There Was a ’70s-Inspired Disco Party by the Sea at This Wedding in St. Tropez
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Edelman and Philipp Sachs were both students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. at the same time. “We were friends for a while before we started going out,” Lizzie, who owns her own creative consultancy and entertainment production company called TRIADIC, remembers. In the summer of 2020, Phil, who is an investor, proposed with a gold Venyxworld pendant at Napeague beach in Montauk. “He knew I’d want to pick the ring,” Lizzie laughs. “I told him about a Sidney Garber ring I’d seen in a magazine many years before, and when I asked my old family friend Brooke [Garber Neidich] if she could make me something similar, she said, ‘You won’t believe it but I still have this ring in a safe in Chicago.’”
After serendipitously arriving at the ring, the bride-to be began wedding planning. “The process was long and exhausting, but worth it,” Lizzie admits. “We started during Covid and had to delay the weekend many times, but this made it much more meaningful when we were finally able to properly celebrate with family and friends.” To bring the event to life, Lizzie and Philipp worked with Riccardo Lanza and the Lanza Baucina team based in London.
The wedding weekend started with casual drinks in. St. Tropez’s town square, before turning the normal sequence of events on its head. They held the wedding ceremony on Friday evening at La Citadelle, a historic fort at the top of St. Tropez, followed by a sit down dinner and dancing. “We decided to get married on a Friday to get the more formal part of the weekend over with first,” Lizzie explains. “As a bride, I loved the decision. It takes all of the pressure off when you get married on a Friday and then you can relax and enjoy the weekend!”
The bride wore a dress that she designed in collaboration with a talented Italian designer. “I was able to collaborate with someone whose work I’ve always really admired,” Lizzie says. “My husband is half-German, and we spend a lot of time up in Bavaria. I have always had a love for dirndl-style dresses and bustier-style tops, so I wanted to do something in that vein. I also fell in love with a wedding dress that Claudia Schiffer wore at a Chanel couture show in 1992. We tried to make a version of that for me in a classic silk faille.” The bride’s close friend Alexandra Cronan helped her pull the look together with Giuseppe Zanotti satin platforms; then, later in the evening, Lizzie changed into an Annina Dirndl dress for dancing. “It basically turned me into a living disco ball!” she says. Meanwhile, the bride’s sister and maid of honor Eleanor Edelman and her best friend Daisy Johnson both wore One/Of by Patricia Voto. Eleanor wore Marlo Laz jewelry, and Daisy wore Sydney Garber earrings.
Lizzie worked with her best friend Calypso Lawrence, who started a children’s clothing company called Baboushkini, to put together looks for the children in the ceremony, including her 14-month-old son Caspar. “She helped me work with Spanish based brand La Nonna to create the most beautiful linen dresses, pants, and shirts for the children,” Lizzie adds.
The decor on Friday was intended to feel charming and provincial, with guests seated around the bride and groom during the ceremony for a more informal look and feel. “We wanted everything to be integrated with the surroundings,” Lizzie explains. “There was also a lot of lavender, greenery, and some hydrangea as a nod to East Hampton, which is where my happiest childhood memories took place.” For the dinner, a large see-through tent overlooking the sea was erected, and guests were seated just as the sun was setting. “Riccardo and I had lots of discussions about greenery being suspended from the ceiling with lots of dim lights strung overhead,” Lizzie says. “We wanted it all to feel cozy, and warm, and familial.”
“Music was the most important part of the weekend for us,” she adds. A band called Disciples of Soul played during cocktails. “We wanted someone who could sing Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and other favorites live,” Lizzie says. After dinner ended, guests were led to a disco tent where the couple s friend Harry Williams took assumed DJ duties, followed by Greg Wilson. Following the party, everyone walked down the hill to continue the celebration at Les Caves du Roy.
Saturday was dubbed “La Nuit Tropezienne,” and it was a chance for everyone to really let loose. The ’70s-inspired party by the sea was held at Philipp’s family home in Ramatuelle. Gunter Sachs, the German photographer and playboy who also was Brigitte Bardot’s third husband, purchased the property in the 60s and built the house many years later. “The house is a very special place with a lot of happy memories,” Lizzie says. “And, it certainly is a great place to have a party!” The bride chose a white silk Elie Saab dress with a cape for the occasion and paired it with white gold Sydney Garber hoops and Aquazzura silver platforms, before changing into a custom Emilia Wickstead dress later in the night, which she designed with Alexandra Cronan.
