Six years after Sarah was set up with Brendan for his fraternity formal in Charleston by her best friend, he proposed in front of the reflection pool by the Lincoln Memorial ahead of a charity gala. Once engaged, the pair originally thought they’d wed in California, where the bride is from, but once Tatiana Czerwiak of Vine + Branch Events Co. mentioned Italy, Sarah was hooked.
“I totally fixated on a small but epic multi-day wedding on the Amalfi Coast,” she admits. “Brendan gave me the green light, and there was no turning back!” Once the location was picked, the two settled on a date in early October.
Sweet Dates Prints set the tone with a beautiful invitation suite. And photographer Paola Colleoni Studio and Cinema of Poetry lensed the weekend.
Sarah stayed true to her style—“elevated silhouettes and high-impact details”—for her autumn nuptials and mixed new and secondhand pieces. She started the celebrations in a vintage Oscar de la Renta dress that she found at an estate sale with an Olympia Le-Tan clutch.
For the wedding day, Velma Lee Designs completely transformed Sarah’s Peter Langner wedding dress to her exact liking and even made a custom pink dinner jacket for the groom to change into for the reception. Beauty Livery gave the bride a graceful makeup look.
On October 2, 2024, Sarah and Brendan wed in the duomo in the center of the piazza with Father Markus. “My dad calmed any nerves I had on the way down to the church by acting goofy,” Sarah reveals. “Once Brendan and I were together at the altar holding hands, we were giggling and happy!”
The reception dinner of veal carpaccio and sea bass was served at Michelin-starred restaurant Rossellinis at sunset. Malafronte florals beautifully appeared to be growing from the table itself. DJ Zano started with classic Italian tunes, then surprised everyone with a live saxophonist and percussionist, as the night turned into a full-on party.
The newlyweds shared a first dance to “Sara Smile” by Hall & Oates, before Sarah slipped into her second look—a feather skirt by Huishan Zhang paired with a custom crop top made from the fabric from the train of her wedding dress.
Once the formal evening came to a close, the after-party continued at Palazzo Della Marra. Sarah changed into a mini dress by Staud and kept her Prada platforms on. Some guests joined the bride and changed into sweats to truly dance the night away in.
