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.”
