Three Reasons To Get Married in Puglia

SI, LO VOGLIO.

First of all – do you know where Puglia is?
It is a southern region forming the heel of Italy’s ‘boot’. The area is mainly known for the white Trulli houses, UNESCO heritage sites, locally-sourced cuisine and the longest coastline in mainland Italy. Nowadays, people call it ‘the new Tuscany’.

At the moment, Puglia seems to be the least ‘known’ region of Italy. It has got everything that Italophile craves the most : ancient towns, extravagant churches and sandy beaches! But it’s outside of its cities that Puglia shines brightest. From the ancient Forest of Umbra in the north to the green Valle d’Itria, Puglia’s countryside has always been its foundation – the source of its food, its wealth and its culture.

Puglia is simply ideal for a family retreat, but even more perfect for a large party with friends staying all together. Like maybe in one of amazing wedding venues in Puglia.

There are countless reasons to get married in Puglia. It is easily accessible from the rest of Europe (with its two aiports in Bari and Brindisi). The weather is great. You can sail to Greece or Albania. The food and wine are amazing. We surely know that.

In today’s post I decided to name three really strong reasons in order to convince you to either a visit or…. a wedding in this amazing region of Italia!

Reason ONE – unique historical sights

I have seen a lot in this world. In fact, I have been to Italy 4 times this year (and it’s only April) but Alberobello was one of a kind experience! I haven’t seen anything like it before! This place looks like a white-washed hobbit village!
Did you know the Trulli houses were built… in order to avoid taxes? According to the most popular theory, due to the high taxation, people of Puglia built Trulli because… they were easy to demolish when tax inspectors were around, and such ‘unfinished’ houses were not taxed! There are a lot of great coffee shops and little cute restaurants in Alberobello, and they are run by the lovely locals!

The wedding venue near Alberobello I have chosen to explore is an amazing Il Melograno. The resort is located a stone’s throw from Monopoli, a city known for being a fishermen’s town, and only around 15/20 minutes driving from Citta dei Trulli. Thanks to its strategic location, Il Melograno is very easy to reach. It took us only about 40 minutes driving from Bari airport.

As for the resort, I would describe as very peaceful, chic and luxurious. By luxurious I don’t mean ‘strict with rules’ but more of a … historic luxury. The interior is really wonderful, the rooms are very spacious and we loved the massive SPA. There are also two pools, one by the citrus grove another in the wellness center. The food at Mùmmulo Ristorante was mouthwatering, especially the truffle starter. I am sure the wedding menu is equally amazing.

There are countless wedding reception options across the whole property.
The resort offers a private piazza for traditional revels, a stone flagged banquet hall for distinguished dinners, gardens for parties and brunch at Tamerici, the nearby beach club. The Wedding Dinner starts from €160 and includes an aperitif with local sparkling wine and finger food, 4 courses served dinner (1 antipasto, 1 first course, 1 main course and the dessert). The wedding cake, wine and soft drinks are included.

Make sure to check their Instagram and Facebook for more inspirational photos.

Another Apulian gem we managed to explore is the charming city, Martina Franca. The town got its name after ‘tax reasons’ (funny, how taxes seem to create Apulia!). It means ‘a city for the people who skipped paying taxes‘. The way I see it, this place makes a great highlight of Puglia and its region. Martina Franca is also a city of art and music, and a capital of Valle d’Itria, the valley of the ‘trulli‘ and the farms, olive trees and vineyards. The majority of buildings were built in the 15/16th century, and are kept in a great condition.

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As for the wedding venue in Martina Franca, I have found the wonderful Relais Villa San Martino!

The villa is actually a 5**** star hotel, only around 10 minutes away from Martina Franca city center. This elegant SPA Hotel is surrounded by spectacular park with amazing greenery. There are nine different wedding locations, both indoor and outdoor.

Villa San Martino specialises in weddings. They have 15 years of experience in weddings, and 4 in destination weddings! They speak many different languages, including English. As for the best period to tie the knot it is May, June and September but there is also the possibility for a lovely fetive wedding/winter weddin during Christmas.

The place accommodates 45 people, and the capacity of a wedding is 260 people. Hair, make-up and the professional help of a wedding planner is also provided.

Alternatively, you could go for a small elopement, honeymoon or vow reneval. There is a possibility for civil, legal and a symbolic ceremony. The fee for the set up is € 500, while the fee to the City Hall is € 300- € 500, I was told it depends on which day of a week it is. As for the legal wedding (civil + religious) the fee for the procedures of a marriage and blessing is € 650

The set menu price starts from from €45 per person for a lovely welcome dinner on a terrace, which is a great price.

