The result was romantic, timeless, and entirely them.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Camryn and Ben are both Arizona natives, raised in the Valley, and though they grew up just miles apart, it was a series of parallel paths that ultimately brought them together. Camryn’s passion for volleyball took her to college in Corpus Christi, while Ben’s love of baseball led him to Omaha. After a year away from home, they each independently decided to return to Arizona and finish school closer to their roots. It’s one of those beautiful twists of fate that if either of them had stayed away just one year longer, their paths may never have crossed.
Today, Ben and Camryn call Scottsdale home, sharing their life with their two dogs, Bowzer and Remi, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first baby boy. The outdoors is at the heart of how they spend their time together. Ben is an avid golfer, and Camryn channels her creativity through thrifting, crafting, and catching up with the people she loves. Camryn is a free spirit at her core, always chasing new experiences and the next adventure, and Ben is right there with her every step of the way. Together they have explored Aruba, the Bahamas, Hawaii, Italy, France, Greece, Portugal, Costa Rica, Mexico, New York City, San Francisco, and beyond. Travel is not just something they enjoy; it is something they live, and a value they cannot wait to pass on to their children.
How/where/when did you meet and what were your first impressions?
Camryn and Ben met sophomore year of college through a circle of mutual friends. Though they attended rival schools, Camryn at U of A and Ben at ASU, it was a casual weekend visit to Tempe that brought them face to face for the first time at a small get-together with friends. The connection was immediate. Both felt the pull right away, though they kept things friendly for a while, until Camryn took matters into her own hands and slid into Ben’s DMs. From there, things moved naturally and beautifully, leading to a first kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve 2018 that made everything click into place. From that moment on, they never looked back.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you?
Long before she ever met Ben, Camryn had been quietly curating her dream wedding. She started her Pinterest board in high school, building a mood and a vision that was refined over the years with a clear and consistent aesthetic in mind. When it came time to find a venue, the couple had two non-negotiables: it had to be by the water, and it had to have historic character. The moment they laid eyes on Torre Normanna, the search was over.
Torre Normanna is the kind of place that does the work for you. With its multiple levels, ancient rock caves, sweeping sea views, and generations of deep family history woven into every stone, the venue was breathtaking on its own. Rather than compete with that beauty, the couple leaned into it. They kept décor intentionally minimal and let the natural surroundings take centre stage, layering in lush florals and fresh fruits to add vibrant, organic colour that felt perfectly at home in the Italian landscape. The result was romantic, timeless, and entirely them.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
The single best piece of advice the couple can offer is to invest in a great wedding planner, and to take the time to meet with a few before making that decision. Camryn and Ben found Martina through Camryn’s mother, and from their very first meeting together, before Italy was even decided on, it was clear she was the one. She came prepared and confident, ready to help them plan their dream wedding in any setting they had in mind, whether that ended up being Mexico, California, or Europe. For Camryn and Ben, finding Martina was nothing short of a godsend. The process started with monthly check-ins that moved to bi-weekly meetings as the wedding got closer, and through all of it, Martina was calm, organised, and genuinely loving. For how much went into planning a destination wedding in Italy, it was a low-stress experience, and that was entirely because of her. She came with a team of two other incredible women who were just as dedicated, and together they made sure every single detail was handled with care. Martina had a gift for working with vendors, getting them on board in a way that made the whole day flow effortlessly. She was graceful, professional, and sweet, never once putting pressure on the couple, always finding a way to meet and surpass every request they brought to her. She kept them organised, on track, and calm, not just on the wedding day itself, but throughout all the months of planning that led up to it. Planning a wedding abroad comes with its own unique set of challenges, and the fact that Martina spoke fluent Italian proved to be invaluable when it came to communicating with vendors, negotiating contracts, and making sure every detail was secured without anything lost in translation.
Beyond the planner, one of the most meaningful parts of the process for the couple was finding ways to personalise the experience for their guests. They brought small, thoughtful details from home, including custom napkins printed with their own handwritten love letters, along with bar signage and personal touches placed throughout the venue for guests to discover as the evening unfolded. Most meaningfully, Camryn and Ben hand-wrote a personal letter to every single guest, sharing specific memories, heartfelt words about why that person mattered to them, and a sincere thank you for making the journey to celebrate with them. The letters were placed for guests at the welcome party, and they immediately set the tone for the entire weekend. It was a celebration rooted entirely in love.
