Ali + Eric: A Decade of Love, Five Days at a Puglian Masseria.
Photo: Sydney Noelle
When a decade of love makes it to the altar, you want every detail to count, and for Californian couple Ali + Eric it absolutely did. The pair traded their Cleveland life for five days at Masseria Amastuola in Puglia, surrounded by just fifty of their closest people. Small in guest list but enormous in personality, they filled their celebration with Puglian ceramics, (embarrassingly) personal handwritten cards and a live saxophone player who had the dancefloor in a frenzy. It was a wedding as electric, connected and joyful as the couple at the heart of it.
Love Story
“We met in college at UC Berkeley - we lived across the street from each other and were set up for Eric's frat formal (so romantic!)
We were engaged in April 2023, after being together for almost a decade. Eric proposed at this beautiful house in Temecula, CA overlooking the vineyards. Both of our families surprised us there after the proposal, there was a private chef that made dinner for everyone, and we all jumped in the pool at the end of the night!”
Why Italy
“Why not Italy?! Amazing food, amazing people, best espresso we've ever had... and we really wanted to feel like we could 'unplug' from the world for our wedding week.
Almost everyone was visiting Puglia for the first time and they LOVED IT.”
Stand Out Moment
“Eric and I decided to get ready together, and it was our favorite part of the day. It helped us both stay relaxed and connected leading up to the ceremony. We woke up, had breakfast together, swam in the pool, and he even helped me get into my wedding dress. I was afraid it would take away from the excitement of walking down the aisle, but it was still so special and emotional for us.”
The Style
“Give me anything but boring! And color color color.”
The Planning
“There will be points during the planning process where you're stressed, paying all the vendors, likely crying... and asking yourself "why am I doing this?" Trust the process, it's going to be one of the most magical days of your life! Once it's over you're gonna wish you could do it 100x over again!”
The Venue
“We visited ~5 venues in Puglia, and Amastuola was the last one we toured. As soon as we stepped foot on the property, everything felt right. It was traditional but modern, the staff was so genuine and caring, and it was big enough for our 5 day event.”
Special Touches
“Our wedding was small, only 50 people, so each guest was hand selected and meant something special to us. We wrote cards to each person and put them on their seats at dinner. Many of us had been friends since childhood, so the cards included (embarrassing) photos from the beginning of our friendship.”
The Dress
“My stylist, rooneygracestyle, understood my vision completely and creating wedding week outfits was one of my favorite parts of the planning process.”
The Party
“Our live saxophone player - Ben from Sax Every Weekend - really brought the house down! At one point I was nauseous from dancing so hard.”
Best money spent?
“We sourced dinner plates and espresso cups in the traditional Puglian 'splatter' style from Ceramiche Nicola Fasano - then gave them to each guest as a wedding favor! Friends still send me pictures of their morning espresso at home with their cup from Puglia.
We did go slightly over budget but could have never afforded a 5-day event in California - doing it in Puglia really helped keep things doable for us.”
VENDOR TEAM
Venue: Masseria Amastuola | Photography: Sydney Noelle | Florals: Metatopy | Wedding Planner: Moon Velvet Studio | Styling: Nicole Rooney from rooneygracestudio | Hair & Makeup: Tania Nitsak | Music: Sax Every Weekend | Content Creator: Love Stories
Categories
PLANNING | REAL WEDDING | SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT | INSPIRATION | WANDERLUST
