This Gothic Bride Wore Off-the-Runway Rodarte for Her Dracula-Meets-Amalfi Coast Wedding in Los Angeles
Meredith Rothman and Jamie Iovine first met while at high school in Los Angeles, where they used to listen to Gorillaz’s Demon Days album together in Holmby Park halfway between their childhood homes. But they didn’t fall in love until almost a decade later, when Rothman, the talent and literary manager at Anonymous Content, and Iovine, the co-founder of online live auction site NTWRK, reconnected through mutual friends. In July 2022, Jamie proposed to Meredith on the beach in Malibu while surrounded by roses, candles, and the gentle waves of the Pacific Ocean.
The two decided to marry at Jamie’s father’s Holmby Hills home—a place they felt symbolized their origins. Meredith, an Italophile, and Jamie, a sci-fi movie fanatic, dreamt up an aesthetic that’s best described as Star Wars meets Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula meets Amalfi Coast garden. They asked Melissa Sullivan of Studio Sully to make their vision a reality. “Jamie and I are far from traditional people,” says Meredith. “She brought together a group of young, local artists, where every idea was realized in such a bespoke and creative way.”
A key inspiration was also Rodarte’s fall 2020 collection, for which Kate and Laura Mulleavy sent a series of Gothic, vampy creations down the runway. Meredith knew she wanted look 51—the moody Rodarte bride, complete with an 18-foot silk blue train. She worked with the Mulleavy sisters to become the first person to wear the ensemble off the runway. “One of the highlights for me was during a fitting when they designed my veil in the room,” Meredith says. “I witnessed how they create and collaborate. Their process is so beautiful and they are true storytellers.”
On May 6, 2023, Meredith walked down the aisle in her Rodarte runway dress and antique diamond earrings to “Melancholy Hill” by Gorillaz—one of the very songs she and Jamie listened to together on repeat during their youth. Jamie, in a custom green Gucci tux, waited for her under an oak tree woven with hanging flowers. Their step-aunt, Claude Ross, officiated our wedding.
The bride describes their ceremony, which included vintage pews salvaged from an old church, as transcendent. “It was truly a spiritual experience. Jamie and I felt so connected. Sharing our vows and looking in Jamie’s eyes as the light was golden, felt like we were moving through a dream,” she says. After the completion of their union, they walked back down the aisle together to “Jump in the Line” by Harry Belafonte. (Or, the famous song from Beetlejuice.)
Afterwards, guests donning their best interpretation of the couple’s “ethereal black tie” dress code gathered by the pool for an Italian-aperitif cocktail hour.
Meanwhile, Meredith and Jamie snuck off to enjoy some alone time together. The brief break also allowed Meredith to change into her second Rodarte fall 2020 runway dress of the evening—an icy blue dress with a cow-web motif in the middle—as well as custom pearl earrings by Daniella Ventrone. Arm-in-arm, they strolled into a stained-glass tent in Jamie’s backyard for the reception. The tables were named after Star Wars planets, adorned with Victorian-style candlesticks and dark-hued blooms, while vine-covered chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
For dinner, everyone enjoyed a family-style meal from the team behind Marvin restaurant, run by Meredith’s good friend Max Marder. (“The pasta with perfect pomodoro sauce came out piping hot and I couldn’t have been happier,” she said.)
Jamie’s father, Jimmy Iovine, surprised the couple by booking Busta Rhymes for a surprise set. “It was an incredible performance that got everyone on the dance floor,” says Meredith. Most guests never sat back down, thanks to DJs EricDLux and Gene Hov. Afterwards, the party continued at the Iovine home’s underground skating rink, which the couple playfully adorned with lightsabers.
Looking back at their wedding, Meredith has one main thought: “I just wish we could do it again,” she says. “We are so grateful to our families for giving us the wedding of our dreams.”
Photo: Lauren Abby Ross1/50The Rodarte dress of my dreams. I saw this in Rodarte’s fall 2020 show, and during that year I dreamed of getting married in this dress. That same year, I reconnected with Jamie, the love of my life. Laura and Kate are true storytellers and the story of this dress led to the theme of our wedding.
Photo: Lauren Abby Ross2/50I usually wear very simple makeup, but Chanel Cross and I decided to go with something a little more dramatic with colors that compliment both of the Rodarte dresses I wore.
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