Kelly Lyons and Albert Sebag’s story began at his house in upstate New York, where mutual friends brought them together. Albert was immediately taken with Kelly, and after a few weeks of persistence, she agreed to a first date. “I was smitten,” Kelly says of those early days. “We spent most of our days hiking and enjoying the fall together there.” That house became the center of their story—“the same house we eventually purchased, renovated together for more than two years, and got married in.” Their wedding celebration became the unveiling of their shared home to family and friends.
Two-and-a-half years into their relationship, Albert proposed following Kelly’s best friend’s wedding in Tuscany. After the ceremony, the couple traveled to Burgundy, where Albert had planned a five-night escape. On the day of the proposal, Albert casually asked Kelly if she liked his outfit. “Which I thought was odd,” she admits. After lunch at Michelin-starred Le Montrachet in her favorite village, Albert insisted he take her for a picnic. Kelly insisted they cancel because it was exceptionally windy but he refused. They parked, set up a blanket, and within moments—her hair tossing in the breeze—Albert proposed.
After Kelly said yes, the surprises continued. Albert whisked her away to Troisgros, where she opened the door to their hotel room and found it filled with red roses and peonies. “The owner and head chef, Michael Troisgros, had never seen such a beautiful surprise and insisted on meeting us later that night at dinner,” Kelly notes. The next morning, the couple drove to Paris for a night at their favorite hotel, Cheval Blanc. “We were able to share the news with Albert’s father in person—Albert was raised in Paris and his father still lives there.”
Hosting their wedding at home was the only option for the autumn affair. It only made sense as the 70-acre estate served as the backdrop to their story together. With the expertise of GLDN Events, Kelly planned the wedding in just four months. “I wanted to transport guests into a fantasyland,” Kelly explains. “The goal was for them to forget where they were and be fully immersed in an experience that felt not of this world. Taking inspiration from festivals like Burning Man and Ondalinda and ancient Orthodox and Sephardic traditions, I infused tradition with the exotic to surprise guests at every turn and weave in personal elements from our journey.” Samuel Lippke Studios was on hand to photograph each moment. The Papery of Philadelphia crafted a custom invitation suite.
The festivities doubled as a housewarming, unveiling the home Kelly and Albert renovated with AD100 designer Neal Beckstedt, who also attended the wedding. Each event had a distinct theme, dress code, and atmosphere filled with flower arrangements by Noble Diaz, but one thread ran through it all— transformation.
The weekend began with a Shabbat dinner that married elements of Burgundy (the site of their engagement) and Saint-Tropez (their favorite summer destination). Kelly wore Emilia Wickstead, and Michael Hewitt serenaded guests before they stepped into a tent ornamented with Luxe Provence-inspired details—cypress trees, fresh lavender, and woven stone-washed linens.
As a surprise, the couple’s friend DJ Paul Himmel recreated the essence of a Saint-Tropez dinner party. Guests were soon on their feet, twirling napkins and dancing to his setlist. Dinner featured French classics like ratatouille, duck confit, and steelhead trout, paired with Burgundy wines. Just when everyone thought the night was over, Kelly and Albert revealed an after-party in the wine cellar.
The next day, though a planned apple orchard gathering was canceled due to rain, Kelly instead hosted guests at the house for a cacao ceremony and dance, led by live drumming and flute music. When the skies cleared, everyone went on a hike, during which GLDN surprised them with photographs of Kelly and Albert’s adventures strung along the trail.
That evening, guests stepped into a glammed-up tent for a Moroccan-Tunisian celebration. Kelly wore a hand-beaded Cucculelli Shaheen gown, and the night began with an Arabic band and belly dancing. The couple incorporated traditional henna rituals, blessing each guest. The evening ended with AfterU taking over the dance floor.
On Sunday, after Amy Chin applied her beauty look, Kelly walked down an aisle lined with local florals in Reem Acra’s “Divine Dream” dress, a Chantilly lace style detailed with pearls. “It was love at first sight,” Kelly says of the dress. Bridesmaids wore Shona Joy dresses, complementing the bride’s ethereal look.
“Electric, joy, like I was floating on a cloud, like nothing I will ever feel again—so over-filled with love and joy that I could nearly burst,” the bride says of how she felt during the ceremony. Following the breaking of the glass, Kelly and Albert danced back down the aisle as newlyweds, while Happie Hoffman played.
The Starr reception tent was designed to evoke a classic greenhouse, with a Tunisian tile dance floor at its center. The couple danced to David Gray’s “Sail Away” before switching it to Billie Paul’s 1972 “Your Song.” The Georgia Bridgewater Orchestra led the musical entertainment all evening, dropping into the crowd, singing at the tables, and leading the brass section through the dance floor. Eventually, via conga line, guests transitioned to a Jeffrey Scott-designed after party with an Aquarius celestial theme, where Kelly wore a Clio Peppiatt ensemble.
A highlight of the evening came when Albert surprised Kelly with a dragon spectacle. A team of 10 performers unveiled a 75-foot-long LED puppet dragon. The dragon’s mouth released CO2, simulating fire, as it moved across the dance floor. The party, led by Nick Morgan and Adam Port only simmered, when the sun came up.