After Justine Gullia and Skyler Christensen’s first day of dental school classes, they walked home together. “We bonded immediately talking about my favorite cookie shop, which just happened to be in his hometown,” she remembers. “A few weeks later, I was studying at my apartment and heard a knock on the door. Skyler was standing there with a bag of those cookies.”
Three-and-a-half years later, Skyler proposed over the Thanksgiving holiday in Estes Park, Colorado, where Justine’s family has visited for more than 20 years. That evening, Skyler invited close friends and family to join them. They stepped outside to take a group photo in front of the Rocky Mountains, and while the group posed, Skyler walked forward, turned around, and dropped to one knee.
“My heart was set on a wedding in Italy from the beginning,” Justine says. “My dad’s family is from Italy so Italy has always been a magical place to me and a special part of who I am. Also, they have the best food and wine in the world, what better place to have a wedding?” While narrowing down options along the Amalfi Coast, Justine hadn’t considered Ravello—until a friend, honeymooning there at the time, happened to walk past a wedding at Villa Eva. She sent Justine a message: “You have to look at Villa Eva. You will love it.”
A glance at the photos, paired with the promise of late-night Neapolitan pizza from an outdoor oven and celebrations lasting until 2 a.m., made the decision easy. “There was no going back.” With the locale and venue decided on the couple then enlisted Over The Moon Editor’s Pick Planner Rebecca Rose Events to plan and design the celebration.
Seven months before her wedding, Justine lost her father unexpectedly. “The person I was most excited to see me in my wedding dress was my dad,” she shares. “My dad worked for Ralph Lauren for over 25 years. From a young age, my dad taught me to appreciate the craftsmanship and individuality that is high fashion. Naturally, clothes and personal style became an enormous part of my identity. Ralph Lauren *shockingly* is my favorite designer and my personal style reflects the brand. I wanted my wedding weekend looks to be feminine, romantic, timeless and yet reflect the lively and vibrant culture that is Italy.”
Upon arriving in Ravello, Justine and her family visited the venue for the first time. As they walked the lawn, an orange and brown butterfly landed on her head. “It wouldn’t leave us alone,” the bride reveals. “Everyone who knew my dad knows that his colors were orange and brown—he was the biggest Cleveland Browns fan on earth, truly. On our wedding day, seconds after Skyler and I did our first look, guess who joined us again? The orange and brown butterfly—my dad got to see me in my dress after all.”
That dress was Monique Lhuillier’s “Lovely” which she paired with a veil by Galia Lahav. “My favorite part of my wedding day look was my lace collar,” the bride notes. “I could not wait to put it on. I sewed the collar from a bridal belt that my bridal consultant, Avery Jackson, found after I had chosen my dress. My dress felt very classic and traditional and I wanted to add a unique element so we put the piece of lace around my neck and the look was complete.” She finished the ensemble with blue Manolo Blahnik heels.
For the after-party, Justine changed into a red feathered look by Cult Gaia. Beauty Livery took to the bride’s makeup look and hairstyle for the day.
Her father’s influence extended into the groom’s attire. “The last time that I talked to my dad before he died, we were on the phone discussing what Skyler was going to wear—as you can imagine this was extremely important to him,” Justine shares. “He was adamant that Skyler wear Ralph Lauren. We did not get to iron out the details before my dad passed away, and knowing little to nothing about men’s formal wear, I felt really overwhelmed and scared that I would let my dad down. My dad’s old friend and colleague, Chris Mascitelli, who works for Ralph Lauren, offered to help us. He went above and beyond to help bring my dad’s vision to life and I will never forget his kindness.”
The Italian affair began with a welcome party on Friday at Giardini Calce Pizzeria, where Justine wore a strapless look from The Bar and added Kerry McGauley earrings. On Saturday, guests were treated to a mozzarella-making class at Caseificio Staiano Ravello Cheese Factory. Justine wore a Hunter Bell pinstripe dress.
On October 22, 2023, Justine and Skyler married along a Ravello cliffside overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, as Wedding Music Napoli hummed in the background. “In the months leading up to the wedding day, the ceremony was one of the moments I was very anxious about, given that my dad was not there to walk me down the aisle,” the bride shares. “I wasn’t sure if I would be able to feel true joy. This is not a pretty part of my journey but I share this for other brides who will be missing someone very special on their wedding day. I felt joy, true joy. I felt my dad there.”
Following the ceremony and portraits with photographer Jillian Knight, guests sat down to a dinner that began with sautéed pumpkin ravioli topped with goat cheese fondue, followed by sea bass in salt crust with olives on tomato carpaccio.
The team at Rebecca Rose Events collaborated with Nuage Designs to craft the tablescapes. Napkins featured a custom watercolor tile pattern created for the wedding weekend—first introduced with the Save the Date mailing. Pops of color lived in the Armando Malafronte florals sprawled throughout the venue.
Enrico Bernardo of Wedding Music Napoli serenaded guests. “Speaking of Enrico, I have to mention one of my favorite parts of the wedding,” Justine notes. “Skyler decided a couple of months before that he wanted to surprise our guests by singing ‘Con Te Partirò’ by Andrea Bocelli during the welcome toast. Skyler had only memorized the first few lines but was going to wing it. Skyler began to sing and right as the lines he had memorized were almost finished, Enrico began belting the rest of the song into the microphone and the band joined in. Skyler and Enrico sang the rest of the song together. Everyone thought it was planned—it was not. It was iconic.”
After dinner, guests moved to an outdoor dance floor, where a DJ and saxophonist performed. The reception concluded at midnight, but the celebrations continued. The saxophonist led a conga line indoors for the after-party, where guests enjoyed espresso martinis, limoncello, and house-made Neapolitan pizza. One of the night’s highlights was Justine’s 91-year-old grandmother staying until 2:30 a.m. “She told me the next day she had ‘only seen something like that in the movies,’” the bride says. “No one ever wants their wedding day to end. . . I’m so glad we were able to keep the party going because some of our very favorite moments from our wedding weekend happened during that after party.”
