Real Elopement – Laura & Jarrod, Positano AMALFI COAST
Real Elopement – Laura & Jarrod, Positano AMALFI COAST
Real Elopement – Laura & Jarrod, Positano AMALFI COAST
Real Elopement – Laura & Jarrod, Positano AMALFI COAST

Real Elopement – Laura & Jarrod, Positano AMALFI COAST

 

We’re sharing something a little special and who doesn’t love a secret elopement?

Melbourne couple, Laura and Jarrod, pulled off the surprise of a lifetime recently. Without even announcing their engagement, they eloped in the stunning seaside town of Positano with only their nearest and dearest by their side. After celebrating such a magical moment, they headed home to Melbourne where they broke their news at their faux engagement party.

We fell in love with Laura and Jarrod’s insanely beautiful elopement captured by Lou Lou Memphis and know you will also.

In Laura’s words…

The meeting.

We have been together for 10 years… we met as teenagers back in our local town in East Gippsland!

 

The ‘one’.

After being together for so long, you just get to the point where you realise it would be almost unbearable to live without the other. You just know how much you rely on each other, and how important your friendship and love is. When you learn that, I guess you know you have found ‘the one’.

 

The proposal.

Initially there wasn’t a proposal, we just decided to have a surprise wedding in Italy while on a family vacation. Two days before the wedding, we were having a ‘pizza party’ in Sorrento, Italy, and my partner got down on one knee and had my engagement ring in the middle of a Nutella pizza. It was a nice surprise for everyone, as my partner did this in front of our family and friends. It was actually my dream proposal, because I am obsessed with all things food, especially Nutella and pizza.

 

Why elope?

We had discussed having a Melbourne wedding several times over the years and just never got around to it. My partner always said he wanted to get married before he was 30, so we just made it happen. Plus, the Italian coastline is the perfect backdrop, so it was an easy decision in the end really. Good food, wine, sunshine and some of the closest people in our lives, it was a very appealing wedding for us.

 

The planning.

Mmm, I think the hardest part was keeping it a surprise. There were limited people who knew about our elopement, so I had to be careful with who I told. At one point, I had to run out of my dress maker’s store during an appointment, because a good friend was in there and it would have blown my cover hehe!

 

Style inspiration.

Modern, simple, elegant, but of course with a touch of Italy!

 

The dress.

Sonia Cappellazzo the designer and maker is Italian herself, and had done part of her design and dress making education in Italy! I loved working with Sonia, she is just brilliant. We spent a lot of our dress fittings talking Italy, which was fitting. We didn’t have very long to make the dress, but Sonia did such an incredible job of pulling it all together!

 

Favourite moments.

At one point during dinner the band started playing the song, ‘Amore’ (‘when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie’), and everyone at the table got up and started singing waving their napkins in the air all singing the lyrics together. It was just a surreal and special moment, everyone was so happy to be there, and our backdrop overlooking Positano was just breathtaking. From start to finish, our day was perfect and we loved every minute of it.

 

Meaning of marriage.

We had been together for 10 years and in that time we built such a strong friendship and partnership. We both felt ready to take our relationship to the next level, and promise to maintain our love and relationship for life.

 

Elopement soundtrack.

My amazing cousin sang her own acoustic version of Over The Rainbow /Wonderful World as I walked down the aisle. We then had Skinny Love by Bon Iver and The Wedding Song by Angus and Julia Stone.

Our first dance song was Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner because it is the first song I remember us dancing to.

 

Funny stories (or near disasters).

No, not particularly. It was such a whirlwind because we planned it all in a short amount of time. We went on a Capri boat cruise a few days before the wedding, and our friends had surprised us with captain costumes, while they all rocked matching sailor costumes!!! Everyone looked amazing. One slight hiccup on this day when our boat broke down on our return to the Amalfi Coast, and we all got stranded for a couple of hours. Safe to say, I nearly threw my then ‘husband-to-be’ overboard, as he strummed a guitar and sang made up songs.

