Photo: Andy Pompeii1/19I had been looking at a few different designers for my dress and wasn’t really feeling inspired. Then my dear friend Jennifer Meyer introduced me to Brandon Maxwell, and we vibed immediately. Working with him was a dream—he was so chill and instantly got my style. This is our final fitting at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Photo: Andy Pompeii2/19Brandon and I both loved Carolyn Bessette’s wedding dress when she married John F. Kennedy, Jr. She embodied timeless elegance and simplicity. We wanted to create a modern beach version of that look, and I could not have been happier with his design. We also decided on a long veil to soften the beautiful open back.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography3/19I wanted my hair up so that I wouldn’t worry about it at all, so I had my dear friend and hairstylist, Angelo Evans, style it in a low bun. Lauren Andersen did my makeup and was such a wonderful and calming presence to be around before the ceremony. For the jewelry, Neil Lane let me borrow these amazing turn-of-the-century diamond earrings and the vintage diamond bracelets. Alec bought me the necklace for the wedding.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography4/19This is me hanging out with Sade right before walking down the aisle. I got ready in Alec’s brother Tom’s guesthouse. It was so generous of him to open up his home and host 250 people to witness our nuptials.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography5/19My handsome groom wearing Bijan, his favorite custom suit-maker and late, great friend. His shirt was from Brioni.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography6/19Walking from the guesthouse to the ceremony. We never had a rehearsal, so I was definitely nervous and had no idea what I was supposed to do when I got up there with Alec. Heart was aflutter here.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography7/19I’m so grateful that my dad was able to walk me down the aisle. He was one of the best parts of the wedding because he was smiling bigger than anyone had seen him smile before, and it made me so happy. My family loves Alec and they were all beaming with joy.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography8/19I grew up in Long Beach and had always dreamed of a wedding by the sea. I still cannot believe how spectacular the weather was that day—it was 75 degrees, the ocean was calm, there was a slight breeze, and the sky looked like an Italian fresco painted by Michelangelo. It was surreal.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography9/19From this moment on it was just laughs, toasts, and smiles—a true celebration.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography10/19It was amazing how our beach deck was transformed into this tent. We wanted a lot of candles and low flowers so that our guests could feel connected across the tables. Mark’s Garden, Mindy Weiss, and Revelry Events really delivered the romantic yet modern and minimalist look we were going for. And because our date was October 8, we chose the infinity sign as our motif.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography11/19And this is when the surprise happened.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography12/19When Alec and I were discussing first-dance songs, he rejected the idea of John Legend’s “All of Me.” I was devastated because I thought the song represented us perfectly. It turns out he was just setting me up for the surprise of John Legend singing the song live at our wedding!
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography13/19I love this photo. It really captures our love for each other.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography14/19A photo with Mr. Legend. What a gift his voice and talent was for me and for all of our guests. Thank you, A.G.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography15/19We had such a great crew there to celebrate with us. We honestly have the most genuine, brilliant, loving, and fun group of friends.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography16/19Some of Alec’s closest guy friends gave the best speeches. Andy Beal wins the award for the longest speech, and Tobey Maguire wins the award for the most heartfelt and touching speech.
Photo: Simone Van Kempen Photography17/19Can’t get enough of these guys.
Photo: Aria Minucci18/19We went to Lake Como for our honeymoon and took two other couples with us. Turns out it was the best decision to bring them along, because Andy and Olya Beal surprised us with the greatest wedding gift: a private fireworks show over the water in front of our villa. It was accompanied by the most amazing sound system blaring John Legend, Bruddah Iz, and Andrea Bocelli.
Photo: Aria Minucci19/19Truly a spectacular finale to a magical week.
