Q&A with Castigliano Bride Elysia

Questions for the bride, Elysia

Date of the wedding:

Saturday, December 30th, 2023

Where and when did you get engaged?

May 27th, 2023 in Miami but we have two versions that I would love to share.

My version:

We had a very normal Saturday morning in Miami for us, coffee in bed followed by a big workout (we are fitness lovers), then lunch. We had a double date arranged for the evening (or so I thought). I’d been buying some new dresses for summer, ordering lots to try on, and I walked into our bedroom when we got home after lunch and there was a white dress hanging on the door of my closet, and I thought “Did I order that?”. Jon then came in and said “I got this for you,thought it would be nice for the summer”. This wasn’t unusual for him so I thought “how nice”, tried it on and decided to wear it that evening. It was the air show in Miami that weekend so we’d been watching the fighter jets from our balcony. Jon then said “Shall we continue watching on the pier before dinner?”, I thought that was a nice idea so we went. The pier is right next to our apartment so we were walking out and Jon was saying sweet things, and affirmations about our relationship and future which was not uncommon for us so I didn’t think anything of it. We then reached a quiet spot with no one around, Jon turned to me and the conversation got more serious, I then realized what was happening and started tearing up. Jon got down on one knee, it was very emotional, I said yes immediately, didn’t even look at the ring (this is what Jon tells me, I blacked out with the excitement of it all and couldn’t remember anything!). A photographer was hidden behind the trees, taking photos of the proposal and once he was revealed we posed for pictures in front of the cruise ships passing by. We then made our way to the restaurant where the fake double date was. As we were led to our table, where my and Jon’s parents sat. Jon had flown my parents all the way from London and his from Virginia. It was incredibly special. The happiest day. - Elysia

My husband's view:

Elysia always remarks about how calm and unassuming I was the day we got engaged…the truth is, I was so excited to pop the question and I knew there would be memories created that would be so special to us, but I really was very calm. I knew very early on that Elysia and I were the ones for each other. I had always held the “well, when you know, you’ll know” crowd in contempt until I met her. It was such a profound, yet simple feeling of peace in my soul and just matter of fact understanding that she was my person. I had a few promises, themes, and affirmations I wanted to share. I think I got about 3/4 of the way through when she realized what was about to happen. I’ll never forget the look on her face which was one of equal parts surprise and joy. Once the excitement calmed, we decided to just spend the rest of the night present with each other. No social media or texting friends. I had arranged a small dinner with both of our parents and we spent the rest of the night celebrating and planning our future. - Jon

Where and when did you get married, had your ceremony and the reception?

London. Scott’s Mayfair for the rehearsal dinner, Farm Street Church, Mayfair for the ceremony, followed by Claridge’s for the reception

Why did you choose your venue?

The first time Jon came to London with me was in December 2022 and he met all of my family and friends for the first time. It was an incredibly special trip, he adored it, so we wanted to marry there at that time the following year. I’d also always envisaged myself having a London wedding. Farm Street Church and Claridge’s were and are timeless, elegant, and with so much history. I know we’ll always look back and adore where we got married, particularly at that time of year which was Christmas and London being especially magical then.

Did you have a theme or a specific décor?

We wanted to keep it timeless with a white/ivory and gold theme, with lots of candles. White roses, white hydrangeas, and gypsophila for the reception, white roses for my bouquet, all stationary and menus were ivory with gold embossing. Classic and elegant is what we were going for. We had a hint of light blue in the dress our flower girl, Charlotte, wore. My mum made Charlotte’s dress from scratch, a very special touch to have her make it and she did such a beautiful job.

How did you feel in your Castigliano gown?

"I wanted something sexier and more fitted for the evening portion, but still long. I absolutely adored my dress—it made me feel completely myself, and the quality and fit were simply exquisite.

The shape was exactly what I had envisioned, with a stunning train that I loved, yet it allowed me to dance and move effortlessly. The embroidered sequins and beads were breathtaking, covering the entire dress and adding the perfect touch of understated sparkle I was looking for." - Elysia

Tell us: What was the best moment of your special day?

The whole ceremony, the car ride with just my Dad and I on the way to the church, him walking me down the aisle, seeing Jon for the first time, saying our vows in front of our family and closest friends. We were in front of everyone but we really did feel like we were in our own bubble and it was just us.

Do you have any tips for brides-to-be?

To have a planner from the start. I did it myself for the first 3 months (with lots of help from my mum in the UK, and Ella Kilkelly at Claridge’s who was fantastic), and then 2 months before the wedding brought on our planner, Alice Wilkes. Jon and I live in Miami, our wedding was in London, and my ceremony dress in NYC, so there was a lot of travel, time difference and we only had 5 months to plan it all due to our short engagement. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I brought on Alice from the start or had more time to do it myself.

List of the suppliers you would like to recommend and their IG handle.

Photographer: Andrew Bayda @andrew_bayda

Videographer: Ben Tyngate @tynegate_films

Planner: Alice Wilkes @alicewilkes_design, Yana Trzebska @yanatrzebska

Florals: All For Love London (Ruth Davis) @allforlovelondon

Entertainment: Luke Burr @lukeburr, LDN Entertainment @ldnentertainment

Beauty: hair, @jmthair1 Jack Merrick-Thirlway. Makeup, @huda.makeup.london

Catering/Cake: Claridge’s @claridgeshotel and Abigail Bloom Cake Company @cakeladyabi

Stationery: Alice Wilkes (in house) @alicewilkes_design

Venue:@claridgeshotel @ellakilkelly