That’s when the idea of going away somewhere to figure it out, just us, came up. An ‘engagement-moon’, if you will. It’s not something I’d ever really heard of before, but a quick skim through some bridal websites confirmed that it’s a ‘thing’ to get away sometime soon after you get engaged. It felt like a good way to properly mark the moment, recapture some of that initial euphoria, and talk about our plans before we get bogged down in the realities of marquee styles and floral budgets. Flying off into the sunset might feel like running away from responsibilities, so it’s a luxury that depends on your timeline, not to mention budget – with a wedding on the horizon, splashing out might not feel right, or even possible.
If it does, you’d be hard pushed to find a more romantically immersive destination than Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, on the Amalfi Coast. High up among the clouds in Ravello, it’s a surreally beautiful place, surrounded by citrus groves with cinematic views of the sea below from every angle. It’s the type of spot that naturally induces the giddiness of getting engaged, helped along by Amalfi lemon spritzes in the hotel’s Adagio Bar and long, languid evenings spent over tasting menus at Il Pantaleone restaurant.
In Ravello in June, romance is everywhere. Terraced gardens sprawl out like bridal bouquets – blush-pink hydrangeas blooming, the first of the season’s agapanthus beginning to burst from their buds, heady jasmine trailing along every surface. One night, we met a couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary; the next, we caught glimpses of an intimate ceremony on a cliff-front terrace from our balcony. Back at home, I’d started to find weddings inescapable, suffocated by an Instagram algorithm steadily serving up intimidating tablescapes and 10-minute arm-toning routines. But with a little space, the gentler reminders started to become exciting again.
