Real Weddings
ByShayna Seid | Photography by
|Planning by
July 28, 2023
Wedding photographer Rebecca Yale and Nick Andert, a documentary producer and editor, matched on Bumble in 2020 and had their first date over Zoom. “It was three months into the pandemic, and it was at least my twentieth Zoom date and Nick’s first—he lucked out right out of the gate!” Rebecca exclaims.18 months later, Nick managed to surprise Rebecca with a proposal on the beach in Malibu with their pup, Margo, who had a tag on her collar that read, “Mom, can we keep him?”
Once engaged, the bride-to-be knew she wanted a multi-day, intimate destination wedding, as those are her favorite to shoot. She and Nick found and immediately bookedBorgo Finocchieto, a rent-able village in Tuscany that was renovated by former United States Ambassador to Italy John Phillips, for their nuptials. “The aesthetic of the wedding was ‘floral and fabulous,’ which was also our dress code for the wedding day,” Rebecca shares. “I have always loved bold floral prints and drew inspiration from Gucci, Ken Scott, and Oscar de la Renta.”
To help bring their vision to life, the couple worked withCallista & Company, who Rebecca has worked with on numerous weddings. And the bride’s good friend, Anya Kernes, captured every important moment.
Another one of Rebecca’s friends, Courtney Loeb of Cecile’s Paper Co., lent her talents to create a custom tile print that was used for the save the dates, welcome bags, co*cktail napkins, custom pillows, and more. And artist Stephanie Fishwick was brought in to create a custom mural that was incorporated into the invitation suite by Ashling Loh-Doyle ofLotus & Ash and eventually became the base for the wedding’s design. “All of the motifs represented something special to Nick and me, including passion fruit flowers, which my sister grows in her backyard, hummingbirds and parrots, which fly over our backyard every morning, peonies and poppies for our home state flowers, lemons for Italy, gingko, which is a symbol of longevity and endurance, and so on,” Rebecca says of the special artwork.
The wedding weekend kicked off on Thursday with Aperol Spritzes and gelato, followed by a welcome pizza party. More gelato was served from “Margo’s Gelateria” cart—a nod to their dog, who wasn’t able to be in Italy. Rebecca wore an Oscar de la Renta midi dress with Aquazzura heels, while Nick was in an Alex Crane shirt and Bonobos slacks.
The next day, lunch was served in the garden with a lemon theme. “I love the lemon sorbet served in a lemon at Da Paolina in Capri, and Il Silene made their own version for us, importing lemons from the Amalfi Coast for dessert,” Rebecca shares. To the day-time gathering, the bride wore a dress that’d she’d purchased on a previous trip to Italy with Nicola Bathie Amalfi earrings from Over The Moon.
Later that evening, after wine tasting at Villa I Cipressiin Montalcino, the rehearsal dinner was plated in the courtyard of the main villa. Rebecca again wore a printedOscar de la Renta dress with floral Gucci heels. That night, the couple set up stargazing on the lawn with a local astronomer. The bride-to-be looked comfy and stylish in Borgo de Nor’s Eden twill pajamas.
Rebecca always knew she wasn’t going to wear an all-white dress down the aisle. “I didn’t want to wear something that I’d photographed before, so I asked my stylist and close friend, Gabrielle Hurwitz, for help designing the floral dress of my dreams,” the bride says. The two created mood boards, and then Stephanie worked her magic and created another print for the custom silk design by Chynna Pope. “We realized the print would work best as a pattern with a repeat, so I spent about 100 hours in Photoshop to create what became the final print. My favorite part of the dress was the emblem I created using Stephanie’s motifs from our mural of a peony, poppy, and lemon, which represented our home states and Italy.”
On the day-of, Rebecca got ready with Make-Up Therapy, who pulled her hair up and gave her a subtle bridal beauty look. Nick was dapper in a custom tuxedo by High Society featuring a slightly different version of Rebecca’s wedding dress print in the lining.
On May 6, 2023, everyone gathered outside for the ceremony with Jewish traditions. The bride followed her niece and nephew, Gemma and Miles, down the aisle with her parents. Former Martha Stewart Weddings Editor Shira Savada officiated the touching service. One of Rebecca’s friends, who is a writer, read a letter she had sweetly penned from the perspective of Margo—including auspicious wishes for the couple, so they can buy her luxe dog food. Then, the pair exchanged vows under the floral chuppah and both stomped on glasses at the end of the service—inspired by a 2015 bride that Rebecca had photographed and whose wedding was later published by Shira.
The reception took place in a glass marquee by Le Coperture, filled with florals by Maxine Owensand featuring custom flooring that Callista worked with JD Events to create. Rebecca and Nick entered the space first and got to see their loved ones’ reactions as they walked in after them. Rebecca had actually seen the completed tent that morning, when she shot a few details with Anya, and had burst into tears when she noticed the glass chandeliers that Callista surprised her with.
Guests then found their seats via custom Prosecco bottles, created by Shhh My Darling. The tablescape was partly inspired by colorful glass candlesticks that the couple had purchased from Over The Moon years prior. Ashling created custom linen napkins using part of Stephanie’s artwork, and Anne Robin calligraphed everyone’s name on a linen folio for the menus.
The couple cut their Mon Annie wedding cake before sitting down to eat to capture the best light and get the formality out of the way. Then, the delicious mealwas served by Michelin-starred chef Roberto of Il Silene, who shut down his restaurant to cater Rebecca and Nick’s wedding.
After enjoying the fresh food and lots of dancing with The Somethings (including the fan-favorite horah), Rebecca changed into her only white look—a feathered minidress by Lamarquewith Chanel earrings—and switched into Aquazzura sneakers with blue butterflies on them. “Around 11:30 p.m., all my friends changed back into their pajamas that I had gifted them for getting ready, so I changed back into my Weekend Max Mara printed silk pajamas and ended the night in them,” the bride shares.
The following day, the happy couple said their farewells to everyone by the poolwith delicious “hair of the dog” granita drinks, before they departed back to Florence. A special final takeaway from the wedding weekend was the couple’s decision to ask for donations to Vow for Girls, which aims to end child marriage, in lieu of a traditional registry. “I am one of their ambassadors, and it was so incredible to see all of our friends and family join us in supporting the cause,” Rebecca says. “I’m very proud that we’ve raised more than $25k for them!”
