everybody, it was an experience that we
will never forget, I am so thankful to have found your
Company, I will recommend your service to anyone, it has
been such a pleasure dealing with all of you and the
Hotels (both the Palazzo and Villa Sirio) have done a
beautiful job. I want to commend especially Alessandra
and her husband for the wonderful people they have
working there and them for being so helpful and
enjoyable to work for.
I
can't thank you and your staff enough for making Mary &
Sean's the most memorable wedding I have ever witnessed.
We will never forget it, it was truly a heartbreak to
having to come home. I will send you a picture of Mary &
Sean and some other pictures as soon as we can.
Again,
thank you so much for everything, we will never forget
you guys and all you have done to make this wedding so
special and unforgettable.
Congratulation for a job so well done.
My
best to all of you
Rita
Sanzenbacher
Hi Janie,
Our wedding was
absolutely wonderful...I couldn't have asked for
anything more. Alessandra was amazing...she was
our life-line for everything while we were
there. Lucia was extremely helpful during the
event. Thank you so much for everything.
My mom said she
sent you a testimonial so I'm attaching a
picture for you to put on the website. Let me
know if any questions.
Thanks again,
Mary and Sean
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Saree & Nick |
Hello!
We'd like
to start by saying thank you to Janie
and Bill, for making the planning of our
wedding easy and stress-free. We weren't
sure how planning a wedding in another
country would be, but the entire process
went so smoothly, and we would do it
again in a heartbeat! We appreciate your
flexibility with our changing schedules
and last minute updates!! Every email we
sent to you guys was responded to
quickly and we really felt like we were
being taken care of. Thank you for your
expertise and input along the way, and
helping us make decisions. Thank you so
much for helping us choose a location to
have our wedding, it couldn't have been
more perfect. Honestly, we can't think
of anything we would have done
differently. Our flowers were beautiful,
and the photographers did an awesome job
of capturing our day, and making our
photos look more like art than just
pictures.
We
especially appreciated that as a part of
our package we had a guide in Naples for
our paperwork. John was incredibly
resourceful and made something that
could have been stressful more like a
fun adventure. He helped us carry our
luggage to the train (he actually
carried my dress!) and waited there
until our train left.
We want to
say thank you to the Villa Sirio for
being absolutely amazing and wonderful
to us during the course of our stay.
They treated us more like family and
really touched our hearts. Andrea and
Alessandra worked so hard to make sure
our stay was perfect, from taking us to
get our nails done to hanging out with
us on the beach. Our wedding dinner was
spectacular, our guests agree it was the
best meal they've ever eaten. We can't
say enough about their staff, especially
Gino and Franco who were so much fun and
so wonderful to us. The town of
Castellabate itself was incredible. The
people welcomed us, and took the time to
celebrate with us. We can't wait to go
back and visit!
Thank you
again Slow Dreams for making our dream
wedding possible!
Saree and
Nick Lorch
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Donna & Tim |
Janie,
Lucia and Bill,
Tim and I
could not have been more
pleased with our decision to
have our wedding at The
Villa Cheta. Their setting
was perfect for an outdoor
evening ceremony. The Villa
has such a wonderful
atmosphere with a friendly
professional staff,
comfortable rooms, very
enjoyable meals and not to
forget their beautiful
grounds! We chose to have
all our wedding pictures
taken there and if the
photos look as good as the
proofs we made a great
decision!
You
three, along with the rest
of your staff, were great in
addressing all our issues
and questions along the way
and we can’t thank you
enough for helping to make
our “special day”
just that. We would not
hesitate to tell everyone we
hear that wants to get
married to use Slow Dreams
and especially the Villa
Cheta as the place to make
their dreams become a
reality!
We know
we’ll be returning again.
Best
regards,
Donna &
Tim
May 24,
2006
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Naomi & Frank |
Dear Janie, Bill, Lucia
and Emma,
We wanted to share with
you just how pleased we
are with our experience
using Slow Dreams to
plan our destination
wedding.
We left all of our
wedding plans in your
hands and could not have
had a more pleasant,
memorable and relaxed
experience. From the
beginning, when we
contacted you only 6
months from our desired
wedding date to the end
when we said our vows,
we could not have been
happier. Our ceremony
went off without a hitch
and Lucia and Emma were
so helpful. They were
pleasant to work with
and their demeanor made
it seem as if we had two
friends there with us.
The civil service at
the town hall was
handled beautifully as
well as the romantic
sunset ceremony at the
Villa and we are lucky
enough to have wonderful
pictures and video of
the event that perfectly
captured our
experience. The
photographers that you
chose from TTL Photo,
Silvia and Luigi, were
so professional and nice
that we ended up having
drinks with them the day
after our wedding.
Villa Cheta was
absolutely fabulous with
breathtaking views of
the countryside,
mountains and ocean.
The staff was superb and
the food was simply
perfect. Every evening
there was a pleasure.
As a matter of fact, our
experience in Maratea
was so wonderful that we
decided to cancel the
rest of our trip which
was going to be in Capri
and remain at Villa
Cheta for an extra 5
days!
All in all, we couldn’t
be happier with the
planning; right from the
translator, Mr.
Waddington in Naples (personal
guide to take couples to
the American consulate)
to the Maitre’D, Biaggio
at the Villa we had an
incredible time.
Again, thanks so much
for your help and we
will most certainly
recommend your services
to any one of our
friends looking to do a
destination wedding in
the future.
Sincerely,
Naomi and Frank Licari
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Vivian
& Todd |
Joyous! Magical!
Charming! Enchanting!
Romantic! Unforgettable!
There are not enough
superlatives to fully
describe our wedding
facing the sea on the
veranda of the Villa
Sirio in Santa Maria di
Castellabate.