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While being in Puglia, I met Rino Cordella, who is passionate about taking photos, especially about at capturing emotions on weddings. He once said ‘Photography is the art of portraying experiences in images that capture a lifetime of emotions.’ Rino and his family live in Puglia, where they take inspiration from the lovely environment, Apulian culture and their roots – this is where Rino was born. Rino works with one of his four children, Luigi. It is the first father-son duo I met. One could tell they enjoy capturing the perfect moments together. Family is the most important ingredient in our lives – is it not? I believe the father-son team makes the wedding photos truly… lively. I think the fact they love each other adds the ‘wow factor to every image they take.

Rino and Luigi take great wedding photos and there is more than one evidence of that. They were awarded some of the most prestigious prizes, such as 10th place ISPWP Top 100 photographers in the world 2017 by ISPWP in 2017, 1st place Wedding of the year ANFM in 2017 (National Association of Wedding Photographers), 15th place at Best World Photographers Fearless Association (USA) in 2018, 2nd Best Photographer at ANFM (Italy) in 2018, the 1st place at Mywed awards in 2017 and the first place at 12-The story Award in Germany in 2019 ! The duo never stops and they continue to develop their photographic skills every day.

As for their photos, they are full of emotions. Sometimes black and white, sometimes in colours but always full of emotions. Rino and Luigi are open to suggestions, new ideas and soltions. You can check their Facebook and Instagram to get some insights and ‘backstage’ to who they really are.

Ask Rino for the wedding packages and individual prices.

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Reason TWO – loads of different wedding opportunities!

Not only Puglia has some amazing sights but also great beach clubs!

It was still April which meant the club was shut down for the winter season but Guna Beach showed up as a wedding-perfect venue. It is such a charming place, where you can spend your time off sipping champagne or enjoying the Apulian specialities made with the quality products from… their garden!

As a matter of fact, the venue is quite popular among the locals and the Italians. With its 20k followers on Facebook and 3,3k on Instagram, one could tell the beach club is loved by people from all around the world!

There are countless events going on at Guna Beach – I only just saw they do ‘Big Mama’ even on the 1st of May holiday weekend. The club lives its life for sure!

Guna Beach has years of experience in weddings too. They have a separate ‘weddings’ category on their website, where you could ask about the quotes, prices and available dates. The best period of getting married at Guna Beach is anytime between mid-April to mid-October. July and August are the high season Months whilst September is perfect timing, the way I see it..

As for the services you can expect at Guna Beach :

• Symbolic Ceremony
• Wedding Design –
• Floral arrangements –
• Rental Tensile –
• Gazebo Banqueting and Catering –
• Personalized Menu,
• Transer and Accommodation.
• Accommodations for Guests
• Photografic Service and Video – Live Show

You can get a free quote by filling the questionnario out UNDER THIS LINK. In general, your beach wedding could be huge or as small as you want to as there is no minimum, and the maximum capacity is… over 100 people.

Let me quote one of their previous clients ‘This is an outstanding day resort! Chilled, beautiful, great facilities and top tunes. Great value and a brilliant way to spend a day’.

As for the prices, you are more than welcome to phone the staff or even message them on Facebook!

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Reason THREE – Money, money, money

Moneywise, Puglia looks really really great. For example, the price of a medium sized aperitivo for two, including two large glasses of wine is €8, while this is what you would pay for a coffee in Positano ( €7 to be precise). I am aware these two destinations should never be compared to one another but I could not resist. It is the same country and only 300 km difference 🙂

The parking place in Alberobello is the cost of €0,6 while it was €8 for the cheapest garrage in Portofino! Quite a difference – is it not?

The toll roads… wait, there are no toll roads! In Puglia you mostly drive free of charge – at least from Bari airport to Alberobello! As for the transportaation, I recommend renting a car from GOLDCAR, where you could also use my 15% discount with the code: CARMELATTE15

The price of a small car is around 25€ per day +insurance, but I would recommend renting a very comfortable SUV, such as FIAT500L for around 50€ per day +insurance. The fuel policy it full to full. We drove a very comfortable Opel Mokka, and I really recommend it. The price is around 40€ per day.

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As for the weddings and the prices: the most affordable set menu for a wedding that I found starts from €45 per person, while the modest one cost 70€ in Sorrento Coast.

Puglia is highly appreciated by the Italians, from what I learned but it is not exactly what I would call ‘IT’ destination. People choose to visit the north of Italy or the famous Amalfi Coast. Puglia is one of those Italian regions you might fall in love with at first sight.

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