I belong to the old generation, I have to admit it!

When I first had the news from Boyana, the bride, that "we" had been published on Harper's Bazaar Bride  Australia I could not hide my enthusiasm and my children, 13 and 20 years old, were staring at me like I was from a different planet!
They find everything on the internet any time they want but at their age, I used to wait 6 days or months to get the new edition of my favourite magazine!

And the smell of the printed paper? Let's talk about ...
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A symbolic ceremony is a popular option when you are going to get married in a foreign country - it helps you saving the time and money that you would spend to get the necessary paperwork and translation.

Here are a few steps to follow to build up a perfect marriage ceremony:

1. Choose your celebrant. If you hire a pro, stop reading and rely on him/her!
2. Choose the style of the wording - formal, informal
3. Choose the music



1. The celebrant
A p...
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Let's begin from here - this photo by Francesco Gravina won an award in an international contest in the category Bride Portrait




Tegan and Gabriel will stay forever in my heart.
There was something special about them from the very beginning.

The first contact came from Gabriel, which sometimes happen - I mean the groom enquiring. But then usually the big organization work goes through the bride. Not with them!

However, Gabriel was so focused to make everything special for Tegan that he missed one...
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Dora and Marco are Italians. They live in London and have two wonderful children. Dora comes from Puglia and when she first called me she was looking for the right venue to feel back home on her wedding day.



The easy country mood was what she had in mind but with style, the Italian style.
Masseria Lama di Coccaro was the best pick, the place is amazing and the charming owner Marialuce is the perfect lady of the house. The interior design is stunning and artworks decorate the oudoor area.



The pat...
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When Laura first emailed me, I was thrilled! His brother Daniel got married with my help in October 2013, when I met the whole family except Laura, who was working in Australia and could not make it.
I was really honored that this nice family was entrusting me with another wedding.

The challenge was proposing the country style again but with a different approach!
Daniel got married at Ostuni Town Hall, Laura in an olive grove and I had the pleasure to officiate.

 

Daniel's tablescape was classic, ...
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Take a charming couple, different cultures and traditions from Australia, Bulgaria and Canada, two stunning masseria in Puglia, mix, shake and see what you get!



This brave couple has chosen Puglia for their wedding having never been here before.
Their wedding has been an exciting challenge from the very first day Boyana wrote me.


It took 8 months hard work, long emails and skype calls to plan a 3 day party with some very special requests:

1. No flowers for decorations, except the bride's bouquet....
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Last May this exquisite couple got married in Martina Franca on the day of my 19th anniversary and I really enjoyed the day!
Two different worlds met here Jacqueline's England and Giorgio's Italy, two families merged into a new one.



The temperature was perfect but a rain shower right before the ceremony made us move to the plan B. The original location was the amphitheatre in the gardens of the reception venue, we moved to the adjacent portico.



A violinist accompanied the ceremony that was celeb...
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My heart is still full of joy for this stunning couple, who got married last October in a cloudy day full of romanticism.



Cristina's first enquiry arrived on May 31st 2014. It was my wedding anniversary and I was coordinating Jacqueline and Giorgio's wedding ..... quite a busy day!!
We met for the the first time on June 9th for a long Venue Tour to select the reception venue and ever since we've had an exciting time planning the wedding! 320 emails and hundreds of whatsapp messages and pinteres...
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September is a magic month to get married in Puglia.
Blue sky, 25 degrees, terrific sunset!

A small wedding with an intimate atmosphere and a vintage mood inspired by the bride’s dress.

It is only a ten-minute walk from the venue to the ceremony location in the ancient courtyard of Ostuni Town Hall, where the Mayor celebrated and toasted with the newlyweds at the nearby bar in the main square. 


The audience was a party of old men that contributed happily to give a vintage look to some of th...

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Ashley and Joshua are from Los Angeles, California and have chosen Ostuni for their wedding day.
It was during Easter week, an unusually rainy week with 17°C that could not stop everybody's excitement for the forthcoming event!


A long wedding week end starting from Thursday with a guided tour for all guests to Grotte di Castellana and a light dinner with wine tasting in a local Enoteca.

