Photo: Sarah Falugo1/39Our invitations came from Minted, believe it or not! This minimal letterpress design came on the most beautiful, heavy natural card stock, and we customized the invitations with different floral envelope liners, a cream satin ribbon that wrapped around the stack of cards, vintage stamps, and a gold wax seal.
Photo: Sarah Falugo2/39The 75-acre Château du Grand-Lucé is located in France’s Loire Valley, and since it’s just a 45-minute train ride from Paris, it made for a memorable trip for all our guests. In addition to a nearby hotel, this main house is where 30 of our closest friends and family stayed for the weekend, and also where all wedding events took place.
Photo: Sarah Falugo3/39I’m sure that somewhere inside the château people were looking for me at this moment, but I so enjoyed taking a few minutes to chill (and caffeinate) before wedding prep officially began.
Photo: Sarah Falugo4/39The great room at the château is the heart of the property. In addition to being the place through which every guest passes upon arrival, it’s also where we curled up under blankets with family each night with the doors open to enjoy the fresh country air. It’s at once both grand and cozy.
Photo: Sarah Falugo5/39My beloved sister and mother helping me dress. I couldn’t have survived the weekend without them, plus, this really was a job for three people!
Photo: Sarah Falugo7/39I really didn’t want to wear a veil, but our rabbi insisted. So, we grabbed some lace remnants from my dress and some white fishnet, and just a few hours before the wedding, my grandmother sewed this Swan Lake–inspired blusher.
Photo: Sarah Falugo8/39The château bedrooms are truly unreal. Here, Eric is writing me a letter in Chambre Empire, my brother’s room for the weekend.
Photo: Sarah Falugo9/39I’ve been told that on the wedding day, it took hours to find someone who could properly tie a bow tie. In the end it looked perfect, and I was none the wiser.
Photo: Sarah Falugo10/39I absolutely love my wedding shoes. They are bridal pumps from Aquazzura that I bought before I even had my dress! And as a testament to their comfort (or maybe just to my adrenaline), I was miraculously able to stand and dance in these all night long.
Photo: Sarah Falugo11/39Me and my sister, Sivan, putting the finishing touches on my outfit in Chambre Lucé. She has incredible taste, so I sought her approval for every outfit decision.
Photo: Sarah Falugo12/39Amir Taghi designed my custom cape, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome. While I had an idea of what I wanted, he encouraged me to go crazy with the length, add bows in the front, and a box pleat down the back.
Photo: Sarah Falugo13/39I struggled to find a bridal bouquet that I liked (picky, picky), but in the end, simple baby’s breath was the winner.
Photo: Sarah Falugo14/39Heading down the stairs to get married!
Photo: Sarah Falugo15/39We were able to see guests arriving from my bedroom window, and the feeling reminded me of my theater and singing days, when we’d peek from behind a curtain to watch our audience trickle into the auditorium. I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude over the unlikely, spectacular weather.
Photo: Sarah Falugo16/39Our brother-in-law, Mike, played classical guitar beautifully during the procession. I walked down the aisle with my beloved parents, then my handsome groom came and escorted me to the chuppah.
Photo: Sarah Falugo17/39The chuppah was made of my late grandfather’s tallith and was held up by four very important people: my stepfather, Jess; my brother, Jonathan; and Eric’s childhood friends, Gavin and Howie. Eric’s sister, Eve, kicked off the ceremony with beautiful opening remarks.
Photo: Sarah Falugo18/39I’m so pleased with the simplicity of our ceremony, which overlooked the château pond and meadow. A large chuppah would have obstructed the view, any decorative elements would have been unnecessary, and a bridal party would have just cluttered things. I know we’ll look back on this scene in many years and still feel that it is timeless.
Photo: Sarah Falugo19/39Eric stomping on the glass. Mazel tov!
Photo: Sarah Falugo20/39Father John Misty’s “Real Love Baby” played during our recessional, while guests showered (or should I say, pelted!) us with rice.
Photo: Sarah Falugo21/39Every single face we saw in the seats was somebody we truly adore. Eric and I are both so glad we kept things intimate.
Photo: Sarah Falugo22/39Our friends are already talking about making a group trip back to the stunning Château du Grand-Lucé. I know for a fact that this won’t have been the last time Eric and I set foot on the property.
Photo: Sarah Falugo23/39After the ceremony, I took off the veil and tied a blush-color ribbon around my hair (that is, after Eric and I shed about a pound of rice each!).
Photo: Sarah Falugo24/39The grounds of the château are spectacular. From urns filled with flowers, to colorful pumpkin patches, to antique statues hidden in boxwood mazes, there is beauty at every turn.
Photo: Sarah Falugo25/39Leaving the Exotic Garden, which is a more colorful and overgrown garden compared with the rest of the landscaping.
Photo: Sarah Falugo26/39Enjoying every moment in my dress.
Photo: Sarah Falugo27/39If I’d had a bridal party, these girls would have made up a large part of it. They’re more like my sisters than they are friends, and I couldn’t have imagined the weekend without them.
Photo: Sarah Falugo28/39With my gorgeous mother and grandmother, posing for a quick formal photo. I can only hope to age as well as these two have!
Photo: Sarah Falugo29/39My father on his way to take a formal photo with me.
Photo: Sarah Falugo30/39After the cocktail hour, guests migrated to dinner, which took place at one long, 92-person table under the château’s linden trees.
Photo: Sarah Falugo31/39I absolutely loved our place cards from John Derian Company and had a fun time handwriting each one myself. For our flowers, we had low clusters of antique hydrangeas and eucalyptus.
Photo: Sarah Falugo32/39Chandeliers in the trees added a romantic glow.
Photo: Sarah Falugo33/39The sun set during dinner, allowing for this magical scene.
Photo: Sarah Falugo34/39When the temperature dropped, I shed my cape and put this fun rose-color feather jacket over my dress instead. My advice to brides: Don’t assume you have to wear all white all the time!
Photo: Sarah Falugo35/39This moment was one of the highlights of the weekend, hands down. Everyone held up sparklers while Sam Feldt’s “Show Me Love” played on blast, and we poured Le Grand Courtâge’s Brut Rosé over a tower of glasses.
Photo: Sarah Falugo36/39Neither Eric nor I care much for cake, so instead, we filled a tower of rosé while guests enjoyed a dessert and cheese buffet.
Photo: Sarah Falugo37/39Shortly after, the party really started, and I changed into this fun Stone Cold Fox wide-leg silk jumpsuit.
Photo: Sarah Falugo38/39Eric’s friends could hardly wait to get the hora started, so much so that when the music came on, rather than waiting for chairs, they just hoisted him into the air.
Photo: Sarah Falugo39/39The dancing went on until 4:30 a.m., and with primarily hip-hop and R&B on, it really was the best. We brought out Houston snapbacks for guests to wear, I crowd-surfed at one point, and when “Thong Song” came on, there may or may not have been some lap dancing.
