Planned and designed by Wanderlust Wedding, Lauren and Dominick’s celebration on the French Riviera unfolded like a three-day love letter to summer: a beach-club welcome, a catamaran dance party, and a garden ceremony. Their weekend felt bright, joyful and deeply personal, shaped by music and the easy elegance of the Côte d’Azur. The location felt instinctive for them, a place that echoed their European heritage while still matching the laid-back American spirit that defines their relationship. The atmosphere of the weekend comes through clearly in the film by John Kurt.
Location: French Riviera
Style: Classic, Elegant, Natural
Time of planning: 1.5 years
Number of guests: 145
Setting: Garden
Season: Summer
Lauren and Dominick met during their first week and became close friends fast, but the shift from friendship to something deeper happened far from campus. A trip through Southeast Asia, Bali included, where traveling together, making decisions on the move and looking after each other sparked a romance.
Ten years later Dominick proposed on a small boat in Croatia. Within the first fifteen minutes he dove into the water, dislocated his shoulder and the day rerouted to a hospital. While Lauren was stressed, Dom quietly restructured the plan and asked her to marry him. Her family still jokes that this was the only way she could have been genuinely surprised, a moment as chaotic, sincere and unmistakably “them” as the way their story began.
Welcome to the Riviera
The welcome set the tone for the entire weekend. Guests arrived at a beach club lined with soft and open shoreline. Even before the official wedding day, Wanderlust Wedding had created a coordinated atmosphere. The palette felt distinctly Riviera: sun-faded terracotta, cream, warm sand and pastel pink.
An ice-cream cart waited near the beach, as a joyful detail, rooted in the sensory pleasures of summer. The dearest people paused between the water and the loungers, watching the sky shift to deeper gold. The blush umbrellas became silhouettes as the sun lowered, giving the welcome an edited, almost film-like quality.
Sound was a defining element from the start. Laughter carried over the shoreline, conversations moved easily, and the sea layered a low, consistent rhythm beneath everything.
When evening set in, fireworks appeared over the beach as the first surprise of the weekend. They turned the shoreline into a personal festival. It was an ending that did not feel like an ending at all.
Boat Party
The boat day felt like its own chapter: sun-soaked, a little chaotic, and exactly the kind of energy that defines the lovebirds. Guests climbed on board already in weekend mode, the sea turning that deep blue that looks unreal even in real life.
Swimming breaks blurred into sunbathing stretches, and the whole afternoon took on that dreamlike quality that only happens when you’re warm, happy, and surrounded by people you love. The day unfolded in snapshots: sand in the hair, salt in the air and so on. It was the kind of pre-wedding moment that becomes a core memory with no schedule, no structure, just hours of sunlight, sea spray, and a dance floor that shifted with the waves.
Bride's Morning & Fashion
Lauren’s morning began in the soft interior light of Bastide du Roy, where the first details of the day were deliberately quiet: her wedding stationery laid out beside a Botticelli print, a subtle nod to the art-inspired aesthetic she loves. Even in the earliest frames, the wedding’s visual language was obvious: color, graphic identity, and symbols working together from the start.
Her getting-ready look was such a fashion moment. Lauren wore a rose-silk pajama set with a long draped sash, part loungewear, part couture. It felt modern and editorial, with that chic french sensuality that defined her entire fashion story from the morning.
Her bridesmaids mirrored the softness in white and pale-blush sets, creating a cohesive, airy palette that looked effortless on camera and felt comfy in life. The heels by Amina Muaddi were ready to add a distinct note to her look. Also Lauren wore a pearl bracelet gifted by her father when she was a child, a piece she has kept for two decades.
From early morning, an artist was in the room, painting the bride from life. This wasn’t a staged idea, but it was something she genuinely wanted as a handmade keepsake to anchor the day.
The rest of the morning unfolded simply: her mom buttoning the dress, bridesmaids helping with details, checking weather apps, laughing between tasks. Captured by Matt Godkin, the black-and-white frames turn these moments into something intimate and documentary without posing.
