A Poetic Fall Wedding in Puglia, Italy

Photography by The Saums.

Amidst the terracotta terrain of Puglia, Italy, through a sinuous aisle of soft florals, Jamie and Lee wed under a bespoke Chuppah. Cascading fabric and delicate strands of blooms, the ceremony echoed the quintessential Italian hues with notes of the couple’s personality.

Enveloped by the imposing stone walls of the Masseria Grieco, parallel rows of communal tables were adorned with vintage-esque crystal, hand painted candles, and elegantly arranged florals in earthen vases, for the reception

The bride’s silver Savin London gown emerged with unexpected whimsy, yet paired perfectly with every chosen detail of this Italian wedding.

The wedding was artfully captured by The Saums.

Our Story

Names / Jamie & Lee

Location / Ostuni, Italy

Wedding Date / September 6, 2022

Guest Numbers / 86

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How We Met

We met in February of 2017 on not one, but two dating apps (Hing & JSwipe). Coincidentally we both went to the same university and although we never crossed paths, we had several mutual friends including Lee’s cousin. Our first date was at a bar called the Social Study in San Francisco, and the rest is history!

Our Engagement Story

Living in San Francisco together, we often spent the weekends outside of the city hiking and exploring. So, when it came to getting engaged it only felt right to do so at the top of one of our favorite hikes, Mt. Tam. One weekend during the height of covid (November 2020), we went for what was our usual Saturday hike, stopping to pick up our favorite sandwiches on the way. Lee hid a bottle of champagne in his backpack…along with the ring… and popped the question at the top of the mountain. We loved celebrating this moment just us two in our favorite place.

What we love most about each other…

We love that we’re both adventurous and driven people with similar interests and values. We’re always up for traveling to new places, exploring new parts of London (where we’re currently living), and meeting new people.

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The Setting

Wedding Location

We chose to get married in Puglia because of the beautiful setting, amazing food and culture. With our passion for travel and exploring new places, we loved the idea of bringing our friends and family to a location that would be new for all of us. Yes, that’s right, we chose Puglia without ever having been there before.

Another thing we loved about Puglia were all of the massieras and how they so beautifully intertwined with the landscapes of the region. It was a picture perfect setting for our wedding.

Aesthetic

Our inspiration for the aesthetic was the unique Apulian style that we fell in love with! We wanted to keep everything effortlessly chic, letting the nature and the beauty of the masseria shine. It was important to us that everything felt personal and organic, yet still sophisticated and fun. We leaned into the natural warm tones of the surrounding environment but brought in some more funky elements to make it feel like us!

Photography

We cannot give enough credit to The Saums for the amazing work they did during our entire wedding weekend! Not only are the photos absolutely incredible, both Pia and Chris are exceptionally warm people who we can now call our friends. From our initial conversation with them we knew they were the right fit for us. They understood our vibe immediately, and that we wanted the big and small moments of the weekend captured candidly.

Videography

We used Luno Films for our wedding videographers, and they were a dream to work with. They partnered very well with The Saums and totally understood the type of video we were going for. The video perfectly captured our story and wedding day, and they even gave us shorter versions that we could use to share with family and friends.

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Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

The ceremony was outside under a large beautiful tree surrounded by vineyards. Because of this we wanted to honor the natural beauty of the area and not overly decorate the space. We had a Jewish wedding so having a chuppah was important to us. The Chuppah was made up of 4 simple poles with delicately strung flowers flowing off the sides. On the top of the chuppah was Jamie’s fathers tallit which was very special to our family.

To complete the set up, our wedding planner and florist came up with the idea of an organic long “S” shaped path of flowers that incorporated blocks of all the colors we loved the most, starting from intense red, and transitioning to shades of peach and nude pinks.

Reception Décor

We really wanted the wedding reception atmosphere to feel extremely welcoming and warm to our guests. We brought the sun-drenched color tones on the dining table with a curated selection of blooms, and completed the set up with terracotta details, hand painted candles and illustrated menus. Then the trulli of Masseria Grieco framed the dinner beautifully and an amazing sunset gave everything an unforgettable caramelised allure.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

Our wedding planner was Alessandra Linoci. She is THE BEST. We cannot say enough great things about her, and we could not have pulled off our wedding without her support. She has the most incredible style and an incredible ability to understand our vision and bring it to life. Her attention to detail, calm attitude, organizational skills, and caring personality are just unmatched. We also loved that she made us and all of our guests feel like family!

