Romance and Revelry: An Elegant Vineyard Wedding in Sardinia

A Sardinian vineyard wedding of organic textures and ethereal beauty, where fairy lights and wild florals blended seamlessly with sun-drenched landscapes.

Photography by Bisou Wedding.

Set against the vineyards of Sella & Mosca in Northern Sardinia, Orla and Niall’s wedding unfurled in a coalescence of understated elegance and organic textures and tones. In the heart of Alghero’s rambling landscape, the couple exchanged vows in the square outside the estate’s chapel, where antique terracotta vases spilled with wild greenery and white blooms, an effortless extension of the surroundings.

The reception was a vision of rustic romance beneath the soft glow of fairy lights, a cross-shaped banquet table was set amidst the garden, adorned with a cascading 50-meter greenery runner, gilded candelabras, and clusters of local florals.

Our Story

Names / Orla Brennan & Niall O’Neill

Location / Sella & Mosca Vineyard, Alghero, Sardinia

Wedding Date / 13 July 2024

Guest Numbers / 96

How We Met

We met online in October 2020 during Covid, but it was not until February 14^th 2021, when Niall asked Orla to be his Valentine. Travel restrictions had been lifted slightly so it allowed them to meet in person and go for walk in a fishing harbour, Howth, in Dublin Ireland.

Our Engagement Story

We fell in love with Alghero Sardinia on a holiday – it was our first time to visit Sardinia. Niall proposed outside the cathedral in the old town. We then went to a local tattoo parlour and got matching tattoos on our toes! Our engagement was magical for us both as it sealed our love and unity together.

What we love most about each other…

We love our loyalty to each other and our family. Our love consists of friendship, trust, honesty and openness. Our sense of fun and building memories is what untied us from our first date on Valentines Day.

The Setting

Wedding Location

Sella & Mosca vineyards feels like home to us. Set against the enchanting backdrop of Alghero in northern Sardinia, It is a beautiful blend of timeless sophistication and heartfelt simplicity. A hidden treasure with stunning scenery, rich charm, and unmatched hospitality.

Aesthetic

Our wedding was everything we dreamed of: a day full of emotions, laughter, and love. We wanted to create an intimate and magical atmosphere that truly reflected our relationship. From the heartfelt celebration with our closest family and friends, every moment felt like pure magic. It was a day we’ll cherish forever.

Preparation

We all stayed at Sella & Mosca Casa Villamarina, a gorgeous boutique hotel in the heart of the vineyards. We spent a few days there enjoying slow life, and relaxing time with family and friends. Our getting ready was just pure joy surrounded by our favourite people and the most amazing team.

Photography

Our photographers, Giampiero and Valentina of Bisou, took a unique approach, capturing moments with both authenticity and sophistication. The result is a stunning collection of images that beautifully showcase the love and joy of the day, seamlessly blending the vineyard’s natural beauty with an air of refined elegance.

Style Notes

Ceremony & Reception Décor

We hosted our ceremony in the little square outside the chapel at Sella & Mosca.

We had brown iron chairs in lines, reflecting the regular shape of the square. We wanted the ceremony to be as authentic as possible. Our florist decorated the altar with stunning antique terracotta vases filled with greenery and white flowers.

After the ceremony we walked to the gardens. We envisioned the Aperitif to be by the lake as our wish was to really make the most of the natural beauty of the venue – with the day light reflecting the water, creating a surreal atmosphere.

Our favourite part was the dinner table. We loved the idea of Isole Weddings to create a cross shape, and our florist did an amazing job to bring our vision to life. It was decorated with a 50 meter greenery runner filled with local flowers and loads of candelabras and fairy lights climbing the trees to complement the magical atmosphere.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

Our wedding planner Francesca from Isole Weddings captured our love and vision from our very first meeting. Her uniqueness, style, professionalism, quality of communication and attention to detail was best in class. As we were planning our wedding from Ireland, Francesca became a friend to us every step of the way and she had our best interests at heart. She ensured that we got the best quality suppliers and services for our wedding. She really made our wedding very memorable for us, our families and our friends.

Flowers

For the flowers, I chose seasonal blooms available in Sardinia. We worked with soft natural tones, mainly shades of green and white. Isole weddings introduced us to Paolo and Susanna from Arte dei Fiori . They patiently worked on our mood to accommodate our vision and ideas ensuring both beauty and sustainability.

Stationery

As we had guests travelling from all over the world to Sardinia – we sent out an e-invite – with a picture of our first trip to Alghero.

Cake

Our cake was a round Millefoglie cake decorated with red berries. Chef Battistino from Montiblu made the cake in show cooking. Just after dinner we moved to the Cake area which was set under an ancient tree with hanging chandeliers and plenty of candles. Niall and Orla cut the cake with all our guests surrounding us.

Food & Beverages

We are Ireland and Italy lovers. Therefore, we selected a mix of Italy’s most famous amari and a selection of aperitivi to start.

Particular attention was given to the wine selection curated by Sella & Mosca.

The quality of food was also outstanding – to recognise our Irish heritage – our main course incorporated steak and potatoes! The quality of glasses, plates, table setting was of top standard. The food and drink kept flowing the entire night.

Hair & Makeup Artists

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Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

The brides dress was bought in Ireland in a local village called Howth. The bridal boutique was called The White & Gold Bridal Company. The dress designer was from Australia – and she created a gown (Prea James Amelia) that reflected the light throughout. It was light enough for the heat and shone the way a wedding dress should.

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

We got our wedding, engagement and eternity rings made in Alghero – it’s such a special place for us. Our second home.

Hair & Makeup

Our planner Francesca organized the hair and makeup – the style was 1920s glamour with elegance. I opted for simple, elegant makeup that wasn’t too heavy. I did a trial with my hair and makeup artist before the wedding, during our first site inspection, and I absolutely loved the look they created. They couldn’t have done a better job. It was incredible not having to worry for even a second, and Valeria and Barbara instantly made me feel more relaxed on the day.

The Details

Honeymoon

We spent the week after the wedding in Alghero with our guests – seeing the sights and enjoying the food. When we returned to Ireland – a few days later, we flew back to Alghero for our honeymoon – it really is our home from home.

Wedding Songs

Adding to the magic of the day, Niall O’Neill — formerly a member of the popular Irish boyband OTT from the ’90s – brought a touch of nostalgia to the occasion. His musical background added a sentimental layer to the event, delighting both the couple and their guests who had traveled from near and far to celebrate their union.

Entertainment

Music was one of the main focus points for us. Our ceremony music was conducted by our friend Alan Fitzsimons, he is the ‘Andrea Bocelli Experience’ performer.

For the aperitif and dinner entertainment we immediately loved the informal style of the roaming band Italian Gipsy & Boys 4 Road represented by Musicontacts. We thought it would have been perfect to complement the informal and familiar atmosphere we wanted to create. They were absolutely amazing!

For the party we had a DJ, we provided a list of songs that we wanted him to play, we danced all night under the glass chandelier hanging from the tree above the outside cocktail bar – it was beyond our dreams to see our families laughing and dancing together

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

The most memorable moments of our wedding – and there were two – began with our sons forgetting the rings. All three of them had to run back into the villa to retrieve them, and the entire wedding party burst into laughter and cheers. The second was during the evening meal, when the whole area was beautifully lit. As Niall and I walked toward our guests, they all began shaking tambourines and singing – it was pure joy.