Elevated Simplicity in Puglia

Photography by Monica Leggio for Assem & Bruno.

Hidden behind the whitewashed walls of Puglia’s Masseria Moroseta, Assem and Bruno’s wedding explored the inimitable allure of European minimalism. Think layered linens and flickering candles, bespoke styling that played off the muted colourway of the Apulian horizon.

Adorned in a custom gown crafted from the finest Italian silk, Assem exchanged vows with Bruno as the villa’s olive trees danced in the sea breeze. As the couple wandered through orchards, guests basked in the afternoon sun, mingling in the limestone courtyard as aperitivo was served.

As dusk set in, brass votives were filled with candles and grouped on stairwells and table tops. Grey linens were set with King White Proteas and dried figs, as hand-scripted menus told of the feast that was to come…

Photography by Monica Leggio.

Our Story

Names / Assem & Bruno

Wedding Date / June 3, 2017

Guest Numbers / 120

Budget / $90,000 USD

How we met…

The evening we met, one of my girlfriends had actually forced me to go out with her for a drink. By chance, we met an old friend (we were all studying together at Bocconi University in Milan some years before) who happened to be with Bruno.

For me and Bruno, it was love at first sight. We spent the night dancing together and having so much fun. We will be forever grateful to our friends Sabrina and Ricardo for giving us such a beautiful (and accidental!) gift.

Our Engagement Story…

We were on holiday in Formentera, Spain. After a day spent on the beach Bruno took me to a hidden nature reserve to watch the sunset. On our way, we stopped by a supermarket, bought some beers and rode our motorcycle through the magnificent landscapes of the island. Once we arrived, we had the aperitivo surrounded by picturesque rocks. We were alone and it felt very peaceful.

He started with sharing his feelings towards me and concluded that he would be the happiest man alive if he could spend the rest of his life together with me. He knelt down and proposed.

When he showed me the ring, a pink gold solitaire diamond-encrusted with a brown diamond, I was totally surprised how it perfectly fit with the golden rocks with every kind of pink and brown undertones, especially under the reflection of the setting sun.

Of course, I said yes! I will cherish that moment forever.

Marriage to us means…

It is a journey to sweeten our days together.

The Details

Location

Masseria Moroseta, Ostuni, Apulia.

I am from Kazakhstan, Bruno is from Brazil and we live in Switzerland. Everybody kept asking us why Apulia, Italy then? Even our parents were very puzzled.

It started from my passion for discovering niche design places and I found Masseria Moroseta on Welcome Beyond by selecting the keyword “Wedding & Event venues”.

After our first visit we fell in love with this reinterpreted Masseria (farmhouse). It was recently built combining local techniques and materials with modern architecture. It is surrounded by centennial olive trees, among which our ceremony took place. We fell in love with its sophistication and its capacity of maintaining a rural simplicity at the same time. We also adore the Apulia region itself, its food and its people.

Style

The style of our wedding was characterized by rustic minimalism filled with folk details inspired by the Apulian culture and modern sophistication.

Photography

Our wedding was captured by Monica Leggio. Her pictures are simple, kind and intense. When looking for a photographer I jumped into her personal Instagram account where she posted some shots of her trips around Italy and its villages; they were like vintage postcards of the good old days. She perfectly captured the local atmosphere with a narrative and nostalgic touch which aroused emotions in me. That is why we entrusted Monica to capture our special day.

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

I knew I wanted something simple yet refined for my wedding dress. I work in fashion as a buyer for my mother’s multi-brand store in Lugano and I was looking for a dress that would have reflected my personal style and taste.

After trying many dresses in different stores, I decided to take a risk and make it tailor made. I asked my mother’s friend who is a great tailor and owner of La Nuova Sartoria in Lugano, to sew it for me.

By coincidence, at the very same time one of my best friends and bridesmaid introduced me to the owner of Taroni, the silk company based in Como since 1880, who supplied me with the finest satin silk.

Step by step, imagining which shape would fit me best, we designed the perfect dress for me. I wanted to look romantic, timeless yet fashionable, concentrating more on volumes and shapes rather than on small details.

Bridesmaids’ Dresses

I did not want to force my bridesmaids to wear same the dresses. All of them are one of a kind and they have different shapes and also different taste. I wanted each of them to feel special that day and we just opted for one color: white, which was perfect with the venue.

Wedding Rings

My engagement ring comes from a very special jewelry store based in Lugano, called Rondina. It is my favorite jewelry boutique ever! My mother actually helped my husband to design the ring since she knows I love timeless but singular pieces.

Our wedding rings are a precious present from my husband’s best friend Paolo, whose family owns a jewelry store in Genoa, Italy called Arigiò.

Accessories

My earrings were from Celine, baroque turquoise and brass with gold finishing in cultured pearls.

My husband was wearing personalized gold cufflinks with our names engraved, on one hand Assy and the other Bruno by Bucherer. It was a present from my stepfather to him for the wedding.

