3 Tastemakers On Planning Their Dream Destination Weddings
A Venetian palazzo, a former monastery in the Mallorcan mountains, and a Tuscan villa: three creative tastemakers share the stories of planning their weddings in spectacular and meaningful locations. By KATIE BERRINGTON
Annastasia Seebohm Giacomini, CEO of Brilliant Minds Foundation
“There is a magical, otherwordly feeling to Venice and it is full of wonderful memories for my husband, Cristian, and me. Some of our most special times have been in Venice – our first holiday together, Cristian’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and our engagement – all at the St. Regis hotel. Venice radiates beauty at every turn, from the light to the architecture. We couldn’t think of a more special place for our wedding celebration. It was for just 20 guests, and we knew that we could create an extraordinary experience for us all.
“We chose the historic Palazzo Cavalli for our civil ceremony, which has views of the Grand Canal (perfect for wedding shots), and we had the first-night black-tie dinner at the St. Regis. Cristian had arranged a surprise gondola ride for our arrival at the hotel. It made for the perfect entrance. For the church ceremony the following day, we had a Catholic blessing at San Giovanni Evangelista – a historic and vast church that still has a romantic intimacy.
“Italy is, of course, all about the food. Our celebratory lunch was at the Michelin-starred Venissa, a magical restaurant where we had enjoyed one of our best meals together. It is situated in a small walled vineyard, dating back to the Middle Ages, on the island of Mazzorbo.
“W. Somerset Maugham once wrote of Venice: ‘However often you return, you are as staggered by its beauty as when you saw it for the first time.’ When we arrived for our wedding weekend, I remember looking out at the views and being blown away that we were getting married amongst it all. Seeing my closest family and friends for the first time at the civil ceremony was incredibly emotional – and reminded me how wonderful it was to have time to really speak to each of them throughout the weekend.
“Afterwards, we walked through the streets of Venice with our photographer and arrived at Saint Mark’s Square. A group of students started cheering for us, and then the whole square cheered! I threw my bouquet to the group of excited students. It was a dramatic and hilarious moment, brilliantly caught on camera.
“Both of my dresses needed to radiate elegance to match the vibrancy and majesty of Venice. For the civil ceremony, I wore a Roksanda ‘Garance’ dress – classic but with a little drama and edge. I loved the big, gathered sleeves and open back, and faux pearls embellished on the cuffs. It looked fun and chic against the backdrop of cobbled streets and piazzas, and paired with blue Jimmy Choos – my ‘something blue’, a gift from my best friends in New York.
“For the blessing, I wore a Benveniste couture wedding gown designed by Samantha Benveniste, with nude stilettos by Dolce & Gabbana. The gown was made using 15 meters of Italian silk duchesse satin, with a three-and-a-half-meter French Chantilly rose motif veil. It had a rainbow sewn into its train in remembrance of my late parents (whenever I see a rainbow, I always think of them), and each of the arms had a small flower sewn in from lace previously given to me by my late father. The bespoke wedding earrings, engagement ring and tennis bracelet were all crafted by Cristian’s late uncle, an Italian jewelry designer.
“Cristian and I made a pact at the beginning to keep our celebration simple and elegant – we wanted the beauty of the city to really shine through. After the church service, we walked and stopped for a tramezzino in a little café – just the two of us in a perfect, classic Venetian setting – to have a bit of time to reflect on the wedding.”
“There is a magical, otherwordly feeling to Venice and it is full of wonderful memories for my husband, Cristian, and me
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Nellie Eden, creative director
“I have been traveling to Tuscany, specifically Lucca, since I was in my mom’s ‘tummy’ – and, when I was a teenager, she bought an old farmhouse in a village called Vorno. We became close with many of the locals, who we still count as special friends. When I met my now-husband, Andu, we brought him in on the secret that is Lucca, a walled town that Napoleon gave to his sister and is also the birthplace of the composer Puccini.
“It was almost a forgone conclusion that we would get married here. We had our rehearsal dinner at a restaurant called Vipore, up in the hills, where I’ve been going since I was 10 years old. White-linen tablecloths, a view of Lucca twinkling in the distance, olive-colored chairs, tomatoes soaked in olive oil… It’s one of my favorite places in the world. I love that it’s tricky to get to – because I never want to leave.
