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A Regal Wedding at Princess Diana’s Family’s Home

By Alexandra Macon | Photography by 

Blake Ezra

Jewelry designer Siena Lasker has her ex-boyfriend to thank for inadvertently introducing her to her husband, Brian Toll, co-owner of hospitality company, the Hwood Group. “My ex told me that a guy he knew played my favorite iPhone game “Scramble With Friends,” and put us in a group chat,” she explains. “We played each other for a couple of months before finally meeting. After my ex and I broke up, and Brian knew the coast was clear, he started texting me and we hit it off!”

Four years later, during a trip to Hong Kong for Brian’s birthday, the two were staying at a hotel room that included a bathtub with large windows overlooking the city. “If you know me, you know that one of my favorite things to do in the world is take a bath,” she says. Even though Brian was planning on popping the question at a beach in Thailand later on during their vacation, he decided he couldn’t wait. “On day two, I was taking a bath in the morning and Brian came over and sat at the side of the bathtub to chat with me, like he often does, and before I knew it there was a ring in front of my face!”

Lucky for them, as soon as they got engaged, Siena’s family friends, Karen, Countess Spencer and Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, offered the couple their home in Althorp as a special wedding gift. The estate has been in the Spencer family since it was first built in 1508, and was once the place where Charles and his late older sister Princess Diana spent summers as children. “Never in a million years did I think that I would be lucky enough to get married in such a regal, magical, and special place,” she says.

For their wedding aesthetic, they decided to match the elegance of Althorp without overpowering the simple beauty of the English countryside. They enlisted London-based wedding planner Jemma-Jade William of Jemma Jade Events and went about sourcing local flowers, gilded candelabras, and fine crystal vases to decorate the home. “The flowers and candles helped to create a rich and fantastical ambiance without being over the top or taking away from the beauty that already exists in every room of the home,” Siena adds. “We wanted to stay true to the look of Althorp so we made sure any furniture we brought in looked like it belonged in the home.”

One of the favorite parts of wedding planning for Siena was getting to choose her wardrobe of weekend outfits. “I have always loved fashion so this was a fun, creative project for me,” she says. She kicked off the festivities with an off-white Stella McCartney pantsuit and lace bodysuit at their welcome party in London. For the rehearsal dinner the next day, she chose a Danielle Frankel top with a train and matching pant. “I actually came across Danielle Frankel on Instagram,” the bride admits. “I worked with her to tailor it exactly how I wanted it and then created a skinny pant to pair it with. I loved that the look was regal and dramatic and also a little edgy.” She also spotted her wedding day look on Instagram on Vera Wang’s account while she was helping a friend find her own wedding dress. Later, during her own bridal appointments at Vera Wang, she walked in and it happened to be the first dress that she saw. “I had never envisioned myself in a dress with such a big skirt, but I was in love with it. As soon as I put on the dress, it just felt right and I knew it was the one,” Siena explains. “It was so ethereal and just perfect for the venue. I was really drawn to the tulle—I loved how different and modern it was.”

While she didn’t have bridesmaids, Siena treated her best friends to one pair of earrings from her own jewelry line to wear on her wedding day. “A couple of weeks before my wedding, I got photos of all of their dresses and made an Instagram poll for users to help vote on the earrings that suited their outfit best,” she says of the collaborative social media process.

On June 23, family and friends gathered at Althorp for Siena and Brian’s wedding. The bride walked down the aisle lined with delphinium stocks, hydrangeas, and textural foliage in her Vera Wang gown next to both of her parents. Then, under a square chuppah, her godmother, Paula Reiser, officiated their wedding.

Once they were declared husband and wife, guests entered the Spencer’s estate ,where a dining room with two parallel 100-foot-long tables awaited. “My favorite part of the meal was the service,” Siena shares. “A lineup of waiters walked in and lifted the beautiful dome plate covers off in perfect unison. It was quite spectacular.” Speeches by parents and siblings followed, and later guests were ushered into a beautiful ballroom, where the newlyweds had their first dance to Etta James’s classic, “At Last.”

After attending so many weddings, Siena and Brian knew the key to a good party was an excellent DJ, so they flew in DJ Devin Lucien from Los Angeles, who had everyone on the dance floor past 3:00 a.m. Luckily for guests, the couple offered several late night treats to keep them going, including truffle mushroom grilled cheese, Croque Monsieurs, and French fries. As for her favorite part of the evening, Siena admits it’s hard to pick just one. “If I had to choose a highlight it would be my sister’s speech,” she finally says. “She compared my love story with Brian to that of Rapunzel. She had all the guests cracking up—it even got a standing ovation!”