Laura and Marco Illbruck first crossed paths at a Berlin restaurant, when she was just about to leave and serendipitously ran into her neighbor, who was with Marco. The two of them convinced Laura and her friend to go out for a drink together, and while they hit it off immediately, unfortunately Laura was about to move a few days later to London to start university. “Marco then came to visit me whenever he could,” she says. “As it turns out, after a few weeks, he ended up moving to London and the rest is history!”
Three years later, during a trip to the Maldives, the couple, who founded the swimwear brand SWIM WITH MI together, were enjoying a private sand bank dinner when a photographer showed up. “I was a little confused by the whole thing but Marco said it was a test shoot because we were planning on shooting our new swimwear collection there next,” she said. After many courses and several bottles of rosé, a small boat appeared carrying an illuminated sign that read: Laura, will you marry me? “I turned around and Marco was on his knees with a little blue box,” she says. But that wasn’t the entire surprise. After they returned to their villa, Laura saw flowers and floating candles spelling out YES in the pool. “Next to my bed was an already framed photo of us from the proposal—that was one quick photographer!”
After first contemplating tying the knot in Sardinia, where the couple has a summer home, the two ultimately decided to have a summer wedding in Capri and hired Diana Sorensen of Sugokuii Events to help them bring their vision to life.
Since Laura designs all of Swim With Mi’s line, she knew from the very beginning that she would not be buying a wedding dress from a store. “I had an exact sketch in my mind of my dress, I really only need the perfect designer to share my with,” she explains. In Berlin, she teamed up with up and coming German designer Anuk Chikaberi, and together they worked on creating Laura’s dream bridal dress. She finished off her look with white Gianvito Rossi sandals, diamond earrings that Marco had designed with Leo Mathild, and her Tiffany engagement ring. For the after-party, Laura chose a dress by Berlin-based designer Ewa Herzog.
Being Italian, Marco naturally wanted to wear an Italian brand, but he also wanted to do something different. He ended up working with a men’s tailor called Luca Rubinacci in Milano and had a custom designed suit made in a dark blue color, which he paired with blue Louboutin shoes. Laura’s bridesmaids wore dresses from Swim With Mi’s collection, which blended in perfectly with the island vibe and bright blue colors that Capri is famous for.
On the weekend of the wedding, guests arrived in Capri and were greeted with custom welcome bags centered around the couple’s wedding theme: “Pizza, pasta, e amore.” Treats included fresh pasta, fresh tomato sauce, tomato seeds, tomato flip flops from Swim With Mi, and pizza shaped candy made by Sweet Saba in New York.
On June 30th, guests gathered at a former vegetable garden in Capri that was converted into a beautiful lemon garden for Marco and Laura’s wedding ceremony. After they were married, everyone headed over to Da Paolino restaurant, which was decorated in a “Southern Italy meet Capri meets The Ivy in LA” kind of way, as the bride puts it. Even the smallest details at the reception were custom made or chosen by the couple. Vintage floral tables clothes from the 1960s were sourced; plates were designed by Laboratory Paravicini in Milano; vintage cutlery and linen napkins were engraved with the couple’s initials, and each menu was hand painted by Lou Lou Baker of Peep’s Paper Products and featured an original illustration.
A Caprese dinner was later served Italian style. For each course, the decor in the middle of the table changed, according to the dish being served. When it came time for the spicy scialiatelli pasta, for instance, waiters brought out giant hollowed out parmesan wheels on to each table, with the pasta served inside. For the meat dish, a riser decorated with bougainvillea with a lemon salad on top was carted out. “It was details like this that made our dinner so amazing, different, and memorable,” says Laura.
The day after the wedding, the couple hosted a recovery brunch at Riccio Beach Club, where stunning views of the bright blue sea and delicious food awaited. And once the weekend long festivities were over, the two jetted off to their summer home in Porto Cervo for some R&R, although not for long. “After this we are off to our honeymoon somewhere warm,” Laura adds. “It’s always summer somewhere!” Watch their wedding videos below.