“Andu and I had one trip to find our venue. When we got to Villa Grabau, we knew it was where we wanted it to happen. It’s an old silk merchant’s villa, with cyprus trees and a hidden garden where we could have the ceremony – plus, the interiors are breathtaking, with frescos and hand-painted vistas of Tuscan scenery, as well as trompe-l’oeil paintings of green fabric. I think we shook hands there and then and built the rest of the weekend around it. My mom later visited with us, as a mediator, to do tastings in Florence. Andu’s and my eyes would meet across our fourth charcuterie board in two days and we’d just fall about laughing. It was terribly exciting – the anticipation of what was to come.
“The air felt crackly the week before the wedding. Andu and I stayed separately and we actually got married two days before the ceremony, just the two of us, at the town hall in Lucca. I wore something simple, did my own hair and makeup, and my twin created a bouquet using flowers plucked from the garden. My girlfriends helped me write my vows. It was a romantic week of friendship as well. I felt completely calm on the morning of the wedding, and my friend Isamaya FFrench did my makeup. I decided what shoes to wear about 10 minutes before and then stuffed myself into a rental car – bliss!
“For my dress, I was very inspired by Tuscany, which is cosmopolitan but also steeped in history. Women ride their bicycles around town in five-inch Manolos
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“I knew I wanted my friend and collaborator Simone (who founded London-based florists Fjura) to do the flowers. My beautiful friend Cosima sang for us (and broke everyone’s hearts), and my friends Suz Pettigrew, Sofia Giovanni and Becky Tong DJed. We worked with an incredible local catering company, Galateo Ricevimenti, and they helped bring my vision of a traditional Italian millefeuille wedding cake (albeit a heart-shaped one) to life.
“For my dress, I was very inspired by Tuscany, which is cosmopolitan yet steeped in history. Women ride their bicycles around town in five-inch Manolos. I worked with London design duo WED Studio – and we took Audrey Hepburn’s dress in Sabrina and their signature spiral pants as a starting point. I had no lace, no frills, but the dress had volume in the skirt and a keyhole in the back that felt girly and fresh. My friend Clio Peppiatt designed the most perfect mesh gloves for me, and I stacked my ears up with diamond hoops and cuffs.
“For three days, it felt as if I were existing in a tiny Italian jewelry box, bringing my most treasured people to my most treasured place. The feedback was how special it was to congregate abroad, to turn off emails, to see everyone in their finery (we attracted a lot of attention in town), and for everyone to be able to express their commitment to being part of our community and inner circle. I had a lot of scepticism around a wedding, and that just melted away.”
Dalad Kambhu, chef
“We chose Mallorca for many reasons. It was the place where we fell in love. We chose to get married at my husband’s family home, a former monastery that has been a pinnacle of the Deia community and is the place where we first met. In October, you no longer have the summer heat, but the winter cold hasn’t arrived – and the sun doesn’t set until 7pm.
“Given that we are both in creative fields, it was easy to plan our wedding, with lots of imagination. We wanted to get married up in the mountains because of the sunsets we watch from there. The exact location was chosen by my husband for its theater-like formations of rocks, with the ocean as a backdrop. Then we thought of food (very important, as we are chefs) – and our friend Jeff Claudio, who is arguably one of the best chefs of our generation, offered to cook for us as a wedding present.
“I will never forget the golden sunset we had during our ceremony, overlooking the sea. It really was the dream wedding
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“We did not want a formal wedding, with everything planned precisely – we wanted to leave room for magic from the love of our friends. Many details were casually mapped out. For instance, we decided on a Thai ceremony a couple of months before, and the light design was done a couple of days before by my husband and his childhood friend. I was nervous and did not sleep well up to the wedding. Luckily, my support system, and my chosen family members, came a few days early. The island air warmed everyone up and helped everyone wind down.
“Since we both spend a lot of time on the island, we are familiar with the terrain and nature. We did not want to have flooring down or a tent up. My dress, which was designed by Nhu Duong and tailored by Loïc Gros, was made of a silky fabric that could reflect the sunset light – and also high-slit so that I could walk comfortably. My shoes, beautifully designed by The Attico, were wedges so that I could walk on the rocks, too.
“Many of our guests took the opportunity to turn the weekend into a holiday. All my friends became friends with each other afterwards. And I will never forget the golden sunset we had during our ceremony, overlooking the sea. It really was the dream wedding.”