Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
Two self-employed creatives living in New York (who share a mutual passion for bold and colorful design) didn't let a thrice postponed wedding stop them from manifesting their dream day in Italy. The two got engaged in September 2018, surrounded by family at bride Bianca's childhood home in Australia, then immediately began planning a 2020 Puglia celebration rich in vibrant hues and maximalist decor.
"We’ve worked on many creative projects together throughout our careers, so planning a wedding felt quite natural for us, particularly when it came down to the creative elements of it," said Sam, the groom, a digital content creator, while bride Bianca is an illustrator and designer.
Unfortunately, like many couples, delays were unavoidable due to the global pandemic but came with an unexpected silver lining—ample time to execute their vibrant vision. With extra time to hone in on their dream aesthetic, a destination I-DO came to life that included everything from a "Spaghetti Disco" welcome party to custom bridesmaid gowns splashed with colorful patterns of florals and fruits, designed by the bride herself. Read more about every element from the couple's dream day.
When finalizing the perfect locally-inspired theme to kick off their wedding weekend, Bianca & Sam let their love of 1970s Italian disco heavily influence their dancefloor-focused welcome celebration. The dress code for the welcome party was "Spaghetti Disco," and their guests were encouraged to model their best sequins, flares, and patterns.
"We had visions of sequinned dresses and pasta on the dancefloor, lit up by a giant disco ball, and that’s exactly what we brought to life." — Sam, groom
The couple's first decision was where to host their "vibrant, cheerful, and energetic" I-DO. They fell in love with all that Puglia has to offer—from embracing color to the bold, vibrant energy of the people and even the produce—all of which were a perfect match to their personalities. It also felt like an ideal location to celebrate love in the brightest way possible and a quintessential nod to their wedding theme, "La Dolce Vita."
A traditional Catholic ceremony in Ostuni at "Cattedrale Santa Maria Assunta" paid homage to Bianca's Catholic heritage, and a priest close to the family kindly agreed to come to Italy and marry them.
Finding a reception space that evoked a similar feeling of "magic" was crucial. "Masseria Le Carrube" was the last venue they looked at, and the pair instantly fell in love. "We both had goosebumps from the minute we walked in," said Sam.
"As we all know, 2022 was a tough year with lots of weddings postponed two or even three times due to the pandemic," explained wedding planner Victoria Boukhanets of Impression Villas & Weddings, "and Bianca and Sam’s wedding was not an exception."
Since day one, Victoria's priority was in making sure the entire planning process felt as stress-free as possible, "after all, a wedding planner is someone who best represents the couple at their wedding destination and does their utmost to make sure the contribution of a planner is palpable at every level."
Bianca knew she wanted to handle the overall design elements of the day and had a strong vision for critical details like illustrating the original invites, which eventually inspired the entire stationery and bridesmaids' dresses—think the colors of Aperol Spritzes, red Pomodoro sauce, and seafood splashed across all elements.
Knowing they wanted to create a colorful and abundant aesthetic "like a Renaissance painting," they needed someone who understood their distinct vision to help them bring it to life. Angelica from Flower Addicted was the driving force behind this. She knew the pair wanted to work with pinks, yellows, and oranges, so she matched lemons, grapefruits, and other fruits to arrangements and decor.
"[Angelica] knew that we were maximalists and immediately connected to our vision, effortlessly throwing fruit and nuts across the table. We also wanted to have gold candelabras with a variety of vases from white and blue ceramic ones to gold ones. Angelica guided the process of choosing these effortlessly." - Sam, groom
Bianca and Sam had a very strong opinion about working with photographer Nastia Vesna and wished to have had her also capture their engagement shoot in New York if it hadn't been for the pandemic.
Thankfully, she was there to capture every moment abroad when it came time for the two to finally wed.
Bianca, being a designer herself, wanted to impart her personal touch into every aspect of her wedding, especially the stationery. She created all of the stationery items in her own style, aiming for a fun and colorful look, and used complementing elements to tie everything together, like incorporating them into the bridesmaid dresses and Instagram GIFs, which resulted in an overall cohesive and charming theme.
Bianca hired Tania Nitsak to create a hair and makeup look that was fresh, classic, and romantic. Festive elements like gold leaf tips on her nails and a gold headpiece for the reception by Erica Elizabeth Designs added an enchanting locally-inspired touch.
When it came to the overall vision for the reception decor, both Bianca & Sam wanted the design to resemble a "visual feast," making it a top design priority to get the look of the reception dinner just right.
"Angelica, our florist, got our vision immediately, and we had the best time designing the tables with her, scattering fruit and nuts amongst beautiful flowers." — Sam, groom
As for the wedding favors, the pair wanted to gift their guests a little piece of Puglia and had fallen in love with the olive oil from La Mia Olivetta on their first trip. Victoria suggested adding them to their reception tables being that they effortlessly matched their color profile.
Locally inspired produce set the tone for a menu curated by Chef Massimo and included favorites like risotto with asparagus cream and Mezzi Paccheri with seafood. Food and drink is a very important element in Italy, as well as within Bianca’s Italian family. This led to some very serious conversations with Chef Massimo throughout a nine-hour food tasting, ranging from the thickness of pasta to the shape of the cherry Mille-Feuille cake!
For Sam, the music throughout the entirety of their event was of the utmost importance, and swing band Mustacchi Bros and DJ Rinaldi Events made sure that the entire weekend felt upbeat and deliriously happy from start to finish. After the ceremony outside of the Cathedral, the couple surprised their guests with a choir singing "Like A Prayer," as it happens to be one of their favorite songs as well as the name of Bianca’s Reem Acra dress.
The music played during dinner was a mix of traditional Italian songs and modern romantic favorites from Lana Del Rey and Frank Ocean, but once everyone moved to the dance floor, they prioritized celebrating the songs they grew up with, from ‘90s dance anthems to ‘00s pop classics. There to capture every dance move was videographer Urania Wedding Films.
