Welcome Dinner
Sam and Florian chose for their wedding one of the most beautiful places in the world: Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. The four-day experience they designed with Haley from One Era was built around the character of the place itself: its charm, its authenticity and its traditions, woven together with exceptional elegance.
Before the first evening began, each guest received a printed cotton-paper accordion folder describing the full four-day programme, with custom illustrations and a blind-embossed ornament on the cover. Inside, alongside the schedule, were pace yourself cards: printed guides with illustrations showing how best to pace drinks and coffee across each day. A small, considered detail that looked after the guests before the celebration had even begun.
The first evening began at Bar Il Panino, an authentic local bar in the village square of Ravello. Guests were invited to feel like they were on holiday, to discover the local culture, the food, the flavours of the coast. A traditional band played, there was dancing, and the atmosphere was warm and unhurried. The details made it feel entirely of this place.
The stationery followed that same intention: authentic to the surroundings, but refined. The menus were printed double-sided, one side featuring a custom-painted frame with a minimalist font, the other a hand-painted illustration of Villa Eva by Tetiana Koda. Presented tucked into lemons, they set the tone immediately. Food signage followed the same direction, with small standing cards carrying a matching frame and clean lettering. A bar sign printed on foil was applied directly onto a large round lamp, becoming part of the setting rather than an addition to it. Everything felt like it belonged to Ravello and to the evening.
Wedding Day
The wedding day took place at Villa Eva, entirely outdoors, with views over the Mediterranean that set the tone before a single word was spoken. The ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner each had their own character, while the visual identity held consistently across all three.
During the ceremony, fans were placed on the chairs, each with hand-calligraphed lettering and a silk ribbon naturally dyed to match the deep green of the identity. Practical in the Amalfi heat and beautiful in the setting.
At the cocktail hour, a cotton fabric bar sign hung from the bar, printed in the same green and the same typeface as the rest of the identity. The caviar and champagne bar had its own menu, printed on deep green paper in white ink, set into an ornamental frame that matched the cart it was displayed on.
For dinner, the menus were among the most technically refined pieces of the project. Each was made from duplex cotton paper, two 600gsm sheets bonded together to create a 1200gsm card of exceptional weight and presence. One side carried the menu text in letterpress, printed in deep green, combining a minimal typeface with Art Deco references. The reverse featured a blind-embossed ornamental motif with an embossed frame, into which individual guest name cards were inset. The format was A5, large enough to carry the detail, balanced enough to sit well on the table.
The seating chart was printed on 100% cotton fabric in the same typeface as the menus and integrated directly into the dinner décor on the terrace. Surrounded by draped fabric and hanging flowers, it became part of the setting rather than an element placed within it.
Food cards were designed as custom Art Deco illustrated frames with ornamental borders and florals, with dish names printed in both English and German for the international guest list. Table numbers were applied to ceramic tiles with the same ornamental detail as the rest of the identity.
The welcome sign was printed in the same green on foam board, chosen for its ability to stand independently and travel well, with no compromise to the visual language.
For the late party, the word PIZZA was applied letter by letter onto round lamps, each character individual, the result typographic and playful without breaking the aesthetic.
BEACH DAY
The third day was spent at One Fire Beach Club, reached by private boat. Good food, good company and the Amalfi Coast at its most itself
Sam and Florian are an international couple based in the United States, and their celebration reflected that: multilingual, internationally planned and filled with details that showed care for every guest who had travelled to be there. Working across cultures, across languages and across the specific logistical demands of the Amalfi Coast made this project one of the most layered we have worked on.
We are grateful to Haley and the One Era team for the trust and the collaboration throughout. It was a pleasure, as always. ♥
— Aleksandra Popow
the couple Sam & Florian
planning ONE ERA Events & Design in collaboration with Marrybylen
venue Villa Eva, Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
photos TAYLOR & PORTER
flowers Evelina Florencedate July 9–13, 2024
