Tell us about your wedding day and surrounding events! Where did it all go down? Did you have any particular inspiration or musts when choosing the location?
Ryan and I got married in Rome, Italy, where I grew up. Rome holds such a special place in my heart, and I was so excited to share the city with Ryan when we first started dating. Over the years, Ryan and I have spent a lot of time in Rome, both as a couple and with my family over various holidays. When we started talking about wedding venues, we kept coming back to Rome. It just felt right to us.
We hosted our wedding weekend over three days from Friday, June 6, through Sunday, June 8. Our loved ones flew in from around the world to celebrate with us, and we were thrilled to share our love of Rome with them.
A necessary moment of quiet before the busy weekend ahead.
The festivities kicked off with our welcome party in the garden at Hotel de Russie. We wanted the night to feel like a garden party—laid back and relaxed. Prosecco was flowing, along with Negroni and Aperol Spritz, of course.
For music, we had a jazz trio that was arranged by one of my mom’s dearest friends in Rome and her son. It was such a magical night, and it set the tone for a wonderful wedding weekend.
A look at the Welcome Party.
Our wedding was on Saturday, June 7, at Villa Aurelia. The ceremony was in the beautiful Secret Garden. Our dear friend, Hannah Fitzsimmons, officiated the ceremony. Ryan and I wrote our own vows, and I was so nervous to read mine out loud in front of everyone.
After we were married, Ryan and I walked down the aisle to “At Last,” played by a string quartet and arranged by our family friend, Paige Thompson. As soon as the ceremony was over, I felt like I could truly relax and enjoy the party.
Ivory, greens, and blushes flowed through the weekend from the stationary to the natural Roman landscapes.
After the ceremony, our guests moved into the Italian Garden for an aperitivo. Ryan and I wanted to spend as much time with our guests as possible, so we took photos before the ceremony.
We served signature cocktails named after our dogs: an Oliver Twist (a Vesper Martini) and an Ode to Joad (an Aperol Spritz). Li Ward designed our invitations and the stationery for our wedding. Her work is truly stunning—she captured the mood perfectly.
We cannot get over the Li Ward stationary!
We moved into the Lemon Garden for dinner, with tables named after cities around the world that Ryan and I had traveled to. Ryan and I walked out to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and our first dance song was “For Once in My Life,” by Stevie Wonder.
Ryan loves dancing at a wedding, so finding a band that would keep our guests moving all night was one of our top priorities.
The reception was all about delicious food, drinks, and dancing!
We set up a dance floor in the garden, which was not a logistically easy feat, and had the most amazing band play during dinner and to kick off dancing. Dancing with all our closest friends as the sun set in Rome was one of the most magical experiences of our lives. After cake, we moved into Sala Aurelia for late-night dancing with a DJ and pizza.
Late night pizza making for your after party? Yes, please.
The next day, we hosted a traditional Sunday lunch at Da Giggetto, one of my family’s favorite restaurants in Rome, in the Jewish Quarter.
We served carciofi alla giudia (fried artichoke), one of my absolute favorite Roman dishes. The owners surprised us with a crostata ricotta e visciole cake (a Ricotta cake with wild sour cherry jam), a specialty of the Jewish Quarter, and baked by one of the best bakeries in Rome, Pasticceria Boccione.
A crostata ricotta e visciole and that post-wedding glow. ✨
We wanted lunch to be very casual and to have another opportunity to spend time with our guests. It was so nice to be able to debrief with our friends and family about the previous day, and to spend more time with them before we headed to Capri and Positano for our minimoon.
At the end of the weekend, we really felt like we had a chance to spend quality time with each of our guests.
Alessandra and Ryan followed a friend's advice and made sure to spend plenty of time together during the wedding events.
How did you and your partner meet? What was the proposal like?
We met through a dating app in 2021 and went on a walk in Domino Park for our first date. We had such a nice time, the walk turned into drinks and eventually dinner. Ryan and I went to the same law school, though he had graduated a year before I started, and we discovered that we had a lot of mutual friends. We both had pandemic puppies, so making sure they got along was the next big step. My dog, Oliver, doesn’t love many other dogs, so we were very nervous about whether he’d get along with Ryan’s dog, Joad. To our pleasant surprise, it was love at first sight for the pups, too. They are brothers now, and their bond is so special.