Groom’s Attire

Bruno was wearing a grey suit tailored made with Ermenegildo Zegna fabric, a grey Hermés tie, Bucherer cufflinks and Church’s shoes.

Groomsmen’s Attire

They all wore a blue suit and a blue Hermes tie, which was my husband’s present for them as a souvenir of our wedding and as thanks for their support.

Hair

Simply natural, down curled with soft waves to feel comfortable and free.

Makeup

I loved my makeup. I was worried I would not recognize myself, that it would become too heavy on me. But my make-up artist went beyond my expectations. I really loved my look that that day.

Style Notes

Stationery

Invitations and menu by Shhh My Darling and the seating plan was supplied by my wedding planner.
The overall style of our stationery was minimal yet very romantic and sweet; handwritten with light grey watercolor on a soft milk paper, perfectly fitting the atmosphere, warm and intimate.

Favors

Masseria Moroseta is a producer of organic olive oil and we wanted our guests to be able to bring it home and taste it. Together with Carlo, the owner of masseria we customized a 100ml bottle so that our guests were allowed to bring it by plane. And of course, Italian confetti was involved!

Flowers & Bouquet

Flowers were curated by a very talented Angelica from Flower Addicted. My bouquet was a composition of white proteas, it was very simple yet sophisticated.

Bridal

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Wedding Planner

Flavia Robbe, Event Wedding Planner. She is from Lecce.

We were introduced to Flavia Robbe by Carlo from Masseria Moroseta. I was initially very diffident towards the people we were starting to work with for our wedding, I was afraid they would not understand the specific taste and requests we would have had. Since we wanted something refined and in line with the location I had to be sure that our wedding planner would understand that we were not in front of a traditional Masseria and that our guests are very cosmopolitan and from all over the world. She understood us perfectly and did an incredible job. Everything was to the highest standard. Every single vendor she supplied was exactly what we wanted and beyond.

Videography

Jeremie from The Quirky. I liked his approach to photography from his past videos, he is capable of capturing subjects from a different perspective. His videos are very contemporary and fresh.

Reception Notes

Ceremony & Reception Décor

Overall the décor was inspired by the Apulian traditions; I would say rustic chic. We had hale bale benches and the aperitivo décor was in the style of an Italian market where we had mozzarellas made live for our guests and a fresh fish stall.

Our dinner table was decorated with dried fruits, figs, grapes, head of protea flowers in brass bowls and many candles small and tall in brass and concrete candleholders. This mix was perfectly inserted in the minimalist white courtyard of Masseria Moroseta.

Cake

A classic Italian fruit tart that has been decorated live in front of our guests as entertainment. It was the work of the very talented pastry chef from Nazionale Ristorante, Lecce.

Wedding Song

During the ceremony Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley’s version) was performed live by Rodrigo, Bruno’s brother, who actually is a professional singer. It was his wedding present for us so it was special.

Me and Bruno first danced under the notes of Cheek to Cheek by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Our entrance to the dinner was along the song of Florence and The Machine, You’ve Got The Love.

Food & Beverage

We had amazing food supplied by Ristorante Nazionale from Lecce. The menu was impeccable, the ingredients were very fresh and the presentation was very curated. I loved especially the tableware (my other passion) in grey tones that under the light of the candles was warming the atmosphere.

Il Nazionale Ristorante curated the aperitivo, dinner and cake. After midnight they served homemade orecchiette, a typical pasta dish from Apulia. I still dream of going back to Lecce to taste again their food.

We had an open bar, from the very charming and entertaining guys from Quanto Basta bar from Lecce. They created personalized cocktails especially for our wedding along with classic cocktails with a twist.

Entertainment

At the aperitivo we had musicians playing live Bossanova and Jazz music.

At the party we had a very talented singer, named Quinze, performing mowtown music.

The disco was led by Dj Kokko from Apulia with whom we built a playlist. He mixed the songs perfectly and made everyone dance, me especially.

Special Details

Honeymoon

Mexico on the road spending last days by the seaside in Tulum.

Celebrant

Our celebrant was a very special person to our family. She was my auntie and was a very creative person. She actually had been working as a wedding planner in Dubai. After having been diagnosed with cancer, she was forced to come back home and luckily for us she still had the energy to help us with our wedding.

Naturally, we asked her to be our celebrant; she was perfect. She delivered such a touching speech and it will be forever a sweet memory in our hearts. After some months she passed away.

Source of Inspiration

Instagram, Vogue Weddings, videos on Youtube. And The Lane of course, the best source of inspiration for me!

A memorable moment…

Being walked down the aisle by my father and my stepfather together, who met for the first time at our wedding, 20 years since my parents divorced.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

The day flies by so fast and you’ll want to relive it again and again. This is why photos and videos are so important. It’s also a good idea to ask your friends and relatives to share their images with you too!

If I could give Brides-To-Be one piece of advice…

To all the future brides – I would advise to delegate as much as you can and concentrate on yourselves, it’s your day, make yourself comfortable and enjoy!