Roksanda’s Garance dress felt suitably classic for day one, but with a little added drama care of the gathered sleeves and open back, and faux pearls embellishing the cuffs. “I tried on a few dresses but this one felt the most elegant,” says Annastasia, whose “something blue” on the day was a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, a gift from her best friends in New York.
As for her gown for San Giovanni Evangelista—which was sculpted over more than 150 hours in creative director Samantha Benveniste’s Kensington atelier—Annastasia chose to add classic nude stilettos by Dolce & Gabbana. The deceptively simple dress also concealed some meaningful – and moving—touches: “The dress had a rainbow sewn into its train in remembrance of my late parents,” says the bride. “Whenever I see a rainbow, I always think of them.” The sleeves of her gown, meanwhile, each had a small lace flower, “sewn in from lace previously given to me by my late father”.
This level of attention to detail informed every aspect of Annastasia and Cristian’s wedding celebrations. Their wedding bands—bespoke designs by Manhattan-based Zameer Kassam—were engraved with tiny symbols representing their love story: a white diamond for the Dolomite mountains where they love to ski, and hand-carved vines inspired by the Murano glass chandelier at the St. Regis in Venice. “At the center of my band are the words ‘love me’ in Cristian’s handwriting, and in his ‘like you do’ in my writing, which celebrates our favorite love song,” Annastasia says, referencing the Ellie Goulding ballad featured on the soundtrack to the 2015 movie adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, starring Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey. “It’s not lost on us that our names are Annastasia S and Cristian G!”
Annastasia’s work often involves orchestrating big events, so the bride was undaunted by the prospect of planning a two-day destination wedding by herself, a process she describes as “surprisingly calm and lots of fun”. “I’m very organized and creative, and together Cristian and I had a real vision of what we wanted, so there were no disagreements!”
Given that the couple’s families and extended networks are scattered across the globe, their main decision was whether to throw a huge wedding for hundreds of guests, or settle on something more intimate. In the end, the smaller option won out, and just 20 guests joined Annastasia and Cristian in Italy for the celebrations. “Once we decided on a smaller wedding, we knew we wanted to marry in Venice and create an experience none of our friends and family would forget,” says Annastasia. “Saying our vows in front of our dearest friends and family, those who have guided us and supported us so much over recent years, was incredibly emotional. Our respective best friends were our witnesses, and my 88-year-old grandmother came from Athens for the wedding, which was particularly special.”
Looking back now, the celebrations were “beyond magical”, says the bride. “The two days felt like a dream! It doesn’t get more romantic than Venice.”
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