Bill,
Janie & Lucia with
Slow-Dreams made
planning our wedding
effortless from the
moment we sent off our
first email through the
wedding dinner. The
entire experience was
stress free (with the
exception of driving in
Naples and our parents
being inconvenienced by
a train strike) and
virtually seamless. We
planned every detail by
email and fax and just
showed up! Everything
from the planning, the
accommodations, the site
of the wedding, the food
and wine, the Italian
civil ceremony and the
photographers was
handled beautifully,
professionally, and with
unparalleled excellence.
John
Waddington, our
navigator through the
legalities in Naples,
escorted us from our
hotel to the American
Consulate and then to
the Italian government
office, where his
assistant, Marta, was
already waiting with the
necessary stamps and a
number that placed us at
the front of the line.
John was delightful and
made what could have
been a chaotic &
frustrating process
easy.
Our
Slow-Dreams event
manager, Alessandra at
the Villa Sirio,
coordinated everything
beautifully. The
accommodations were
beautiful. We and all of
our guests had rooms
with views and the
sounds of the sea.
Alessandra eased us
through all of the
paperwork, escorted us
to the town hall several
times and provided
translations beyond what
we would have expected.
She arranged mini buses
to take groups to
Paestum and Pompeii and
arranged transportation
to the train station for
our guests. Her husband
even drove a guest to
the hospital in the
middle of the night
after a fall, and
Alessandra met us at the
hospital the next
morning to assist with
communicating with the
doctors. She is a truly
amazing!
Thanks to everybody at
Slow-Dreams for a truly
wonderful experience.
Vivian & Todd Harrington
Winchester, Virginia
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Ashley
& Jason |
When we decided to have
a destination wedding,
the first thing we had
to come to terms with,
was that we couldn't get
upset if the flowers,
cake, ceremony, etc. was
not exactly what we
wanted. Instead of
picking the vendors
yourself, tasting the
cake and food yourself,
you are basically
trusting someone else to
do all of this for you.
Someone who doesn't know
anything about your
personality or
preferences. It was a
little scary, but we
decided that hopefully
the destination that we
chose, would be so great
that it overshadowed any
shortcomings that could
have evolved from having
a stranger do everything
for you.
We chose Italy first and
then chose Slow-Dreams
because when the
gorgeous pictures came
up on the internet, we
felt like there was no
other place in Italy to
get married. We began
emailing Slow-Dreams to
get information...From
that point on,
everything was handled
so professionally. No
question was left
unanswered, no request
was made unattainable.
Over a year and a half's
time, we were in
communication with
Slow-Dreams at least a
few times a week if not
more. They took the time
to really get to know us
and our personalities.
They were so
accommodating at every
turn. No matter what it
was we asked, they made
it happened.
Over time, we sent them
pictures that we found
in a bridal magazine of
the flowers we would
like. In the bouquet
there were these
unripened raspberries
that added a touch of
greenery. It was so
beautiful. Our
expectation was
hopefully the colors
would at least be the
same as the ones in the
magazine (because all
those brides out there
who like to be in
control, it's a scary
things to relinquish
it). We discussed what
we wanted in the cake,
and again we tried not
to expect too much
because they do wedding
cakes very differently
in Italy than they do in
the U.S. Also, not
being able to do the
cake tasting yourself,
anything could happen,
right?
When it came time to do
the paperwork,
Slow-Dreams stayed on
top of us to make sure
we completed everything
we needed to on our
end. Everything you
read about getting
married in Italy, tells
you there is a lot of
red tape. Luckily for
us, it seemed that
Slow-Dreams absorbed
most of that hassle and
made the process very
easy for us. They even
had someone meet us in
Naples to take us around
to get our paperwork in
Italy completed. And my
goodness! We would have
been so lost without
their help in Naples!
They took amazing care
of us. Thanks John and
Marta!
Now for the week of the
wedding...Slow-Dreams
was incredibly
accommodating, even to
our guests. Making sure
we had transportation
wherever we needed to
go, suggesting the best
places to eat (which
there are MANY). They
really just wanted to
make sure that we were
always happy.
The day of the wedding,
it was pouring down
rain! Slow-Dreams was
so comforting to me that
day, and Lucia and Rosa
worked with the hotel
(The Santavenere) to
make sure that plan B
was just as amazing as
plan A would have been.
One thing I really
appreciated was that
while I was stressed out
all day because of the
rain, Lucia was behind
the scenes talking
constantly to the hotel
about what we needed to
do, without me even
knowing or being
bothered with it. They
really do everything
they can to take all of
the stress away from the
bride. And not only did
it turn out beautifully,
but the sun came out and
we even got a rainbow!
How is that for good
luck?
As for the cake, food,
and flowers...When they
brought the flowers into
my room, I was in awe!
They bouquets were an
EXACT replica of the
flowers in the
magazine. The
un-ripened raspberries
were even in it! The
food was out of this
world! And usually, at
many weddings, that is
the most disappointing
part! Not at our
wedding! We can
officially say that is
was the best food any of
our 25 guests had ever
tasted at a wedding!
And the cake was
beautiful! It had fresh
flowers that matched my
bridesmaids bouquets and
it tasted incredible and
moist. It was so
perfect!
We began this experience
feeling like we would
possibly have to settle
because we were letting
other people take care
of everything. Now we
realize that is the
beauty of doing
something like this.
Because as they bride,
I'm so glad I didn't
have to worry about
every little detail.
Literally everything was
handle for me, and I was
just able to relax and
enjoy the moment. This
also speaks to how
important it is to
choose a great company
to plan your wedding.
You want a company that
is going to handle every
little detail with the
same care and
importance, just as if
it was their own
wedding. That is
exactly what Slow-Dreams
did for us. Jason and I
got very lucky finding
Slow-Dreams. Even some
of our guests who had
been to other
destination weddings
said how lucky we got
with this company. It
was truly unbelievable!
We did not have to
settle at all. In fact,
it not only exceeded our
expectations, it was the
kind of wedding you
think you can only dream
about.
