It all started with a chance meeting in Atlantic City of all places. Olivia Rose and Del Wright had never been before, and on the same weekend in 2010, both spontaneously agreed to join their separate friend groups there. “We serendipitously introduced ourselves after bumping into each other,” remembers Olivia, who is the founder and owner of Rallier, an independent womenswear label based in New York City. “Our conversation lasted only five minutes, but in that brief time we managed to exchange numbers, and I must have mentioned that I planned on moving to New York after graduation. Six months later, I was living in New York and working at Cartier when I got a text from Del that said, ‘So, did you ever make it to New York?’”
Four years later, Del took Olivia back to the setting for their first date—Tribeca Grill—to pop the question. He threw Olivia off the scent though by telling her they were going somewhere else. “It was a really snowy night and I remember being annoyed that we were being dropped off several blocks from the restaurant I thought we were going to,” admits Olivia. “We got out of the car in front of Tribeca Grill, and I remember saying, ‘Look—that’s where we had our first date!’ and then he got down on one knee on the snowy corner of Greenwich and Franklin and proposed. He had my family from California waiting inside the restaurant when we walked in.”
When the two first discussed where to get married, they both were immediately drawn to the idea of Napa, where they’d recently vacationed and nearby Olivia’s hometown of San Francisco. Olivia had always heard about Beaulieu Garden, and while she was drawn to the story behind the garden, which is one of the oldest wine producing vineyards in Napa, she’d actually never seen it in person. “In 1899, a French winemaker bought the garden as a surprise for his wife while also becoming the first person to produce European grape stock in the Napa Valley. We loved that the garden’s history—its international spirit, California roots, and sweet love story,” explains Olivia. “It all really translates aesthetically when you experience the property in person. The garden combines a sense of worldliness with that very special California ease—an aesthetic we felt represented us as a couple and our lives back home in New York. It was the first venue we visited, and we both loved it so much that we never saw another option!”
Soon after booking the venue, Olivia worked with Stephanie Fishwick to develop a floral crest that captured this same tone for their invitation suite. “The result was exactly what I was looking for and served as an inspirational touchpoint for the overall aesthetic of the wedding,” says Olivia.
For her wedding day look, she tried to incorporate details filled with meaning. “I’ve worked in the fashion industry for over a decade and now have my own brand,” says Olivia. “I’ve always believe that fashion, at its best, is an expression of who the wearer is. In an industry historically dominated by men, I loved the idea of wearing female designers and brands that felt representative of our values as a couple.”
She found her Monique Lhuillier dress at Mark Ingram in New York. “Monique and Mark both developed their companies at a time when I was deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up,” says Olivia. “I remember reading about both of their stories—they’re great examples of entrepreneurship in fashion.”
Olivia worked with Gigi Burris, an uber-talented female milliner in New York (who also recently married), to create her custom hair piece, which the two women envisioned as a modern alternative to a veil. “Gigi had me to her studio for our initial meeting, which made the hair piece feel that much more personal and special,” says Olivia.
Her shoes were by Prada, a company that she worked for at the beginning of her career. “Unlike many fashion houses, working as a publicist for Prada meant getting to communicate a very cerebral, deep-seated story behind each collection,” says Olivia. “I am forever grateful to have been given such an excellent example of purposeful fashion so early on.”
Olivia also drew a lot of fashion inspiration from her grandmother, who designed dresses and eventually opened her own dress shop in San Francisco in the 1950s. “She passed away several years ago, and I always knew that I would wear something significant from her on my wedding day,” says Olivia. “I decided on a pair of jade and diamond earrings—one of the few pieces that survived when she immigrated to San Francisco from Shanghai. I decided to have the earrings be my only jewelry for the day, aside from my rings of course.”
Ironically, when she first got engaged, Olivia had serious thoughts about eloping. “Both Del and my mom were highly opposed to this idea,” she explains. “Before our ceremony, Del and I exchanged our own vows privately, which gave me that feeling I wanted where a part of the wedding was sincerely just about the two of us.”
For the more public ceremony, Olivia and Del worked together to create a ceremony that felt inclusive. “Between the two of us, Del and I represent a plethora of races, nationalities, and religions,” notes Olivia. “Of course we understand the diversity of our histories but, to us, the bridges between them are more meaningful than any one on its own. We wanted our wedding ceremony to be one where all of our guests (who were as diverse as we are) felt equally included.” The two chose Olivia’s cousin, Tommy, as their officiant. “He beautifully created the kind of ceremony we had hoped for,” she says. “One of my closest friends, Sasha, also chose the most perfect reading, which she read with Del’s brother. It is called ‘A Blessing for The Journey’ by Wendy Egyoku Nakao and one of my favorites lines was ‘embracing our differences, we shall know each other as ourselves.’”
The reception afterwards was a celebration of love, family, and friendship. For dinner, they decided on long, connected tables to create the feeling that everyone was sitting together as one, large extended family, and there were tons of toasts. The meal consisted of locally sourced California classics, including Beaulieu Garden’s own tomatoes and the couple’s favorite Humboldt Fog goat cheese. Afterward, everyone danced—and made s’mores—under the stars in true California form.