Chelsey + Callum’s minimalistic wedding in Puglia

real wedding

Feb 15

Photography: Barbara Markiewicz Photography

After meeting at work, falling in love, and getting engaged in Morocco, Chelsey (from Australia) and Callum (from the UK) had two years to plan their dream wedding in Puglia. Naturally, they took a London-style approach at first, confident they could handle it all, until Italy proved that local knowledge is everything.

With guests travelling from the other side of the world and suppliers already booked, guest experience became the top priority. Armed with an €80k budget (and a bit of healthy panic), they created a celebration that was relaxed, minimalist and proof that a little pressure can work wonders.

Love Story

“We met at work and we got engaged in June 2023 in Marrakesh. After booking a last-minute trip, Callum surprised me by organising a dinner on our first night there. We were collected from our Riad and taken to a beautiful hotel in the middle of the desert where a private dinner had been set up for us in the gardens. Surrounded by 1,000 candles, Callum popped the question!”

Why Italy?

“We both knew we wanted to have a wedding abroad as we loved the idea of bringing our family and friends together for a weekend and we wanted a better guarantee of good weather. We also wanted a destination that wasn’t too far for people to travel from the UK. We have both always loved Italy and Callum spent a lot of time there as a kid. After a trip scouting for wedding venues across multiple European destinations, we decided that Italy was perfect for us.”

The Venue

“Callum found the venue on Instagram and messaged the owner to ask if she would consider hosting a wedding. When we visited the following year, we immediately fell in love with the area, the owner (Valentina), the venue and the story behind it. We also loved the prospect of being the first to get married at the venue which meant that we could really make the day our own.”

The Planning

“We made many mistakes when planning! Our first mistake was not hiring a wedding planner. We had a day of coordinator who helped us with sourcing some suppliers but we did the majority of it ourselves as we wanted full control, but in retrospect it would have taken a lot of stress away having a full planner who knew the area and the suppliers.”

Stand Out Supplier

“It is difficult to say, as all of our suppliers were incredible. However a standout was our photographer, Barbara. We spent a lot of time researching photographers as it was important to us to have the right person to capture the day. Barbara was a dream in the lead up to the wedding and on the day – she was a very calming person to have with us and worked really well with other suppliers on the day.”

Best Money Spent

“We were conscious that people were travelling to be at our wedding, so guest experience was important to us. So the best money we spent was on the surrounding events – the Friday welcome (which we hosted at a pizzeria in the local town), the Sunday recovery day, the venue and the musicians.”

Advice For Couples

“Prioritise what is important to you as a couple – a lot of people will give you their opinions and may disagree with your choices, but it’s your day, so have the day that you want.

Also accept that there are things that are not going to go according to plan on the wedding day, but no one will notice. Your guests don’t know that your tablescape isn’t exactly how you had planned, or that the order of the speeches was mixed up – it’s easier said than done, but try not to stress over the details.”

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Chelsey + Callum’s minimalistic wedding in Puglia

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