A Music-Led Wedding Weekend at Villa Cimbrone in Italy
Water. Music. Zero expectations. That's how Dafjola Bejleraj and Nader Karimi first crossed paths—at a summer boat party in Boston. It was a moment that set the tone for everything that followed. Dafjola is an Albanian dentist who crossed the Atlantic to pursue orthodontics in the U.S., while Nader is a fellow dentist of Persian heritage.
"I noticed him the second he walked in," Dafjola recalls. "By the end of the night, we hadn't stopped talking."
Years later, Nader took her to Paris and asked her to marry him. "I had no idea it was coming," she laughs. "He completely got me."
A Destination Wedding at Villa Cimbrone
When it came time to celebrate, Italy felt inevitable. Not just for the views—though the Amalfi Coast delivers those in spades—but for what a destination wedding offers: three days where the people you love most are all in one place, on vacation together, with nowhere else to be.
"We wanted everyone to actually know each other by the end," Dafjola explains. "Not just watch us get married, but share something real."
“What stays with me is the feeling—everyone we love, all in one place, dancing under the Amalfi stars until the very last song.”
The couple chose the clifftop Villa Cimbrone in Ravello as their wedding destination, and brought The Amalfi Experience on board to handle the planning, design, and production. What followed was a three-day celebration shaped by music and fashion, with Italy’s coast as a backdrop. The events were sun-soaked and playful at first, then candlelit and romantic, and finally an all-out party that ran right up to the cutoff point, ending with one last limoncello on the way out.
Welcome to Ravello
Dafjola and Nader kicked off their wedding festivities on the water—a nod to how they met. Guests boarded the Veliero Tortuga, a massive vintage yacht styled with lemon details, striped linens, and throw pillows in hues of blue, yellow, and pops of pink. The ambiance was pure Italian summer, and they sailed from Amalfi toward Nerano under the theme Tra Sole e Mare (Between Sun and Sea). Prosecco flowed. DJ Taba set the soundtrack for all three days and had the group dancing before the boat left the harbor.
Midday, the yacht docked at Ristorante Conca del Sogno for a long seaside lunch beneath the cliffs. Tables were set with vintage-inspired striped menus and handmade crochet lemon napkin rings. By the end of the meal, guests were on their feet, waving light blue napkins overhead in a tradition that felt equal parts Southern Italian and Albanian. Then came the restaurant's signature Sgroppino Show: a live sax player leading the charge, someone blowing a whistle like a football coach calling a play, and bright yellow guns spraying Prosecco over the couple.
"It set the tone for the whole weekend," Dafjola says. "Nobody left that boat as strangers. That was the whole point."
The next morning, before the sun fully rose, the couple slipped away for a private shoot along the coast. They'd rented two boats: a sleek Riva yacht for themselves, and a second for photographer Kiss Me in Paris and videographer Ray Roman to capture aerial drone footage. The morning was overcast—moody, cinematic—fog softening the coastline in a way clear skies never could. Toward the end, a light rain came. Rather than retreat, the couple leaned in. Shoes came off. They sang. They kissed in the rain as the camera kept rolling.
"That shoot will stay with us forever," Dafjola says. "We just let go and had fun."
That evening, the rehearsal dinner took over the family-owned Trattoria Da Lorenzo. The couple arrived in a vintage white Porsche convertible—top down, winding along the cliffs—while the Lemon Groove Quintet serenaded the waiting guests at the gate. For dinner, Dafjola wore a custom Sophie Couture gown paired with Aquazzura heels. Nader chose Tom Ford, beginning a weekend-long commitment to head-to-toe looks from the house.
The Wedding Day
Fashion anchored the weekend's visual arc. For the ceremony, the bride wore a custom couture gown by Ines Di Santo, paired with a cathedral-length veil and Jimmy Choo heels. Arber Bytyqi kept the bridal makeup glow-forward and clean, allowing the gown to lead. The groom complemented her look with a timeless Tom Ford tuxedo.
Guests gathered in Villa Cimbrone's Two Fountains Garden, overlooking the Mediterranean. A striking asymmetrical aisle drew the eye down the garden, with towering floral installations by Malafronte Fiori framing the ceremony. Hydrangeas were chosen in a spectrum of hues, from deep purple to soft lilac to blush pink to crisp white, mixed with cascading roses. The bride made her way down the aisle as Cody Fry's "Photograph" played.
After the ceremony, cocktail hour moved to the Infinity Terrace, where Viola Music Agency provided live strings as the sun dipped toward the horizon. The bar’s signature drink was a Pornstar Martini renamed "The Karimi's Cocktail." Guests then descended into the iconic Villa Cimbrone Crypt for a candlelit dinner. Medieval stone arches glowed warmly around them. Tables sat beneath the ancient arches, styled with pink and lilac linens, crystal-cut glassware, and tall candelabras. Butterfly-shaped escort cards by La Precisina greeted guests at the entrance, and die-cut menus featured a custom floral design. Dinner was bright and coastal: a mixed salad with walnuts, pear, and seasonal fruit dressed with honey and vinegar; ravioli with ricotta and lemon sauce; and a choice of herb-crusted sea bass with lemon mayonnaise or beef filet with tarragon jus.
"The Crypt was surreal," the bride says. "Stone arches, flickering candles, flowers everywhere, and this feeling that we'd stepped outside of time."
After dinner, guests were invited back to the garden where the ceremony had taken place—now re-set for dancing under the stars. Dafjola had changed into a custom Kim Kassas couture gown—bold, glamorous, and made for the dance floor. A towering custom cake by Sweetie Pie served as a focal point, standing 2.5 meters tall and encircled by hydrangeas in purples, pinks, and whites. Before the cutting, two dancers circled the couple in a Persian tradition, discontent with small bills until Nader produced hundreds. Laughter and cheers ensued, and the couple cut the cake as firework fountains erupted around them.
During the afterparty, DJ Taba pulled Persian and Western rhythms together until backgrounds dissolved and everyone danced as one. At one point, the bride was thrown meters into the air—an image that's still the talk of the weekend. They ran the clock to the very last second.
"We wouldn't have changed a thing," she says, looking back on the three days. "The minutes flew by so quickly. But what stays with me is the feeling—everyone we love, all in one place, dancing under the Amalfi stars until the very last song. That's what we wanted. That's what we got."
WEDDING TALENT
Location: Villa Cimbrone Ravello, Italy; Planning & Event Design: The Amalfi Experience, Amalfi, Italy; Floral Design: Malafronte Fiori, Ravello, Italy; Stationery: La Precisina, Catelfiorentino, Italy; Linen: Setup My Table, Sperone, Italy; Entertainment: Lemon Groove Quintet & Viola Music Agency; Italy; DJ: DJ Taba; Ceremony Dress: Ines Di Santo; Reception Dress: Kim Kassas Couture; Groom’s Attire: Tom Ford; Hair & Makeup: Arber Bytyqi, Alessandro Mancino Studios, Amalfi, Italy; Cinematography: Ray Roman Films; Photography: Kiss Me in Paris, Paris, France