 

Planning surprises.

None, really, as I am a crazy organized. So not much could catch me by surprise I guess.

 

Breaking the news.

Two days after we returned from Italy, we had planned my partner’s 30th birthday at The Bakers Wife in Camberwell, for 150 of our close family and friends. It worked out so well as it was Jarrod’s birthday on this day, so there was nothing suspicious in planning an event the weekend of our return. We had Aperol Spritz on arrival, Italian-style meat and cheese platters, and plenty of cannoli and sweet treats. Half an hour into the evening, our gorgeous Melbourne-based celebrant, Jo Betz, introduced herself to our guests and revealed the surprise that not only had we eloped in Italy and recently got married, but that we were doing our official Australian ceremony then and there that evening. Safe to say, there were definitely a few surprised faces in the crowd!

 

Words of wisdom.

Like any wedding, I think the key is to be organised. But this is probably even more important with an elopement, especially with the language barriers. I suggest a lot of visual references! Also, because guests are travelling far I suggest organising an itinerary for a couple of days either side of the wedding. We had such a fun time at the events we organised around our wedding, which included a pre-wedding dinner, boat cruise, pool party and recovery brunch.

 

Last words.

It’s hard to control things when overseas, so you just need to roll with it and enjoy every minute. Everyone that came along to Italy said it was a once in a lifetime experience, which is how all elopements should be.

 

 

Looking to do things differently? Explore the magical Lorne elopement of Renee and Ash here

 

 

LAURA AND JARROD’S TRIBE.

 

 

Location: Villa Treville, Positano Italy – Dream venue! Truly incredible…

 

Celebrant/Officiant: The gorgeous Jo Betz from Melbourne drafted our ceremony plan that was delivered in Italy by a local celebrant, Rosa Pauli-Luypen. Jo then delivered our official Melbourne ceremony at The Bakers Wife, Camberwell.

 

Photography: Eliza Harrison of Lou Lou Memphis  – Eliza did such a fabulous job of our photos, considering I only let her take them for about 10 minutes at the venue! I wanted to enjoy the day, and spend as much time as possible with all our beautiful family and friends who travelled so far to be there. Eliza’s pictures turned out magically, and there are so many amazing moments of the day perfectly captured.

 

Videography: Henry Gosper of Good Grief Productions – Henry of Good Grief Productions is such a talented young videographer. We absolutely loved having him in Positano with us, so much so that we pulled him up a chair to join us at our wedding table. He went above and beyond to get the most perfect footage! We will see so much greatness from these young up and coming videographers!

 

 

Styling: I did my own styling with Emma Mahlook of MIM Design Melbourne, but used Wedding Amalfi Planners to assist with the planning aspects.

 

Florist: A local florist called Cannella and Arancia. They were lovely to deal with, and did a lovely job of the flowers! Especially considering Australian style is quite different to Italian wedding style!

 

Hair and make-up: Alana Holmes – Alana was amazing! She did my sister’s, mum’s and my makeup and hair. She was so relaxed and easy to get ready with! We loved spending the day with her!

 

The Dress: Cappellazzo Couture Melbourne

 

Veil / head wear: Viktoria Novak

 

Shoes: No. 21

 

Rings: Natalie Marie Jewellery

 

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Dion Lee

 

Groom’s suit:  Custom fitted by Sam from Sam and Ko, Prahran

 

 

Groom’s shoes: Lluis shoe and Co.

 

Catering: Villa Treville

 

Favours: I did my own welcome gift bags for the guests, including an itinerary, a bottle of Prosecco, La Dolce Vita Print, lemon magnet and a few other goodies.

 

Cake / Cake topper: A traditional Italian wedding cake called ‘mille foglie’ by Villa Treville. It was the most delicious cake I have ever tasted!

 

Stationery / Signage: Emma Mahlook of MIM Design Melbourne

 

Entertainment: A local band, Chrissy Caine and Alessandro Calce. They were perfect for the night!




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