Beyoncé’s Former Assistant Wore 9 Archival Looks for Her Nantucket Wedding

Samantha has always been a fan of archival fashion, so she decided to go fully down the vintage route for her wedding. After managing to bag an appointment with Alexis Novak from Tab Vintage (“My stylist friend Marni Senofonte managed to get me a slot!”), she asked her to do all her wedding looks. “Alexis is so insanely talented and has the most incredible eye,” she shares. “I feel beyond lucky she agreed to work with me.”

For her ceremony outfit, she settled on the 1991 cut-and-slash Vivienne Westwood gown. “It was so visually interesting and a bit rebellious,” Samantha says. “I kept warning people that this was not a normal wedding dress. But every time I tried it on, I would get so excited—it had this energy that was really special.”

After finding that first dress, Samantha and Alexis kept discovering more looks that they liked. “I couldn’t stop myself,” laughs Samantha. “I just kept slotting in events so I could wear another look!” During a trip to London’s One Of A Kind Archive, Samantha and her mother found a Thierry Mugler suit and a crochet Chanel dress.  “When I saw that suit, with the shell-like pattern, I was smitten,” she explains. “It felt so modern, yet gave a nod to our island wedding. The Chanel dress had this crochet train that felt very Nantucket—it felt like kismet to find these two pieces in that incredible store, and it brought back special memories for my mom and me, who 20 years ago combed through their archives to find bat mitzvah dresses.” Other major fashion moments included a 1992 Chanel dress and jacket, which she wore for her town hall ceremony, and a 1999 Christian Dior mini and 1994 Versace dress, which she wore for her bridal lunch and the clam bake respectively.

On the day itself, Samantha had two outfit changes. As the Vivienne Westwood dress was so ethereal and delicate, she decided she needed to limit her time wearing it, so she switched first into a custom-made lace tank top, with a train inspired by one she had seen at Alexander McQueen. “When I shared it with Alexis she sprung into action,” the bride says. “She found an 1890s lace bedspread and had her amazing tailor Rae custom make a version of that top. But we could not figure out what bottoms to wear. It was then that I grabbed a pair of baggy shorts and started to bunch them up like a pair of bloomers. I think a light bulb went off for all of us in the room, and Rae Moore at 7th Bone Tailoring was able to construct the most adorable bloomers, with lace appliqués.” Later on in the evening, for the after-party at local bar The Chicken Box, Samantha wanted something a little more sparkly, so she settled on a Versace skirt she’d seen on Tab Vintage’s Instagram, paired simply with a white tank top.

Samantha’s friend, Allison Bauer of XIV Karats, helped pick her wedding day jewelry, having also designed her engagement ring alongside Will. “When we were looking at jewelry, we wanted to riff on ‘something blue,’ while also finding pieces that would complement all the outfits,” Samantha explains. “I also borrowed special pieces from my mom that my dad had gifted her, which made me feel like he was with me.”

Samantha’s mother, who previously worked in fashion, helped Will find the perfect suit at Kiton. He had two suits custom-made: one in green double-breasted linen, which he wore on the Friday, and one in light grey wool for the wedding day itself. It turned out the design was actually created by Samantha’s mother for Kiton back in the day. “They brought it out of the archives for Will, and the suit fit him like a glove,” says Samantha. “We started dating well after my mom retired, and I loved watching my mom work her magic with him.” In a touching nod to Samantha’s late father, Will changed into Kiton knit sneakers for the party.

Will’s sisters, Elizabeth, Amanda, and Kat, officiated the wedding, while Will’s nephew, Wes, was the ring bearer. Samantha asked her mother to walk her down the aisle, soundtracked by a recording of her father singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” from The Lion King. Bored at home one day, he sent her a video of him singing and playing the song—and even then it made her emotional. “At first I was hesitant to use it because I didn’t think I’d be able to keep it together,” she shares. “But I am so glad we did it. Everyone laughed and cried, and hearing his voice was like magic.” Right before the ceremony, a rainbow appeared too—another sign that her father was there on the day. “We have always associated rainbows with him, and to see that felt like he was there,” she says.

After the ceremony, guests were transported to the reception via bus, with mini bottles of Champagne for the road, while the newlyweds took photos—including an epic homage to Beyoncé’s In-N-Out burger shot, which she had asked her photographer, Mason Poole, to take during the promo shoot for the On The Run tour. “It was my one must-have photo,” Samantha says. “I ate a Stubby’s grilled cheese in the car in my veil. The original Beyoncé shot is one of my favorites, so it was really fun to recreate it.”

Food was a focal point of the wedding day, but the couple didn’t want a sit-down dinner. Instead, they asked Island Kitchen to create various food experiences, such as caviar carts and lobster roll stations. They also had a full charcuterie table, including the famous homemade focaccia by local private chef, Fare Isle. The music was equally important: Guided by the team at Dart Collective, the couple selected the band White Noise to perform, as well as a DJ playing 2000s tunes to close out the evening. “I wanted it to feel like we stepped into a seventh-grade dance all of a sudden!” laughs Samantha. “The dance floor was always full and it really was a non-stop party.”

Finally, the wedding weekend came to a close where it all began: Cisco Brewers. “Because we first reconnected at Cisco, it’s a really special place for us, and we knew we wanted it to be part of our wedding,” says Samantha. “The amazing team there also recreated my favorite Cisco sweatshirt for us as wedding merch!”