Bride Of The Week: Giselle P.
Written By Kaileah Searcy
Meet our Bride of the Week, the lovely Giselle, who walked down the aisle in our sparkling Estelle gown! Surrounded by loved ones and friends, Giselle and her fiancé tied the knot in a romantic wedding in Rome. In the following interview, Giselle shares her love story and her journey to becoming a #GLBride.
As told by Giselle:
Story Of How We Met
I met Branden through mutual friends on a trip to LA. I lived in NYC at the time, and he lived in Pittsburgh. I wrote off the idea of a relationship initially because of the distance, but I knew we had a special bond right away. We just got each other! Fast forward a few years to 2020, and our friend group decided to co-locate in warmer locations for a few months since we all were fortunate enough to work remotely. Branden and I cozied up real quick! It was this period that confirmed, yes, we should absolutely be together, it didn't matter where we were, and it was pure bliss from then on. Branded got us a puppy a couple months later, I moved to Pittsburgh, and a little over a year after that, he proposed to me on a balcony in Florence. We spent an entire day touring Tuscany and drinking wine and got back to our hotel room just in time to watch the sunset. With the deep glow of the setting sun as a backdrop, he got on one knee and asked me to marry him, and I had just enough wine that day to say yes!
How I Found My GL Dream Gown
I’ve known I wanted to wear a Galia Lahav gown for my wedding for as long as I can remember. A few weeks after I got engaged, I found out about a trunk show at the new NYC flagship store and thought it was fate. I booked an appointment and a few weeks later found myself with my best friend and my mom trying on the gowns of my dreams! I went in knowing which gowns I wanted to try on. I knew I wanted a mermaid dress with sleeves and tons of details (whether that be lace or beading). I ended up trying on 5 different gowns, and with each one, my mind kept drifting back to the first. That’s when I knew it was the one. Also, my mom actually cracked a smile when I tried it on! Once I put the veil on, it was over. It felt so me.
Special details from wedding day:
We got married in a historic, baroque villa in Rome. Branden and I are both drawn to Rome because of its rich (2,000-year-old!) history, its energy, and its raw beauty. The city is also very accessible, with tons of fabulous hotels to choose from. We couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate our love. Knowing our closest family and friends were all together because of us (at the same time) in our favorite city was such a special feeling. We’ll never forget it.
We knew it would be a lot to ask our loved ones to travel to Europe, but it pushed them to step out of their normal routine and experience a beautiful, new location. It was so cool to see photos of our guests traveling either before or after the wedding around other parts of Italy and in other European countries. A lot of them thanked us for giving them an excuse to go on vacation! We ended up having 100 guests mostly from the US, but some from Brazil (where my dad is from), Spain, Italy, and Norway.
We did a champagne tower immediately after the ceremony to kick off aperitivo. Our (fur) baby, Kobe, was “with us” on all the napkins, with “I do too!” printed on them. It was so fun to mingle with our people as the sun was setting that evening.
My friend from NYC, who DJs at night clubs like Lavo and Marquee, did the music for our day, and completely nailed it. Our first dance was a mash-up of Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On The Wall” (for the drama) and Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” (for the feels).
Every single vendor blew me away – from the florist to the caterer to the photo and video teams. And the icon that is our wedding planner was at the center of it all! For dinner, we had a 3-course meal, and 2 of them were pasta dishes. Not to worry, I made sure we had espresso martinis flowing immediately afterward, so we had energy to dance the night away (which we did, until 2am). The food and wine in Italy cannot be rushed. We savored every moment.
Branden and I shared so many beautiful memories out on the terrace that evening with our family and friends, and I will never, ever be over it.
It was truly a day we’ll never forget.
Vendors:
Photographer - Mantino Photography
Venue Villa Aurelia
Planner @eventi_le_reve
Videographer @ludovicamossina_videomaker
Florist @andreapatriziofficia
DJ @stoonofc