Wedding | Olivia & Andrea

Tell us a little about yourselves!

I met Andrea a month after I moved to Amsterdam from the US. I felt very pulled to move to the city after visiting a couple times and I have to wonder if that pull was because I was meant to meet him. We were at a very beloved local wine bar – shout out Twee Prinsen, with our respective friend groups and all ended up at the same table. Andrea sat next to me (he still to this day refuses to reveal if this was intentional or not) and the rest is truly history. We’ve been together ever since. He is the light of my life.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Andrea: My family is from outside of Milan and has been spending summers in Moneglia, a seaside town a couple hours away, for generations. My parents met there when they were teenagers. I couldn’t wait to share it with Olivia when we started dating. After a couple years together, we both knew Liguria was the only spot for us when it came to celebrating a wedding with the people we love. 

Olivia: Given that I’m from the US, Andrea is from Italy, and we live in Amsterdam, many of our closest friends and family had never met before the wedding. It was really important for us to provide a special weekend that reflected one of our most important shared values: family is more than just who you’re related to.

Andrea actually found the location, he knows me too well. Eremo della Maddalena was the only one we looked at. Another case of love at first sight. Eremo della Maddalena is such a stunning place, it is simple in its details but grand in the feeling you get being on the property. It was the perfect spot to share the most important moment of our live.

How many guests did you have?

We had 95 guests. I didn’t expect it to be so difficult to keep it to a reasonable number, but it was a perfect amount. Every single person made it the weekend of our dreams.

What was your budget? 

We certainly started off with the intention of not spending too much, but some things became important priorities, and our budget grew over time. We wanted it to be an experience that was worth the long trip (for pretty much everyone). Our biggest expense was by far our caterer for the wedding (they outdid themselves). Weddings are just expensive, and while we were in shock for a while about how expensive, we ultimately came to terms with the fact that quality and experience mattered to us. In the end, it was worth every penny.

Tell us about your outfits.

Olivia: Outfit planning was both of our favorite parts of the process. I work in fashion, running social and influencer at the American menswear brand Todd Snyder, and Andrea has always been interested in style and design. 

My personal style leans more masculine/utility in my day-to-day and I wore a vintage Dries Van Noten blazer and Studio Nicholson pants to our civil ceremony in January. But I knew I wanted to wear a dress for both our welcome party and our ceremony in Italy. I love getting dressed up when the opportunity arises.

I met my mom in London to look at dresses because I had my eye on one that was only available at a brand’s showroom there. It didn’t end up being the one and the first two days of looking were quite demoralizing for me. I did not like wedding dress shopping at all! Nothing felt like me. I thought maybe I’d end up going the custom route with one of our designers at work. 

But on the last day of our trip we had a morning appointment (which I almost ended up cancelling) and I tried on my dress from Cortana. It was an instant, “This is it.” It’s actually a top and a skirt made from this dreamy stretch linen fabric that’s surprisingly quite stiff and sporty. The boat neck style is so striking in its simplicity, yet the material makes such a statement. The balloon hem on the skirt was divine. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect dress. 

I also was obsessed with my Friday night welcome party look. This one was way harder to find. I scoured vintage and new, secondhand, resale, online, retail–everywhere. I knew (and hated) every white dress on the internet. I would send options to my incredibly informed best friend, and she just kept saying, “You need more of a fashion moment,” and she was right! 

It wasn’t until two weeks before, when Andrea and I took a last-ditch shopping trip to Antwerp, that I found the look. It’s also a skirt and top, from Dries Van Noten. The experience was so special—so many women in the store stopped to admire the look and encouraged me to get it. Thank you, ladies, you know who you are! And thank you to Veronique, who was patient enough to help me through two visits in one day before I finally found the one.

I paired the Friday look with a pair of one-of-a-kind handmade earrings from Giovanni Zulian of Verissima Fonderia Anonima and vintage Jimmy Choos from The Real Real. For the wedding I wore second hand Bottega Veneta shoes, vintage earrings, a vintage bracelet Andrea gifted me for my birthday from Front General Store in Brooklyn, and a handmade veil I ordered from Etsy. I pinned my late father’s wedding band into my skirt. I wanted to keep my wedding look simple. The dress really spoke for itself. When the dance floor got going later on, I changed into an old linen dress from DISSH and flip flops. I didn’t feel inclined to buy a million things while planning my looks, and I’m glad I went with my gut. I was comfortable, and most importantly, so happy, the whole night.

I’d also love to acknowledge my wonderful makeup and hair artists. They executed my vision for the weekend immaculately. I felt the most myself and the most beautiful I’ve ever felt. 

Andrea: I felt incredibly lucky when it came to my wedding wardrobe. Olivia works for the menswear brand Todd Snyder, and I’ve always been a genuine fan of their clothes, especially their tailoring. Todd is such a master of suiting and fabrics. He has an innate understanding of the details. So it felt natural that both of my main ceremony looks came from them, and the experience of working with their team made the whole process even more special. I couldn’t have been happier with how everything turned out.

For our civil celebration, I wore a flannel houndstooth suit in the brand’s “Wythe” cut, a relaxed silhouette inspired by that effortless Armani Italian drape I’ve always loved. It was the perfect balance of refined but easy going for that day.

For Friday night’s welcome event, I went in a different direction–something more understated and personal. I chose a simple, oversized yet beautifully cut look from Lemaire in an ice blue color, paired with calf-hair slippers from the Todd Snyder and Sabah collab. It was relaxed, minimal, and the perfect counterpoint to Olivia’s look.

