Classically Cool Puglia Wedding In Berta Gown
❤️ The TWC Effect – Our brides, their way ❤️
Ellie & Lewis went from a blind date to the aisle, a modern day love story! We are living for the gorgeous tales of their Italian wedding getaway and you will be too…
How did you meet?
Lewis and I connected via a dating app and had our first date at a pub in East London. He was the first blind date I had ever been on and as they say the rest is history!
Was it love at first sight?
Hmmmm…I’m not sure about love at first sight, as we were both SO NERVOUS to start with. But we had the best time together on our first date and I would say we were pretty obsessed with each other from then on. The pub where we had our first date is so special to us and it’s where we hosted our Engagement Party!
Who proposed and how? Lovely details, please!
Whilst on holiday in Puglia back in 2020, Lewis popped the question on the terrace of our beautiful hotel room at Masseria Grieco. It was the perfect private moment between us and the ring was the most stunning, glittering thing I had ever seen! We were then lucky enough to bring our love story back to the Masseria as it is where we chose as our wedding venue.
Did you have a theme for your wedding? How did it come about?
We didn’t have a theme for our wedding, but the Masseria where we got married was my biggest source of inspiration. I loved the natural and neutral tones of the buildings and I wanted everything to look like it had always been there. When it came to the flowers I would say to my planner – ‘I want everything to look like it’s grown out of the ground’ which our florist perfectly achieved with the flowers that ran down the aisle and the wild arch that stood under the huge tree where our ceremony took place.
Location and how you found it?
We got married at Masseria Grieco, a stunning converted farm in Ostuni, Puglia. The wedding venue is where Lewis proposed to me. After he popped the question, we were walking round the grounds of the hotel and we thought – wouldn’t this be an amazing place to get married?!
So we had a wedding tour the very next day and from then we knew it was the one. We looked at lots of options in the UK, but nothing seemed to live up to the Masseria. It was never our intention to get married abroad, but everything seemed to point to us getting married there and as my best friend so rightly said ‘it was serendipitous that you found that place’ – and I truly believe she was right. It was meant to be.
How did you find The Wedding Club? Tell us about that moment when you found and chose your dress – how did it make you feel when you put it on for the first time?
I absolutely love fashion and have an insane amount of clothes, so I felt like there was a lot of pressure when it came to finding my wedding dress. I had come across The Wedding Club on Instagram and loved the designers it stocked.
I saw they were doing a sample sale and booked an appointment. I hadn’t been dress shopping at all yet, so I really didn’t expect to find anything at all and to be honest, I didn’t really know what I was looking for myself. On the morning of my appointment my Mum and I had the list of designers I thought I would like and we headed in. We were looked after by the gorgeous Mel and I selected about 5 dresses to try. The first few were really gorgeous, but then I tried on THE DRESS and that’s when I knew. It was a little stressful having to make the decision there and then (with it being a sample) but I’m so glad I did, as it meant I got the dress of my dreams.
Which designer did you wear?
I wore a Berta gown. I also had some bespoke sleeves made to go with it.
Where is the suit from? Why was it the perfect fit?
Lewis wore a bespoke suit from Thom Sweeney. He has a very simple, contemporary style and he knew he always wanted to get a suit made by them for our wedding.
Did you have speeches? Who performed them?
We did have speeches, the first by Lewis, which was just perfect. The best men gave a speech, as did my Dad, which was so special to me. Not being one to shy away from attention and I had a lot to say, I also gave a speech – which got a standing ovation!
Did you have a first dance? What song did you choose and why? How was the performance?
We knew what our first dance song would be long before we got engaged. One night walking back to our hotel in Ibiza we were walking through a tunnel in the Old Town and from nowhere, ‘At Last’ by Etta James started playing. We started dancing in the tunnel and from that moment it has always been our song. Lewis has two left feet (self-confessed) so there were no routines, but it was a lovely moment to start off the reception and we had a hilarious moment with some hard to open confetti cannons!
How was the party?
IT WAS THE PARTY TO END ALL PARTIES!! All I will say is that the night started off with a catwalk to Beyonce if that gives you a measure of how fun the party was. At one point Lewis and I were on someone’s shoulders being bounced through the crowd. As well as our band and DJ, we also had a friend singing, my dad on the drums – it really was the best night of our lives!
Wedding planning advice for brides to be?
My advice would be to stick to your guns! I am quite a particular person and knew exactly what I wanted and there are certain moments from the day that I had tried to be talked out of by various suppliers. But, I am so glad I didn’t as they ended up being some of the most special moments of the day. Of course, you have to be flexible and things don’t go to plan (cue thunderstorms the entire morning of our wedding!), but it is your wedding – you do it exactly the way you want to!
One moment you’ll never forget:
Ohhhh there are too many to choose from! After our ceremony we hopped into a vintage car and started a procession of a marching brass band round to our Aperitivo with all of our guests following behind. I think that was the most special joyful moment of the day – having that time the two of us in the car together but then behind us the absolute joy and happiness of all of our guests dancing underneath the Italian sunshine – it was just magical!
❤️
Dress – Berta available at The Wedding Club Knightsbridge & Harvey Nichols
Veil – Rebecca Anne Designs
Shoes – Aquazzura
Hair & Makeup – Nathan Phoenix & Genevive Brown
Suit – Thom Sweeney
Venue – Masseria Grieco
Planner – Italian Boutique Weddings
Photography & Videography – Lato Photography & Foto Vision Photographers
Flowers – Lab Lecce
Catering – Rotondo
Entertainment – Zagor Street Band, Rinaldi Events, Time 2 Quartet
