Well if I weren't itching to travel again before (hint; I was!), I most certainly am now after soaking up the beauty in these stunning images by SOTIRIS TSAKANIKAS captured in the south of Italy at the OSTUNI WORKSHOP. Inspired by the beauty of Puglia – from its beautiful coastline, to the azure waters and the rollings fields of ancient olive trees – stylist JOY PROCTOR went about creating this Mediterranean masterpiece. The regions allure precedes it. The Masseria MONTE NAPOLEONE was the perfect embodiment of this area; with a stunning crystal blue pool lined in local stone, acres of olives orchards and natural vegetation. The history of the location was also important to Joy when she was designing; from its days as a Roman province, to the time when it too was underwater. Ancient fossils still grace the stones throughout the Massseria, and the effect is truly humbling. Joy tells us, "My aim was to be able to tell the story of this history and location through texture, colour and design. I chose a palette of creme, taupe, olive, terracotta, azure and gold to symbolise the cliffs, the sea, the farm and the history of the region.
The invitations were the result of a beautiful conversation between me and SHHH MY DARLING, whose interpretation of the theme was truly magnificent. Paying homage to the history of the region, we chose a bust motif that emulated ancient Roman coins. A blind emboss on the invitation juxtaposed with a beautiful gold foil on marbled paper added the perfect amount of elegance to the otherwise natural look. I styled the suite with wheat grown on property and a shell, another homage to the history of farming and aquatic importance in Puglia.
I set the ceremony on the backdrop of the beautiful pool, almost as if it were a ceremony on the sand, looking towards the sea. Beautiful benches from CHESCENA were draped in cotton throws from the Masseria. The talented Angelica from FLOWER ADDICTED created beautiful overflowing arrangements in terracotta urns which we placed on either side the aisle."
"For the table I aimed to bring the beauty of the venue to life. The Masseria is a working farm that produces organic food year round – to pay homage to that, I placed the candles in hurricanes lined in almonds and other nuts grown onsite. ACQUA DI PARMA candles in creme sat between organic arrangements. I chose some beautiful terracotta urns from FLOWER ADDICTED'S collection to place on their sides with greenery flowing
out from them – another homage to the proximity of the sea. The Masseria has beautiful handwoven hammocks throughout the property and their texture made the perfect addition to the table as an overlay!
The cake was a beautiful representation of history and ceramics. The gorgeous terracotta tiers were detailed to look aged and sun worn. We chose a stone cake base and adorned it with pomegranates and dried leaves from the farms previous harvest.
Our bride embodied elements of all the colours, textures and facets of the editorial. Her gorgeous gown custom made by PAOLO CORONA had an oversized train that moved in the wind like the water on the sea. Her earrings were an homage to the Roman history, with a pearl in the middle of a simple handmade gold design. Her bouquet was made of local olive, roses and other foliage native to Puglia. Her make-up was natural with a slight bronze, like a true daughter of Puglia who had spent much time kissed by the Italian sun."
Like I said… simply itching to travel after seeing this but for now we'll continue to do so vicariously through these beautiful images.
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