The Bride Wore Brandon Maxwell to Marry Under Pink Umbrellas at the Mezzatorre Hotel in Ischia
“No one ever got promoted at the company holiday party” is a popular seasonal saying. And while that may be true, the company holiday party is where Victoria Menechella, the director of marketing and communications for the hotel Fouquet’s New York, ended up meeting her future spouse. Prior to working for Fouquet’s, Victoria did a five-year stint at The Mark Hotel, and while there, she met her now-husband Sergio Bello at their annual event in the Mark Penthouse. “The Mark is one of his longtime clients—he runs a full-service design, production, and implementation studio based in Tribeca called Bello Projects—and we had worked together on a few projects over the phone and through email for months prior to meeting in person,” Victoria remembers. “We are still confused as to why he was invited to the holiday party as it was for top guests and travel agents. Regardless, I was very happy to see him there. We continued to work together for a year and would have the occasional run-in downtown until he finally asked me on our first date.”
Sergio proposed on June 24, 2023, at The Mark. He had planned a dinner at The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges, and Victoria was totally unsuspecting. “He was so calm, and it seemed like a typical Friday date night,” she remembers. After dinner, however, Victoria suggested ordering dessert, when Sergio instead asked her to come and see an artwork he’d installed in one of the suites. “It then hit me that he was about to propose,” she says. ‘We proceeded to have the most awkward elevator ride of our lives, both of us too nervous to speak. The suite was set up with flowers and Champagne, and he got down on one knee. My sister and a few of our friends came to the suite afterward, and we ordered truffle pizza and celebrated over martinis and Champagne. Sergio and I spent the night at the hotel, and after a lazy morning, we walked through Central Park and went for lunch at Tavern on the Green, still in our clothing from the night before. It was the perfect New York proposal.”
Their wedding was held at the Mezzatorre Hotel in Ischia, Italy on September 7, 2024. The location was chosen in part because it was where Sergio went on his first vacation with Victoria’s family. “My family is from the region of Campania, and we have a house about two hours from Ischia, so we grew up going to the island in the summers,” Victoria explains. “We decided then that we would get married there. We could not imagine anything more special or beautiful than a wedding set against the hotel’s iconic terracotta facade. Naturally, I always wanted to get married at a hotel and loved the idea of all our friends and family roaming through the halls throughout the weekend—it was like adult summer camp!”
Prior to making the trip, the couple was officially married on June 15, 2024, at Peninsula Lakes—Victoria’s family’s golf course in her hometown of Niagara, Ontario. “My grandparents could not travel to Italy, so it was important to us to have an intimate ceremony with them,” she says.
The planning process leading up to the Italian wedding weekend felt like a passion project on top of their everyday jobs. “Given my background in hotels, I think the team at the Mezzatorre was a bit scared to work with me,” Victoria admits. “Within a week of signing our contract, I had a running Excel sheet of the room assignments and challenged their every policy. However, they met all of my expectations and jumped through hoops to make our crazy visions come to life.”
Both Victoria and Sergio specialize in marketing and branding, so they had fun with all of the bespoke elements and collateral—from sourcing 135 tambourines hand-painted with each guest’s name to creating custom charger plates adorned with tomatoes, also a motif on most of their stationery—to Sergio printing the custom tablecloths for Thursday night’s welcome dinner that we personally lugged from JFK to Ischia. They worked with event planners Maria and Fabrizia of Capri Moments on every aspect. “We spoke to so many planners, both in New York and Italy, but ultimately found it most important to work with a team who knew the island of Ischia and who could travel to the Mezzatorre to be our eyes and ears from afar.”
In addition to hiring a planner, Victoria reached out to Bailey Moon, the New York–based fashion stylist behind Naomi Biden’s wedding looks, who the bride knew through friends. “I had gone to try on wedding dresses and I found the whole process very overwhelming and uninspiring,” Victoria explains. “I had always liked the idea of designing a custom dress, and he was the perfect person to collaborate with. I also particularly loved that we both wanted to work with a designer and find looks that were not traditionally bridal.”
When Victoria and Bailey first met to discuss the wedding, she showed him inspirational images, and they were both enamored with the idea of a boat neckline. “It is just so timeless and elegant, yet unique and not overdone,” the bride explains. “You don’t really see many gowns with this neckline.”
The two ultimately decided on a custom Brandon Maxwell dress. “We had a brainstorming session with him and Brandon came up with the concept for the dress right there,” Victoria remembers. “We loved the juxtaposition of the super-low back with the high neckline in front. We thought it would be a surprise to guests to see the back when I walked down the aisle–as it was really so unexpected. We also wanted a subtle drop waist and then Brandon added incredible pleating and buttons all along the back, which were both such chic touches.” White slingbacks from The Row and a Gigi Burris veil complemented the look.
On the morning of the ceremony, they woke up to perfect weather, with clear skies forecasted for the day ahead. The couple planned a 5 p.m. ceremony so that guests could enjoy the pool and sea all day. “By mid-afternoon, the sky had turned gray, and it had started to pour,” Victoria recalls. “My friends were constantly checking in on me to make sure I was holding it together—I was, barely. Luckily, the storm quickly blew over, and we had beautiful weather for the ceremony and reception.”