The bridal look was built with precision. The Lihi Hod gown with a sculpted bodice and clean silhouette relied on form rather than embellishment. Makeup by Amandine Baron was bronzed and transparent, focused on real skin. Hair was tied up in a sleek bun for the ceremony, transitioning into loose waves for the evening.
Her bouquet acted as the color point in her minimalist look: elongated lines, soft asymmetry, a mix of pink and cream tones. It bridged the garden mood of the day with Lauren’s fashion sensibility.
Groom’s Fashion
Dominick’s morning carried the same edited simplicity as Lauren’s, only with a sharper, more classic edge. His custom tuxedo set the tone with clean lines, a perfectly structured jacket, and tailoring that leaned more “old-world Riviera.”
The details also were intentional. His Del Toro loafers added a modern, understated contrast to the formality of the tux, and inside his pocket he carried a hand-embroidered handkerchief stitched with toi et moi, a quiet personal marker that tied him back to their European narrative. Cufflinks were kept minimal, the shirt crisp, the palette strictly black and white.
First Look
Finally when everyone was ready, Lauren walked into the garden with her bridesmaids behind her, all in business and excitement, fixing the train, smoothing fabric, giving quick, sharp encouragements that lifted the energy of the room and steadied her before the reveal.
The first look took place in the villa’s hedge maze, a clean grid of greenery with straight lines and breaks of light through the olive trees. It gave Lauren a defined path and Dominick a frame to wait in, turning the moment into something intentionally beautiful.
“It was very memorable, felt so special to have a moment alone to just hug and take in the day ahead. We spent the rest of the afternoon giggling, drinking champagne, and relishing in the giddiness with our friends before the ceremony. The first look felt very us and calmed any pre-ceremony nerves.”
Ceremony
The ceremony took place in the villa’s garden, a natural amphitheater of olive trees, clipped hedges, and pockets of late-afternoon light. Guests walked through a long gravel path lined with umbrellas and hand fans, keeping everyone comfortable in the summer heat. The setup felt understated but intentional.
A string trio played as guests took their seats, the music setting a calm, almost cinematic pace. Lauren’s walk down the aisle unfolded cleanly: the wonderful dress, the soft movement of the bouquet, the sunlight catching between the trees. Brittany hydrangeas in the garden, the coastal air, the kind of natural beauty she grew up around created a subtle emotional through-line that felt personal without being literal.
When they walked back up the aisle, the energy shifted instantly. Guests stood, cheering, the garden opening into applause as the light turned a deeper gold. Their friend officiated, keeping the tone warm and direct. Personal vows followed, both of them written in the same spirit as the weekend: honest, grounded, no excess sentiment.
“Vivo per lei,” a song Lauren grew up listening to, played softly in the background and that was another detail that made the ceremony feel like a bridge between her family history and the life they were beginning together.
For Lauren and Dom, the date itself also carried weight. They chose June 21, the Summer Solstice and France’s annual Fête de la Musique, on purpose. It’s the longest, brightest day of the year, but also a nationwide celebration where streets fill with musicians and the whole country turns into an open-air concert. That mix of light, music and movement felt exactly like them, a day designed for staying out late and letting the night unfold without limits.
Cocktail Hour
Cocktail hour opened immediately after the ceremony, spilling into the garden without any formal reset. A strolling band kept the rhythm high, weaving through clusters of guests instead of playing from a fixed point. It created motion with no static corners, just people circulating, talking, refilling glasses, and easing into the night.
The light at this time of day did half the work. The summer solstice kept the sun high and warm, giving the entire space a soft gold that made every frame look effortless. The energy climbed fast. Music layered over conversation, wine kept moving, and small details turned the transitioning cocktail hour into its own celebration.
Food stations served a mix of local French favorites and fresh seasonal bites. The seafood station was particularly popular, along with the bruschetta bar and small Mediterranean plates. The presentation matched the garden aesthetic, clean and unfussy, letting color and freshness speak for themselves.
By the time everyone was called to dinner, the shift felt natural. Guests already had momentum, the garden had settled into dusk, and the entire group moved together with the kind of unified energy planners hope to manufacture. It was the perfect and unhurried bridge between ceremony and reception.
