Olivia Cuissart de Grelle, a Sotheby’s Client Liaison, and Truman Hobbs III, a recent NYU Stern graduate, had been dating for six years when the New York-based couple decided to take a trip to Jupiter Island. There, Truman popped the question at sunset one evening, and the two jumped head first into planning mode. And, when it came time to choose where to tie the knot, the couple chose a location even further down south: Zapallar, Chile. “It’s somewhere I have gone to my whole life and Truman fell in love with Zapallar on his first trip, as well,” Olivia explains. “It was an easy choice once we got engaged!”
With the wedding set for December 30th, 2017, Olivia hired Bagnara + Margozzini to help with the planning, and soon after that, she found an Oscar de la Renta dress that was love at first sight. “I could not stop thinking about it after I tried it on,” she says. While having bridesmaids isn’t customary in Chile, Olivia chose to adopt the American tradition and had her sister, sister-in-law, and best friend all in white dresses. Meanwhile, the groom was in a custom morning suit made in New York, as were his groomsmen, who all wore a tie Truman had made with their initials and the couple’s wedding date.
On the big day, Olivia and Truman’s friends and family gathered at the old church in Zapaller for a Catholic ceremony with a full orchestra. “We had the church filled with white and blue flowers to match the ceiling, which is painted a sky blue color,” Olivia shares. “Our parents sat at the front of the church with us, which is traditional in Chile, and we loved having them by our side.”
Once they were declared husband and wife, the newlyweds and their guests headed to a cocktail hour at Parque Zapallar, an Italian-inspired garden. Drinks and canapés were served before everyone headed over to the tent for a seated dinner. “Truman and I made our entrance into the tent to the Rolling Stones’s ‘Start Me Up,’ which is so reminiscent of my childhood,” she says. “After dinner, my father gave a really moving toast and then my 13-year-old goddaughter and cousin got up in front of 300 people and gave the funniest speech about the first time they met Truman. We were all in stitches laughing, and I was so impressed by how confidently they spoke.”
While in the U.S., first dances are usually between the newlyweds, in Chile, it’s reserved for a waltz between the father of the bride and his daughter. “I danced with my father first, and then Truman interrupted us, and I finished the song with him,” Olivia explains. Soon after, most of their guests joined in and stayed on the dance floor until five in the morning. “The next day, we did it all over again with a New Year’s Eve party that also finished at 5:00 a.m.!” the bride adds. “It was truly a weekend to remember!”
