Photos: Darek Smietana

Astrologer Alice Bell was taken by surprise when she found not one but three dresses at HINY for her gorgeous Tuscan wedding. The romantic weekend filled with greenery and Italian discoteca vibes looks too dreamy to miss!  💛

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?

We got married in Tuscany, Italy. We hosted the welcome dinner and had guests stay in the hillside town of Pienza, and then the wedding venue was a Tuscan stone house in the countryside about a 20-minute drive away. It is a pilgrimage stop. 

We both immediately knew we wanted to get married in Italy because it’s a special place for us. I spent a year of high school living in Italy, went to college in the Italian region of Switzerland, and make it a point to return to Italy at least once a year and my husband’s family is Italian. We both speak the language, too. We chose Tuscany specifically because we wanted a wide open space in the countryside. We wanted it to feel like an outdoor dinner party.

How did you and your partner meet? What was the proposal like?

We met through Instagram. I’m a full-time astrologer, and one of his best friends from college recently started following me for my astrology content. She saw that I lived in the same NYC neighborhood as he did, and she said that she just had an intuitive feeling that we would get along. She sent me a DM with his birth time, asking if I would be interested in being set up with him, and I said yes. From our very first date, I have always felt so comfortable around him, as if we could talk about anything for hours.

For the proposal, he surprised me by doing it on his birthday weekend. I knew it was coming in the spring of 2023; I just didn’t know the exact date it would happen. I had it in my mind that the one time he wouldn’t do it would be his birthday weekend because we had all these plans set up with his parents and his friends. So, while I was getting ready for what I thought was a date night ahead of the birthday events, he set up the apartment with flowers and candles. I came out of my bedroom all dressed and was shocked! Then he told me everyone else was in on the secret, and that his birthday party was actually an engagement celebration.

"My personal style is already very 1960s, so the dresses I chose fit that aesthetic perfectly."

Describe your Happy Isles dress and/or dresses! When did you know it was the one?

I booked an appointment at the New York Happy Isles location with a completely open mind, not thinking I would get anything because I have never had a lot of success with vintage shopping. Happy Isles was actually the first place I looked for wedding dresses, so I thought of it as prep for the other places I wanted to visit.

However, as I tried on several dresses, they all fit like a glove, and I ended up walking out with three in total to wear throughout the whole wedding weekend. In my gut, I knew I would not be finding any other dresses elsewhere that compared. I chose a vintage Versace mini dress with a matching jacket for the welcome dinner, and then an eyelet cotton gown with a train from the 1950s/1960s for the ceremony. After the dinner, I changed into a tulle, full-skirted dress from that same era. It had floral embroidery on it, too. My personal style is already very 1960s, so the dresses I chose fit that aesthetic perfectly.

What did your partner wear down the aisle, and did you share outfit pics before the big day?

My husband wore a taupe, custom-made suit by J. Mueser. I showed him pictures of the welcome dinner and after-party dresses but not the ceremony dress. He wanted to be surprised when I walked down the aisle.

How did your guests respond to your outfit/s? Were there any standout reactions?

I think everyone loved the full-skirted, tulle dress I wore for the dancing portion of the night the most. I definitely got the most compliments on that one.

Where did you shop for accessories and how did you style your look/s?

I decided not to wear a veil because it didn’t really fit the outdoor vibe of the ceremony, and I had never envisioned myself wearing one. The main accessories I focused on were earrings and shoes. I had my friend, Olivia, who is a jewelry designer, make me a pair of aquamarine teardrop earrings. And then I borrowed a pair of silver teardrop earrings from my stepmom for Friday night. So I had my “something borrowed, something blue” moment.

The shoe brand Margaux custom-made all of my shoes for the weekend, and we worked together on the designs. For the welcome dinner on Friday night, I wore a heeled white patent Mary Jane. For the wedding day, since the ceremony was outside, I did a comfortable white block heel sandal, and Margaux engraved the wedding date on the sole of the shoe. Then I switched to a white ballet flat later on in the night for dancing.

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?

I was surprised at how fast I found dresses I liked. I thought I would have to go to all of these different stores and do big try-ons, but I ended up only going to one place, which was Happy Isles. I just had one friend with me there, too, but everyone working at the store was so encouraging and made me feel very comfortable when I tried outfits on.

With wedding shopping and my overall wedding planning in general, so often, it was the first selection of something that ended up being the best and final selection. So, my advice to other brides would be to not overthink your outfit choices or other wedding planning selections. Your first instinct about something is usually correct.

Okay. Your HI wedding dress is a person. What is their name, and describe their perfect date!

Her name is Evelyn, and her favorite date is going to Italian food and then to the movies.

Getting serious for a second. 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?

We had no outside input from parents, siblings, or friends on how we should design the wedding. My husband and I stuck with our personal tastes, and in the end, we felt like our wedding truly reflected our style as a couple. I also didn’t have bridesmaids or other traditional wedding events like a formal engagement party, because that’s way too much organization and work for me. I honestly went with what felt right for my personality and ignored things that you think you “should do” just because it’s a wedding.

They say every wedding has a “wild card” moment. Did anything unexpected happen or surprise you during planning or day-of?

I didn’t find out about this until the day after the wedding, but two of my friends got in a car accident on the first day of the weekend. They were both fine with no injuries, but I was shocked when they told me. Other than that, everything flowed very smoothly.

"We also had the DJ play “What Dreams Are Made Of” from the Lizzie McGuire movie, which would have made my 10-year-old self so happy."

HOT TAKES: Do you have any wedding planning or dress shopping advice? Please pay it forward to our future brides!

Get clear on what you really want for the bigger-picture vision, but keep an open mind and remain flexible for the smaller details. You could go into wedding planning or dress shopping thinking you want one specific thing, but you could end up completely surprised by what you find and like instead.

If you had to choose your single best wedding day memory, what would it be?

The dance floor. It literally felt like an Italian discoteca, and pretty much everyone was up and dancing for hours. We also had the DJ play “What Dreams Are Made Of” from the Lizzie McGuire movie, which would have made my 10-year-old self so happy.

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?

We are buying our first apartment together, so we’re really looking forward to that and getting to design our place. My husband is a Taurus, so he’s super creative in that way. He has such an eye for interior design that I don’t have. We also want the chance to travel more. 

Personally, I’m excited to get back to expanding my business. It felt like I had to slow down at work a lot last year since wedding planning was so intensive. I want to write my next book, continue to grow my podcast, and host astrology events for my community. 

And finally - shout out your vendors!

Photography: Darek Smietana @dareksmietanaphotography 

Planning: Eachother Weddings & Events @eachother_wedding_tuscany

Venue: Dimora Buonriposo @dimorabuonriposo

Catering: Guidi Lenci @guidilencicatering

Floral: My LadyGarden @myladygarden

Hair/Makeup: Giulia Ceccherini @giulia.ceccherini.makeup

Music: Alma Project 24/7 @almaproject247

Stationary: La Precisina @laprecisina