The next morning, the newlyweds hosted their friends and family for a lunch at one of their favorite spots in Rome.
Ryan and I love taking long walks with our dogs whenever we can. The day Ryan proposed, he and I took the dogs for a walk on the beach near my parents’ house in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey, where we were staying over Thanksgiving weekend. We had just let the dogs off the leash, and I thought Ryan was digging in his pocket to find a ball for them. But then Ryan got down on one knee and pulled out a gorgeous custom ring designed by Susie Saltzman.
We were both so nervous, I don’t even remember what Ryan said, but I’m pretty sure I said “yes!” We celebrated with our families the next day, and Ryan surprised me with an engagement party at Le Dive with all our friends the following week.
Love at first sight for Alessandra and this 2006 Valentino gown from Happy Isles.
Describe your Happy Isles dress and/or dresses! When did you know it was the one?
I first went to Happy Isles looking for a welcome party dress and a dress for my afterparty. I wasn’t sure whether I would find anything I loved, because I know vintage shopping can be hit or miss. Happy Isles turned out amazing: I fell in love with a 2006 ivory Valentino gown that I knew from the first moment I tried it on would be perfect for our wedding day.
For the wedding, I ended up wearing a gown and veil from Oscar de La Renta for the ceremony, and then right before dinner and dancing, I changed into the Valentino gown from Happy Isles.
During that first trip to Happy Isles, I also unexpectedly fell in love with a coral dress with gold buttons from Valentino’s Oliver label (named after his pug, Oliver!). I wasn’t sure initially how I would incorporate this dress into my wedding wardrobe, but I knew it was coming home with me, particularly because my dog’s name is also Oliver! I ended up wearing this dress to our farewell lunch at Da Giggetto, paired with Valentino heeled sandals and gold earrings from Missoma.
I was so happy with those two dresses that I went back to Happy Isles a second time, looking for a welcome party dress. I knew I wanted something that felt bridal, but I didn’t want to wear white on the first night. Courtney pulled out another amazing Valentino in Happy Isles’ wardrobe. This one was a blush pink backless dress, and I knew immediately that it would be perfect.
Such a special piece - perfect for the locale.
Then, I found one more surprise at Happy Isles: a sequined mini dress from the 1950s that would be ideal for an afterparty dress caught my eye. I tried it on, and the stretch material was so comfortable, I knew that was the outfit I wanted to end the night in.
I bought these dresses over a few trips to Happy Isles, and it was pure coincidence that three ended up being Valentino. Wearing Valentino dresses during our wedding felt so meaningful because Valentino Garavani opened his fashion house in Rome. I felt like it was one of the many signs that our wedding in Rome was meant to be.
What did your partner wear down the aisle, and did you share outfit pics before the big day?
For our welcome party at Hotel de Russie, Ryan wore a custom suit designed by Paul Marlow, Bontoni shoes, and a De Petrillo tie.
Ryan worked with an amazing sales associate, Clark, at Bergdorf for the rest of his wedding day looks. For our wedding day, Ryan wore a Ralph Lauren Purple Label tuxedo and bowtie, Tom Ford shoes, and Cartier cufflinks that I gave him as a wedding gift. Ryan also changed into a white Tom Ford dinner jacket after the ceremony.
For our farewell lunch, Ryan wore a Loro Piana shirt, Loro Piana pants, and Brunello Cuccinelli sneakers.
How did your guests respond to your outfit/s? Were there any standout reactions?
My mom came with me to my many bridal appointments and to my fittings, so she knew how I was going to look every step of the way. But my dad hadn’t seen me in any of my dresses until the wedding, and his reaction to every outfit was so sweet.
Where did you shop for accessories, and how did you style your look/s? Give us the deets!
For the welcome party, I paired my blush Valentino gown with gold Jimmy Choo heels. I wanted to keep my jewelry simple. I wore Mejuri earrings and an antique gold bracelet that my grandmother had passed down to my mom, and she passed down to me.