Bill, Janie, Lucia, and
Rosa...our dear
friends...thank you so
much for making the most
special day of our lives
everything that it
should have been. We
are so grateful for the
special care you took to
make sure that we had
everything we wanted.
Maratea is a magical
place, and you all are
wonderful people. Thank
you.
Ashley & Jason DeFranco
Hi Janie!
We just got back last
night, and it was
amazing! I don't think
we could have picked a
better time to be in
Italy with the World Cup
finals and ITALY
WINNING! The whole
experience was
unbelievable. And the
wedding...I'm sure you
all are used to getting
these gushing emails
from all the weddings
you do, but it too was
unbelievable. I'm sure
you heard that I was
stressed about the
rain. But you know
what, as soon as it was
time to put on my dress,
I didn't have a care in
the world.
Lucia and Rosa were a
godsend! The flowers, I
can't even tell you how
happy I was with them.
And the food! My only
regret on the food was
that I wished I could
have eaten A LOT more
but I didn't want to be
busting out of my
beautiful dress! :)
I cannot wait to see the
photos! They said they
took 400 and I imagine
we will upgrade our
package. I need to send
you a list of songs for
the video. After
discussing it with the
videographer, I decided
that it would be better
to do so. I will get
those to you by
tomorrow.
I cannot believe we have
been talking for so
long. I'm sorry I
didn't get to meet you.
Thank you so much for
everything! I'm sure
you hear this from every
wedding you do, but we
loved it and we could
not have wished for
ANYTHING more. In a few
days, once I get
settled, I will be
sending a great
testimonial for you to
put on your website. I
just have to wait a few
days to let my brain
start functioning again.
Thanks again for
EVERYTHING! I will talk
to you soon.
Ashley
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Photo coming |
Melissa & Ben |
Dear Slow-Dreams
Family,
We are
finally back in
Mississippi, and
things have pretty
much returned to
normal for us. I
wanted to write and
let everyone know
how much we
appreciate all the
hard work that went
into planning our
wedding. No words
can describe how
special and
memorable the entire
event was for us.
Janie
and Bill, from the
very beginning of
the planning process
I was in awe of your
helpfulness and
professionalism. You
must have answered
over 100 emails from
me!! People here in
the states cannot
believe I was able
to plan an entire
wedding in Italy
from Mississippi.
What they don’t
realize is exactly
how much advice you
gave me on every
detail from picking
the right wedding
package for us to
general traveling
tips for Italy. When
I think of all the
time you spent
arranging EVERYTHING
(legal paperwork,
wedding package
details, our stay at
Hotel Gabbiano,
rental car service,
the list could go on
and on), I am so
thankful to have had
such knowledgeable
and caring people
looking out for us.
Lucia
and Emma, when we
think of Italy, we
think of you. You
took care of all of
our worries from
lost luggage to the
last minute scooter
ideas with grace and
ease. You treated me
and my family like
we were part of
yours. For that I
will always think of
you with much love
in my heart. I will
never forget any of
your warm
hospitality,
especially the
surprise good-bye at
the train station
before we left!
The
people, places and
companies you
recommended to us
also exceeded all we
could have ever
hoped for. Jon and
Marta were so
helpful and
experienced. We
could not have made
it out of Naples
with our paperwork
without them. Hotel
Gabbiano was like a
dream. I have never
been to a more
beautiful spot on
Earth; the view from
our hotel room was
absolutely
breath-taking. Not
only was its
location beautiful,
Gabbiano’s staff was
just wonderful.
Restaurant 1999 was
a perfect choice as
well. I know I will
never enjoy a better
meal than the one we
dined on that
evening overlooking
the port of Maratea.
As I
type now, I am
tearing up thinking
of all the wonderful
memories you all
helped us create.
Our wedding
experience was the
best experience of
our lives. I cannot
think of a better
place than Maratea
to celebrate the
beginning of a new
life and family. I
cannot think of a
better organization
than Slow-Dreams to
plan such a
celebration. You,
the entire
Slow-Dreams family,
have a permanent
place in our hearts.
Benjamin and I are
looking forward to a
wonderful, long,
happy life together,
and we are honored
to have Slow-Dreams
be a part of our
marriage.
Love,
Melissa Wise Philley
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Gillian & Eric |
A
message
from
Gillian's
mom
Dear
Janie,
I want
to thank
everyone
involved
in the
planning
of my
daughter's
wedding.
Everything
was just
beautiful
- we
couldn't
have
asked
for a
more
beautiful
setting
and the
hotel
(Hotel
Gabbiano)
was
lovely.
The
staff
was
great,
Pasquale,
our
waiter
was the
best.
Words
can't
describe
how
great
the food
was, we
all ate
until
stuffed
each
night.
Lucia
(?,
spelling)
was
wonderful,
she
arranged
an
outing
in
Maratea
the
night
before
the
wedding
and made
reservations
for
dinner
for us -
we had a
great
time.
Now we
are
hoping
Gillian
and Eric
return
for
anniversary
trips
and
invite
us.
Thank
you
again,
Mary-Ellin
Parsons.
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Catherine & Jeff |
Firstly I would just like to thank Bill, Janie, Lucia and Rosa for all the wonderful support they gave us while planning and celebrating our wedding. They did it all in 3 months, but I doubt it would have been any more difficult if we had given them three weeks. They responded to every single email within hours, no matter how big or small the request which immediately settled my nerves.
People asked me how we managed to find Maratea and Slow Dreams, and the answer was usually “We threw a dart!” – and it was basically true. Who would have thought we would luck into such wonderful people when I sat at my computer one Saturday morning and googled ‘weddings in italy’! I clicked on the first site that caught my eye and we were sold. I was particularly comforted by the fact that all prices were listed up front so we knew exactly what we were getting in to, even before Bill sent the quote. I do have to be honest and admit that the pessimist in me did spend the entire 3 months before the wedding waiting for something to go wrong, but of course, nothing did. Truly! Everything we saw and did was EXACTLY how it was portrayed on the website, which I think is the highest praise I can give. There is nothing more disappointing than to get somewhere and find they have advertised photographs of rooms that are not available, or places you cannot get to or see. Everything was just the same!
