The Bride Wore Schiaparelli, Khaite, Alexander McQueen, and Elie Saab to Her Wedding in the Hills of Florence

On Friday afternoon, they surprised their guests with vintage Italian cars and Vespas that drove them from the hotel to Villa di Maiano, a 15th-century estate with an Italian garden and olive grove where they hosted a picnic. Guests enjoyed pizza, local sandwiches, gelato, and Spritzes while mingling and engaging in some friendly competition with lawn games.

During the picnic, Carol wore a flowy white dress from Khaite—which felt to her like the perfect balance of casual, bridal, and practical for the active afternoon—along with cream-colored flats from Bottega Veneta. “Andy and I wore a matching color!” she notes. The groom was in a white shirt and shorts with matching hand-stitched details from Bode and leather slip-on loafers from Bottega Veneta.

Friday evening began with a tour of the Uffizi Galleries as Carol and Andy wanted to incorporate their appreciation for art and culture into their wedding weekend, especially given Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. “We felt this was a great opportunity to explore the city center and also allow everyone to appreciate Renaissance masterpieces with close company,” Carol says. Because red is auspicious and the traditional bridal color in Chinese culture, Carol chose a deconstructed red dress from Alexander McQueen for the gallery tour.

“We followed the tour with a Chinese-themed celebration at the Santo Stefano al Ponte church, just a short walking distance away in the heart of Florence,” the bride explains. “We wanted to create a night-market atmosphere reminiscent of the ones in Taipei, where Andy’s parents are from. Our wedding planners had the brilliant idea of creating a surprise for our guests. Once they were escorted into the cocktail space, a kabuki curtain hid the rest of the market, where there were bustling food stalls with glowing red lanterns and various carnival games.”

For the night market, Carol changed into a more traditional qipao, and the couple walked out with a kabuki drop to join their guests. “Andy and I were just as blown away by how well everything was constructed and orchestrated as everyone else,” Carol says. “We were truly transported to another world.” The couple found her qipao and his tangzhuang while visiting China at a local boutique. “My qipao was sewn with a golden phoenix, Andy’s a golden dragon, and they both fit like a glove from the moment we tried them on, so we felt like it was meant to be,” Carol says. “I felt so elegant and feminine in the traditional qipao silhouette.”

While Carol was competing at Wimbledon last year, she had some time in London and started her hunt for a wedding dress. “I am not the kind of girl who had a very specific vision of what she wanted to wear on her wedding day, and given my rigorous travel schedule, I did not have a lot of time to search and overthink my decision,” Carol says. “As someone who can be burdened by choice, gowns from Elie Saab and the meticulous custom tailoring from their team made it easy for me to be decisive.” She eventually chose an off-the-shoulder dress from the spring 2024 collectsion for the ceremony. “I loved the detail in the embroidery, the regality of the shape, and the softness of the tulle flowing around me,” she explains. “I wanted something that felt grand and special but also feminine and intricate.”

When she went back to London this year for Wimbledon—and for her fittings—she found her reception dress hanging on the rack. “It was a stunning seamless, fully embroidered Elie Saab gown with a sweetheart neckline from the spring 2025 collectsion,” Carol says. “It was exceptionally detailed and made me feel so glamorous.”

The ceremony was held at the front of the Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel in Florence, with the monastery façade designed by Michelangelo as the backdrop. Colin Cowie transformed the space into a dreamlike wonderland with a lush sea of pink and white flowers that blended perfectly with the surroundings and a long white lacquered aisle.

Andy’s brother-in-law Jay—who is a minister—led the way down the aisle to a rendition of “Beauty and the Beast.” Carol then walked down, escorted by her father, to a violin-led version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. “I thought I would be more nervous walking down the aisle and delivering my personal vows, but instead I felt only serenity that everything in my life had happened for a reason to lead to this moment, walking toward Andy,” the bride says.

“I knew I would get emotional during the ceremony, but I was still completely overcome with emotion when I saw Carol walking down the aisle,” Andy adds. “That moment was definitely my personal highlight of the wedding weekend and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Following the ceremony, everyone transitioned to cocktail hour in the main cloister area of the hotel, where they were treated to a performance by the jazz ensemble the Ellingtons. Shortly thereafter, guests were escorted to the reception area in the hotel’s main garden, where guests took in the Florence cityscape with a live set from the band Brooklyn Soul. The reception area was decorated in a deep, romantic red color, including plenty of roses. Once there, Carol and Andy performed their first dance to “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane, a song that was significant in their relationship’s early stages.

After speeches by family and friends, to Andy’s complete surprise, Carol played the guitar and sang a song she had written for him. “I played piano growing up, which eventually evolved into an affinity for singing and songwriting, and I agonized over whether to perform this song that I had written for Andy in the first year of our relationship as a surprise for him,” Carol admits. “I almost passed out from nerves rehearsing it for my bridesmaids earlier in the evening, but they convinced me that it would be worth it to express what couldn’t be said as easily with words.”

After this moving moment, the event transitioned into party mode with the cake cutting, fittingly set to “Cake” by 99 Percent and Flo Rida. Along with the vanilla berry cake, guests were served affogato, and the caffeine coupled with music by Brooklyn Soul kept the dance party going.

When the reception ended, guests were escorted to the balcony to view a surprise drone show over the Florence skyline, which told the story of the couple’s relationship over the years through various creative animations. Everyone then continued their journey to the after-party, where a gelato cart, pizza stand, and bar with Japanese whisky awaited them. The DJ set soon transitioned to karaoke—and guests quickly took turns letting loose and singing their hearts out.