Emily D’Antonio, the Senior PR Manager at Hermes, and Jordan Wolowitz, the co-founder of Governor’s Ball and Founder’s Entertainment, were set up by a mutual friend that they’ve both known since childhood. “Our first date never really ended!” says Emily, and after two and a half years of dating, Jordan proposed on New Year’s Eve.
The two were coming back from a matinee film, and Jordan prompted Emily to use the front door—unusual since they normally use the side door. When Emily walked inside, she found the entire foyer and front stairway decorated with pink roses and candlelight. “It turns out that his parents and Winston Flowers had been setting up while we were out that day. Jerry, our Bernese Mountain Dog, was patiently waiting by the entrance in an adorable oversized bow tie,” shares Emily.
When the time came to start planning, Emily knew she wanted an intimate destination wedding. “I grew up spending holidays on Mustique with my family and had always dreamed of getting married in the enchanting Bamboo Church on the island. The structure is made completely from bamboo stalks, and it is engulfed in tropical plants and flowers that have grown wild over the years,” Emily explains. For the reception, they chose The Cotton House, a colonial-style, boutique hotel overlooking the ocean. Planning-wise, Emily has a background in events, so she was excited to get to work on her own wedding. Nearer to the wedding weekend, she worked with her dear friend Stefanie Cove and her team to put finishing touches on everything.
As for her dress, Emily was lucky in that she knew what she wanted before she even went to her first appointment. “My first dress appointment was at Carolina Herrera. I had scoured Vogue.com in the lead up, so I walked into my appointment with two dresses in mind,” says the bride. She even went to Saks Fifth Avenue Bridal Salon and ended up trying on the same two Carolina Herrera gowns. In the end, she chose a lace option because of the fabric. “It reminded me of a vintage lace and the cut was timeless.”
For footwear, she wore a pair of nude Fendi platform heels that she had picked up on the way to a fitting, and she borrowed Buccellati “Macri” earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace set from her mother. In her hands, she carried a vintage, mother of pearl clutch to go with the island theme.
Because the wedding was already intimate, the bride decided not to have a bridal party. “Jordan’s adorable nieces and my little sister were our flower girls. They wore white linen dresses from Jacadi with baby’s breath flower crowns tied with green ribbon. They carried these sweet white rattan baskets with pale green ribbon woven in that my mother had made,” Emily says.
The ceremony itself was brief and officiated by Bishop Ollivierre from St. Vincent. “We had to make sure that he made his flight off the island before the sun set!” says the bride. Guests wandered into the church with tropical cocktails, while James Taylor’s “Wildflowers,” played in the background. Following the flower girls, Emily and her father walked down the aisle to “Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison. “I expected to become nervous during the ceremony, but the nerves never kicked in. To be honest, I only remember looking at Jordan,” Emily says. Even though there wasn’t a traditional wedding party, family was heavily incorporated. Emily’s brother, Thomas, and her mother-in-law, Allison, gave readings. Thomas enlisted the help of his and Emily’s grandparents, who weren’t able to come to the wedding, when looking for a passage. “It was a really touching way to have them be part of the ceremony,” she says.
After the “I dos,” everyone was transported via golf cart down the street to The Cotton House for a cocktail hour in The Great Room, followed by dinner on the porch. “Playing up the natural beauty of the island and its colorful history, we used native florals for the table in a bold tropical palette.” Taking advantage of the tropical location, seared tuna sashimi, coconut mahi-mahi, and a coconut wedding cake were served. “During dinner, my father gave a hilarious not-always-appropriate-for-children speech,” Emily reveals.
After cutting the cake, remaining guests headed to Basil’s Bar for the after-party, again via golf carts. There, the bride changed into an archive sequin Chanel dress and caplet, for dancing. “We had hanging tea lights draped over the open sky dance floor and a local reggae band from one of the neighboring islands. We danced all night despite the tropical rain showers!” the bride remembers. The couple had their first dance to Bob Marley’s “Is This Love,” and word got out about the party and the rest of the island joined in!