The Hotel San Diego was gorgeous, and the owners could not have been more accommodating. Fabio and Massimo were wonderful hosts, and were very helpful, especially when we drank them out of vodka! I think they enjoy having big fun parties and they always made us feel very welcome. I would definitely go back and stay with them when I am in the area, as will most of my family I think!
We were very grateful for the support Lucia and Rosa gave us while in Italy. Lucia and Rosa made everyone feel comfortable and they inspired confidence. I was super relaxed on my wedding day, though my husband cannot same the same thing (!), and I attribute it entirely to the fact that I didn’t really care if something went wrong, because I knew either Rosa or Lucia would be able to fix it, so I didn’t need to worry. I sat back, watched some ‘Knight Rider’ in Italian and had no idea what was going on, and enjoyed the entire day. The hair and makeup they organized were brilliant, my mother was especially pleased with hers, and she is a tough critic!
The wedding went off without a single hitch. Pastore Mazzeo was fabulous, so happy and caring, and now a very firm favorite with both families. The service itself was excellent, and both families commented on how beautiful the ceremony was. The weather in the morning was spectacular, and while it rained in the afternoon (after the photos!) it wasn’t a problem. The hotel had set up tables inside just in case, and it turned out to be a great decision. The food was wonderful, and Luigi, the maitre d’, even smiled through his first dance with the bride!
Dino – well, what can we say! Dino might have been everyone’s favorite part of the trip! And now, after all his talk about Policastro, I am thinking about having my anniversary there instead! I suppose we should just call his family and check if it will be ok! He was so fun and friendly, everyone is still talking about him and all the fun they had with him. We took a day trip to Paestum and he was a wonderful tour guide. Our time wouldn’t have been the same without him!
I know I sound like a broken record, but we really couldn’t have been any happier with how things went. We are so thrilled that we managed to find your company, and I feel totally confident in recommending you to anyone else looking to be married in Italy. So thanks again, for everything, we really appreciate it all, and wish you all the very best in the future!
Catherine Boisvert
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Scott & Dee |
We just recently began the process of re-joining the "real world" this week :(
Our wedding was a dream come true in large part thanks to John and Alessandra. Both Scott and I were very impressed with the entire Slow-Dreams process, staff and professionalism. We do intend to write a piece that our own travel agency is waiting for and we're sure you'll be pleased.
Dee
Janie - Let me second what Dee said. Slow-dreams and your staff made for a memorable experience. We hope to get together tomorrow night to give you a full response. Suffice it to say than on a scale of 1-10 we would rate it at no less than a 14.
Scott
I would like to expand on my thoughts. First, when we reached Naples we had no trouble connecting with John that evening. He was extremely pleasant and accommodating. The next morning when we came down a few minutes before we were to meet him, he was standing there waiting on us with a genuine smile and wonderful manner. He wasted no time getting us to the consulate and, thanks to his knowledge, we went to the head of the line. Following his instructions, we finished the paperwork there in about 30 minutes. He predicted, correctly, every thing that the consulate staff would do.
Then we went to some Italian gov't office to get the documents authenticated. Thanks to his associate (I think her name was Marta) who got there early to be at the head of the line we were the # 1 to be processed. Again, we were gone in record time. The entire process was over by 10 am or shortly thereafter.
Then John took the time to explain to us exactly how to get to the train station and get tickets. He was right on.
John was of tremendous help. I can't imagine getting the paper work done without him. No doubt we would still be in Naples chasing from one office to another and still not have the paperwork done. Please convey to John our sincere thanks for his efforts (highly successful) and splendid attitude.
Now we get to Castellabate. Alessandra had cars waiting on us when we got off the train, and they whisked us to the hotel in no time at all. The hotel (Villa Sirio) exceeded out expectations by a mile. The owners were not only charming, they were genuinely friendly. Our room was beautiful as well as very comfortable and the view........ The next day Alessandra had every thing lined up and as a result it went smoothly.
Then the day of the wedding.....again Alessandra was right there taking care of everything and catering to our every need. The wedding went off without a hitch due to her tireless efforts. She is a gem.
I could go on, but I think you get the point that we were more than satisfied with slow-dreams. You guys have a great company, provide excellent service and value, and John and Alessandra are simply the best.
Please feel free to refer prospective clients to us. We will be happy to sing the praises of slow-dreams, and your staff, especially Alessandra.
Scott & Dee
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Marianne & Chris |
Dear Janie, Lucia & Bill,
What an AMAZING trio you are in the 'destination weddings' world!! We are so grateful to you for making our dream wedding a reality...Our guests thank you, as well!
It all started for us 14 months prior to our wedding when I came across this great web site with incredible wedding destinations, and equally outstanding reviews of experiences of other couples with Slow-Dreams. So, I wrote a quick note to this Slow-Dreams web site I'd found on the Internet in the middle of the night...And, low and behold I got a very quick response from Bill...This was the beginning of a great working relationship with Bill, Janie and Lucia as they are all very fast in their replies and quite informative, too. I, like so many other brides did not have much time to wait on answers, and thankfully I never needed to wait more than 24 hours (even though I'm in the States, and they are in Europe!).
Throughout the months ahead I had lots (and lots) of questions as all brides do...None of my questions, needs, desires or concerns went unmet (or unnoticed) by Janie whom I quickly started to work with for coordinating all wedding preparations via e-mail. She was wonderfully enthusiastic and helpful.
Charming Lucia met with us when we arrived and orchestrated everything beautifully from that point on...We LOVED working with her as she was so upbeat and cheerful...Lucia wanted our wedding to go as fantastically as we did!! Moreover, she smoothed any and all small bumps along the way with her gracious personality and willingness to please all...Thank you, Lucia!