Preparation

We both wanted the wedding day to feel as relaxed as possible. So, we woke up and had breakfast together with our family and friends and chilled by the pool until it was time to get ready. Our officiant (and best friend), gave us the advice to read our vows to each other first thing that morning, and we’re so glad we did. It was a really special moment with just the two of us before the craziness of the day began! We both had a few friends join us as we got dolled up but loved that everyone staying at the masseria was able to pop in and say hi throughout!

Photography

Videography

We used Luno Films for our video, and they were a dream to work with. They partnered very well with The Saums and totally understood the type of video we were going for. The video perfectly captured our story and wedding day, and they even gave us shorter versions that we could use to share with family and friends.

Favors & Bonbonniere

Instead of place cards for our guests to find their seats, we had a variety of small pumi, which are a staple good luck charm in Puglia, which our guests could take home with them as a small favor.

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“An organic long ‘S’ shaped path of flowers infused the hues of colors we love, to contrast with the natural surroundings – starting from intense red, and transitioning to shades of peach and nude pinks.”

Cake

We had a mille-feuille cake with fresh berries and cream on top. It was beautiful and even more delicious!

Food & Beverages

We had a pre-set menu for our guests, with plenty of appetizers and drinks during the cocktail hour. Dishes included fresh burrata, salad, pasta, fish, tiramisu, and late night focaccia bread. The highlight for our guests was definitely the fresh burrata bar, it was entertaining and so fresh!

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Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

Jamie’s dress was Savin London. She had originally seen the same dress on Instagram with brightly colored flowers but when she saw the silver and white version she was sold! The wedding dress was unique and artistic but still a classic shape that felt like it fit right in with the venue and the vibe we were going for.

Hair & Makeup

Massimo Moro was the absolute best! From our first trial he completely understood what I wanted. He is the absolute king of a perfect blowout and I just wish I could have him do my hair daily.

Groom’s Attire

Lee wanted the casual, no-tie look and wore a navy blue searsucker suit, a white shirt, and brown loafers.

Flowergirls/Pageboy Outifts

Our two nephews were the ring bearers (3 and 6), and they wore khakis with white button down shirts, and suspenders. Adorable!

“We leaned into the natural warm tones of the surrounding environment but brought in some more funky elements to make it feel like us.”

The Details

Transport

About half of our guests stayed on-site at our venue, Masseria Grieco, with the other half staying at other masserias and hotels nearby. We provided buses for the guests who didn’t stay at Masseria Grieco so they had transportation to and from the wedding.

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“We wanted the reception atmosphere to feel welcoming and warm to our guests. We brought the sun-drenched color tones on the dining table with a curated selection of blooms, and completed with terracotta details, hand painted candles and illustrated menus.”

Wedding Songs

Technically, our first dance was “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest. We wanted something fun and upbeat and it fits our personalities perfectly. But, the reality was that our band was so engaging throughout dinner that it felt like we had so many moments of dancing just the two of us to Italian classics well before “Dancing in the Moonlight” came on.

Entertainment

We had a band! We worked with Mho Events out of Rome and they were nothing short of spectacular. Leading up to our wedding, we had a series of conversations with their manager where we discussed song choices (they played old and new pop, rock, and hip hop songs), the size of the band, day of logistics, and overall vibe. They played throughout the entire evening and our guests could not stop talking about how amazing they were. Mho Events was without a doubt one of the best parts of the day and night!

Celebrant

Our celebrant was Jamie’s best friend from childhood and now a dear friend of Lee’s! She was the perfect fit for us and did an incredible job capturing who we are individually and together. Family and friends could not stop talking about how amazing she was. It was really special to us for her to officiate our wedding!

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Our Advice

A memorable moment…

One of the most memorable moments was when Lee surprised everyone and played the trumpet on stage with the band. He is an incredible trumpet player and it was such a special moment for him to perform with our epic band and for all of the people we love most at our wedding. Everybody absolutely loved it!

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

We would not change a thing. We absolutely loved our experience working with each and every vendor and the end result was beyond our dreams. I just wish we could go back and do it all again!

Find a great wedding planner and trust them! They know what they are doing and will absolutely have your back.