Inside: An Ethereal Summer Wedding On The Amalfi Coast The Wedding Edition

The Story

The story of our Italian wedding began when we met in Hong Kong 7 years ago. Though Thibault is part of the Eiffel family we’ve always teased that the Eiffel Tower would be the cheesiest place to propose. During the pandemic when we were in France, he brought me up to the tower on a random Thursday evening into a private salon—I thought it was just a fun tour—and he said, “Wouldn’t this be a great place to propose?” I laughed because I thought he was referring to our inside joke, but then I turned to see him on one knee, holding a ring he had chosen with his parents. It truly was the last place on earth I thought he’d do it, so kudos to him.

Venue

We chose the Amalfi Coast for our Italian Wedding because we wanted to be by the water. Our brilliant wedding planner Magdalena of All Things Beautiful Weddings found a gorgeous little villa with its own private cliffside. The entire bridal party stayed in the house and the sprawling property allowed us to have the ceremony and reception in different areas.

Our welcome dinner the night before was held on the panoramic terrace of the Grand Hotel Tritone. The poolside brunch was at the same wedding villa where our guests later sauntered down to water and went cliff jumping.

Fashion

My wedding day dress included a custom cape by London-based couture house Khyeli. I wanted something romantic, fashion-forward but also timeless. My Chinese Tea Ceremony dress was a custom piece by my brilliant friend and couturier Robert Wun. Thibault’s tux was made-to-order Dunhill and his shoes were Magnanni. My something blue was a small square of my late father’s tie sewn into my dress by my superstar bridesmaid Kellye.

Jewellery

Alighieri baroque pearl earrings. My wedding band is from the Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti collection. Thibault’s is from De Beers.

Bridal Party

My bridesmaids all wore different ready-to-wear dresses from the likes of De La Vali and AZ Factory x Thebe Magugu. I wanted them all in citrusy colours but in styles that suited each of their personalities. I gifted them each a pair of white earrings from Rebecca de Ravenel to wear, as well as monogrammed Olivia von Halle silk robes. They also got custom basket bags from Poolside that have an amalgamation of Thibault and my last names, “L’Aiffel.”

Transportation

We had cars picking up and dropping off guests around the coast from company Sorrento Silverstar. Shoutout to Luisa and Massimo who were absolute rock stars for taking care of us all weekend.

Tablescape

We wanted an ethereal aesthetic that had subtle nods to our respective cultures and personal history throughout. For example, the first trip we took together as a couple was to a tiny village in Vietnam called Hoi Ahn, where they’re known for making lanterns, so we had some white ones flown in for our reception area. Our escort cards were also designed after mahjong tiles.

Food & Drink

We had custom cocktails with names that again reflected either our heritage or us as a couple, like Double Happiness (Moscow Mule with pear) or Amalfi Spritz (a limoncello spritz). Because my father-in-law is from Bordeaux, he takes wine very seriously and brought in French red wine for the reception. And finally, our cake was definitely a highlight of the meal—an airy pistachio tiramisu that had everyone coming back for seconds and thirds.

Entertainment

I walked down the aisle to “The First of May” by the Bee Gees because it was my late father’s favourite song and I wanted to feel like he was walking with me. And our first dance was to “You Are The Sunshine of My Life” by Frank Sinatra because it’s a song Thibault and I sing to each other often.

Beauty Regime & Wellness

My pre-wedding treatments involved a lot of sculpting and buccal massages from Guendalina (The Skin Sculptor in Nottinghill) and Iris (from Dr. David Jack). But most importantly I felt I was in good hands thanks to my dream hair stylist Ross Kwan and makeup artist Gabbie Lee, who are also my sweet friends.

Favourite wedding gifts

Per Chinese tradition, during the Tea Ceremony where the bride and groom serve tea to elders on both sides of the family, the elders gift gold in return, so we were very fortunate to have been given some beautiful gold heirlooms.

Honeymoon

We went to Sardinia on our mini moon, just to have a few days to relax and decompress. We later went on our official honeymoon in South Africa on safari with Singita. It was the most magical experience of our lives so far.

Advice

Bring your dress with you no matter what, ideally hand-carry it
Do not allow anything to take away from you enjoying your wedding weekend. It could help to designate a bridesmaid or groomsman to be the point of contact for any emergencies rather than deal with issues yourself on the day.
If you’re planning am Italian wedding on the Amalfi Coast (or anywhere that can be tricky to get to) be aware there may be external logistical costs like porterage fees you’d need to include in your budget.