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
One of the great joys of choosing Torre Normanna was discovering that the venue came with something truly special built right in. The property doubles as a working restaurant, and the food was nothing short of extraordinary. Every pasta, pizza, seafood dish, appetiser, artisan cheese, and dessert was prepared entirely from scratch by the brothers who own and operate the venue. It was the kind of homemade, old-world cooking that you simply cannot replicate, and it became one of the most talked-about highlights of the entire weekend for guests.
On the floral side, the couple had the pleasure of working with Luciano Rizzi, whose talent and artistry brought Camryn’s carefully curated mood board to life in the most stunning way. Every flower she had envisioned was there, arranged beautifully and woven throughout the venue in a way that felt organic, lush, and completely true to her vision.
As for our unbiased favourite, photography. From the very first conversation, it was clear that Jorden was exactly the kind of photographer Camryn had been looking for. Camryn had always wanted a lifestyle photographer for the wedding, someone who could capture the real moments just as beautifully as the portraits, and when a mutual friend introduced her to his work, it just felt right. What made Jorden so special was not just his photography but his energy. He has this natural ability to blend into any environment and make everyone around him feel completely comfortable, guests included. He gave what he calls soft, and honestly pretty hilarious, nudges of creative direction during portraits that made everything feel natural and fun rather than stiff or posed. Even Ben, who is very much not a photo person, had a genuinely great time, and that really says it all. Across both the welcome dinner and the wedding day, Jorden and his team captured the love, the laughs, the tears, and all the magic in between in a way that still blows us away every time we look back at the photos.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
Camryn has always gravitated toward independent designers and small creative businesses, and her wedding wardrobe was no exception. With a very specific vision in mind for each look throughout the weekend, she found that working one-on-one with smaller artists was the only way to truly bring those ideas to life in the way she imagined them.
Ben’s inspiration came from a Ralph Lauren fashion show where a cream double-breasted suit caught his eye and immediately felt right for the occasion. He built his wedding day look around that vision. For the welcome dinner the evening before, he opted for something a touch more relaxed while still keeping the spirit of an Italian summer alive, wearing a cream linen suit paired with a tank top underneath and finished with a pair of loafers. Together, the couple’s looks for the entire weekend shared a common thread, effortless, warm, and deeply romantic, a vintage Italian summer brought to life through every outfit choice.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
Camryn has always felt a deep connection to the sea, so it came as no surprise that she chose a non-traditional path when it came to her wedding band, selecting a pearl and gold design that felt personal, timeless, and entirely her. For the engagement ring, Ben knew his girl well, choosing an oval-shaped diamond set in a thick gold band. Simple, elegant, and beautiful.
Ben’s wedding ring carries a story all its own. The ring belonged to his Poppy, his grandfather, who wore it for 40 years before he passed away. Ben always knew, long before he ever got engaged, that this was the ring he wanted on his finger when he got married. The only obstacle was that the main black onyx stone had developed a crack over the years. It was Camryn who came up with the perfect solution, suggesting they replace the stone with her birthstone, an amethyst, as a way of making the heirloom truly theirs together. Burland Jewelry Center brought the vision to life beautifully, setting the amethyst with a delicate gold halo to hold it securely in place and adding four small circular diamonds alongside it. What was already a deeply sentimental piece became something even more meaningful, a ring that now carries both of their stories.
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on?
From the very beginning, the guest experience was at the top of the couple’s priorities. They had always envisioned a destination wedding, not just as a celebration, but as an experience that would bring the people they love most together in a meaningful way for a few unforgettable days. Choosing Italy was a bold move, one that required their guests to step well outside of their comfort zones, and because of that, Camryn and Ben felt a deep responsibility to make every moment worth it. Torre Normanna delivered on that promise in every possible way. And while they had fully anticipated needing to stretch the budget for a venue of that calibre, they were pleasantly surprised to find it was quite reasonable compared to other venues along the Amalfi Coast.
Photography and videography were equally non-negotiable for us. Camryn had a very clear vision for what she wanted… candid, vintage, timeless, and finding someone who could actually deliver that, especially for a wedding in Italy, felt like a tall order. That’s when a good friend introduced Camryn to her incredibly talented brother, Jorden DeGaetano, and honestly, from the moment she saw his work, she just knew. Jorden shoots a lot of fashion and editorial, which gives his portraits this really beautiful and natural quality that is hard to find in traditional wedding photography. His energy across both days, the welcome dinner and the wedding day, made the whole experience so fun and easy. He and his team, Ian and Sierra, had this way of just blending in and capturing everything as it was actually happening without it ever feeling forced. On top of all of that, Jorden was incredibly gracious with his pricing and was able to offer a package that we both felt was more than worth every dollar. What Jorden and his Team gave us in the end was so far beyond what we expected, and we will honestly treasure those photos and film forever.
