An Amalfi Wedding Tousled in Tulle, Wildflowers and Weathered Stone

A Closer Look

Clare and Matt met at UC Berkeley, and six and a half years later he proposed in Ravello, the hilltop town above the Amalfi Coast. When it came time to plan a wedding, there was never another option. As Clare shared, it felt less like choosing a destination and more like returning to one. Over two years with Mariangela Fortezza of Love Story Italy Events, they designed a day that seemed to belong to Ravello instead of simply borrowing it.

The ceremony took place among the ruins of the 12th-century Basilica di Sant'Eustachio in nearby Scala. Rather than compete with the architecture, the florals took root in it. Meadows of grasses, crimson blooms, butter-yellow flowers and pale blue delphinium edged the aisle between rows of white iron garden chairs, while rust anthurium, pink lilies and long ropes of burgundy amaranthus crowned broken columns and stone plinths. Clare's older brother officiated beneath the arches and spoke about the site's history and a marriage meant to endure as long as the walls around them. After centuries of weather, the basilica looked newly in bloom.

Clare's gown came with its own search. Years before the engagement, she saved a photo of a Reem Acra runway gown and never let it go. She hunted resale sites, asked the house directly and posted on Reddit five times, until Reem Acra found the original sample in its archives. Its corseted bodice, with every seam of boning showing, sat above tiers of soft tulle and a long veil, while Matt wore an ivory dinner jacket by Ralph Lauren.

Every other flower that day was cut for the occasion, but Clare's bouquet was made to last. Los Angeles ceramicist Karina Black of Cosa Ceramica sculpted calla lilies in clay, and Clare helped shape the pieces after taking Karina's beginner hand-building class during her month-long residency in New York. Fresh orchids and trailing amaranthus joined it for the ceremony, and the ceramic now lives in their home.

The women of the wedding party wore the palette in mismatched gowns of chartreuse, blush, rose, lilac and floral print, from tiered pleats to sequins. Their bouquets mixed tulips, garden roses and dark calla lilies with the same burgundy amaranthus Clare held, so every color along the aisle found a match in someone's hands.

After the ceremony, guests made their way to Villa Eva. Musicians in blush gowns played strings on the lawn beside an oversized chess set, and a bar faced in hand-painted majolica tile poured Aperol spritzes. Even the escort cards seemed to sprout. Pastel tags in pink, yellow, mint and blue stood on wire stems among sunflowers and burgundy blooms, with paper moths perched between them, so the meadow from the basilica followed guests to the villa.

Dinner was served at long tables beneath a pergola wrapped in greenery and hung with crystal chandeliers. Low runs of burgundy hydrangea, red anthurium and golden wildflowers stretched down white linen, and each pale blue lace-edged plate held a watercolor menu cut in the shape of a lily pad. Butterflies and moths reappeared on the chartreuse bar menus. The crystal kept the evening formal, while the flowers kept it wild.

Later in the night, Clare changed into a hand-embellished Kim Kassas gown, then removed its overskirt to reveal a mini dress for dancing, with a crystal-fringed bag on her wrist. Matt switched to a black dinner jacket accented with vintage brooches Clare had sourced for him. Together they poured a coupe tower from cocktail shakers, pastry chefs assembled a mille-feuille cake in front of guests, and the dancing went on until nearly 2 a.m. Ivory-and-black corduroy caps came out too, stitched in burgundy script with One Night in Ravello. Clare and Matt knew better than anyone how much one could hold.