Moments Together
After cocktail hour, Lauren and Dominick slipped away with Matt Godkin, a photographer whose instinct matched their energy perfectly. It wasn’t a staged session or a long shoot with structured poses, they simply walked together through the garden while Matt observed.
Despite how casual the moment was, the photographs ended up becoming postcards from the day. The garden light kept changing, giving the portraits a layered quality. Some frames feel almost Italian in tone, others distinctly Riviera, but all lived-in and present. The kiss beneath the tree arch, especially, carries the exact essence of the weekend.
Decor
The reception unfolded on the lower terrace of the estate, a sun-washed courtyard framed by stone arches and climbing greenery. The palette stayed intentionally soft with linen dove-grey cloths, natural woven chargers, pared-back glassware, and garden flowers in muted mauves, butter yellows and sage. Every arrangement felt loose and breathable, echoing the villa’s Mediterranean rhythm.
Custom stationery tied everything together: scalloped menus, soft watercolor details, and tiny illustrations woven through each place setting. Some were small nods to Lauren and Dominic’s story: a cornichon for her longtime nickname for Dom, a hydrangea for her family’s home in Brittany, a little bird for her grandfather, hints of Bali and Asia where they fell in love, and subtle summer-solstice motifs that matched their date. These touches stayed discreet, nothing thematic, but they created a quiet thread of meaning that made the tablescape feel personal and warm.
Reception
Dinner moved quickly from seated elegance to full celebration. Speeches began as the sun dropped behind the pines. First, Lauren’s parents blended humor and memory, followed by close friends who knew Lauren and Dominick from their early USC days. Between courses, the strolling band circled the tables, drawing people into songs that felt half Riviera, half East Coast nostalgia.
Within minutes, the energy spiked. Guests climbed onto chairs, raising their glasses, singing with the musicians. Lauren stood tall in her gown, the light catching on the sculptural bodice, while Dom lifted his glass across the table. It was spontaneous joy: movement, sound, and the looseness of a summer night.
The couple’s first dance followed by the pool to Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” and this choice that fit the tone of the wedding. Instead of a traditional cake, the couple chose a towering croquembouche, a tall, torch-lit tower of profiteroles, that arrived with sparklers firing into the night. It appeared like a firework in pastry form, drawing everyone to the centre of the terrace.
Into the Night
After dinner, the celebration shifted into a completely new setting: a clear-top tent tucked between the villa’s old olive trees. Wanderlust Wedding kept the design sharp and minimal, letting the place pop. The dance floor picked up a soft violet glow, mirrored by oversized disco balls placed near the bar.
Lauren changed into her second dress before the party, a short, beaded mini that caught every flash of light. On film it looks electric: shimmering straps, a sculpted bodice, and enough sparkle to read from across the tent. It was the perfect switch to late-night energy, something that matched her naturally expressive, joyful presence on the dance floor.
Marvin Waxx, the DJ they chose specifically for his ability to read a crowd, built the night slowly and then all at once. Songs layered into each other, the bass lifted the room, and by the first big drop, guests were already barefoot, drinks in hand, pulling each other into the center. It felt loose, loud, summery — exactly the kind of night Lauren and Dom had envisioned.
Advice from the couple:
• Make sure the weekend feels very you, prioritize what’s important, for us, that was good music, good drinks, and atmosphere.
• Nix whatever you don’t feel 100% excited about.
PLANNING & DESIGN Wanderlust Wedding | VENUE Bastide du Roy | PHOTOGRAPHER Matt Godkin | VIDEOGRAPHER John Kurt | FLORAL DESIGN Sisters & B Floral | MUAH Amandine Baron, Baron & Co | BRIDAL GOWN Lihi Hod | BRIDAL SHOES Amina Muaddi | GROOM’S SUIT Hall Madden | GROOM’S SHOES Del Toro | CATERING La Cinquième Saison Traiteur | RENTALS Aucop Event, Options Aix-en-Provence, Maison Options | COCKTAILS DNA Bartending | STRING QUARTET Elegy Quatuor | BAND Sounds of Riviera | DJ Marvin Waxx | MUSICIANS Steffan Blaze, Michael Mika Sax
