The Bride Reworked Her Late Mother’s Wedding Dress for Her Emotional Wedding in Portofino

For their Italian wedding, Jenna was determined to make sure her mother was there in spirit. “I didn’t know how I would get through that day without her, so made a point of weaving her into each and every detail in a way that honored and celebrated her,” she says. Her presence could be found in motifs nodding to her love of gardening in the invitations, her favorite flowers, and colors used throughout the weekend of events, as well as multiple custom fashion moments with inspiration from her wardrobe. “I heavily leaned on the support of Zach, my dad, my sister and brother, aunts, and many best friends to help fill the void. They knew they would never be able to fill her shoes but went above and beyond to try,” says Jenna. “I doubt most fathers-of-the-bride meticulously analyze color swatches to ensure the save-the-date envelope liners have the perfect orange hue, pour over wedding invitation calligraphy, or attend your bridal shower—but he was committed to giving it his all and making sure that all our dreams came true!”

With a full weekend of events planned, the couple would need to build out an extensive wedding wardrobe. So Jenna and Zach (and even Jenna’s dad) worked with stylist Liat Baruch to curate their attire. “We were in constant dialogue sharing thoughts and ideas to a point where it felt more like she was my big sister than my stylist,” says Jenna. “A key point that we wanted to emphasize was timeless elegance. I wanted to wear outfits that were not only unique but also enduring. We also used the location as our inspiration and focal point as we wanted the fashion to compliment the beautiful settings and each night’s distinctiveness.”

For the rehearsal dinner at the castle grounds above Portofino, Jenna worked with Danielle Frankel to transform her mother’s wedding dress. “I knew it would be special to wear my mom’s wedding dress, but we wanted to modernize it a bit to make it truly my own,” she says. “We chose to reimagine the silk underlay of her gown, inspired by the ethereal River scarf dress by Danielle Frankel. Their team blended the two designs, and in a final fitting, we added tulle gloves as a subtle homage to the long-sleeved overlay of my mother’s original dress.” She paired the look with earrings that Zach’s mother wore at her own wedding. “It felt very meaningful to wear a piece from both mothers’ wedding days,” says the bride. Zach paid homage to their church wedding day and donned the same tan Brunello Cucinelli suit he wore as they tied the knot a year prior.

While visiting Danielle Frankel’s studio, Jenna and her sister Katelyn spotted a different dress in a mesmerizing fabric. “We all commented on how stunning the watercolor fabric was and that it reminded us of Monet, one of my mom’s favorite artists,” she says. “Immediately, Katelyn and I knew this would be the perfect fabric for her dress and she picked another silhouette, the Camille, for them to create it in. Liat then had the idea that my bridesmaids could pick out one of the colors in my sister’s dress.” The bridesmaids each chose their own dresses in blue, brown, or yellow hues from designers including Danielle Frankel, Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Markarian, and Costarellos.

Originally, Jenna intended to wear something bright to the welcome party to contrast with her ivory look from the rehearsal dinner. However, she happened upon a gorgeous corseted Wiederhoeft dress while on the search for an after-party look. “We immediately fell in love with the way that the white beads caught the light,” she says. “Given the welcome party venue was on the beach, we knew it would look stunning when the fully glass-beaded dress reflected the vibrant hues of the sea and the sunset.” Meanwhile, Zach looked dapper in a double-breasted navy suit by bespoke tailor Michael Andrews. “It was his first time wearing a double-breasted suit, and after a little gentle persuasion, he's now a complete convert to this style,” says the bride.

Jenna and her mother had discussed that for her wedding day, she would wear a dress that exuded “fitted drama.” She adds, “We wanted the dress to stand on its own as it went down the beautiful garden aisle, but not be restrictive for dancing during the reception.” A removable cape would be needed to create this look. “Liat and I began interviewing designers to help us bring this to life,” says Jenna. “When we met with Phillipa Lepley’s team, we knew they were the perfect fit. On my first day of meeting them, they took out a sheet of gray fabric and started to construct a mock muslin on me to ensure that they were correctly understanding the vision. Their skill and dedication were evident in every detail from initial sketch to final silk. The corset was a work of art and the entire gown was meticulously crafted right in front of my very eyes.”

As a surprise touch, hand-beaded and embroidered peony flowers in a shade of blue were included on the back of the dress to serve as a nod to the bride's mother and a “something blue.” Jenna also wore her mother’s earrings as “something borrowed,” the veil from their church wedding as “something old,” and a tennis necklace gifted from Zach the morning of the wedding as “something new.” The groom wore a bespoke Michael Andrews tuxedo for the day, along with his own “something old and borrowed.” Jenna explains, “My dad lent him one of his cherished timepieces to wear for the day. This watch holds a special meaning as my mom gave it to my dad for his 60th birthday, which sadly turned out to be the last birthday they spent together. The back of the watch face was engraved with ‘Love Always, Marra.’ Zach later incorporated this message into his wedding toast, highlighting how the entire weekend my mom’s love was always with us.”

In a final sartorial nod to Jenna’s mother, the bride and groom wore outfits inspired by her 1920s-themed wedding for the after-party. For Zach, the pair fell in love with a green tuxedo they spotted at Ralph Lauren. “Unfortunately, by the time he went back to purchase it, they no longer had it in his size as it was a limited summer release,” says Jenna. So, they decided to go bespoke. “It was very hard to find a tailor who had green silk for the lapels, but Zach ended up having it custom-made in NYC by Kamaal Kadri.” Jenna wore a fringe-covered dress by Naeem Khan. “For me, we knew we wanted to lean into the roaring ’20s and we felt like every dress at Naeem Khan fit the bill,” she says. While the dress they loved was originally made in blue, the designer was able to do a version in gold for her nuptials.

The stars aligned on the wedding day to create a day full of surprise, love, and joy. “Everything was so amazing, but experiencing it with the people that you love just takes it from beautiful to magical,” shares Jenna. After a morning of cloudy skies, rain showers stopped just before the wedding party headed down the aisle. While the couple knew that the bells of La Cervara would ring on the hour during the ceremony, something unexpected happened. “During our vows when I mentioned my mom’s name at precisely 7:03 p.m., the bells rang again,” says Jenna. “It was surreal.”

Another special moment occurred as the couple began their first dance and a white butterfly began circling around them. “Guests even thought we had perfectly timed the release of the butterfly with our first dance. In a strange way, the butterfly sighting somehow eased my worries and it soon became a very important symbol from our wedding,” shares the bride. When dancing on stage with her sister, Jenna noticed that the butterfly had landed on her face. She says, “The butterfly was just sitting there on her cheek and stayed there for many songs.” Then, it moved onto her friend Hailey’s ponytail. “Hailey’s dad had passed away before she was born and she was immediately flooded with emotion,” shares Jenna. “My mom and Hailey’s dad were good friends and had even gone to the junior year prom together. We all knew this was a sign from heaven. The planners even told us the butterfly had been present all day when they were setting everything up, too.”

Initially, the bride was worried that once the wedding was over, she’d be left feeling deflated, but the opposite was true. “Instead, I actually have such a feeling of peace as I look back and think of how grateful I am for everyone who made the weekend so special—our friends and family who traveled all the way to Italy for us, the planners, and every vendor involved in bringing the weekend to life,” she says. “And to Zach, my rock, for always being there for me.”