The Bride Wore Vintage—And Her Own Custom Designs—To Her Loire Valley Wedding
Sophia Gilligan and Alexandre Bennet found love “right by the cucumbers.” It was 2019, and Sophia was shopping at Trader Joe’s with her friend Gabby Bauer on the Lower East Side of New York City. The pair suddenly ran into Alexandre—who went to Indiana University with Gabby—in the produce section. “I genuinely fell in love with her at first sight at Trader Joe’s,” Alexandre remembers of his brief meeting with Sophia. “I don’t remember meeting too many people in my life with such specificity the first time.” The two would become friends as they saw each other out and about. “Alex, a native New Yorker, seemed to know everyone and had stories about every inch of the city—which impressed me as transplanted Midwesterner,” shares Sophia, who works as the senior creative marketing manager at Clare V. “Our first date, almost exactly two years later, was to Le French Diner on Orchard Street.”
Their relationship grew quickly, bonding over their strong ties to their families and fashion connections. (Alexandre’s mother had been the head of sales at Manolo Blahnik for nearly 30 years, and Sophia’s aunt is the accessories designer, Clare Vivier.) The couple even made a major move together to Los Angeles as Alexandre started his business, Joon Pistachios. “From the passing of my father and facing some serious medical issues to sharing a tiny studio before starting over fresh in Los Angeles when I changed careers and started my company, we built an entirely new life together with our love as the constant,” reflects Alexandre.
When Alexandre was planning a proposal, he hoped to curate a night of “nostalgia, family, joy, and celebration.” He put plans into motion to spend a weekend back in NYC with Sophia and have their families join as a surprise. “Having moved to LA, I kept talking about how we needed to go back to Le French Diner—our first date spot—without Sophie knowing that I was secretly planning a celebration at Felix, where we shared our first kiss,” says Alexandre. “We still laugh at how much fun we had at the dinner: between the food, nonstop conversation, and all the excitement, we were already on cloud nine before I even proposed. When we finally got to the after-party at Felix, it hit us—this night was going to fly by in a blur.”
When deciding on a location for their summer wedding, which was held on August 30, 2025, the couple turned to the Loire Valley in France, a place filled with meaning for both of their families. Not only was Alexandre’s father French, but the bride’s aunt and uncle, Thierry and Clare Vivier, own a home in the region. The to-be-weds decided on Château de la Huberdière—a retreat in Nazelles-Négron that overlooked Leonardo da Vinci’s final resting place—as their venue. “The chateau’s owners, Patrick and Lodo are well-versed in helping others celebrate this special region,” explains Sophia.
The bride was well-versed in organizing events herself after a decade of working in fashion at brands like Ulla Johnson, so she took charge of organizing the wedding celebration. “I felt confident we did not need to hire a wedding planner and could handle it ourselves, even while living thousands of miles away in LA,” Sophia says. “We were engaged for a year and a half—which helped—and I truly enjoyed researching vendors, gathering inspiration, and ensuring each creative detail had meaning and intention.” The couple also hired Maryne Olive Marchesi of Marchesi Weddings as a month-of coordinator to ensure all the final details were settled and relieve the bride of planning duties that final week. “If not for her (and Alex!) stepping up, their support allowed me to be present and enjoy every single moment,” adds Sophia. “I would be remiss not to mention Clare’s husband, Thierry, whose family is from the area and served as our ‘boots on the ground’—and incredible translator—throughout the planning process.”
The celebrations would move from casual to elegant, beginning with an outdoor party on Thursday evening at Clare Vivier’s garden in Saint-Calais. “Everything was prepared by family members, who were in and out of the kitchen all afternoon, and then we brought in a local crêpe truck for dinner,” describes the bride. “The party went late into the night, with an impromptu concert with my uncles playing guitar, my cousins taking turns on the mic, and Alexandre DJ-ing and guests dancing to Prince and Sade under the stars.”
On Friday, the bride and groom took guests along to tour a 15th-century wine cave on the banks of the Loire Valley. That evening, they would host a rehearsal dinner at Château de la Huberdière. The couple describe the event as a “French-style grill-out,” where they served ribeye and salmon along with pairings from local, independent wine and beer vendors. On the wedding day, the couple would exchange vows on the château grounds in front of their 150 guests before everyone gathered at a long table beneath a tree-lined pathway for a candlelit meal.
When deciding on her wardrobe for the wedding weekend, the bride made a choice to embrace vintage. “Working in the fashion industry is a gift because it introduces you to incredible designers and endless inspiration, but it can also bring a certain decision fatigue,” says Sophia. “Vintage sourcing, on the other hand, has always been second nature to me—a passion rooted in years of thrifting and treasure hunting with my mom.” After hearing great things about vintage bridal curator Shop Gossamer in Atlanta, Sophia reached out to work with them to help curate her looks. “After months of searching, I found my dress: a silk, drop-waist gown with a pleated skirt and long train,” she says. “Once it arrived, I brought it to Hollywood red carpet ‘secret’ tailor Susanna Badalyan— introduced by LA stylist Erica Cloud—and together we reimagined the skirt with soft, romantic gathers while perfecting the fit.” The resulting look was something the bride says exceeded anything she could ever dream of.
Since Sophia majored in apparel design at school, she put her own sewing skills to work to make her veil. The bride found vintage dead-stock lace and a floral embroidered trim sourced from Mood in New York and Michael Levine in Los Angeles. “My mom and Aunt Clare lovingly sewed the trim on in the days leading up to the wedding,” she adds. Sophia also made her own after-party dress based on a vintage pattern she bought years before of a body-skimming lace column dress. “[It was] paired with a removable cape, an ode to my mother, who had an apparel business in the ’90s called Taylor Fran that specialized in capes,” she shares.
To accessorize, Sophia received some very special gifts from members of her growing family. First, her aunt created a custom Clare V. bag for the bride: “A simple, chic frame bag made from smooth, milk-colored goat leather that Clare lined with fabric from her mother’s wedding dress—now my forever-cherished heirloom.” Her new mother-in-law also gave her a pair of Manolo Blahniks to wear down the aisle. “It felt incredibly meaningful to carry a piece of her history with me as well on such a special day,” notes Sophia. She finished off her look with a diamond tennis bracelet and matching studs by Los Angeles jewelry designer Grace Lee who also crafted her engagement ring and wedding band with Alexandre.
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