Regarding our wedding flowers: We sent pictures of how we wished our boutonnieres, bouquets, flowers for arch, etc. to look--and they turned out even more gorgeous than the pictures we'd sent, but the designs were exactly like our pictures!!! The florist was truly gifted and the flowers were so fresh and vibrant in color (all flowers are shipped to the florist in Maratea and southern Italy from elsewhere and are fabulous!).
Slow-Dreams uses a fantastic make-up artist, Anna-Maria whom is delightful to chat with while she does her magic with make-up (she also does pedicures and manicures at her shop in Maratea--by the way, we live in Southern California and I have never had a French pedicure last so long or look so good! Thank you, Anna-Maria!!). Additionally, I'd asked for a more natural look to the make-up application (I did not want to appear so made up), and Anna-Maria was so good with this request--her technique would match the best of the best!! She could work in Hollywood!!!:)
As for the hairstylist, he is a little testy, but pretty good--loves his hairspray and pins!!!! (Ouch!) But, overall he tried to follow the pictures I brought of the hairstyle I wanted.
Upon our request, Janie made arrangements at Castello Praja in Praia A Mare for our wedding and an 8 day stay (with 14 of our guests). Castello Praja is a FABULOUS 12th-13th Century Castle in the region of Calabria...
Our stay and our wedding in this gorgeous castle was nothing less than a dream come true for us and our guests! We were met by the owners of the castle with open arms!! They treated us like royalty, and made us all (guests included) feel that we were a part of their family! Our guests enjoyed a cooking lesson with the great Filomena whom has worked at the castle for the past 50+ years! We all ate together around the large table in the castle kitchen for breakfast every morning, and for several dinners...This was amazing, too! We cannot say enough about these tremendously dear and wonderful people whom share their castle as if it is an honor to have you as their guests...Their family name is of royalty, and yet they treated us as if we were!!
The photographers, Luigi & Silvia are fabulously creative, professional, easy to work with, and willing to do some fun/silly and beautiful pictures...They are so gifted... They, too could work in Hollywood!! We really loved working with them...Although, we have not received our album or DVD, yet, we have seen the demo. of our album and proofs--and, they are FANTASTIC!!! We are so looking forward to showing our family and friends the album and DVD at our reception when they arrive!
Also, we would HIGHLY recommend couples (and their guests) marrying at Castello Praja or other areas near Praia A Mare drive the short distance to the village of Aieta which is perched on a hillside and has a palace and wonderfully charming local people whom love to be involved in pictures and making you and your guests feel welcome in their village...It is closer to the castle than Maratea and the local town's people are much more inviting and lovely! Again, we highly recommend this to all!!
We have and will continue to praise the Slow-Dreams trio to all family, friends and acquaintances abroad and at home in the States!
A huge THANK YOU to the great 'Trio' of Slow-Dreams: Janie, Lucia and Bill whom amazingly go out of their way to make dreams come true!
Marianne & Chris Lister
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Sara & Anthony |
Janie,
Wanted to send you a thanks and a quick follow-up to our wedding on the 11th. It turned out fantastic! The pre-planning could not have been easier. I appreciate everyone's attention to detail. John's paperwork guidance in Naples was invaluable. His guidance and expertise gave us great confidence that we were taking care of all of the logistical steps necessary for the wedding.
Villa Sirio's location and the hotel itself far exceeded our expectations (and I shared with Bill that we are both particular travellers). Castellabate is an adorable sea-side town and Villa Sirio's prime location on the sea was extraordinary. The local residents were extremely friendly, accommodating, and were quite excited to celebrate with us on our wedding night. Alessandria did a good job of handling all the on-site details. She even took care of my last-minute manicure/pedicure request and drove me to the salon herself. The flowers were gorgeous and exactly like the photos that I sent you.
Again, many thanks to you and your entire team!
Best,
Sara.
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Jen & Jess |
Dear Janie and The Slow Dreams Team:
Jen and I are very pleased with the service you provided us; our wedding was both beautiful and stress free. And so on behalf of both Jen and me, I am writing to thank you and your team for a wonderful time in Santa Maria Di Castellabate.
First, thank you for planning our wedding. We could not be happier with your professionalism, warmth, and attention to details. From our interactions with John in Naples--he was wonderful--to helping us find a dry cleaner, everyone from Slow Dreams made our wedding extremely pleasurable.
We really enjoyed just having some quality time together. Jen and I both have busy lives at home, and so we had a great time just relaxing together.
Janie, again, thank you for such a wonderful experience. And please send our regards to all of your staff.
With sincere appreciation,
Jess Cisco and Jennifer Gudaz,
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Dan & Jennifer |
Note from Slow Dreams - As you can see below, Dan & Jennifer's wedding was a little complex. They first contacted us a couple of weeks before their wedding date wanting a religious wedding at the chapel in Castello Praja. However, there was not enough time for a legal wedding there. So they had a legal wedding at Castellabate at the castle there. Castellabate allows US citizens to have "no-hassle", last minute weddings. They then went later to the Castello Praja (70 miles away) for their religious wedding ceremony.
Our wedding in Italy was absolutely fantastic! Our original wedding plans changed drastically and we did not even contact Slow Dreams until about 2 ½ weeks prior to our trip to Italy. Slow Dreams took our ideas and details and made our day more than perfect! You would not have even believed that our day was planned in such a short period of time. Honestly, everything went beyond our expectations.
Everything was handled without hassle! John met us in Naples to complete our required documents and we were truly impressed with his expertise in the government agencies and logistics of getting around Naples. In just over two hours we had all of our required documents in hand, copies already faxed ahead to the town hall, and both of us loaded on a train with instructions to our destination. And, all of this with a sense of humor!
