puglia Whirlwind
Sun, storm, and something like fate
Katrina and web met the way only D.C. people do—as summer associates at a law firm. they worked in the same small office, but He scored the window desk (she stewed over it while he deep-sighed over her perfectly painted nails furiously pounding her keyboard). things softened: web clocked her razor-sharp wit (and encyclopedic knowledge of south Park), and katrina realized he somehow always made her laugh. their friendship stuck even as life pulled them in different directions—until a few years later, when they snapped back into place like it was common law.
Next came a proposal along the C&O Canal, a dinner at Reverie, a night that folded seamlessly into memory. A year passed and their bags were packed for their wedding in puglia, which felt less like an event and more like an unruly holiday. Katrina’s looks—think Renaissance meets the ’70s—complemented Web’s (he dressed in sage, pulled straight from the landscape); wildflowers bloomed against white stone, but local food and wine carried the whole thing. And then the chaos. a storm rewrote every plan and a brass band ambushed their cocktail hour. it was the kind of wedding that refused to stay contained, until suddenly, it all cleared: one perfect day, golden and fleeting, like it was always meant to land that way.
[ client]
Katrina & Web
[ palette ]
Wildflower yellow, sandstone, sage
[ LOCATION ]
Masseria Le Torri, Italy
[ YEAR ]
2025
“We both love the food, the wine, and the people. When Katrina was 9, she spent a month in Tuscany with her extended family celebrating her grandparents 50th wedding anniversary,” they say. “We wanted our wedding to feel similar—like a special vacation spent with our family and close friends.”
The Venue
Katrina has spent years of her life in Italy, both studying abroad and for work.
“Our welcome party was originally supposed to be outdoors on the water, but rain and wind drove us inside last-minute. while most photographers would shy from attempting an outdoor photoshoot during a literal hurricane, Nikki did not. The shots of us that she captured in the crazy wind and rain are some of our favorites from the weekend.”
“We were both fairly relaxed about the design of the wedding and just wanted the colors and aesthetic to complement the architecture of the venue and the natural landscape. We particularly loved the florals, which were inspired by the wildflowers that bloom in the olive groves in the Spring. They popped beautifully against the white stone walls of the Masseria.”
“While walking towards the courtyard for aperitivo, we had completely forgotten about the brass marching band that was hiding around the corner. The moment they appeared, the mood instantly shifted to party mode. Everyone was dancing and drinking under the Puglian sunset.”
“Both of our outfits were inspired by Italy, along with our own personal touches we added for each other. Katrina’s wedding and after-party dresses were inspired by her two favorite fashion eras—the early Renaissance and the 1970s. She also chose wedding shoes with gold heels in the shape of Web’s initials—J and W.”
“We wanted the vibe to be joyful, relaxed, and intimate, and for the experience to be authentically Pugliese. Every part of the wedding, from the food and wine to the florals and music, were all local to Puglia, brought to life by our incredibly talented planner Giusy and her husband Mimo, who are from Ostuni.”
The Ceremony
“There were some truly moments on the dance floor (facilitated by the incomparable talents of DJ Simone and many bottles of vino).”
unhinged
D. "the most uniquely “us” element of the wedding was ultimately the happy chaos of the weekend, courtesy of a historic and very unseasonable storm. Even though almost all of Plan A went out the window within 24 hours of the day, our Plan B ended up being even more spectacular. to top it all off, the rain clouds miraculously cleared just in time for one perfect, sunny day.”
I. A late-night panzerotti truck Fueled the disco-heavy dance floor.
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J. Decorative plates—hand-made by Katrina’s mom—topped every place setting.
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the attorneys
Testimonial
“Having Nikki shoot your wedding is like having a friend with you, except your friend happens to be a super-talented photographer who knows all your best angles and can capture any moment with effortless creativity. Neither of us is particularly comfortable in front of a camera, but you’d never know it from Nikki’s photos. She makes you feel easy-breezy even when things inevitably go off-plan.
We loved her work so much that we decided to print every photo of each of our guests and mail them with our thank you cards—we wanted everyone to have special mementos of the weekend. We got so many comments from our guests about how incredible Nikki was and how happy they were to have the spectacular photos she’d taken of them. In the apt words of one of our guests, ‘Nikki is fucking iconic.’ We couldn’t agree more.”
Trust:
Client Testimonial
Creative partner
credits
planning / design
photography
venue
Florals
Catering
music
HAir / MakeUp
Audio / Lights
Tent
Giusy D’Ambrosio
nikki daskalakis
Masseria Le Torri
Giuseppe armenise
Rotondo catering
Vagaband,
Simone Cisternino
Massimo Il Moro, Barbara Pastore
sona.service,
Centomani Light
Vision Tents