A bride moves through stone corridors that haven’t changed in five hundred years, then past a well at the center of an old cloister. She ends the day in a refectory lit only by candles. Laura and Tommaso at LATO Photography spent that day inside the Monastero dell’Incoronata, a 16th-century monastery in Puglia entrusted to the Augustinian order in 1634, working almost entirely with natural light. “A delicate balance between the allure of tradition and the purity of contemporary design” is how the team sums up the shoot, and the images back that up.
Vision Behind the Shoot
The story follows one idea: a young, self-assured bride exploring a building that still remembers its past. She starts in rooms carved from the monks’ original cells, each one finished with details native to Southern Italy, then moves into long corridors where the quiet of another era still holds. The day ends at the cloister, where a centuries-old well sits at the center of the space.
“Water is the defining element of this place,” the team notes, “flowing from underground springs all the way to the sea just a few kilometers from the monastery.” Creusa Studio brought that idea into the cloister through fabric draped so it looks like it’s pouring straight out of the well and across the stone floor.
Stone & Silence
Monastero dell’Incoronata dates to the 1500s and has belonged to the Augustinian order since 1634. Simona Parisi Brilliant Weddings chose it as the setting for the entire shoot, and it’s easy to see why once you look at the space: an arched cloister, a bell tower visible from the courtyard, and rooms that still carry their original stone walls.
Today the monastery operates as a venue built for slower, more reflective moments, which made it the right match for a story about a bride finding herself inside an old space.
Bridal Fashion
Claudio di Mari designed two looks for the shoot, built, in his own words, for “a sensual and self-aware bride.” The first is a high-neck, long-sleeve gown made from three-dimensional macramé lace, finished with a front slit that brings a contemporary edge to an otherwise traditional silhouette. The lace catches light differently depending on the angle, which gave the photography team plenty to work with as the bride moved through the corridors
The second look swaps in a full taffeta skirt with deep front draping. Its sheen picks up every fold in the fabric, and the front opening keeps the silhouette light even with all that volume.
For hair and makeup, the team wanted, as they put it, “something bold, an element that would contrast with the minimalism and the ancient atmosphere of the surroundings,” which is where the icy blue eyeshadow comes in. Tannaz Beauty Bar kept the hair loose and softly textured rather than polished into place.
The bride, modeled by Beatrice Rollo, wore three headpieces from Givu Design across the shoot: a hat covered entirely in white pearls, a lace veil that partially covers the face for the ceremony scenes, and a 1920s-inspired piece that frames her features for the final looks.
Decor & Design
The same water motif that opens the story carries through the textile design too. The creative team calls its approach “a refined dialogue between textile, light, and architecture,” and that shows clearly in the ceremony setup: champagne silk shantung unfurled across the cloister floor in long, fluid folds, framed by a soft chiffon perimeter.
The dining setup goes sheerer still, with chiffon walls and draping overhead, while the head table is anchored by a single, oversized silk shantung bow. Later, the champagne tower gets its own moment against a burnt brown cady backdrop paired with champagne lace.
Florals from Alfio Flower stay simple by design. White chrysanthemums, amaranthus, hydrangeas, and gypsophila mark the ceremony space, while the dinner table relies on dried hydrangeas alone, letting the candlelight carry most of the visual weight. Even the place cards from Still Water Paperie, finished with a wax seal, stick to the same quiet palette.
What holds the whole set together is how unforced it looks. Laura and Tommaso at LATO Photography moves between bright, sunlit hallways and near-total candlelight without losing the mood in either one. None of the posing looks staged — the bride moves through each room like she’s actually lived there. It’s the work of a team that knows when to step back and let a building this old do some of the storytelling on its own.
PHOTOGRAPHER LATO Photography | VENUE Monastero dell’Incoronata | PLANNER Simona Parisi Brilliant Weddings | TEXTILE DESIGN Creusa Studio | FLORALS Alfio Flower | BRIDAL GOWN Claudio di Mari | HAIR & MAKEUP Tannaz Beauty Bar | HEADPIECES Givu Design | STATIONERY Still Water Paperie | MODEL Beatrice Rollo
