On a sunshiny day, Brian proposed to Lily, whom he’d met two years earlier through mutual friends in New York City, “at the top of my favorite hike near my hometown with our dog, Cooper,” Lily recalls. And just as they got engaged outdoors, they would also get married—outdoors and overseas, that is.
“I wanted an outdoor wedding in an elegant garden, and a rustic vibe with a diverse mix of flowers,” Lily says. She and Brian found exactly that at San Clemente Palace Kempinski, a luxury resort in Venice, Italy, situated on a private island and accessed only by boat from the Piazza San Marco. Both ceremony and reception would take place in the resort’s Sunset Garden, Lily’s dream lawn space.
Their wedding weekend encompassed more than just the big day, though. On one of their first mornings in Venice, Lily and Brian met their photographer for a romantic photo shoot in Piazza San Marco at sunrise, the bride- and groom-to-be looking chic in white and cream. (Their wedding party also got in on the photo shoot, donning sunrise tones of orange and yellow). Later, there was a family luncheon at Aman Venice in the Palazzo Papadopoli, a boat tour and a casual dinner. Yet another luxury hotel hosted their rehearsal the night before the wedding: Hotel Cipriani set an elegant scene that was “a childhood dream come true,” Lily says.
The couple enlisted Sonia Petrazzi to plan and Bottega 53 to capture each and every moment of the weekend. Chen Li Studio created a wedding logo for the couple that was applied to a stunning invitation suite by TPD Design House.
For the main event, the bride wore Berta. “I found the dress at the showroom in New York City—it was only worn on the runway once, and I liked that it was a one-of-a-kind,” she says. “I wore my sister’s veil, my mother’s drop pearl earrings and Jimmy Choo shoes.” Her bridesmaids matched the garden venue in silk Shona Joy dresses in shades of olive and sage, and Letizia Cordella beautified the group.
On August 20, 2022, Lily and Brian signed the ketubah in Jewish tradition before their ceremony overlooking the Venetian Lagoon. La Dogaressa Flowers set the scene: Peach and pink blossoms exploded from a chuppah lush with greenery, and organic bursts of florals marked the end of each row of garden chairs. But it was the aisle that stole the show. The grassy walkway was carpeted in white, pink and coral flower petals, paving the way for the bride and her parents, who entered the ceremony to tunes curated by Musica Evento.
“We were married under a chuppah by my sister, Gila Ackerman,” Lily shares. “We spent months discussing and planning. It was important that [the ceremony] felt intimate and personal, with each of our family members playing a role and joining us under the chuppah at various times.” The planning paid off. “With so many days of events and joyous moments, I did not expect the ceremony to feel overwhelmingly special, but it holds my most cherished memories from the entire wedding.” After a kiss and breaking of the glass, the newlyweds recessed out to “You Sexy Thing (I Believe in Miracles)” by Hot Chocolate.
The reception dinner showcased the rustic aesthetic Lily had envisioned for her wedding from the get-go. Sheer runners draped bare farm tables, and colorful florals bloomed in centerpieces. Coral napkins were knotted atop personalized menu cards outlining each guest’s selection for the four-course meal. Strings of twinkling lights glowed overhead.
The bride’s parents and sister, and the groom’s best man, gave speeches before the newlyweds were lofted into the air for the hora to kick off the party. Then, UK-based band Superfly took the stage to get everyone on the dance floor. Know How Productions provided production assistance. A pause for cake cutting provided one of Lily’s favorite moments of the day. But it wasn’t just any cake: The couple opted for a traditional—and enormous—Italian millefoglie from Racca Pasticceria. “It was a meter in diameter and assembled on-site by chefs from Padua,” Lily describes.
The vibe changed for the afterparty, a moody masquerade beneath the venue’s marquee tent. A DJ from ALR Music spun while a trio of horns provided live accompaniment. “Guests were given handmade Venetian masks to wear,” Lily adds; the masks, sourced from an artisan in San Marco, served as takeaway favors for each guest.
When the dreamy weekend finally wound down, the newlyweds stayed on theme, traveling through northern Italy by car with stops in the Dolomites, Lake Garda, Piedmont and Portofino.
