The Grooms Wore Dolce Gabbana for Their Star-Studded Los Angeles Wedding
Simon Huck, the founder of Command Entertainment Group, and Phil Riportella, the cofounder of a fragrance brand called Snif, met on Tinder in January 2016. After three dates were canceled for various scheduling reasons, the two eventually went to dinner at Catch NYC in New York s Meatpacking District. “He remembers me ordering for him—which I don’t recall, but doesn’t surprise me!” Simon says, joking. “[From there], our relationship started out slow in the beginning, but by year one, we were inseparable.”
Simon ultimately proposed to Phil on the beach in Montauk using oversized rocks. Together they spelled out “YOU BETTER SAY YES.”
“Phil was incredibly surprised,” Simon recalls. “We had recently been to Europe, and he was expecting something to happen then—but alas, I waited until the coldest day in January to pop the question. It was 17 degrees on the day I proposed.”
Because of the pandemic, the two were engaged for almost two years. “We never booked a date until we knew we could have it,” Simon says. They ultimately landed on November 13 in Los Angeles and hired celebrity wedding planner extraordinaire Mindy Weiss to plan the festivities, relying on her team to ensure all COVID-19 regulations were followed.
“Simon’s been friends with Mindy for years but never officially worked with her on an event,” Phil explains. “The experience was something out of a fairy tale. She took our vision of 1950s Hollywood glamour to the next level.”
The goal, according to the grooms, was to make the reception feel “residential,” and Mindy understood the mission from day one. “We wanted it to feel as if you were being invited over to your friend’s chic living room,” Simon says. In this case, the gathering included guests such as Hailey Bieber, Kim Kardashian, and Kendall Jenner. (Simon has long been friends with the Kardashians, having made multiple appearances on the family s reality show.)
Phil’s mother, Maryanne Riportella, and Simon’s sister-in-law, Jessica Huck, walked the grooms down the aisle. Both men call Domenico Dolce a longtime friend and always hoped to wear Dolce Gabbana on their wedding day. Simon went with an ultra-classic look, while Phil wanted something bolder. He wore a lightweight velvet tux jacket with black trim. Both grooms opted for patent leather Dolce Gabbana shoes for the ceremony and matching Lorraine Schwartz black diamond cufflinks. “Simon is known for his love of Listerine strips,” Phil says. “He never leaves the house without at least two packs. In honor of the wedding, we had bejeweled packs made for all the guests.” To ensure their skin was also in tip-top shape, both men had pre-wedding Methode facial treatments by Augustinus Bader, done by Lord Gavin McLeod-Valentine. Ben Thigpen handled grooming the day of.
“The ceremony was unforgettable in every way,” Simon says. “One of our closest friends, Melissa Wood-Tepperberg, officiated and told our love story to a teary-eyed audience.” Kourtney Kardashian and Stephanie Shepherd did a reading of Bob Marley’s “He’s Not Perfect,” which made everyone smile. After making it official, the grooms recessed back down the aisle to a beautiful rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” sung by Haley Reinhart. “It was the most euphoric moment of my life,” Simon says.
Everyone then moved on to cocktails, followed by a seated dinner under a tent. For decor—and as a conversation piece—the couple had caricature sketches made of every single guest in attendance. The sketches were then framed and placed throughout the reception tent and included on menu cards (which also served as seat assignments). At dinner, guests indulged in cacio e pepe pasta, pan-roasted Scottish salmon, and black Angus filet mignon. After the meal, the band JB Project from West Coast Music got the party started, followed by DJ Nitrate.
Later that night, the banquet room inside the hotel was transformed into a nightclub with black carpeting, large-scale black drapery, and oversized candle walls—and the newlyweds both changed into velvet monogrammed Dolce Gabbana loafers so they could dance all night. “We’re still on cloud nine and relishing in every single moment,” Simon says. “We feel the deepest sense of gratitude for every single person who was there and shared in our love story!”
Photo: John and Joseph1/28My wedding scent was Snif by Harry Hudson, a collaborative scent designed by our friend Harry for Phil’s fragrance brand. We wore matching Lorraine Schwartz black diamond cufflinks and had our bejeweled Listerine breath strips with us at all times.
Photo: John and Joseph2/28We both wore Dolce Gabanna patent leather shoes for the ceremony but changed into loafers for the reception.
