Alina and Dan met through mutual friends five years ago. Shortly before their engagement, Dan had just earned his pilot’s license and planned their first flight together, with him at the controls. Knowing Italy has always been Alina’s favorite place, he surprised her with a trip to Puglia, where they stayed at Borgo Egnazia. On their second evening, he proposed on the beach at sunset. “We fell in love with the place and joked that it would be nice to get married there one day,” they say. A year later, they did exactly that, returning to Borgo Egnazia for their wedding.
Location: Puglia, Italy
Style: Romantic, Mediterranean, Timeless
Number of guests: 90
Time of planning: Less than a year
Setting: Beach, Resort
Season: Spring
Puglia itself was the couple’s biggest inspiration. Every detail was meant to feel like it belonged there, and the colors, florals, and décor were chosen to complement the landscape and enhance the beauty already around them.
Welcome Party & Details
For the welcome dinner, the couple created a traditional Italian evening among the olive trees, with pizza, pasta, good wine, and gelato, surrounded by floral arrangements, traditional local tableware, and dancing trampolieri. They chose a white-and-blue palette inspired by the sea.
The stationery got just as much attention. Working with Maktubi was one of the parts of planning they loved most. Bianca handled everything from the wedding website and invitations to all the stationery for the celebration weekend. “Everything felt connected and was exactly how we had envisioned it,” they say, “thoughtful, polished, and completely in harmony with the overall concept of the wedding.”
Fashion
Alina’s first look was the Vivienne Westwood Mabel dress, with Dior shoes, Tiffany earrings, and a wedding band. For her second look, she changed into a Milla Nova dress with Aquazzura Tequila sandals and Osh Jewelry earrings. Her fragrance was Flower Lust by D’Orsay, and she carried a bouquet of lily of the valley.
First Look
Alina started the day with her mom, the two of them talking, doing their skincare, and ordering room service before everything began. “It was such a special, quiet moment before the day started,” she says. The first looks with her parents and with Dan were highlights too, moments she says she’ll always remember. Their dog, Choco, was there to celebrate with them. “She is such a big part of our lives, so we couldn’t imagine such an important day without her.”
For Dan, one of the moments he remembers most was the first look. “Standing with my back to Alina, knowing she was walking toward me, made those few seconds feel incredibly long,” he says. “When I finally turned around and saw her, everything else seemed to disappear.”
Ceremony
Alina and Dan wanted the ceremony to take place by the sea, on the beach where they had said yes to their future together. They both love everything connected to the sea, so they imagined the décor as a sail, light and moving with the breeze. “It felt very true to us and to the setting,” they say.
For Alina, the most memorable moment was walking down the aisle with her dad. “I remember looking around and realizing how many beautiful people had traveled all the way to Italy to celebrate our love,” she says. “I felt incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so much love. And then I saw Dan waiting for me at the end of the aisle, and everything just felt exactly as it was meant to be.”
Cocktail Hour
For the wedding day, Alina and Dan created a warm, romantic setting drawn from the Puglian landscape, in burnt orange and green that echo the golden sun and the endless olive groves. The tables stayed simple, with plenty of candlelight, and the florals were placed throughout so they looked as though they had always belonged there.
After the ceremony, cocktail hour got going with live music drifting through the setting, trays of appetizers, and glasses of Aperol spritz in hand. Guests mingled and caught up while the sun settled over the Puglian landscape, and the mood stayed easy and lively, a good lead-in to the reception.
Reception
The reception took place in La Piazza at Borgo Egnazia, a setting that gave the evening its atmosphere. Knights Club played all night, and the couple says hiring them was one of the best decisions they made. “We couldn’t recommend them more,” they say. Alina and Dan’s love for Pino D’Angiò runs deep, so their first dance was to “Questo Amore È Un Motore.” “It made the moment feel completely us.”
For the after-party, Alina and Dan returned to the beach where they got engaged. Warm amber light filled the space, and they ended the night dancing by the sea under fireworks, bringing the celebration back to where it all began.
Brunch
On the third day, the weekend slowed down, with time to relax and enjoy the surroundings. Guests enjoyed brunch, and after two days of dinners, dancing, and fireworks, they spent a quiet, easy morning talking over the highlights. It was a gentle close to a weekend that had begun with a welcome dinner among the olive trees.
Advice from the couple:
• Probably the best piece of advice we received before our wedding was: “Have fun, no matter what.” Because at the end of the day, guests won’t remember if everything went exactly according to plan. They’ll remember the love, the energy, and how happy you were. And that’s exactly how we want to remember ours.
INVITATION, STATIONERY & FAVORS Maktubi Media | WEDDING PRODUCER Blaga Events | VENUE Borgo Egnazia | PHOTO Artur Roscolotenco | VIDEO Spoiala Brothers | DÉCOR Nunzia Guerino Florist | MUAH Doina Caminschii & Anna Marko | STYLIST Ivanov Astasia | MUSIC Knights Club, Zdob și Zdub & DJ Alex Visan | COUPLE Alina Unciuc & Pwnatorul
