Bridal Makeup in Puglia and Salento

Natalia Stawiarska Colluto · Nala Makeups · Castello Monaci · Masseria Don Luigi · Lecce · Savelletri

I did not come to Puglia for work. I got married here.

My husband is Italian. Our ceremony was at the Basilica di Santa Croce in Lecce and our reception at Villa Zaira in Maglie. His family lives thirty minutes from Castello Monaci, so Puglia is a place I come back to, not a destination I fly into.

I work in English, Italian and Polish, which means I speak directly with you, with your planner, with the hairdresser and with the venue staff.

How you will look

Skin that looks like skin, not like makeup. Eyes that read from the other side of the garden in a photograph. And the certainty that after fourteen hours, after your mother's tears, after the dancing and the evening air off the Adriatic, you still look the way you did that morning.

Castello Monaci, Salice Salentino

I did the makeup for a bride here who flew in from London, so I can describe this venue as someone who spent the whole day in it.

Castello Monaci has a separate beauty prep room, which is a real advantage with a larger party. It is spacious, with mirrors, high chairs and air conditioning, and several artists can work at the same time. In July in Puglia the air conditioning decides not only comfort but how long the makeup lasts. There are windows on almost every side, so the natural light is excellent.

We started at eight: the mother of the bride, the bridesmaids, one more member of the party, then the bride second to last and a friend of hers at the very end. After that we moved to the bride's own apartment for the veil and the final touches. Guests were ready by half past one, and I stayed until ten in the evening.

That day the temperature was very high and humidity reached around eighty percent. The makeup was built for those conditions and the bride needed no touch-ups at all until the morning after.

Not only was the makeup flawless and stayed in place the whole night, but you were so patient and kind and helpful in every way.

The ceremony took place in the castle garden, with the bride walking down a striking staircase to the spot where the vows were exchanged. The reception moved to the grounds in front of the castle, among greenery and flowers.

Getting married at Castello Monaci? Write to me and I will check your date. You can also read the full account of that wedding.

Masseria Don Luigi, Fasano

I also worked on a wedding at Masseria Don Luigi in Contrada Coccaro near Fasano, on the stretch of coast where most international couples marry, close to Borgo Egnazia and Masseria Torre Coccaro.

The bride got ready upstairs, in a bright room with large windows and very good natural light, quiet and private. It is the kind of room where the getting-ready photographs look as good as the final ones.

I was given my own station, a large table and a high chair. That is rare, and it says a great deal about how a venue treats the bride's morning.

The ceremony was held in a church and the reception among the olive trees. Around a hundred guests, and still it kept its intimacy. What I remember from this place is the space, the light and the aesthetic, very bright and very consistent. I recommend it sincerely.

Planning a wedding at Don Luigi or anywhere around Savelletri? Get in touch.

Villa Zaira, Maglie

This is where my own wedding reception was held, after the ceremony in Lecce.

Guests move first to an aperitivo under the arcades, then into the olive grove in front of the villa, lit with bulbs and chandeliers hung between the trees, where the antipasti are laid out. Only then does the evening move to the main room. Villa Zaira is beautiful in the morning, but it truly shows itself at night.

So I know this day from both sides. I know what it is like to sit in the chair thinking about the guests, the time and whether everything will come together. That is why I ask my brides about things nobody else asks about, such as the light in the room where you will spend your whole morning.

And I tell them one thing, from experience: this day passes faster than you think. My job is to take enough off your shoulders that you can actually be in it.

The area I cover

From my base in Salento I reach both of Puglia's wedding regions on the same morning.

I fly into Brindisi or Bari, whichever suits the schedule, and I am always on location the day before the wedding.

Your venue not on the list? Write anyway — I cover the whole region.

Makeup that survives a Puglian summer

Heat and humidity are the real challenge here, and no single product solves them. Everything begins with how the skin is prepared, not with what goes on top of it.

I use a spray that brings the skin's temperature down before anything else is applied, I build with waterproof products, and I finish with a technique designed for a full day and night in the open air. Depending on your package I can stay with you into the evening.

The morning timeline

For the bride I plan three to three and a half hours for hair and makeup together. Soft natural waves take around fifty minutes, natural makeup about an hour, full glam about an hour and a half. Each guest takes roughly an hour.

With several bridesmaids and mothers we start earlier, often at seven. I do the bride second to last, with one of her friends at the very end, so she does not sit waiting and we finish with a buffer before the photographer arrives.

How many people I can get ready. On my own, three to four for hair and makeup together, up to six for makeup only. With my team, eight to ten. For larger parties I work with a hairdresser on location.

The trial, when you live in another country

• On location, days before the wedding. I arrive early and we do the trial in Puglia, usually one to three days ahead.
• In Puglia, months ahead. If you are coming to see the venue, I fly in then, together with the hairdresser.
• A video consultation and a look painted onto your photograph. You send me your picture and I paint the makeup directly onto it, so you see the exact style on your own face before we meet.
• A trial on a model in my Wrocław studio. I recreate the look and send you the photographs.

I will be honest about the last one. Every bride wants to see and feel the makeup on herself, and a model cannot replace that. I recommend it only for brides who genuinely cannot travel.

Why one artist rather than an agency

You know exactly who is arriving. It is me, every time, from the first message to the last touch-up.

Twenty years of bridal work. Three languages. Family and a base in Salento. Arrival the day before, always. And one price for your package, with travel and accommodation inside it.

It's crazy how much I trusted you straight away from your first messages.

I take a limited number of destination weddings each season, because I arrive the day before and give each bride the whole morning. Saturdays in high season are usually taken a year ahead, so it is worth asking early even if your plans are not final.

What my brides say

Frequently asked questions

How long does bridal makeup take?

About an hour and a half, up to two for full glam. With hair together, three to three and a half hours.

Do you do hair as well?

Yes, updos and waves. For larger parties I work with a hairdresser on location.

How many people can you get ready?

On my own, three to four for hair and makeup together, up to six for makeup only. With my team, eight to ten.

Will the makeup survive the heat?

Yes. At Castello Monaci, with around eighty percent humidity, the bride needed no touch-ups until the morning after.

Is a trial necessary?

Not obligatory, but recommended. There are four ways to do it, including a look painted onto your own photograph.

When should I book?

Six to twelve months ahead, and earlier still for weddings in Italy in high season.

Do you work outside Puglia?

Yes. Lake Como, Tuscany, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and all of Poland.

What does the quote include?

One complete amount: all makeups, a consultation or trial, my arrival the day before, travel and accommodation.