On our wedding day, I wore Jimmy Choo heels, my mom’s pearl necklace, and Shashi earrings. When we got engaged, my aunt gave me a handkerchief that my grandmother had carried down the aisle when she got married in the 1940s. My mom, my aunt, and my cousin all carried it with them at their weddings; it was so special to carry it with me on my wedding day and carry on the tradition. For the afterparty, I changed into Golden Goose sneakers.
In her 1960s sequin knit mini and sneakers - Alessandra is ready to dance the night away!
What was the most memorable aspect of your dress shopping experience? Is there anything you would like to highlight or share with other brides considering an appointment at Happy Isles?
Shopping at Happy Isles was such a dream! Everyone is so knowledgeable and supportive.
It was a special experience.
The food at Alessandra and Ryan's wedding deserves it's own interview we feel...
Did you ever feel like you were breaking the mold or challenging expectations while wedding planning? What were some ways you stayed true to yourself during what can be an emotionally complex experience?
One of the ways Ryan and I broke from tradition was that we didn’t have formal wedding parties. We wanted our closest friends to feel special and part of the wedding day, but without the traditional obligations that come with a formal wedding party.
Instead of traditional bachelor/bachelorette trips, Ryan and I invited our closest friends to Rome one day early for dinner and drinks. Ryan took his friends to Nino, one of our favorite restaurants in Rome, near Piazza di Spagna. I took my friends to Piperno, another one of our favorites.
After dinner, we joined forces and had a throwback Roman experience—drinks at Caffe Peru, a bar off of Piazza Farnese, where my friends and I spent a little too much time in our high school days. It was so fun to be there and to see our friends from around the world engaging in one of the most Roman pastimes, standing outside in a piazza, drinking and talking. A few of my friends from high school encouraged even some of our guests to try rum e pera shots (one rum shot, one pear juice shot), a Caffe Peru classic.
On the wedding day, we invited our friends to come back to Hotel de Russie, where Ryan and I stayed after the welcome party, to take pictures with us and sip prosecco before we headed over to Villa Aurelia.
There was a heatwave in Rome, but Alessandra and Ryan kept it cool.
They say every wedding has a “wild card” moment. Did anything unexpected happen or surprise you during planning or on the day of?
Rome had a heat wave the weekend of our wedding, and it was 90 degrees during our ceremony. I had been so nervous about the potential for rain, because our ceremony and dinner were all outside. But I hadn’t thought to also worry about the temperature!
During the ceremony, I was standing directly under the sun, and I could feel beads of sweat running down my legs.
Thankfully, our caterers and bartenders kept our guests very well hydrated. As soon as the sun started to set, a nice cool breeze picked up, and the dancing really started to kick off.
In a heatwave, hydration is key! 😉
HOT TAKES: Do you have any wedding planning or dress shopping advice? Please pay it forward to our future brides!
Try to tune out other people’s opinions and what you see all over social media.
Go with what feels most authentic to you.
If you had to choose your single best wedding day memory, what would it be?
Before the wedding, someone told us to be careful about getting separated after the ceremony because everyone will want to talk to us. That was great advice. Ryan and I made intentional choices to stay together as much as we could.
After the ceremony, Ryan and I held hands so that we wouldn’t get separated, and we made sure to stay together most of the night. Looking back, most of our memories from that day and night are shared ones, and I love that I got to experience our happiest day together.
Now that the wedding chapter has come to a close, what are some dreams you have for your future, both personally and as a couple?
Ryan and I are enjoying settling into our lives together as husband and wife. We’re looking forward to building our lives together in New York and taking many more trips together. (Including many trips back to Italy!)
And finally - shout out your vendors!
Photography: Simona and Angelo, @zonzo_ph
Videography: Waterfall Visuals, @waterfallvisuals_videography
Planning: Giulia Zambon, @moments_lab
Venue: Hotel de Russie (@hotelderussie), Villa Aurelia (@villaaureliagianicolo), da Giggetto
Catering: California Catering, @californiacateringrome
Bar: Mercury Events, @mercuryevents
Floral: Nina e i Fiori, @ninaeifiori
Hair: Massimo Topo, Noi Salon
Makeup: Anastasia, @anastasiagarba
Music: @elanartists
Stationary: Li Ward, @Liwardian
Tailor: @isastitches
Rings: Susie Saltzman, @susiesaltzman
