The timeless setting went perfectly with the romantic, slightly dark/moody vibe I had in mind.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Tigran and I both come from Armenia. I lived in New York, he lived in LA. We moved in together (LA) in 2023, a month or so after getting engaged. I work for an investment bank, and Tigran is a small business owner. Our little family also includes Tigran’s daughter, Helen, and my cat Almond (who didn’t attend the wedding, but was ever present in the decor thanks to my awesome maids of honour)
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We first met when we were 13 and 12 in Armenia. Tigran became my first “boyfriend.” A few years later, his family moved to the U.S., and I moved to Europe for studies. We didn’t speak much for more than a decade; I graduated from college and then eventually moved to New York for my Master’s degree. Somehow, destiny (and Facebook) reconnected us…
What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).
The villa was the first venue we (virtually) looked at. I immediately fell in love with the dining room artwork. It felt like walking into a painting. The timeless setting went perfectly with the romantic, slightly dark/moody vibe I had in mind. From there, we really aimed to incorporate elements that would represent us — the red pomegranate on the tables were a symbol of Armenia; we had a little demonstration of Armenian wedding traditions with smashing of the plates with your feet (although I was too worried about my shoes so Tigran ended up smashing both plates), the tasting of honey, and the “bribing” of the bride’s brother who held the bride captive with a sword (my brother used plastic light sabers, we didn’t think we could travel internationally with actual swords); the cigar corner was comprised of Tigran’s own rare cigar collection, fully reflecting his taste. All those little things helped us bring a little more of ourselves into the event.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
Oy… In retrospect, I wish we had enjoyed it more rather than stressing daily. My biggest tip is to trust the process during the planning, and not sweat the little things the day of. Did everything go as planned? No, of course not. But looking back, everyone had a blast, and the memories will last forever. Another major tip: get yourself a trustworthy maid of honour – in my case, I had two, my best friends Olga and Larissa. They were crucial in keeping my sanity and taking all kinds of little tasks off my plate.
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
I actually heard people gasp out loud when they entered the dining room. So the table setup was excellent — candles, minimalistic and moody flowers, pomegranates all worked perfectly together. Shoutout to the DJ as well, who definitely understood the slightly complicated assignment — mixing Armenian music and 2010s pop/EDM isn’t all that straightforward. My makeup artist, Giulia, was such a sweetheart, too — aside from doing a phenomenal job with hair and makeup, she really set the mood for a relaxed and fun start to my day. And of course, our photographers, who somehow managed to be everywhere all at once, captured our day beautifully.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
Tigran went all out with a local tailor for a custom fit. Even his cufflinks were iniBaled. But his favourite part of the ou? It was perhaps his Rolex Geneva Cellini (named coincidentally after Benvenuto Cellini, born in Florence ) that his brother gave him for the wedding. For the wedding dress, I had the classic story of trying on a million dresses and ending up with one of the first ones I tried on in a tiny local boutique. I was never a ball gown girl, and was mostly envisioning a slightly elevated cocktail dress, which I think this dress accomplished. I took a major risk with my second fit, collecting a bunch of images for inspiration and ordering a custom outfit from a tailor on Etsy. It came out amazing. Shoutout to Jimmy Choo for designing shoes that lasted me the whole day — ceremony, dancing, plate smashing, everything. Finally, for jewellery, I borrowed my mom’s vintage gold earrings for “something borrowed,” my late grandma’s gold chain for “something old,” and my maid of honour gifted me a “DT” initialled necklace for “something new.”
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
Tigran bought the centre stone of my engagement ring (without my knowledge) during our trip to Armenia, which makes the ring really special to me. He then had a local jeweller in LA make the custom design. I love it. For the wedding bands, we wanted to go with something classic and timeless, as the wedding rings our parents would wear. We eventually went with bands from Cartier. We had initially agreed on gold bands, but Tigran had a change of heart at the last minute and went with platinum. I was set on gold, so we ended up with our own unique bands — I love that even the rings speak to both our similarities and differences.
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).
The venue was crucial — with a late fall wedding, we knew the risk of having to be inside the whole day was high. So the “inside” just had to be unique and interesting. And then photography — I studied photojournalism, and wanted the day to be captured from a more unique angle. When I looked at the different vendors, I instantly knew who I wanted, and price didn’t matter.
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
My dad’s reaction when he first saw me, right before he and my brother walked me down the aisle — this will be forever engraved in my brain. For Tigran, standing at the altar and seeing me walk in (even the crying children around didn’t ruin that moment for him, apparently XD).
What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?
This may sound cliché, but marry someone you genuinely like. We have completely different jobs, schedules, and interests — but at the end of the day, we cannot wait to fill each other in about our day, our random thoughts, or obscure new ideas for the future. I’m not sure if this counts as a ritual, but I start my job at around 5 AM. At about 7 AM, Tigran comes in with a coffee, and we have a quick 15-minute chat about the day — think a mini motivational session (with caffeine). And then every weekend, we go to a HIIT class together — he’s my favourite workout buddy.
LOCATION Villa Corsini, Florence, Tuscany, Italy, @villa_corsini BRIDE Diana, @_deelemma GROOM Tigran PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER Studio Fotografico Bacci, @studio_fotografico_bacci PLANNER Corsini Events, @corsini.events_group ENTERTAINMENT Ribas Eventi, @ribaseventi CATERING & CAKE Galateo Ricevimenti, @galateoricevimenti BRIDE’S SHOES Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo HAIR & MAKEUP Giulia Papke, @giuliapapke_makeupartist GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Watch – Rolex, @rolex