Villa Sirio in Castellabate was, again, better than expected. It was a gorgeous, quaint hotel right on the water in a beautiful, small coastal town. The family who runs the villa treated us so well, making sure every need was met. We loved our room’s balcony overlooking the ocean where many of our meals were delivered to and we absolutely LOVED the villa’s dinner patio which was directly ON the water.
Our outdoor civil ceremony with the mayor of Castellabate, at the entrance of the town’s castle (Castello dell’Abate), was ideal. The setting was beautiful – the town is one of the last unspoiled hilltop villages in the region with spectacular views of the surrounding hills and ocean. The castle and views made a perfect backdrop for our wedding.
Just when we thought our day couldn’t get more perfect, we arrived at Castello Praja for our religious blessing ceremony. We were absolutely blown away with the castle, tiny chapel, and setting. We could not believe our eyes – the place was AMAZING! Our blessing ceremony in the castle’s romantic chapel was truly more perfect than we could have ever imagined. The owners of the castle were fabulous hosts who treated us like family and showed a genuine interest in us and our wedding day, shared interesting history of their 800 year old castle, and who left absolutely no detail overlooked. Dinner on the castle’s rooftop terrace at sunset, overlooking the ocean, and complete with a violinist, couldn’t be experienced at any restaurant in the world. The meal and overall setting were beyond description. Our room at the castle completed the perfect total wedding day experience – we had the castle to ourselves and felt like royalty in the room’s gorgeous setting surrounded by a garden and overlooking the ocean. After breakfast in the castle’s garden patio overlooking the ocean, it was sincerely hard to leave when our driver showed up to take us back to Castellabate! The memory of our blessing ceremony and stay at Castello Praja is honestly the most special memory we share. The experience was unbelievable.
Last but not least, we need to mention our driver, Dino. Not only did he get us between our civil and religious ceremonies, he treated us to some great stops along the way back to Castellabate the day after our ceremonies, making the journey much more than just a “drive.” He took us to Paestum, an awesome ancient Greek-Roman city and archaeological site. Dino also made a stop in his hometown of Policastro, taking us to his town’s gorgeous church and its ancient city walls. Last, he treated us to espresso and buffalo milk ice cream after a long, hot day of touring! It was a mini tour of the Calabria coast - Dino gave us another set of memories from something that would have just been a drive.
PLEASE pass on to everyone our sincere THANKS for making our five days unforgettable and SO, SO well organized – Bill and Janie (planners); John (Naples paperwork coordinator); Alessandra and Andrea (event planners in Castellabate/Villa Sirio); Alida (event planner at Castello Praja); Fiore, Adriano and his wife (Castello Praja owners); Silvia and Luigi (photographers); Dino (our driver); and Reverend Sindall and his wife (blessing ceremony). THANK YOU Slow Dreams!! You exceeded our expectations!!
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Jon & Yen |
Hello Bill, Janie, & Lucia,
Working with everybody at Team Slow Dreams was a great experience. Making arrangements for a wedding is complicated enough, but the idea of planning it overseas was very intimidating. We initially were only joking with each other about having our wedding in Italy (versus somewhere nearer to home in the United States). We browsed the internet, though, and found our way to the Slow Dreams website. Once there, we were hooked. We loved the different options (financial, location, and level of the team's involvement in planning), and the pictures of the region looked amazing.
It was surprisingly easy to get more information, have questions answered, and decide on all the details via e-mail with all of you. We decided on the Hotel Pisacane, in Sapri, because we definitely wanted a seaside wedding, the hotel looked perfect in the pictures, and it was surprisingly affordable. It's been over a month since we left, and we're still talking about what a great choice that was! The hotel was even better than it looked on the website, the rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the staff members were kind and very accommodating. Sapri itself is such a lovely town, we're definitely planning on going back there for an anniversary in the future. With the mountains and the sea, it is an amazing view in Sapri. There are plenty of fun shops around the town to visit, and we're still having pleasant dreams about all the delicious food (mmm...gelato). We even made friends with the owners of a Sicilian bakery there - they were the ones to give us our first wedding present!
Bill, Janie, and Lucia, thank you for your flexibility as we changed our plans throughout the entire year-and-a-half of planning. We kept you on your toes, but you managed to take care of everything and there was never a problem making the changes. Also, thanks for your patience when we were indecisive, waiting to hear from other people before settling on details, or otherwise delayed in providing you with information. We never felt rushed or pressured - working with you to plan our wedding was a very positive experience, and it was a pleasure to communicate with you during the process.
Lucia, you did a great job handling the on-site details and making arrangements with the priest. The church was beautiful, and the ceremony was perfect. Thanks for all you did on our wedding day, and for meeting with us prior to the ceremony to go over the details. It was so nice to meet you!
We all feel like you are one of the family now!
Meeting with John in Naples really helped us complete our paperwork and took a lot of the stress away. Luigi and Sylvia were great photographers, they were never too directive or in-the-way, and they got great shots of us preparing for the ceremony, the ceremony itself, the walk through town afterwards (which we loved doing), and in the beautiful area near the restaurant we ate at afterwards.
Our families and friend are still talking about the great time they had there and they can't believe we arranged it all over the internet! Everyone had a blast and we are now all talking about making a trip back there to the same town and even the same hotel. We never thought it was possible to please everyone at once, but with your help we did it.
Overall, we were very impressed at how smooth the planning was, at how stress-free we were in Naples and in Sapri, and at what a great time we and our families had for our wedding in Italy. Thank you for helping to make our wedding so special, fun, and memorable.
We are so confident in your company and your services that if any of your future clients would like to hear more feel free to have them email either of us. We really mean it. You all made this a most memorable event and we have no regrets about anything. It all surpassed our expectations and even our dreams. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making it possible, we couldn't have done it without you!