The ceremony itself was held on Terazza Vittoria, the hotel’s private terrace overlooking the sea. “We love the signature pink umbrellas at the Mezzatorre and tried to incorporate them where we could,” Victoria says. “We made sure to have them open at our ceremony—for both aesthetics and much-needed shade—and then we printed everyone’s table numbers on the inside of a miniature pink umbrella. We also matched the pink of the umbrellas with pink anthurium along the aisle.”
The bridesmaids walked down the aisle first, followed by the two ring bearers, and then Victoria and her father walked down the aisle while a string quartet played “Your Song.” “My first thought walking down the aisle was how incredible all of our guests looked,” Victoria jokes. “All of the colors against the backdrop were gorgeous. My dad very dramatically lifted my blusher, as I had told him he needed to be careful to not run it against my make-up and his approach made everyone laugh. Sergio and I were both very smiley and giddy throughout the ceremony. During our official ceremony in Canada, we were both so emotional and could barely say our vows through our tears, so we luckily got that out of our system for this time around.”
The officiant was a former Italian priest, and Victoria and Sergio had asked him to keep the ceremony short and sweet. The bride’s mother recited a prayer she had written for the couple, and the bride and groom read traditional vows.
After the ceremony, guests moved to cocktails, and the newlyweds took photos together. Afterwards, they joined their guests on another terrace. “This was one of the most memorable moments of the wedding day,” Victoria says. “The front of the hotel is my favorite area. It is straight out of a Wes Anderson movie.” Afterwards, everyone moved to the seaside of the hotel for the dinner and reception. “One of our friends Jake Smith, whose stage name is Big Wet, introduced Sergio and I and then performed ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ while Sergio and I walked down to meet our guests. I do not think we have ever smiled so hard.”
Victoria’s dad’s one request for the wedding weekend was that the reception not, under any circumstances, take place under a tent—and after much pushback from the couple and their wedding planners, father ended up knowing what was best. “It was so incredible to all dine in the open air with the trees surrounding us,” Victoria remembers. “There were a few speeches, and Sergio and I had our first dance to Macy Gray’s ‘I Try’—Sergio had taken me to see her on Valentine’s Day a few years ago, so it is a sentimental song to us.”
In the very final hour of wedding planning, Victoria and Sergio decided to have fireworks go off while cutting their cake—a classic Italian millefoglie with caramelized peaches. “I really had no expectations and did not watch any of the videos my wedding planners had sent me,” Victoria admits. “But the fireworks were truly incredible—in Italy they are so loud and dramatic!” The DJ was blasting “Tu Vuo Fà L’Americano,” before guests moved to a large gazebo on the property for the after-party. “We transformed it into Bello’s—a nightclub with a full bar, disco ball, and neon sign,” Victoria says. “And, we had pasta alla ruota served as a late-night snack—a very Italian ending to a beautiful wedding weekend.”
Photo: La Dichosa1/66Our wedding stationery was created by the talented ladies at Stationery Stories. We wanted everything to be clean, artistic, and personal.
Photo: La Dichosa2/66Sergio and I went to dinner with my family on Wednesday night. We had all stayed at the Mezzatorre the week leading up to the wedding festivities, so by this point, we were eager for our guests to arrive.
Photo: La Dichosa3/66My stylist Bailey Moon and I spotted this vintage Alexander McQueen dress at the TAB Vintage pop-up in New York last winter. We immediately knew it had to be worn at the Mezzatorre—it was a perfect color match.
Photo: La Dichosa4/66Walking to get a pre-dinner cocktail with my friends Nat, Steph, and Mashael who traveled from Dubai, London, and Riyadh to celebrate with us. The wedding was a reunion for many of our friends, who are now scattered throughout the world.
Photo: La Dichosa5/66I fell in love with this Proenza Schouler dress when I saw it on the runway at the fall 2023 show and I had been saving it for a special moment. It is an art piece and I love how it has white accents, but is not traditionally bridal.
Photo: La Dichosa7/66The venue for Thursday’s dinner was a small restaurant called Portobello in the port of Ischia. It was the only time we left the property during the wedding weekend and so we wanted to give our guests a quintessential Ischia experience before officially kicking-off the festivities.
Photo: La Dichosa8/66Sergio founded Bello Projects, a design and production studio in New York that works with companies on printed materials and branding. He created these custom tablecloths and menus. We lugged everything by hand from JFK to Ischia!
Photo: La Dichosa10/66Sergio and I first visited the Mezzatorre on a family vacation in 2019 and decided then that we would one day be married there. Most of our guests stayed with us on property, so the cove became a gathering point during the days.
Photo: La Dichosa11/66It was really sweet to have the in-between moments by ourselves to regroup and take it all in.
Photo: La Dichosa13/66We had the names of each of our guests hand painted on tambourines that were hung by the bar at the rehearsal dinner. Each person was instructed to come by at some point in the evening to cut down their tambourine.
Photo: La Dichosa16/66The theme for Friday night was “Glamour Italiano,” so we wanted the spread to be traditional and decadent.
