The best time to get married in Puglia: light, heat and the countryside, season by season

Three questions before the calendar

Before I suggest a month, I ask a couple three questions: lunch or dinner, how many guests are flying in, and whether there are elderly guests or small children who feel the heat. With those three answers the choice usually narrows to two or three months, and the rest is a matter of free dates.

Where we are matters too. The masseria is on the Murgia, inland in northern Puglia, at about 340 metres: not by the sea. Summers are hot and dry, the light is strong, the skies open, and there is a good difference in temperature between day and night. What follows is experience from the field, not a forecast: every year the weather does a bit as it likes.

April and May: green, long light, changeable

The countryside is at its greenest, the olive trees flower in May and the days stretch quickly: in mid-April the sun sets at 19:34, in mid-May at 20:05. You can stay outdoors without chasing shade. It is also the least predictable season, with the odd sudden shower and evenings that turn fresh soon after sunset.

• For guests: a shawl or light jacket for the evening, written in the invitation.
• For the timeline: the plan B deserves as much attention as plan A.
• For the photographer: the light lasts, so the aperitivo in the vineyard can start later than you think.

June, July and August: long evenings, hot afternoons

This is the season of dinners outdoors. On 15 June the sun sets at 20:29 and the light lingers. The other side is the heat of the middle of the day, which in July and August really weighs: a ceremony at four in the afternoon in full sun is remembered by everyone, but not for the right reason.

The rule is to move everything towards the evening: a late-afternoon ceremony in the olive grove, which gives more shade than an open lawn; the aperitivo in the vineyard at sunset; dinner in the Corte Grande, the large courtyard, once the air has lightened. Up here, away from the coast, evenings are usually drier and often breezy: good for dancing, something to think about for veils and candles.

For guests flying in, summer is also the season of school holidays and the busiest flights. August in particular is when much of Italy is on holiday. It is not a reason to give up; it is a reason to tell your guests early, so they can book.

September and October: the grape harvest, then the olives

September is the month for couples who want summer without its heaviest heat. On the 15th the sun sets at 19:06, almost an hour and a half earlier than in June, and the timeline moves forward with it. It is also the heart of the grape harvest, which we do at night, by machine, in the cool: by day the vines are heavy with grapes, and it shows in the photos.

October is milder and less certain. Summer time lasts until the last Sunday of the month, and in mid-October the sun sets at 18:16; after the clocks change, evening comes an hour earlier, and a dinner outdoors needs a jacket and shelter close by. With autumn the olive season begins, and in November the family mill makes the new oil.

From November to March: the daytime wedding

In winter you choose the day. In mid-December the sun sets at 16:27, so the wedding becomes a long, unhurried lunch, with photos outdoors in the early afternoon and the rest under the lights. For daytime weddings we have the Orangerie, the Corte Piccola (the small courtyard) and the Winter Garden, with an olive tree growing in the middle. Outside, among the Coratina trees, it is olive harvest time, and dates are freer.

Choosing, in practice

• Dinner under the stars: June to September, with a late-afternoon ceremony.
• Elderly guests or small children: June or September, away from the middle of the day.
• Many guests flying in: outside the August holiday weeks, or with a very early notice.
• More choice of dates: spring, autumn, winter, or a day other than Saturday.
• A smaller lunch: November to March, by day.

In every season we keep the same rule: a plan B for every moment, here at the masseria. The sunset times for all twelve months are in sunset times for wedding photos. One last piece of advice: dates in the busiest months fill first, and we host one event a day. If you have a month in mind, tell us the period and how many you will be, and we will tell you which dates are free and how the day changes with the light of that season.

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