Wedding | Samantha & William

1 hour ago
6 min read

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Hi! We are Samantha and William, but Sam and Will work great too! We have been together for 9 years, but became friends just over 11 years ago. Sam moved into Will’s parents house temporarily, to be closer to a job she was working on. (We both work in the entertainment industry, as songwriters and artists.) During that time, we would stay up all night, having deep platonic (or so we thought) conversations. We didn’t realize it at the time, but it turned out we were falling in love.

At the 7 year mark of our relationship, we took a trip to Ireland, and Will proposed to Sam at the Cliffs of Moher. Right before Will popped the question, the storm clouds parted to reveal a double rainbow. As Sam’s lineage originates in Ireland, we took this as a universal sign of approval from her loved ones who are no longer with us.

We live in Los Angeles, CA with our dog Apollo, and love to travel the world, create music and spend time together with our friends and family.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

The short story is that we thought Lake Como would be a beautiful and romantic place to get married. We got engaged internationally, and thought it would be fun to also get married internationally.

The long story is this: Sam has a special bond with her great aunt (who was also the ceremony celebrant). They both have red hair, big feelings, and the same Northeast Attitude. They have traveled the world together, and truly speak their own language when they are in the same room. Sam grew up going to Auntie’s house and staring at the same painting on their kitchen wall for years - a beautiful depiction of a cafe in Bellagio. The two would talk about one day visiting the real thing. Tragically, Auntie was diagnosed with breast cancer, and no one was sure if she would be able to travel for much longer. We took this as a sign to not only get married in a beautiful and meaningful place, but to give Auntie a reason to finally see her painting come to life. In the best case outcome, we are happily married, and Auntie is cancer free!

How many guests did you have?

Our total guest count was 87. 89 if you include us!

What was your budget?

Our budget was originally $50,000. We ended up spending around just under $70,000.

Tell us about your outfits.

Will went to a local suitmaker in Downtown LA. We know we wanted him to wear a linen suit, because it was the most lightweight fabric for the hot Italian weather. We walked in, Will tried on a suit and loved it. Immediately, the show owner began tailoring it to his exact sizing. We walked out of the shop 15 minutes later with a perfect suit, for less than $200.

The night before, Sam wore her grandmother’s wedding dress. She and her mom tailored it to be a bit more modern, adding pearl beads along the newly added empire waist. They took the hem up from a tea length to a cocktail length dress.

Sam’s wedding dress was chosen by her Aunt. After a few nightmarish bridal appointments where Sam felt she was being sold a car, instead of a dress, she booked an intimate appointment at BHLDN, Anthropologie’s wedding shop. As soon as she, her mom, sister and Auntie walked in, Auntie pointed to a simple and beautiful dress that the mannequin wore. Sam immediately knew it was the one. The dress is called Addilyn, and was made by Jenny Yoo. The dress is timeless, with a subtle drop waist silhouette.

Sam changed into a two piece vest and pantsuit from Aritzia after the ceremony.

As much as she loved the dress, the pantsuit provided relief from the heat! Fun fact… We were on such a high that we forgot to do the first dance before Sam changed into her pants, so the first dance was definitely less traditional than usual.

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

The most important aspect for Sam: I wanted every detail and corner to be designed to seem handmade, full of love, whimsical, and colorful. I wanted to incorporate the love that surrounds us, and our appreciation for all of the marriages that came before us. My hope was to infuse as much of me and Will into the ceremony and reception as we possibly could. When it came down to it, that meant hand embroidered handkerchiefs, photos of all of the married couples in attendance, hand watercolored invitations, menus and seating arrangements, and printed fabric welcome signage.

The most important aspect for Will: as a singer/songwriter, it was most important that every song on the dancing playlist was top tier. My main goal for everyone there was to have the best time possible, which is why I meticulously crafted a selection of songs that would keep people on the dance floor for as long as possible. I’m very happy to report that more than half of the people in attendance were singing and dancing with us until 2 am; after that, we all jumped in Lake Como after dark and continued the party.

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

The elements that were important for us to incorporate were the intimate, personal ones. We exchanged personalized vows, hand written and publicly presented. We had over a decade of history to talk about, and we wanted to share our vows with our friends and family as an ode to our love for each other, but also so that our loved ones can help hold us accountable to those vows as we move forward on this journey together.

We also wanted to include our family members that are no longer with us, so Will presented a Chinese longevity silk to honor his maternal grandmother, and Sam wore her family heirloom engagement ring, as well as her grandmother’s wedding dress for the cocktail party.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Although this can sometimes be a stressful period, we had so much fun planning and putting it together. We both did such an amazing job at managing each other's feelings when tense moments arose. We were able to remind each other to have fun and not take it too seriously. Our favorite part of the planning was sitting down together and painting with watercolors. These pieces would later be used to create all of the signage and details for the wedding. So the advice would be, remember that you are a team, take a step back and enjoy the process.

And please, please infuse this one element into your wedding: While everyone is sitting down and watching you marry the love of your life, have the officiant prompt the two of you to hold hands, turn toward the audience, and soak in every single face you can see. They are all there for you, to support you and witness your love. Have a moment and be present.

Everyone says it will be “the best day of your life.” Everyone is right. You don’t really understand the gravity of that phrase until you’re in the middle of it. Soak it in and have a blast.

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

Our floral vendor, Viola Nei Fiori, is doing exactly what she was born to do. Her attention to detail, patience, and execution were beyond anything we could have hoped for.

Our photographer, Adam Griffin, was - without a doubt - the MVP of the weekend. He fell over a tourist’s suitcase on the bus on his way into Lake Como and ended up breaking his foot!! Not once did he say a single word to either of us. (One of the bridesmaids let us know later that he was hurt.) Adam was so determined to make it the best day ever, and to capture every moment as beautifully as he could. He walked around our venue with a smile on his face, over loose gravel, uneven rocks and stairs. He showed up with the strength and willpower of a warrior. We will never ever forget the sacrifice he made and the pain he bore to make sure we got the photographic memories of our dreams.