Four years after David James Bradley II initially reached out to Kiara Marie Pimentel because he was interested in purchasing one of her paintings, he proposed to her at Punta Carena Lighthouse on Capri. “David wanted to incorporate the lighthouse and oceanside feel of our home state of Rhode Island,” Kiara shares of the engagement, planned by Capri Moments.
Soon after saying yes, the to-be-weds took a ferry to Sorrento and fell in love with the locale and its culture. “Sorrento easily became our favorite Italian destination, and we immediately knew we had to get married there,” Kiara says. Planner Simona Guida of Happy Brides expertly recommended their venue, Villa Silvana. “The aesthetic was all inspired by a day in the town of Sorrento. From the lemons to the maiolica designs and the seasonal flowers, everything is what we love most about our time in Sorrento.”
“For the wedding dress, I knew I wanted a timeless piece that was simple, elegant yet sophisticated—also something lightweight, as it hung in multiple airplane cockpits to make its final destination,” Kiara laughs. On the day-of, the bride got ready with makeup artist Perla Guerriero, who gave her a natural glam look. Kiara then styled her ceremony dress with Sex and the City–inspired blue silk pumps. Later she changed into Untamed Petals’s Frankie dress for dancing.
David paired his custom oatmeal linen Suitsupply look with a silk ascot by Elizabetta and blue raffia loafers by Edhèn Milano to match Kiara.
On September 20, 2023, Kiara walked down the floral-lined aisle by Starace to meet David. “The ceremony felt like a fairytale,” the bride recalls. “The canopy of greenery, layers of flowers, and sounds of the violin and cello made everything feel enchanting. . . Aside from feeling extremely emotional, I felt truly blessed to share this experience with our family and close friends. It’s no simple trip for anyone, so it meant so much to us that they would take this adventure with us for the week—and for that special day.” Federico Lanuto was behind the lens, capturing every special moment.
At the reception, the newlyweds and their guests found their seats at the imperial table via personalized lemon-shaped place cards by Kuts Flowers. Everyone dined on a delicious meal of fresh pasta, pork filet, and seared fish.
The happy couple then went into their first dance to “Bésame Mucho” by Andrea Bocelli. “We’ve enjoyed Bocelli for years and fortunately saw him in concert the year before,” Kiara shares. “That helped confirm to us that we needed a song by him in our wedding.”
The dance floor filled up after that with music from Emmanuel Sound. “Kiara’s family love to dance, and we made sure to include a few songs of their beloved genre and style, Bachata,” David chimes in. “Dancing continued, including an impromptu runway, which you often can find the bride suddenly forming at any party. I have, will, and did run from a dance floor any time I find myself near one. However, Kiara’s family helped me learn enough Bachata that I really enjoy moments I get to share in their culture. Plus, they can make me look decent enough at it, to the untrained eye.”
The just-married pair ended their wedding day under the view of Mount Vesuvius from their balcony hot tub.
