Wedding | Mitzi & Bekim

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Bekim and I met at a music festival in Southern California called Lightning in a Bottle in 2016 - that summer we kept crossing paths until we kissed after a 3 hour Skrillex set on the original Woodstock grounds in Bethel Woods, NY.

Our shared love for music experienced collectively in unique settings determined the tone of our wedding: we decided to host it at my countryside childhood home, weaving a hyperbolic narrative arc from a northern Italian idyll by day, to a techno Euro rave by night.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

The villa is from the 1800s with exquisitely painted frescoed ceilings and a sprawling garden, perfect for weddings - but above all it is my home, it’s my roots and I left Italy at relatively young age (18) and moved to NYC and then LA: it became of paramount importance for me to celebrate this day returning home, while bringing back my found family, my friends, my husband’s family and what I fell in love with in the American cities I lived in while becoming an adult.

It was the marriage of multiple worlds. Having people from completely different moments of our lives, from different countries and generations all unite under my childhood roof was stunning and surreal.

How many guests did you have?

About 120.

Tell us about your outfits.

I wore a custom gown by Michelle Hebert based on a sketch I made. I wanted something that had a sleek runway look, an asymmetrical outline and some clever alternative to a traditional veil. Michelle and I worked extraordinarily well together - when she pitched the beaded arm cuffs, I knew she understood the subtle dystopian edge I was after. We referenced some heroines from sci-fi films and I showed her the closing aria to the Turandot by Puccini, which ultimately influenced the headpiece I wore, also entirely custom made by Michelle. Lastly we added an organza cape, partly for modesty at the sanctuary and party to reach a more flowing, romantic effect when in motion.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

I wanted the share with my guests a wide range of elements that have made my life richer, from the simplicity of the Italian countryside to the vaulted 17th century frescoed ceilings of the locations, to the choice of celebrating the ceremony in a sanctuary for domestic spirituality, to using the ending of the Turandot as a way of beginning the wedding: Turandot is amongst the few operatic heroines who doesn’t die because of love, but rather she chooses to spare her lover’s life and willingly enters the marriage on her own terms.

I hired two excellent violinists to rearrange the aria and it became my entrance theme, yet by sundown we smoothy transitioned to house music and then into hard, bouncy techno - which to my surprise was enjoyed by guests of all ages.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

I wanted the food and wine to be of the best quality without feeling pompous or maximalist - Italian cuisine is meant to be simple. The main course was paccheri with yellow tomato sauce, prawn tartare, stracciatella and breadcrumbs, engineered by the masterful Anna Fantini, founder of BanAnna kitchen, ending with freshly made cannoli and a homemade gelato truck that came busting through the garden gates to everyone’s delight (gelati di Checco).

Any tips for couples getting married?

Prioritize sleep the weeks leading up to the event, especially if you’re producing it yourselves. Invite who you want, do what makes you happy, play the music you want to hear and everything will work beautifully. The reception especially can be as unique as you want it to be, do not feel obligated to do what’s expected.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

BanAnna Kitchen is truly outstanding, Maia of Torte Cake Lab pulled off this intricate, towering 4 story sculpture of a cake with a week’s notice! (My plan A was an ambitious gelato cake from Turin but the logistics on blistering 93 F degree weather were against me, so I pivoted, glad I did).

The florists did such an immaculate job staging flora with grace and sophistication without making the decor feel too muscular or flashy.

The violists Margherita Valente and Laura Luani weaved the narrative arc with me, from opera to sacred to rearranging L’Amour Toujours and Skrillex they really did it all.

And of course Cristiana Martinelli of Ortica who took exactly the kind of photographs I wanted from my wedding - candid, in the moment, hard flash, some grain, moody black and white here and there.

Photographer & Videographer: Ortica Wedding @orticawedding | Flora: Elide Giordanengo and Luisella Bianco | Ceremony Location: Saint Anthony Sanctuary in Boves, Cuneo, Italy | Reception Location: Villa Moschetti, Boves (Family home) | Celebrant: Padre Angelo Schettini | Gelato Truck: Gelati di Checco @gelatichecco | Makeup: by the Bride | Grooming: Otis and Finn Barbershop @otisandfinnbarbershop | Hair Stylist: Luca Pellegrino @lo_stile_nei_capelli | Catering & Beverages: BanAnna Kitchen @banannakitchen | Cake: Torte&Co Cake Lab @torteandco.cakelab | Entertainment: Nas Leber (Dj); Margerita Valente (Violinist); Laura Luani (Violinist) @nasleber @margheritaviolinistitaly  @laura.violinist | Dress, Cape, Headpiece & Arm Cuffs: Custom Michelle Hebert @michelle

hebertofficial | Reception Outfit: Sheer Zara @zara dress, Prada @prada platform loafers | Engagement Ring: Anne Sheffield | Shoes: Zara, Prada