wedding film
Hayley and Max travelled from the United States to Ravello for an intimate April celebration. Their Belmond Caruso wedding in Ravello brought together 26 of their closest family and friends for a day that unfolded between the Amalfi Coast and the hotel’s gardens. They spent part of the day on the water between Amalfi and Atrani, returning to the Caruso for their ceremony, dinner, and an evening beside the infinity pool.
Their wedding was small in guest count, although the scale and attention given to the experience were substantial. Planned by Happy Brides Weddings, the celebration made use of several areas of the hotel, with a string quartet accompanying the garden ceremony.
An intimate Belmond Caruso wedding in Ravello
The day began quietly at the hotel, with Hayley and Max getting ready separately before meeting for their first look in one of the shaded patios. Max’s reaction when he saw Hayley in her wedding dress was immediate. He looked at her, visibly surprised, and simply told her how beautiful she looked.
Later that morning they travelled down from Ravello to Amalfi for a private boat trip. A vintage Riva took them along the coast with Amalfi and Atrani behind them, giving them time on the water before returning to the mountain for the ceremony.
The excursion had been something they particularly wanted to include in the day. From Ravello, the coast is experienced from high above the sea; from the boat, the towns appear stacked vertically against the cliffs. Both became part of the visual memory of their wedding.
Private vows before the ceremony
One of the most personal moments happened away from the ceremony itself. Hayley and Max had written private vows in two small booklets and exchanged them together before joining their guests.
Their words moved between affection and the ordinary details of knowing someone well: late-night butter sandwiches, checking whether a curling iron had been left plugged in, their first date at Red Robin and life with their dog. Max ended with a Winnie-the-Pooh quotation about wanting to live one day less so that he would never have to live without her.
Hayley laughed through the emotion before realising she had started to cry. They looked at each other and exchanged a quick “I love you.” Max then said, “Let’s go get married.”
Those few seconds open their wedding film. Their reactions felt completely natural, which says quite a lot about them as a couple. They were affectionate and playful throughout the day without ever appearing conscious of performing for the camera.
A ceremony overlooking the Amalfi Coast
Guests descended the long staircase towards the Caruso Garden while a string quartet played below. Hayley followed with her father, and Max became visibly emotional as he watched her approach the aisle.
Her brother Chad officiated the symbolic ceremony, with the mountains and coastline towards Maiori and Minori filling the background. The garden faces east, and during an afternoon ceremony the light can move from direct sun into shade quite quickly as the sun disappears behind Ravello. On this April afternoon the ceremony began in bright light and ended with the garden considerably softer.
Cocktails followed in the same garden. During the later part of the aperitivo, Hayley and Max spent a few minutes by the infinity pool, where the evening light had reached the mountains opposite the hotel. It was one of the simplest parts of the day and produced some of its strongest images.
Dinner was held at one long table in the Gli Ulivi garden, with two family speeches between courses. Later everyone moved back towards the pool for the cake cutting, first dance and parent dances before the party began.
With just 26 guests, Hayley and Max’s wedding felt entirely at home in the gardens and terraces of Belmond Caruso. There is something distinctive about celebrating in Ravello, high above the Amalfi Coast, with the villages and sea stretching out below. At the Caruso, the setting becomes part of the experience without demanding attention at every moment. From the garden ceremony to dinner beneath the trees and the evening gathering by the infinity pool, the day moved naturally between spaces, while remaining personal throughout.
For more films and firsthand work in the area, visit my Ravello Wedding Videographer portfolio or explore weddings across the Amalfi Coast.
