For Nora Luongo of Elizabeth and Joe Bexiga of Colonia, a blowout party in New Jersey just wasn’t their idea of the perfect wedding. “Joe and I are both pretty laid-back people and we knew from the start that we didn’t want a typical, big-bash-style wedding,” says Nora. “My parents are both from Italy, and Joe’s family is Portuguese, and we both love the area, and the idea of something more rustic and intimate in the Mediterranean seemed perfect.”

So they decided on the breathtaking coast of Amalfi, Italy, for their September 19, 2007, date. The location was the Hotel Luna Convento, a former monastery that dates back to the Middle Ages, which was perfectly perched on a cliff offering phenomenal views.

About 45 people attended, including Nora’s extended family in Italy. The wedding party was just the best man and Nora’s sister and sister-in-law as bridesmaids. Local and rustic was the theme, along with the colors blue and yellow: from the invitations that Nora designed using paper made in Amalfi (she’s a graphic designer) to the flowers to the favors to even the cake, which was an enormous lemon specialty of the hotel’s.

Nora worked with two wedding planners in Amalfi who helped her coordinate everything. “They even found a place that made the ceramic espresso cups I wanted as favors based on a photo I’d sent,” says Nora. “They made it really easy.”

Rather than book the big cathedral in Amalfi, Nora and Joe chose to get married in the hotel’s small chapel, with the reception following. Since the hotel had restrictions on loud music, they had a guitar/mandolin duo, and Nora’s grandfather even joined in with the singing. After dinner and cake, everyone enjoyed espresso and limoncellos in the courtyard in classic Italian style.

For Nora and Joe it was the perfect start to their lives together. “Being in such a beautiful place so close to where my parents grew up,” says Nora, “surrounded by so much history, eating amazing food, and sharing it with our families and some of our oldest and closest friends.” It was so memorable that there’s even talk of a return trip for their five-year anniversary.

After an extended honeymoon in Italy and Portugal, Nora and Joe are now at home in Summit.