On the Friday the party visited Polignano a mare and Alberobello, ending the day at the rehearsal dinner in o...
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Flowers decorating the ceremony and the reception contribute massively to characterize the mood you are creating for your guests.

You may choose to follow a leitmotiv going throughout the day, from the ceremony to the reception, or create two different moments according to the peculiarities of the locations you have chosen, Church/Town Hall and reception venue. This is the case when you are getting married in a monumental church of a big city but inviting your guests to party at a beach venu...

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Puglia is the heel of Italy, also called Apulia by foreigners - the land of olive trees, Trulli houses and Masserie

The best extra virgin olive oil in the Mediterranean area comes from the centuries-old trees and the red soil of this region.

This is the only place in the world where you find Trulli houses, ancient dry stone constructions with cone-shaped roofs that were used in the past as temporary field shelters and storehouses or as permanent dwellings. Many of them have whitewashed Chri...

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When we talk about confetti in Italy, we do not mean those small pieces or streamers of paper usually thrown during celebrations, that we call coriandoli.  

In the Italian language confetti  are sugar coated almonds offered to guests during all personal celebrations from birth to Phd graduation parties but especially for weddings. In ancient Roman times confetti, which is the plural of the world confetto from Latin confectum, were grains and only later small sweets. They were thrown to wish go...

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Town Hall’s fees for Civil Marriages in Italy vary according to the day of the week you pick for your wedding.

Monday
unpopular – good rates

Traditionally barbers and hairdressers’ day off is on Mondays and Italians use to say that only barbers get married on this day of the week. Rather snobbish but true – no Italians get married on Mondays unless they are barbers!

Tuesday
unpopular – good rates

There is a popular proverb in Italy saying: “never marry and travel on Tuesdays and...

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The planning of your wedding starts with choosing the date.

Many couples wish to marry in the day they first met or in the day they declared their love. If you don’t have such a wish, remember that the selection of the date can significantly affect the costs of your wedding up to 20%

Choosing the season

Summer is the most popular season: from June to September wedding venues are quite busy in Italy. No need to say that a strong demand increases costs. If you’re coming to Italy forget ...

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All of us have been dreaming of it for ages and when the day comes, a few hours and it’s gone! But what an unforgettable day!

Before talking about how to select the right one for you, I’d like to draw your attention on two very interesting stylists. Their wedding gowns are for unconventional brides, no mass-production.

The first one is perfect for a shabby chic wedding.

The second one  for a neoclassic wedding .

Both will surprise your guests with something nobody would expect!       ...

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You have decided to go for a wedding planner. Good!

You have selected a number of agencies and professional wedding planners. Good!

How to evaluate the WP’s expertise?

• Visit his/her website; it will give you an idea of his/her personal tastes.
  
• Send an e-mail. If they answer later than 24 hours, it is a bad sign…. a very bad sign!
  
• Arrange a meeting and study their look, attire and approach. These will give you lots of clues. He/she will be with you on your wedding day, so has to be nice ...

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This is my corner at a stunning catwalk organized by Idea Sposa, a huge atelier for brides and grooms in San Vito dei Normanni, a town 10 minutes from Ostuni.

If you are marrying in a foreign country, consider buying your wedding dress on site in order to have assistance in the days before the wedding.

In Italy the best ateliers have their own dressmakers who can make changes to your dress even the day before the wedding (many brides loose weight in the last month!)

If you're British, remember t...
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Many couples believe that with a big company, offering tested packages, their event will be a success. It will! All weddings are a success, unless the bride runs away from the church or the groom doesn’t show up! So, what’s the difference between a big company and a freelance wp?

Big companies give you the certainty of packages tested over and over again but your wedding will be like many others! Moreover, you’ll pay the company for the service and, without even realizing it, you’ll pa...

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He proposed and you said YES, I DO!

And now you’re wondering if you’re able to manage the organization of the big day and any other pre-wedding event you’d like to share with the people you love.

“Do we need a WP?”

1 -If you both work and want to marry in a foreign country, the WP can really help you. You will save time, money and stress and the WP cost will be worth it! About 250 working hours are necessary to organize a wedding.

2- If you have plenty of time, definite ideas and negoti...

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