Destination Weddings/Real Weddings

Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding By The Sea

Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 10

Want to know what it would look like to marry in an ancient cathedral on the Apulian coast of Italy? It’s dreamier than you could ever imagine.

The venue is unbelievable. Bride Elisa arrives in the Piazza of her husband’s hometown, Lecce, to glide through down the royal-length aisle of Basilica di Santa Croce. Every portrait of the stunning couple’s ceremony is backdropped by incredible baroque architecture and art, and every moment oozing with romance.

Not far from Lecce are the cliffs of the Adriatic, where we see Elisa’s long lace veil blow into the sunset and dramatic views of epic proportions. Their evening reception was filled with even more luxurious grandeur: rich charcuterie and cakes, lush roses and olive branches and even a firework show to end the night.

We’ll keep dreaming while you ooh and ahh over Serena Cevenini‘s beautiful photos.

Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 46
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 32

Our Love Story

We met in 2010 at a party, but we started dating a year later. Alessio is a real gentleman and he courted me for a very long time, but since our first date in 2011 we’ve been inseparable.

It was winter and he proposed one morning, in our house near the sea, a very special place to us. He brought me breakfast in bed, got down on one knee…he asked and…you know the answer!

Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 41
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 20
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 21
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 4
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 26
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 25
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 29
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 33

The Destination & Style

The first time I visited Alessio’s hometown, Lecce, I fell in love with its beauty. It’s a city full of art, olive trees, a breathtaking sea and beautiful Apulian masserie. Alessio told me that we could marry at Basilica di Santa Croce, and we did it!

We chose Masseria Muzza as the wedding venue because of its elegance. We loved its minimalism and the fact that it’s a great combination of traditions and modernity. We opted for the classical southern colors: the typical white of the calcareous tuff, and olive green.

Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 39
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 43
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 11
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 45
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 47
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 52
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 61

The Details

I wanted a bouquet of English roses and olive branches because those are the symbols of a prosperous and happy marriage, and we put those elements even on the cake.

A lot of our wedding was about traditions: the food was typical Apulian food – panzerotti and the delicious fresh mozzarella that they made in front of us. The decorations reminded us of a traditional patronal festival and we had also a “Pizzica” dance moment, where all of our guests had a lot of fun dancing and playing the artisanal tambourines with our initials.

Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 56
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 64
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 62
Luxurious Italian Cathedral Wedding On The Seaside | Serena Cevenini 67

The Honeymoon

We opted for the desert – a romantic and special place. We wanted a relaxed honeymoon so we chose the fabulous Qasr Al Sarab by Anantara, we spent the honeymoon between relaxing spa days, a sky full of stars and breathtaking desert hikes.

Share this