Photo: La Dichosa17/66This archival Gucci by Tom Ford fall 1996 is my favorite dress I have ever worn. I had met the TAB Vintage founder, Alexis, at her New York pop-up and when she posted this dress on Instagram, I immediately DM’ed her, asking if I could try it. It fit like a glove and I did not need to have it tailored. She has since gotten dozens of requests for it, but sorry, ladies, it is never leaving my closet.
Photo: La Dichosa19/66Sergio and I did not coordinate outfits for any of the nights, but we somehow managed to be on a similar vibe. I loved how our outfits were quite minimal, while our guests were all in loud prints and patterns.
Photo: La Dichosa20/66This purse is also Gucci by Tom Ford and I sourced it before I had the dress. The beaded Gucci monogram added some fun to the look and was very on theme.
Photo: La Dichosa21/66We surprised our guests with a performance by an Italian folk band. The tambourines came in handy!
Photo: La Dichosa23/66I gifted my bridesmaids with these gorgeous dresses by Eiko Ai to get ready in and found these matching Bode shorts for my best friend David.
Photo: La Dichosa26/66My dress was custom Brandon Maxwell. I had a clear vision of what I wanted for my dress—a low back, a subtle drop waist, and a boat neckline. The team at Brandon Maxwell nailed it, and I am so grateful to have worked with such a talented team to bring this vision to life.
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Photo: La Dichosa27/66My stylist Bailey Moon getting the dress into position! He has such incredible taste and he was the most fun to work with.
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Photo: La Dichosa30/66I wanted my bridal party to be in warm colors to match the tones of the Mezzatorre and ended up landing on a color palette of yellow and marigold. I helped each of them pick their dress.
Photo: La Dichosa31/66I mean, how amazing do they look? Their dresses all complemented each other so well, without being too matchy.
Photo: La Dichosa32/66Sergio and I did not do a first look, we wanted the walk down the aisle to be all the more special. However, this posed a major challenge, as my bridesmaids had to make sure he was not roaming around while we were taking photos.
Photo: La Dichosa33/66Every corner of the hotel is so picturesque—we could not have imagined a more beautiful backdrop.
Photo: La Dichosa35/66We love the Mezzatorre’s signature pink umbrellas and made sure to have them open at our ceremony, both for aesthetics and some much needed shade.
Photo: La Dichosa36/66After a traumatic afternoon of sun showers—the clouds disappeared just in time.
Photo: La Dichosa37/66This is one of my favorite photos. My dad looks so handsome! He kept whispering to me to slow down during our walk down the aisle.
Photo: La Dichosa39/66The veil was actually two pieces—a blusher in the front and a long veil in the back, both by Gigi Burris. I love how my bun peeked through.
Photo: La Dichosa40/66Sergio grew up by the ocean and always feels most grounded when he is by the water. It felt very surreal to say our vows with the sea as our backdrop.
Photo: La Dichosa42/66We wanted our ceremony to be short and sweet, with some traditional elements. The ceremony was officiated by a local priest and my mom recited a beautiful prayer that she wrote for us.
Photo: La Dichosa45/66After the ceremony, our guests went to the entrance of the Mezzatorre for cocktails, where the hotel’s pianist was playing.
Photo: La Dichosa46/66The entrance of the Mezzatorre is straight out of a Wes Anderson movie—it is so whimsical.
Photo: La Dichosa47/66A much needed spritz break. I was too scared to hold one, as I did not want to spill on the dress.
Photo: La Dichosa53/66Table assignments were printed on miniature pink umbrellas as an ode to the hotel's signature umbrellas.
Photo: La Dichosa54/66We wanted the tablescape to complement the hotel’s iconic terracotta facade. If there is one part of the wedding I was particular about, it was these flowers. The dahlias in Ischia were not round enough for what I had envisioned for the centerpiece, so the florist sourced these from Holland. They arrived to the island the day of the wedding.
Photo: La Dichosa55/66We made these custom charger plates with the same tomato sketch from our invitations and intend to send them to each of our guests as a thank you gift.
Photo: La Dichosa56/66My dad’s only request for the wedding weekend was that we not have the reception under a tent and after much pushback from the hotel and our wedding planners, he ended up being right. It was so incredible to all dine in the open air with the trees surrounding us.
Photo: La Dichosa59/66We cut our cake—a classic Italian millefoglie with caramelized peaches—in front of a firework show. The DJ was blasting “Tu Vuò Fà L’Americano” and everyone was screaming in excitement.
Photo: La Dichosa61/66My after-party dress was Nensi Dojaka, and I loved how it matched the color of the hotel. I had preordered it months before the wedding and it arrived a couple days before we left for Italy.
Photo: La Dichosa62/66Welcome to Bello’s! After the reception, we went to the hotel’s gazebo, which was transformed into a nightclub with a bar, disco ball, and this neon sign. We served pasta alla ruota as a late night snack.
Photo: La Dichosa65/66The staff of the Mezzatorre were just incredible—Italian hospitality at its finest. Our friends kept them busy all night at the bar, we might have drank all the aperol on the island.
