Tell us a little about yourselves!
We have known each other a really long time, meeting through friends when we were in first year of secondary school. We first started going out when we were 14, but after going our separate ways for most of our early twenties, we happily found ourselves back together at the end of 2019 and got engaged in 2022.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We wanted a summer wedding, and ideally that it would be largely outdoors, which is trickier in Ireland! We considered loads of places until we came across a wedding venue in Puglia, southern Italy which immediately grabbed our attention. We loved the laid back, rustic, countryside feel and the closeness to the sea. We decided to visit in July 2023 and after having the most incredible time there travelling around the region, we decided to go for it!
We booked our venue, Masseria Mozzone on that trip, after meeting the owners – Francesco and Fiorella – the most kind, warm, gorgeous people. They made us feel like friends from the beginning. The Masseria is really beautiful and incredibly authentic, as a family run olive oil farm, which was very important to us. This was the best decision we made.
How many guests did you have?
We had just over 120 – it was a brilliant group!
Tell us about your outfits.
Clare – I had so many ideas of what I wanted for a dress but couldn’t seem to find what I’d pictured in any shop I looked in. I wanted something that didn’t feel too formal. I knew that all of the inspiration I was drawn to was of Spanish brides, so I decided to contact Alejandra Oria, a Spanish designer I had been following on Instagram. We had a FaceTime and she just seemed to understand what I was looking for right away, and got me so excited about the idea of designing a dress, so I decided to go for it. We tweaked and changed the plans a lot along the way, but I love how it turned out. Linen is a fabric I wear all the time, and I love a big sleeve, so it was very much ‘me’. Alejandra really did an amazing job. I wore silk flats from Flabelus for my shoes, which I loved and will wear again lots!
Shane – I got my suit in Louis Copelands on Capel Street. Dublin. I was dressed by Paddy whose attention to detail was second to none. I adored my suit and will get plenty of wear out of it for years to come.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Our wedding planner, Valentina, asked me this in one our initial chats – she asked us to score music, food, photography, décor, party etc each from 1-10 in terms of importance to help prioritise our budget. I think I ranked them all either 8, 9, or 10.. which Valentina told me wasn’t very helpful for budget purposes! But honestly speaking and without a doubt the most important thing for us was that we looked after our guests and that it was fun. And we genuinely had the time of our lives, so it lived up to that expectation in every way.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Shane - Have fun, don’t stress, enjoy the ride.
Clare – if you are unsure whether or not to, get a wedding planner, ideally one just like Valentina (!), if you are getting married away from home. The day simply wouldn’t have been the same without her.
A piece of great advice I got from a good friend, Ciara, before the wedding which I would definitely pass on, was to ‘smell the flowers, listen to the music and just take a moment to take it all in when you’re walking down the aisle’. Enjoy all those elements that you put together, and that moment. I don’t think I managed to take this advice, as I barely remember getting from one end to the other, but nonetheless I think its good to at least try!
And yes same as Shane- have fun. Don’t waste a second stressing, go with the flow and just let the day happen – being there celebrating with all your family and friends is the most amazing feeling you’ll never really replicate.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Very hard to choose a few as they were all such a huge part of making our day and I would recommend all of our vendors, but..
Our venue, Masseria Mozzone , deserves a huge shout out genuinely for going so above and beyond for everything. After staying there for 3 nights with our families and bridal parties, we felt so at home. As a family run venue, everything about the place was authentic, and nothing we asked for felt like too much trouble. Their in-house kitchen is incredible – we are constantly reminiscing about the breakfast buffet each morning – the most incredible pastries, fresh mozzarella, cured meats, fruit, cakes, eggs - it was next level.
Our band – we made an arguably rogue decision to indulge a fantasy I (Clare) had to have an ABBA tribute as our wedding band, and after finding ABBA Celebration Italy online and speaking to Julia and Marco, we knew if we didn’t book them, we’d regret it. ABBA was a band we both grew up with playing in the car, and its just the kind of music that you can’t help but smile at. They were so much fun on the night – from the youngest to the oldest guests – everyone gets involved with ABBA, you can’t help it.
Our photographers – Nieves & May of Dias de Vino y Rosas- we contacted them I think even before we had booked our venue, we really loved them. As well as being amazing photographers, they are also so kind, and lovely to be around. We will be enjoying these photos for years to come, they captured so many little moments on the day that could have easily been missed. We can’t thank them enough.
ByNana –who creates the most beautiful, perfect/imperfect hand sewn linens. A personal favourite was our welcome sign, which has lots of special details sewn on (including a little picture of our dog, Amelia) which we will now use a tablecloth for many years to come. She also made embroidered napkins for each of our guests with their names and a little olive to signify the Masseria, which is an olive oil farm.
And of course – Valentina (LaLindi), she is so brilliantly creative, so patient and also amazing at just getting things done - a winning combination. We didn’t really nail down too many of the details before the day itself, and when I saw how she had pulled everything together I was completely blown away by how perfectly she had got it. She worked so well with Gianna from Amsicora on flowers (and some vegetables!) to create the perfect details. We can’t thank her, and all of our vendors, enough for helping to make our day everything it was.
Photographer: Dias de Vino y Rosas @diasdevinoyrosas | Planning & Styling: LaLindi @lalindi_bryllup Flora: Amsicora @amsicorafiori | Ceremony & Reception Location: Masseria Mozzone @masseriamozzone | Videographer: Memento @mementostoryfilm | Celebrant: Duomo di Ostuni | Makeup: Suzana Neziri @suzana_n_makeupartist | Hair: The Blonder Balayage @theblonderbalayagesalentino | Catering + Beverages: Masseria Mozzone @masseriamozzone | Stationery: Petite de la Creme Design @petitdelacremedesign | Entertainment: ABBA Celebration @abbacelebrationitaly & DJ Alex Sisto @alexsisto | Dress & Veil: Alejandra Oria @alejandraoria_studio | Suit: Louis Copeland @louiscopeland_and_sons | Shoes: Flabelus @flabelus | Earrings: Majorica @majoricaofficial | Wedding Party Attire: Arket (Bridesmaids) & Zara (Groomsmen) | Embroidered Napkins & Welcome Sign: By Nana @bynana____