Cheers,
Jon & Yen
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Julia & Colm |
Dear Bill, Janie, Lucia, John and Dino,
We would like to thank you all for the most beautiful wedding. It was
beyond our wildest expectations, sincerely. We had never even heard
of a place called Maratea, and we will now never forget it. It will
be forever etched in our memories as "a very special place."
Bill and Janie, we were so thankful to have been referred to you. You
made planning our wedding so easy and stress-free. All of the places
that you recommend on slow dreams look gorgeous, but we can't imagine
any place more wonderful to stay than the Meraviglie, or a more
perfect venue for a wedding than the Santavenere. Thank you for
answering all of our questions promptly and making us feel at ease.
When we first arrived in Italy, pre-wedding, we met a number of
wonderful people. Without John we would probably still be wandering
around Naples hopelessly trying to find the American Consulate. He
was a great guide, thoroughly entertaining, and we will always have
wonderful memories of the morning we spent with him. We would like to
thank both John and his wife for fighting their way through the crowds
to get us the documents we needed. Having John was absolutely
invaluable and we would recommend his services to any couples who are
using slow dreams.
We arranged to take a taxi from Naples to Maratea. We knew the
journey would be beautiful, but what we didn't know was that we'd have
an amazing guide. Dino, our driver, went so above and beyond our
expectations. We had the most wonderful time taking pictures at
scenic stops and learning about the towns we passed through. We even
stopped at a buffalo mozzarella farm where we sampled yogurt and had a
unique and unexpected experience. Dino was a wonderfully friendly man
and we will never forget having met him. Thank you Dino!
We met with Lucia the night before our wedding. We were already
comfortable with the fact that our wedding would be special, but Lucia
put us all the more at ease. Everything was planned with precision.
Our first ceremony at Town Hall went without a hitch. Lucia drove us
to the Santavenere to take a look, and it was so wonderful seeing
where we'd be married together... she made the day from beginning to
end work seamlessly and added to the magic of the occasion. We wanted
to thank Lucia very much for everything that she did for us. She too
went above and beyond anything that we could ever have expected.
For any couples trying to decide on a wedding venue, we would strongly
recommend the Santavenere. Our experience there was nothing short of
perfect. From the stunningly beautiful and private setting, to the
intimate ceremony and exquisite dinner, it's hard to find any adequate
superlative to describe the happiest day of our lives.
Thank you all, for your very hard work, professionalism, and above all
else, for making our wedding a dream come true.
Colm and Julia Flanagan
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Traci & Ian |
"When my fiancé and I decided to do a wedding overseas we were a bit nervous about allowing so much of the planning to be in the hands of others. Never fear with Slow Dreams! Our wedding was perfection and every detail was handled beautifully.
Bill and Janie are wonderful at answering all of your questions (and trust me, I e-mailed them a lot!). I felt so confident with their assistance that the wedding would be wonderful and I was right.
Castellabate was more beautiful that we imagined and our wedding took place in a castle on a cliff that overlooked the ocean - the pictures were amazing! Alessandra and Lucia were wonderful - basically all we had to do was show up - everything was taken care of in advance - flowers, music, hair/make up appointments. Slow Dreams made it incredibly easy to get married in Italy - from help with the paperwork to getting our wedding clothes steamed before the ceremony.
I would highly recommend Slow Dreams to anyone wanting to get married in Southern Italy. This area is largely unknown to foreigners and everyone is friendly and warm. Our favorite memory from our wedding attests to the attitude of the region. During our photos in Santa Maria di Castellabate we walked across a beach with about 600 people on it. As we walked all of these people stood up and started shouting their congratulations and applauding - it was so amazing to have all of these people we did not know be so happy for us. If we could do it all over again we would...and we know everything would go smoothly because of Slow Dreams!"
Thanks again!
Traci
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Genette & Ryan |
Dear Janie,
When Ryan and I decided to get married in Italy, I was a little nervous about how we were actually going to pull it off. But then I found Slow Dreams! Bill answered every question no matter how ridiculous it was. Then when Janie took over after the initial contract was signed, it was a breeze. I loved how her first emails to me outlined everything that needed to be decided before the wedding took place. That was exactly what I needed so there were no surprises along the way… and it was so nice because we didn’t have to worry if the date we wanted (June 7, 2008) would be booked up or any of the other nonsense that you have to deal with when you have weddings in California.
Santa Marie di Castellabate was more beautiful than we imagined. And the hotel (Grand hotel Santa Maria- which is were we and all of our guests stayed and where the wedding took place) couldn’t have been more amazing. Alessandra was wonderful and so easy to work with. Everything was decided and taken care of in advance – flowers (more amazing then I had dreamed of, wow, wow, wow!!!), music (solo violinist on the beach), and hair/make up appointments. Grand Hotel Santa Maria seems to prides itself on excellent customer service and they did not fail us. The gentleman at the front desk (sorry his name escapes me right now) was top notch and planned everything for us… down to hiring a bus with driver to drive us and all of our guests to Rome to start the next leg of our honeymoon. They always seemed to go above and beyond what they needed to do. The day of the wedding they even rushed ordered a wedding cake. Ryan and I hadn’t wanted a traditional wedding and opted against a wedding cake, but the hotel insisted we have one… we were so glad they did because it was the best cake we have ever had (It was a 1 layer Cuban style cake, amazing) Slow Dreams made it incredibly easy to get married in Italy – almost to the point where it seemed too easy. It was such a blessing to have found this website!
I would highly recommend Slow Dreams to anyone wanting to get married in Southern Italy. We loved how we were practically the only “tourist” there. The town really opened their arms to us, and I do think we took over. Our favorite memory from our wedding was the ceremony itself. We had our ceremony on the beach in front of the hotel. It seemed that all of Santa Maria di Castellabate was there on the beach watching the whole ceremony. As I was walking down the path to get to the ceremony with my father there was so much cheering and applause it was hard to hear our violinist playing, we started laughing. It was so much fun… and the pictures show it. Although, I should mentioned that right after the ceremony it started to rain (hard) and the reception had to be moved inside at the last minute… which the hotel handled like a pro. Our guests had no idea that the reception wasn’t suppose to be inside all along.
