A wedding first brought Sadie Jones and Stefano Faiella together. Sadie had flown out to Ohio to visit a friend, and while she was there, she accompanied her to a wedding reception. Sadie spotted him on the dance floor, and soon after, the pair got to talking. “I remember thinking he had good rhythm and was wearing a very well-tailored suit. He says I was a wedding crasher,” Sadie laughs. “We jumped right in and began officially dating one month later. Our meeting was organic, and we definitely surprised each other. We know now we were both in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.”
Three years later, Sadie planned a trip to New York for her 30th birthday. On Friday, the pair spent the day wandering around the city. “Stefano mentioned we had somewhere to be at 4:45 p.m. which made me suspicious. We got an Uber, and I had no idea where we were going,” Sadie recalls. “We arrived at Rosemary’s in West Village, which is where we had our first dinner date.”
The hostess led the couple through the restaurant and up the back stairwell that ultimately led to a rooftop garden. When they reached the top of the staircase, Stefano dropped to one knee. “My vision went blurry as tears came to my eyes. . .It was a perfect summer day, and there was a chilled bottle of wine ready for us,” Sadie remembers. “The next day, to celebrate my birthday—and my new all-time favorite accessory—we enjoyed a sail on the Hudson. It was by far the best birthday ever!”
Sadie and Stefano always envisioned hosting their wedding somewhere secluded with all of their favorite people staying in the same place. “Three hours from Nashville, RT Lodge really checked all the boxes for us,” Sophie shares. “Everything was held on property that was exclusively ours for the weekend. It allowed us to completely customize the experience. I will always cherish the memories of sharing breakfast with everyone each day. We booked the open date with RT in October meaning we only had 5 months to plan.”
With the help of RT Lodge planner Ali Johnson, Sadie organized each detail for the upcoming weekend herself. “For the aesthetic, we knew we wanted nature as our backdrop and to be married outdoors,” she notes. “I loved the idea of bringing an English countryside feel to the woodlands of the South. It was cozy and whimsical.”
The bride curated a color palette of greens, pale blues, and lavenders to tie in the flowers on her dress. Paper Eliza created a custom invitation suite featuring the selected shades, as Colby West Design chose florals that complemented every space.
The “Cocktails and Keys” welcome party featuring Tim Tyler’s piano talents kicked off the weekend swimmingly. The Morningside Room at the lodge only added to the Italian, New York cocktail bar vision. To this, the bride wore a dress that once belonged to her grandmother. Sadie brought the dress to a tailor who shortened its length and created an open back, modernizing the look. “I almost felt like Midge Maisel in it and who doesn’t love her!” she says.
“For my wedding dress, my mood board consisted of 1950s Dior couture gowns, floral details, and puff sleeves. I also love tulle and knew I had to have it included somehow,” Sadie explains. After Honor NYC’s V collection launched the day after her initial venue visit, Sadie knew she’d be married in one of the dresses. “The floral printed tulip gown felt like a dream, and the addition of the tulle bolero made it perfectly me. Giovanna and the production team at Honor did an incredible job paying the utmost attention to detail and fit.”
White satin Aquazurra slingbacks and Sophie Bille Brahe pearl drop earrings completed the look. For the cake cutting, Sadie switched into her grandmother’s reception dress—a special nod and something the bride always dreamed of donning on her wedding day. When everyone moved to the after-party, Sadie featured a third and final look—a purple pleated mini dress by Acler and crystal embellished Chloé shoes.
To showcase the details and neckline of the bolero, Sadie wanted a hairstyle that was more pulled back. “Ashley from the Claire Balest team created the perfect mix between a French twist and a bun, which is exactly what I wanted,” the bride insists. “Vince, my makeup artist, gave me a natural but elevated look using shades of pink to match the spring blooms.”
Nicholas Joseph—who created the suit Stefano wore the night he met Sadie—designed two wedding weekend styles for the groom. On the wedding day, he looked classic in a custom blue Italian wool, three-piece suit. For the welcome party, he wore a textured green sport coat paired with neutral trousers.
On March 18, 2023, Sadie met Stefano beneath a blooming redbud tree as Dogwood Strings played Jean-Joseph Mouret’s “Rondeau.” Pastor Bill Fikes led the couple through a spiritual ceremony before they exchanged traditional vows. “The sun was beaming down on us and it felt completely surreal,” the bride says. “It was a feeling of joy that I have never experienced. I don’t think my smile could have been any bigger.”
The reception adhered to the ongoing English countryside theme that the bride felt so drawn to. Florals climbed wooden beams underneath an ivory tent. Executive Chef Trevor Stockton presented smoked trout, fried chicken, and hanger steak, before pastry chef Caitlyn Cox served three desserts and a deliciously tart lemon ricotta wedding cake. The Ty Reynolds Band set the tone during dinner before turning it up for the dance floor.
Sadie and Stefano danced to Etta James’s “Sunday Kind of Love.” “In the beginning of our relationship, we were dating long-distance and would have a phone call every Sunday evening that would last for hours,” the bride shares. “When together, we’d have a Sunday night Italian dinner.”
‘90s throwback songs bellowed as everyone showed up for the party. As the night came to a close, the newlyweds ended up around the fire pit with a few friends. Sadie concludes, “Stefano and I were crying happy tears from the amount of love and happiness we felt.”
