Phoebe Tonkin Wore Chanel to Marry Bernard Lagrange in an Intimate New York City Wedding
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Actor Phoebe Tonkin and art advisor and curator Bernard Lagrange deliberately kept their love out of the spotlight for years, allowing their relationship to grow in private. Then, in October 2024, Phoebe took to Instagram to share the next big step in their journey: they were engaged. “We got engaged in Provence, in a house by ourselves, just the two of us,” Phoebe tells Vogue of how it came to be.
While the couple made the decision to say “I do” on vacation, they knew that their wedding had to take place where they both lived: in New York City. “We never even discussed anywhere else,” the bride says. “We both travel so much for work, we liked the idea of being at home, and having our family and friends come to us. I also liked the idea of waking up in my own bed all weekend!”
Convenience aside, choosing New York as the basis for the May 10 wedding also helped fine-tune the aesthetic and feel of the celebration. “We had a very clear idea of the type of wedding we wanted. We wanted to share the city we love so much with the people who matter the most to us. Some had not been in years or been there at all,” Phoebe explains. “We knew we wanted beautiful flowers, good music, good food, good wine, and a good time.” Working with wedding planner Caroline Perry helped them bring that vision to life. “Caroline put so much thought into the details, and planned the wedding to perfection,” says Phoebe. “My husband and I were very chill about the whole thing, most of our planning was done over WhatsApp.”
As with just about any night out in New York City, fashion played a major part. The bridesmaids wore Toteme, while the groom kept his wedding style classic with designs by Huntsman. Meanwhile, the bride wore a number of looks to fit each occasion. For their intimate rehearsal dinner at Mr. Chow, Phoebe wore the iconic vintage newspaper print dress by Galliano. “An homage to Ms. Carrie Bradshaw,” the actor notes. She paired the look with Ana Khouri jewelry.
For her walk down the aisle, Phoebe decided to work with Chanel—a brand she has partnered with for a decade. The bride shares she had a clear vision of the gown: a lace slip dress with a train, as well as a strapless tulle topper adorned with lace embroidery. “I had always hoped I would wear Chanel on my wedding day,” she muses. “It is still surreal to think I got to wear a custom Chanel wedding dress. I am so unbelievably grateful to the team, the ateliers, and my stylist, Emma Jade Morrison, who worked so tirelessly to make the wedding dress of my dreams.” She paired the dress with Jessica McCormack earrings, as well as wedding bands that were exchanged during the ceremony. A few hours into the reception, Phoebe swapped her Chanel gown for a custom sequin Magda Butrym dress that was perfect for late-night dancing.
The bride jokes that keeping her looks hidden from Bernard was probably the most difficult part of wedding planning. “I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about it,” she says. “In the weeks leading up, every time I had a sip of wine I had to tell myself, ‘Do not show Bernie your dress tonight.’”
For her wedding day beauty, Phoebe emphasizes that her goal was to look like herself. “Vic Baron has been doing my hair for over 15 years and she knows I like simple makeup and glowing skin,” the actor explains. For hair, stylist Christian Wood wove Phoebe’s tresses into a classic braid down her back. The getting-ready process was honestly a highlight for the bride. “Other than marrying the love of my life, the second best part of the weekend was spending the day getting ready with my bridesmaids, my sister, and my mum,” she says. “Christian and Victoria have been two of my closest friends for years, so the entire day was filled with so much love and excitement.”
Once ready, the bride arrived with her wedding party at All Souls Church on the Upper East Side. “The first song we played during the ceremony was ‘Dawn’ from Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley, Mathew Macfayden, and Joe Wright version),” explains the bride. “Firstly, because I love that piece of music, and secondly, all my friends were joking about whether or not I would walk down the aisle in a bonnet and a corset because they know how much I love period films. I knew it would make them laugh to hear that play.” The bride then followed her bridesmaids to the church altar as the song “Lavender Fields” by Nick Cave played. “When I walked down the aisle and saw Bernie—and the incredible flowers by April Johnson at FlowerPsycho—my dad had to whisper to me to remember to breathe,” shares Phoebe. “It took my breath away.”
Once the couple were officially husband and wife, the party moved further downtown to Eleven Madison Park, where the guests enjoyed a reception dinner that was topped off with two life-size swan-shaped cakes designed by Paris Starn. Next came the dance portion of the evening, where the newlyweds hit the floor with guests until the early hours of the morning. “The highlight was 2manydjs/Soulwax playing with everyone’s shoes kicked off into a pile on the floor,” the bride recalls. “It was a perfect combination of European and Australian culture!” Festivities continued with an after-after party at Obvio and a final goodbye at Bar Oliver for Sunday brunch.
Reflecting on her wedding now, Phoebe says simply: “It was the best weekend of my life. It couldn’t have been more perfect.”
This article was originally published in Vogue Australia.
Photo: Darren McDonald1/49Phoebe channels Carrie Bradshaw in her vintage John Galliano for the rehearsal dinner.
Photo: Darren McDonald2/49En route to the rehearsal dinner.
