Charles Porch and Robert Denning’s Wedding Weekend in Paris Was a Celebration of Art and History
Charles Porch, vice president of global partnerships at Instagram, and philanthropist Robert Denning’s romance began as many modern romances do: on social media. “I had heard about Charles from several people, who all said he was the greatest guy they knew,” Robert recalls of them first connecting in the spring of 2022. “So, I went on Instagram, and found a mutual follower who I knew from business school. I messaged her, and she responded within minutes—we went on our first date the next day.”
In December 2023, Charles planned a surprise engagement with the team at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Robert is on the board of trustees. “The Met sent Robert an official invite for a dinner, to be held at the museum in honor of an exhibit opening,” Charles explains. “I knew this would mean Robert would be in a suit and photo ready. When we arrived, they checked us in like any normal event and directed us to a room in the Greek and Roman wing.”
There, Charles had set up florals by Raúl Àvila with rings by Jennifer Meyer waiting on a bench. “Robert blew right past the set-up, not even noticing,” Charles remembers. “I went down on one knee, and photographer Hunter Abrams jumped out to capture the moment. It was then that Robert actually realized what was happening. After the proposal, we had the entire museum to ourselves to get some great shots with Hunter.”
“I suspected nothing!” Robert adds. “I even texted with other trustees asking them what they were wearing, and because they were all in on the surprise, they played along. We had the entire museum to ourselves. It was magic!” Afterward, they went to dinner at The Polo Bar, where their parents and close friends were waiting to celebrate.
From the beginning, the couple approached the planning process with the view that they wanted their wedding to be built around history and art, two of their favorite things. “I am the child of a historian, and Robert is active at the Met,” Charles explains. “So we centered our search [for our venue] around three of the capitals of history and culture: Rome, Venice, and Paris, places where we would be able to integrate museums into the celebrations.”
“Charles is half French,” Robert notes. “And both he and I have childhood memories of everywhere from the Musée D’Orsay to the Petit Palais. In the end, Paris was the perfect decision.”
From there, the venues started to fall into place. First, the hotel Le Bristol—a family favorite—was available, then the Musée Rodin, Hôtel de la Marine, and Château de Villette. “[After securing the venues,] we really handed over the reins to Riccardo Lanza of Lanza and Baucina and his team,” Charles says. “Jumping in to fill in a few details here and there.”
The base for the entirety of the weekend was Le Bristol, where the couple hosted all of their guests. “We loved knowing that if anyone met in the lobby, or the hallways, it would be a meeting of friends who had not yet met,” Robert explains. “[At the onset,] I didn t realize the hotel would become such a star of the weekend. [But,] Le Bristol family made the hotel feel like our home, and we were so touched by how much heart they put into each detail. They surprised us by leaving framed photos of us all around the building. It was like this gift that they’d given us to be our family home for the weekend.”
The welcome party on Thursday night took place in the courtyard at hotel. On Friday, the ceremony was in the gardens at the Musée Rodin, followed by a reception and dinner at Hôtel de la Marine, and then the final night was a black-tie celebration at Château de Villette. “We had so many different walks of life at our wedding. We had the former Secretary of State, and cousins who had never left their home state—not to mention the country,” Robert explains. “And watching everyone get along so well over the course of the weekend brought me so much joy.”
For their wardrobes, the grooms entrusted friend and stylist Jamie Mizrahi. “Our dress codes were a bit non-traditional in that we did a cocktail attire wedding day and a black-tie celebration for the final night,” Charles says. “We wanted to look coordinated but not matching.”
“Neither of us wanted to wear white for the official events,” Robert adds. “I admittedly did wear white pants for the welcome party, but we told women they could wear white. Many took us up on it, some even re-wore dresses they’d worn for their own weddings, which was wonderful.”