But the standout of all my looks was the Todd Snyder tuxedo I wore for the main wedding celebration. It was crafted from their “Sueded Linen,” a linen  with a beautifully soft, suede-like hand feel, made in Italy. It had a classic cut but felt modern thanks to the shawl collar and the fabric—exactly what I wanted. Big thanks to the entire Todd Snyder team who designed it, because it fit me like a glove.

I wore the Jacques Solovière’s “Slim” slipper with my tux. I love Jacques Solovière shoes. I met their team through Olivia earlier this year. Alexia has such an eye for modern edge when it comes to reinterpreting classics. The whole team is great. I’d also like to acknowledge our good friend Steve Gonzalez, a brilliant designer and creative director, who is always happy to lend an eye and ear when putting together a look. 

Overall, dressing for the wedding was really fun for me. But I also think there’s a philosophy to it: as the groom, your job is to complement your partner. Olivia was unquestionably the star, and I wanted every one of my choices to support that while still feeling like me!

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

Keeping it simple but special. We didn’t do a lot of the typical American elements of a wedding, the wedding parties, the first dances, the announcements. We are so incredibly lucky to have kind, thoughtful, loving friends and family. We just wanted to spend time with them! And most importantly, we wanted to have a good time. And damn, did we ever.

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

The most important element was just making sure the whole weekend felt like we put in the work to show our gratitude for everyone who showed up. Because of my job, I’ve honed a specific attention to detail. It’s a blessing and a curse. I wanted people to feel taken care of and special the whole time. I hope they all did. We love them more than anything.

Any tips for couples getting married?

They warn you, but wedding planning was so much more stressful than I ever imagined! And we had an (amazing) wedding planner! I can’t believe we made it out alive. But now that it’s all said and done, we both look back and feel that working together to execute a project of this scale was so incredibly worthwhile–for our guests and for us as a couple. My husband was also right by my side the whole time. A lot of the work in wedding planning often falls on the bride, but he really proved why I married him during those nine months of prep. 

Some tips include:

Align on your vision, your priorities, and your responsibilities early and often.

You will fight. Just be sure to make up afterwards.

Do what YOU want to do. Let your freak flag fly! 

There are a lot of agonizing small decisions to make, especially towards the end. Try to take care of yourself those last few weeks. 

You don’t get many opportunities to be the center of the universe for a whole weekend. Enjoy every second of it.

Take selfies!

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

God, we got so lucky. First of all, we had the wedding planner of all wedding planners Giada Legnani. She was incredible. It was truly like she was in my brain. She made me feel so heard and valued as a client and now friend. She grew up with Andrea, so it was like planning a wedding with family. Thank you for everything Giada!

Secondly, our brilliant photographer, Francesca Angrisano. I teared up when we got our photos back. She made Andrea and me feel so comfortable and confident on the day and you can see that in the images. You can also see how much we love each other. Most importantly, she captured all of the smaller moments that make up a wedding—the gestures, the laughs, and the tears that make us us. Going through the photos I realized just how loved we are by everyone in our lives. I’ll be forever grateful for how she saw all of us through her lens. 

I’d also like to thank my makeup artist Isabella Rizzo and hair stylist Alessia de Stefano  for both nights. I am admittedly a bit high-maintenance about “glam” as I am not an everyday makeup wearer. They made me feel so beautiful, and I look back on photos and truly think, “Wow, I looked gorgeous.” It’s a nice feeling to have about yourself every once in a while, especially on your wedding day.

Another vendor who absolutely understood the assignment was our florist, Marta Sandri. I think I changed the brief 5 times during the creative process. She was patient, kind, and created the most beautiful flowers and tablescapes I’d ever seen. Another mind reader.

We’d also love to thank our amazing caterer, Manuelina, who delivered an exceptional hospitality experience our guests are still raving about. Thank you to Bernardo at Scapinera Beach in Levanto for such a fun welcome party on Friday night. Our dear friend, Ariel Mojetta DJed and played Cher twice for my mom–need I say more? Lastly, Eddy Varekamp, an artist based in Amsterdam designed and printed our invitations. I’ve known since I first visited Amsterdam, long before I met Andrea, that one day I’d want him to do my wedding invites, and they were so special–the most us invites to ever invite. 

And just a general shoutout to everyone who helped us bring the wedding of our dreams to life, especially our families. Thank you!

Photographer: Francesca Angrisano @francescaangrisano.ph | Planning: Giada Legnani  @___artofthe

party | Styling: The couple | Florals & Tablescapes: Marta Sandri  @martasandri.studio | Ceremony & Reception Location: Eremo della Maddalena  @la_maddalena_cinqueterre | Celebrant: Friend, Anwar Okasha | Makeup: Isabella Rizzo  @isabellarizzo.glam | Hair: Alessia de Stefano @alessia_de_stefano__ | Cake, Catering & Beverages: Manuelina @manuelinaricevimentiecatering | Stationery: Eddy Varekamp

@eddy_varekamp | DJ: Ariel Mojetta @arielmojetta | Dresses: (Friday) Dries Van Noten @driesvannoten & (Saturday) Cortana @cortanabrides | Suits: (Friday) Lemaire @lemaire & (Saturday) Todd Snyder

@toddsnyderny | Veil: Handmaid | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Dunton Ellerkamp@duntonellerkamp | Shoes: Bottega Veneta @bottegavenetaworld (Bride) (Groom) Jacques Solovière  @jacquessoloviere

paris | Jewellery:  (Friday) Verissima Fonderia Anonima @verissimafonderianonima, (Saturday) Vintage Earrings & Bracelet sourced by bride