#ÉLYSÉERealBride: Nikki + Giancarlo
10 November 2024 | Elegant and Timeless Wedding.png)
Tell us about how you and Giancarlo fell in love
"We were nearly three months into the pandemic, and I got an Instagram DM on May 10, 2021 at 1:30 PM- 'hey there :).' The rest is honestly history. He ended up proposing about a year and a half later in Jersey City overlooking the NYC skyline, and then less than two years later, we got married in Philadelphia. He’s my person and my best friend, and I know he would say the same about me. We are the last of our friends to get married, but this was certainly worth the wait. I always say I would go through all the heartbreak a million times over if I knew it would always lead me to him. He is, without a doubt, my fairytale ending."
>> Gown featured above & left // GEORGIANA | 2023 ÉLYSÉE Collection <<
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Why did you choose the gorgeous GEORGIANA to be your gown?
"I grew up envisioning my wedding dress, just like any other little girl, except what I thought I wanted could not have been more opposite than what I ended up with. I went into dress shopping extremely open-minded and tried on every style and material there was. I was lucky enough to have my mom and my sister (both of whom were my matron/ maid of honor) with me through it all. My mom was insistent I tried on a more 'ball gown' style dress. I was pretty hesitant at first, and the only reason I agreed was so we could cross it off the list and move on. Except boy, was I wrong. All my married friends kept saying I’ll know when I find 'the dress,' and I wasn’t necessarily sure what that meant, until I tried on Georgiana. I knew because there was this overwhelming sense of peace, and I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. I knew because marrying my partner had never felt more perfect or real in that moment. I chose Georgiana because it was everything I wanted without even knowing it. It was the perfect blend of timeless and elegance, and I truly felt like a princess. I chose Georgiana because it was 'the dress.'"
>> Gown featured above & right // GEORGIANA | 2023 ÉLYSÉE Collection <<
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What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?
"There are definitely a few. We were driving home from our wedding weekend, just the two of us, and we actually asked each other this exact question. Generally speaking, the overwhelming love and excitement we received from all our closest family and friends was the highlight of our whole weekend. But, if we had to pinpoint our favorite wedding day memory, it would be a toss-up between two -- our room reveal and our first look. Our room reveal will be, without a doubt, a moment we will cherish forever. For those who don’t know what a room reveal is, we were led into our reception room to see it for the first time, without any guests. It was extremely emotional seeing everything come to life that we had spent so much time, energy and money on for the last (almost) two years of planning. Our DJ (who was beyond amazing -- shout-out Mystical Entertainment Group) picked up on the moment and started playing our first dance song. It was such a special moment for just the two of us. Our other favorite moment I would say was our first look, which we were both iffy on even doing to begin with, as we didn’t want it to take away from the first time he saw me walking down the aisle towards him. (Note to future brides: it definitely does NOT take away from that moment). Aside from our first look being extremely intimate, what also made it so special was I surprised my now husband with a pendant of his late father to pin inside his tux."
>> Gown featured above // GEORGIANA | 2023 ÉLYSÉE Collection <<
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credits
- Wedding Dress Retailer I Do...I Do...
- Photographer Melissa MacDonald
- Videographer Christ MacDonald
- Florist Beautiful Blooms
- Makeup Brielle Zangari
- Hair Jillian Susten
- Skincare/Facials Emily DeFrance
- Med Spa Nicole Bauer
- Venue The Switch House - Cescaphe
- DJ Mystical Entertainment Group
- Shoes Stuart Weitzman