I am not sure the words to truly express my gratitude. We will definitely recommend slow dreams and Santa Maria di Castellabate to everyone we meet. I can’t wait to go back and stay at that amazing hotel again.
All the best,
Genette
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Emily & Jacob |
Slow Dreams melted all of my bridal worries away! Words cannot describe the precious memories we have taken away from this experience. Janie and Bill were professional, reliable, and very prompt. We were virtually stress-free on the days leading up to the wedding. The team in Italy stayed true to Slow Dreams great reputation and made sure our dreams came true for this special occasion. The photographer and videographer are very talented and a million thank yous to Alessandra – my honorary maid of honor.
We played the wedding video for our guests at our reception in the U.S. The video took everyone’s breath away. Every time we watch our video we are mesmerized as if it were the first time we saw it. The video and photos will always take us back to this special time in our life.
Villa Sirio is a beautiful and romantic place which is run by very gracious hosts. The people of Santa Maria di Castellabate were the nicest and most helpful that we encountered throughout our entire trip around Italy.
We would not change one thing about our wedding planned by Slow Dreams. We thank Slow Dreams from the bottom of our hearts for taking the most important day of our lives and turning it into a dream come true.
Forever Newlyweds,
Emily & Jacob
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John & Andrea |
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John and I had the most wonderful wedding
ever! It was nothing like what we'd hoped for. It was everything
we'd hoped for and it was so much more than we'd ever hoped
for!!! Thank you for that.
The Santa Maria Castellabate scenery, the
spiral staircase and balconies of Villa Sirio were the perfect
backdrop to many wonderful wedding pictures we will treasure for
a lifetime. We wanted to share a few pictures of the wedding
with you. Thank you again for making this so easy and stress
free.
John & Andrea
Mazzotta |
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Deidre & Barry |
Janie and Bill,
Thank you for the email. We are finally getting settled in!
Here is a testimonial:
“We feel so grateful to have had such a beautiful wedding thanks to Slow Dreams. It was truly spectacular, better than we could have imagined, and tremendously special because of the personalized, attentive care we received from everyone involved. Our on-site wedding planner, Lucia, went the extra-mile at every step for us. We couldn’t have asked for a more compassionate, talented individual working on our behalf. Janie, Bill, and the team at Slow Dreams worked to make everything seamless for us, and for our guests. The whole thing was like a dream. Thanks a million!”
Also, here are some more thoughts on the wedding. Feel free to use any of this for the testimonial too.
Janie, we received many comments about how quickly you responded and how easy you made the reservation process for the guests. We really appreciate everything you did!
Fabio from the San Diego was just a pleasure! The party on the night before the wedding was carefully put together… there was plenty of food! They put up lots of extra umbrellas because of the rain and Fabio and his staff kept us informed about the bar bill all night.
They were incredibly attentive that night, and during the whole stay.
They even kept the bar open late every night to accommodate our late-night partiers. Fabio, Massimo, Francesca, and the rest of the staff made our stay so comfortable, we felt right at home, and everyone else who stayed there said the same thing. The hotel was very clean, and the pool area was simply gorgeous.
The ceremony was absolutely beautiful.
Giuseppe, the hairdresser, was so sweet and he did a great job. I was very happy with my hair, and he really cheered me up when it was raining.
The food, service, and scenery at the Santavenere were simply mindblowing. The quality really did come through. We felt so taken care of the entire night. I’ve heard some people say, “The food makes a wedding.” If this is true, then this was the best wedding in the world. The dinner was truly an upscale dining experience, and I’ve personally never tasted food that good. People are still saying, “That’s the best steak I have ever eaten,” and “The dessert was so good it made me want to cry.” The canolli cake was also delicious! We couldn’t have been more impressed with the dinner and high level of service. It was well worth it, and we're so glad we chose it.
The DJ did a good job, and I personally loved the folk band. They were so talented!
Even though the weather left us unable to have the reception at Il Carubo, the upstairs was warm, cozy, and charming, and it perfectly fit our 60 guests. The reception felt very intimate.
The flowers were STUNNING. Absolutely incredible. I never thought I even cared about flowers, but I was really in love with them.
The photographer, Franco, did an amazing job. We were shocked at how good we looked considering what spazzes we felt like! You could tell he was really into getting creative shots and we loved that. Lubna was good too. We are really impressed with the photos.
Our guests had an amazing time. They are still raving about the Santavenere, the church, the beautiful views, the dancing, and the party!
You guys made our wedding day spectacular, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Thank you for everything,
Deidre and Barry
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Denae & Mark - Ireland & USA |
Janie, Lucia and Bill,
Thank you all so very much for everything you did to make our wedding day go so smoothly. From getting our guests booked in at the hotel to music and flowers and everything in between - it all went off without a hitch and we were so relaxed thanks to you all! The staff at L'Approdo Hotel were so helpful, friendly and accommodating and the setting was beautiful. It really was our dream day and we enjoyed every minute of it!!
We simply cannot thank you enough for all that you did. Having a destination wedding can be cumbersome to organize but with Slow-Dreams expertise and organization it was just so easy! You were all so friendly, patient with all the questions, and very quick to respond. You really put us at ease with our decision to get married abroad. The Maratea region is so beautiful and we can't wait to go back! And Lucia, thanks for going the extra mile and rescheduling the excursion trip for our guests. They really enjoyed it and were so appreciative that you did that for them!
We would highly recommend Slow-Dreams for anyone wishing to get married in Italy. You were all so fabulous to work with and we are so glad we came across your website. You guys are the best!!
Mille grazie,
Denae & Mark
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copyright 2003 - 2011,
Slow Dreams, Inc,
www.slow-dreams.com,
info@slow-dreams.com |
