Weddings

The Bride Wore a Botticelli-Inspired Vintage Gown for Her Wedding at a 14th-Century Hamlet in Italy

The Bride Wore a BotticelliInspired Vintage Gown for Her Wedding at a 14thCentury Hamlet in Italy
Photo: Samantha Rivieccio

The weekend unfolded as “three distinct experiences”: a welcome pizza party with a tomato-inspired theme, a “black-tie Italian soirée” wedding day, and a brunch that was an ode to Italian summers on the coast. “We met on the road,” Camille says, “so travel has always been woven into our story. Having everyone come together in another country made it feel full-circle.”

When it came to fashion, Camille wore vintage throughout the entire weekend. “If it wasn’t vintage, it needed to come from a female-owned brand, supporting women whose artistry and vision I admire,” she says. “I wanted each piece to be special and unique, carrying the weight of the day in a way that felt deeply meaningful.”

For the welcome dinner, she wore a sheer Raphaella Santana gown with a matching scarf, paired with vintage Chanel sun earrings, calling the look “effortless, sexy, and fun.” Tommy wore a 1990s Gianni Versace Couture olive green gabardine three-button suit, a vintage Etsy find from TheVault1969.

Getting ready on the morning of the wedding, Camille wore a 1940s cream silk robe and garter belt from 1208 Vintage, layered over a vintage scalloped floral lace silk charmeuse slip from Lucia Zolea, “paired with the cutest feather pom pom Saint Laurent mules,” she adds. Her perfume was “a custom blend by 1509, created from the two scents I had been wearing on my first date with Tommy. It felt like the most personal finishing touch, tying the day back to where our story began.” She completed her look with simple diamond studs and a tennis necklace Tommy gifted her right before their wedding day.

Her ceremony gown was a 1940s gown from 1208 Vintage, reimagined “with the extraordinary skill” of tailor Sara Rothan. “I was inspired by Botticelli’s Birth of Venus,” the bride says. “The ruching at the bust reminded me of the shell she stands upon. Venus has always represented more than beauty; she was worshipped for her power to create harmony and union in love and marriage. To embody her, even subtly, felt like a fitting tribute to the day. The gown had originally been long-sleeved with a high neckline, but we cut those away and added a corset and sweetheart neckline. From the excess silk, we created rosettes that we placed at my tailbone. Draped in silk that had endured nearly a century, I felt connected to a lineage of artistry and craftsmanship, a thread of timeless beauty carried forward.” She paired the gown with pink Madomorpho ballet pumps and a Danielle Frankel pleated tulle veil, and her something borrowed was “a vintage silver chainmail evening bag, borrowed from one of my bridesmaids that had once belonged to her grandmother.”

Tommy wore a custom peak-lapel tuxedo, inspired by a photo of Paul Newman in Venice in 1963, with a pocket square made from a scrap of silk from the bride’s gown and his grandfather’s engraved cufflinks from 1948.

The ceremony was held in the heart of the ancient olive grove, where two large olive trees framed the altar. Guests shaded themselves with parasols as 1950s and ’60s Italian film scores played. “I had been anxious most of the day, but the second I heard the music begin, an intense calm washed over me,” says the bride. “My dad walking me down the aisle is one of the moments I’ll always hold closest to my heart. Bathed in the soft afternoon light, we exchanged our vows, and the whole ceremony felt suspended in time. Afterward, we kissed as ‘God Only Knows’ by the Beach Boys played, and our guests spilled from the grove into cocktail hour.”