Kinga & Mateusz Convento San Panfilo, Spoltore

A pizza party before the wedding

Before the elegant ceremony came an evening of pizza, wine and the people closest to them. The day before Kinga and Mateusz's wedding there was a relaxed pizza party, with chef Marco making pizza on the spot. There were starters, little sandwiches and cheeses served several ways.

There was time to talk, to eat together and for a short engagement session with pizza and wine. I love wedding stories that begin like this: no rush, just room to be together before the big day starts.

A venue found by chance

Convento San Panfilo in Spoltore, in the Abruzzo region, was not the result of months of searching. A year earlier, Mateusz's mum saw the place on holiday and suggested dropping in for dinner and asking about holding a wedding there.

That spontaneous idea became the start of a special story. On 6 June 2026, historic architecture, greenery and colourful wildflowers set the scene for a classic, elegant wedding. Places like this show that the best plans sometimes begin quite unexpectedly.

Getting ready and the first look

Kinga got ready in the castle-like interiors of Convento San Panfilo. With her were Klaudia and Paweł, close friends of mine who sometimes join me when I travel for weddings.

A Warsaw Poet gown, pearls and a bouquet of wildflowers suited the character of the place perfectly. Mateusz got ready calmly with his dad and brother.

Later they met in the garden. Mateusz's reaction when he saw Kinga was priceless: he looked truly stunned. Moments like this remind me that the most beautiful frames need no directing.

The ceremony at Chiesa di San Panfilo

The classic ceremony, led by a Polish priest, took place at Chiesa di San Panfilo. There were smiles, focus and the people closest to them, including Mateusz's brother and Kinga's sister, who took part in the Mass.

As the couple left the church, flower petals rained down on them. A few got caught in Kinga's hair, and a moment later someone gently picked them out. It made a spontaneous frame I really love.

This is what I value in wedding reportage: the unplanned moments. Often it is the small things that best capture the mood of the whole day.

Dinner in the cloisters

After the ceremony the guests returned to Convento San Panfilo, where the celebration went on. There was a toast, an aperitivo and time to talk in a relaxed atmosphere.

Only later did everyone move to the cloisters for dinner. Candles, historic architecture and an elegant setting made a special backdrop for an evening that passed without any rush.

What stayed with me most was how close and warm the guests were, towards us too, the people working at the wedding. A beautiful place is one thing, but it is people who give it real meaning.

A green sofa and golden hour

We found about forty minutes for the portrait session after the aperitivo. The convento team had prepared a beautiful green Louis-style sofa that fit the surroundings perfectly.

Kinga and Mateusz were relaxed, smiling and happy. We used the golden-hour light, and between the portraits there were spontaneous moments too, including a run-through of their first dance.

From elegance to a club night

Kinga and Mateusz had their first dance in the cloisters. A gentle choreography, then millefoglie and speeches, and then club music took over the dance floor.

Among the most enthusiastic dancers was Maciej, whose wedding to Marysia I photographed a year earlier in Tuscany. They are a very important couple to me, so meeting them again at another special wedding meant a lot.