A Greek Island Wedding Inspired by Matisse, Ancient Myths, and a ’90s Calvin Klein Ad

While Teresa and one of her best friends Eileen Feighny spent a day wedding dress shopping, she didn’t feel connected to anything they tried. Teresa then remembered their friend Paul Burgo designs custom bustiers for his own label, Factory New York, and scheduled a fitting appointment to create a custom two-piece ensemble. “Paul created a beautiful set that felt sumptuous and executed Teresa's vision even better than she had imagined,” shares Yesim.

The couple decided to shop for their wedding rings together. “One afternoon, we dressed up and headed to Madison Avenue,” Yesim says. Their first stop was Buccellati, where the brides remember a dark and luxurious atmosphere with “impeccable service.” Yesim shares, “The ring I thought I had fallen in love with online, the Fedi Eternelle, actually fit Teresa perfectly, and she knew she had to have it.” Next, the pair went to Graff. “Teresa purchased two rings for me—one in white gold and one in white gold with diamonds—because I loved the design of the Laurence Graff Signature pieces so much.”

When the wedding day arrived, the brides called upon their model friends to get them ready. “They joked that it felt like backstage at Paris Fashion Week because we only gave them an hour or so before they had to head with the drivers to the ceremony,” says Yesim. “Mélodie Monrose and Grace Mahary did our hair, Eileen Feighny helped dress us, and Lily Donaldson did our makeup.” While getting ready, the group got in a celebratory mood and popped some Ruinart champagne. Yesim adds, “When our bouquets were delivered, we placed them in the Champagne bucket!”

The ceremony took place at Sarakiniko Beach, which the brides chose for its “mystical quality and natural beauty.” “Being on a rock on the Mediterranean Sea brought to mind the siren song from The Odyssey and called into question what that could have sounded like. It was ‘The Flower Duet (from Lakmé)’ by Delibes that captured [those] beautiful feminine voices for us,” explains Yesim. “Through friends, we were able to connect to professional opera singers Mireille Lebel and Rachel Fenlon, who we flew in to sing the piece a cappella.” To further lean into the aesthetic, the singers wore slip dresses and were asked to reference Botticelli’s Birth of Venus for their hair and makeup.

Since Sarakiniko Beach is a public space, the brides’ planners had to get special permission for the ceremony to take place there. They also would not be allowed to bring in chairs. “This creative constraint helped us develop the idea of bursting into the dance. Inspired by the Matisse painting in the MOMA, we asked our friend Julia Jansch to lead the dance right after our kiss,” shares Yesim. “I sent texts to key people telling them where to stand, asking them to hold hands with specific people and to move in a certain direction. We didn’t rehearse anything, and somehow it all fell into place. Our friends opened up into a large circle naturally, and then we danced into it until the spiral closed in on us and got so tight that everyone started to jump up and down, throwing their arms into the air. It was euphoric!”

The guests were then transported to the other side of the island in cars blasting customized playlists by the brides, while the newlyweds took portraits with their photographers Les Anagnou. At the reception, the couple cut the cake as opera singer Mireille Lebel sang “Les Chemins de l'Amour ”by Poulenc, then dinner was paired with roasts by three of the brides’ friends. The dinner transformed into a party that went until the early hours of the morning with disco music by DJ Fede Saenz and ’90s house by Silvia Prada. Yesim adds, “Our friend Rebecca Dayan was our unofficial third DJ, and she does not cease to impress us by being so multi-talented and gorgeous.”

The party slowed down with a farewell beach hang the next day, and a few of the guests joined the brides for a buddymoon on the neighboring island of Folegandros. “After five days together and friends slowly heading to their next destinations, they helped to ease us out of the festivities. Teresa and I continued to the island of Koufonisia for our honeymoon,” shares Yesim. “We are still feeling so much love, like our hearts are going to burst with happiness. We are so grateful for our friendships and for everyone coming from different places around the world to celebrate and witness our commitment to each other.”