On the heels of the Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood power agent Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, married designer Sarah “Staud” Staudinger at a three-day wedding that took the Cote d’Azur by storm. Comedian Larry David officiated the ceremony that started at sunset in St. Tropez, a place that’s always held a special place in the bride’s heart—and just happens to be where the couple had their first date.
Staud and Ari met in 2018 through a business associate who set them up. “Originally, it was a ‘this is never going to happen’ situation,” jokes Staud, the woman behind the eponymous L.A.-based brand. “Ari was saying that he couldn’t see me for months and that he was going to be out of town because I was being elusive,” she remembers. “He was like ‘I’m going to take you to dinner in Europe,’ and I was like ‘No.’ And then he showed up”—in St. Tropez, where Staud was visiting her dad.
They dated for three years before getting engaged. “We were at home, and I was by the pool reading a book [when he proposed],” Staud remembers. “Ari and my cousin created the ring together. It’s my dream ring, and it’s so me.”
Every summer since they met, the couple make a point of revisiting St. Tropez, and they decided it would be the ideal wedding location. The goal was to do something that felt casual and honored St. Tropez “in the traditional sense versus what it’s come to be known as,” says Staud. “Going there as a child and visiting my dad, and my dad’s stories there, and all of that history and what I grew up with is what I love about it.”
The first night of the wedding was a recreation of the couple’s first date at Sénéquier. This served as the “Welcome to St. Tropez” event on the itinerary. “It couldn’t have been more iconic,” the bride says. When it came to her wardrobe for the dinner, Staud wanted something that skewed ’90s. She wore a custom column Staud dress and accessorized with Tiffany pieces from the Elsa Peretti collection.
On day two, guests descended upon St. Tropez’s iconic beachclub Gigi’s. “It was the perfect setting, so there wasn’t much to be done but add little touches like games,” Staud explains. “We had backgammon in the pool and traditional St. Tropezian touristy things like bracelets.” Daphne Lanternier, who works with Staud on her fashion shows, served as creative director and executed the designer’s vision throughout the weekend. “She’s super talented,” Staud says. “Her sister lives in St. Tropez, so she totally got it right off the bat.”
For this event, Staud looked to Alaïa to make a statement. She went to Paris to meet with the brand, where they brought out a roll of lace fabric in the perfect shade of ivory. They ultimately used it to make a two-piece ensemble. She had two fittings, and the second time the team happened to mention that they were preparing to launch swim as a new category. “They brought out all of these robes that Mr. Alaïa had created along with swim pieces, so I ended up wearing one for our beach day,” Staud says. “I think I might have forced them to launch their swim collection earlier than they wanted to!”
Later that day, Staud wanted to change into something a bit more retro, so the Staud team made a mollusk shell skirt and a tie top to round out the roster of looks.
On the morning of the wedding, the bride began the day in a Chanel tuxedo dress and shorts paired with Havianas, then changed into a cream La Perla slip and robe to get ready, before putting on her wedding dress. Renato Campora oversaw hair, while Romy Soleimani was on makeup. Her dress was, of course, a custom Staud creation. “I knew exactly what I wanted the lines of my wedding dress to be,” the bride says. “So we took masking tape and taped my body. It was really all about where it hit me, so we taped the bustline, we taped this drop waist which I really wanted. I wanted a dramatic dropped V waist, and I wanted a low-ish back, but I wanted it very fitted through the center and a minimal, simple neckline—feminine, nothing harsh, and I wanted the thinnest straps possible.”
Landing on the wedding venue was the biggest struggle for the bride. “We didn’t want to do it at a chateau,” she says. “We didn’t want to be so wedding-y.” They eventually found their location—a private residence at L’Estagnet—through people they knew on the ground. “It’s really just this little house on this big field,” Staud says. “My dad’s first house was on the exact same street and Brigitte Bardot’s house was across the street.”
When it was finally time to walk down the aisle, Staud was calm, cool, and collected. “I was surprised I wasn’t more nervous,” she says. “Right before, I went into the bathroom with my friends and read my vows, so I got a lot of tears out beforehand. They all started crying too. My makeup artist Romy wasn’t happy!”
Larry David served as the officiant, and of course roasted both the bride and the groom during his remarks. Then the couple shared vows they’d written themselves. And finally, the moment of truth: Larry asked if anyone knew of a reason why the couple shouldn’t be joined in marriage. “Does anyone here? Please object,” he begged. Tyler Perry stepped up to the plate and faked an objection to the laughter of the crowd. “It was really funny,” Staud says. “[Otherwise] we cried, of course. Ari gave me a stick of gum, which was an inside joke and emblematic of our relationship early on. We didn’t explain it, but I knew exactly what it was. It was just really funny and happy and joyous.” At the end, the newlyweds processed out together and then made their way to a gazebo where they greeted guests post-ceremony.
A total of five little gazebos were built, as well as a larger glass house where the dinner took place and an after-party space that was part of the existing structure of the villa on the property. “You have this house and then a huge lawn, and we had to kind of fill it up, and I wanted it to feel like it had been there forever,” Staud says. “It was all about creating those chill, classic beach elements and then the dinner tent, which kind of told this colorful pastel story, had this romantic vibe.”