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
For Ben, there is one moment that he will live with him forever. Seeing Camryn appear at the top of the long stone staircase in her wedding dress, beginning her descent into the venue below, was something he could never have fully prepared for. He loved every second of watching her walk toward him, but more than anything, he just wanted her by his side.
The first dance is a moment both Camryn and Ben will carry with them always. It took place on a natural rock platform perched at the edge of the sea, with waves gently crashing around them as their family and friends looked on from the upper level and lined the staircase above. As if the setting alone were not enough, a soft rain began to fall, followed by a rainbow stretching across the sky, and their beloved weekend companion, a charming stray cat they had named Cheeto, made a perfectly timed appearance. It was the kind of moment you could never script.
To close out the celebration, the couple gathered everyone into the cave room at Torre Normanna, where the dancing carried on well into the early morning hours. The night ended the only way it could, with the entire bridal party running into the sea together as the sun began to rise.
What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you would like to share?
For Camryn and Ben, getting married represents something they have both quietly dreamed of for a long time: the beginning of their own family. They each grew up surrounded by close, loving families, and building that kind of life together has always been something they hoped for. Standing at the altar, encircled by the people who mean the most to them in the world, felt like the clearest and most beautiful confirmation that they were stepping into exactly the life they had always imagined.
The wedding was also a chance to stop and say thank you in a way that everyday life does not always allow. Every single person who was there had played a role in getting them to that day, whether that was loving them individually, supporting them as a couple, or simply showing up for them over the years. That meant everything to us. Being married means taking all of that love with you and building something beautiful with it, and that is exactly what Camryn and Ben plan to do.

LOCATION Torre Normanna, Maiori, Amalfi Coast, Italy, @ristorantetorrenormanna BRIDE Camryn, @camryn.lucia GROOM Ben, @rodenburg.lucia PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER Alexander Jorden, @alexanderjorden PLANNER Martina Di Napoli – Storia Mia Events, @storiamiaevents FLORIST Luciano Rizzi, @lucianorizzi
CAKE Sal De Riso, @salderiso
BOAT Capone Servizi Marittimi, @caponeservizimarittimi BRIDE’S ENGAGEMENT RING & WEDDING BAND Burland Jewelry Center, @burland_jewelry GROOM’S WEDDING BAND Groom’s grandfather’s wedding ring OTHER SIGNIFICANT JEWELLERY Earrings – Anthropologie, @anthropologie BRIDE’S WELCOME DINNER DRESS Custom Made – Éla Singleton Studios, @ela.singleton.studios BRIDE’S WEDDING DRESS Custom Made – Joan Dominique Bridal, @joandominiquebridal BRIDE’S EVENING OUTFIT Mini Silk & Lace Skirt from Depop, @depop BRIDE’S SHOES Steve Madden, @stevemadden BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Simple mini pearl earrings – Amazon, @amazon HAIR Suela Kernezo, @suela_kernezo MAKEUP Ieva, @ievas_makeup BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Chance Eau Tendre – Chanel, @chanelofficial GROOM’S WELCOME DINNER OUTFIT Custom fitted full linen suit – Indochino, @indochino; Tank top – Calvin Klein, @calvinklein GROOM’S WELCOME DINNER SHOES Off white sean tassel loafers – Walk London, @walklondonshoes GROOM’S WEDDING OUTFIT Custom fitted cream double breasted suit jacket – Nick’s Menswear, @nicksmenswear; Patrick flat wool dress pants – Jack Victor, @jackvictorofficial; Hank Slim Fit Bibbed Tuxedo Shirt – Boss, @boss GROOM’S SHOES Dante Patent Leather Derby – Magnanni, @magnanni GROOM’S OUTFIT STORE All except the jacket was purchased at Nordstrom, @nordstrom GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Ring & 24k Gold bracelet – Groom’s Grandfather’s; Black Onyx Cufflinks – Paul Fredrick GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Bleu de Chanel, @chanelofficial BRIDAL PARTY OUTFITS All dresses were purchased individually GIFT REGISTRY Zola, @zola
