Chic and timeless luxury.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We live in New York City. Paul moved to NYC from North Carolina in 2008, and Xie moved to NYC from Manila, Philippines, in 2013. Paul works in finance, and Xie works in fashion.
We spend our time watching Formula 1 racing, travelling the world, and exploring the New York culinary [sushi (Sushi by M), Lebanese (Au Za’atar), Thai (Thai Diner), Vietnamese (Hanoi House)] and art scenes we explore through @thirstygallerina.
We like to stay active, going to pilates and learning tennis together. On the weekends, we love walking around the neighbourhood (East Village, West Village, Greenwich Village) while stopping by our favourite cafes, coffee (Kona Coffee) and matcha shops.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in the digital realm through a buzzy app called Bumble. Our first date was in October 2016 near our current home in the East Village. After 3 hours of lively conversation in which Paul showed his rap skills (“Wicka, wild, wild west”), he was able to advance to a second date. We moved in together in 2018 and have been together ever since.
Highlights film by Gemma & Ryan – Le Roex Media, @leroexmedia
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
We were lying in bed one night talking about the future, and Paul said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and that pretty much said it all.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).
Welcome Party – Primi Pasta Evening – pasta tasting evening and local Tuscan specialties, red and white Italian palette. Guests wore white.
Dolce Vita Pool Party – retro Italian, Amalfi coast vibes.
Wedding day – Wedding whites. The wed. Chic and timeless luxury. Intimate but fun.
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).
Floral, floral, floral – from the skyscraping hedges at Villa Grabau to the thousands of flowers brought in for the occasion
Welcome Party – We wanted to start with a festive Tuscan feel. Our event stylist, Gideon, used locally sourced tomatoes, herbs, dried pasta and flowers sourced from Rome to complement the pasta theme, while all the guests wore white and were serenaded by the Italian folk band. Guests started with Tuscan appetizers and local wines while watching pasta being made on the spot, then we proceeded to sit down and served a multicourse pasta-tasting meal ending with fresh cacao e pepe pasta served by the chef and owner in pasta wheel. After the meal, we had friends and family play the piano and guitar for an impromptu piano bar session, and everyone sang the night away with espresso and desserts. Our planner helped us put together welcome bags we ordered from Morocco, filled with weekend essentials and our custom newspaper, “The Newlywed Times,” which had the weekend events outlined, the creation of which was a labour of love by the groom.
Pool Party – We took inspiration from Slim Aarons, retro Dolce vita Amalfi coast vibes, and incorporated lemons and blue and white resort stripes (including custom microfiber towels made for each guest by a local embroider from Lucca centre) to complement the pool party setting. We served freshly baked pizzas from Brindapino (@brindapino) and farm-to-table bites and biodynamic wines from a nearby Fattoria (Fattoria Sardi, @fattoriasardi). We kept it fresh with a Spritz bar and a wine-tasting area. Guests also enjoyed the Italian lawn games and gelato. We brought 40 striped circular floats (in our checked baggage!) from NYC and rented striped umbrellas to tie the whole look together.
Wedding Day – For the wedding day, we wanted all white and gladiolus flowers which our Event stylist shipped in from Holland. We re-incorporated local produce and color in the Apperitivi hour where the guests enjoyed a plethora of local meats and cheese. The guests were then ushered to a hidden area of the villa where the dinner reception was set up. We had custom tambourines with guests’ names as place cards, and our event stylist Gideon set up an intimate U-shaped table so that we could see all of our guests. Dinner was served on candle-lit tables adorned with white florals. We also kept the energy going with our espresso martini bar…. After speeches and dinner, we proceeded to the cake area to finish our traditional Italian Mille foglie wedding cake and kicked off the party with the champagne tower. We did a venue reveal within the Limonaia (where the Villa stores its many large lemon trees in the winter) for the afterparty, and the band kicked off the party with our first dance. The band played until midnight and handed the night off to DJ Ed,o who successfully kept the party going.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
Completing a large project with my fiancé, which turned out to be the best thing we’ve ever done and might ever do!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
For the wedding dress, I wanted to be timeless, chic and romantic Italian, hence the guipure lace, all the while showing my personality. And for Paul, inspo was James Bond, Sean Connery era.
What was 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?).
We focused on the guest experience, from the flow of events, little personalized touches (photo wall of us with all of our guests on the wall at Gli Orti for the welcome dinner; servers wearing customized shirts for our wedding; guests received Gli Orti cookbooks at the welcome dinner; guests were provided with personalized towels at the pool party with their name embroidered; and incredible local food (fresh local pasta, wines, local toscani beef) which was important for us to take our guests through a culinary journey all weekend.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
When giving our personalized vows, neither of us could speak a word before choking up, but this added to the intimacy of the wedding. We both kidded ourselves and each other during our vows, reflecting our playful dynamic and desire to keep things light and fun for us and our guests.
We laugh about Paul driving up to the wedding venue in the red 1992 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce Convertible, while our friends were walking along the driveway. Our friends began videoing and taking pictures of Paul, who was dressed like James Bond, and driving this red vintage convertible, which put a lot of pressure on Paul to not stall out the vintage stick shift (he didn’t but came close!).
Welcome Dinner
Xie and Paul planned a series of pre-wedding events, giving their guests the perfect opportunity to unwind, connect, and enjoy the celebrations beyond the big day itself.
Pool Party
We love seeing welcome dinners and gatherings become more popular—they’re a wonderful way to make the most of a destination setting, bring loved ones together, and create special moments before the wedding. It’s also a great way for the couple to spend extra time with their nearest and dearest in a more relaxed setting.
BRIDE Xie Antonio West, @lifestyledbyxie, @xieantoniowest GROOM Paul West, @wpnub23 VENUE Welcome Party – Gli Orti di Via Elisa, @gliorti; Pool Party – L’Arancera di Villa Grabau, @aranceravillagrabau; Wedding – Villa Grabau, @villagrabau PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER Gemma & Ryan – Le Roex Media, @leroexmedia CONTENT CREATION Hope Purvis, @socialsoiree_uk STYLIST For Clothing – By the Bride, Xie Antonio West, @lifestyledbyxie; Event Styling – Gideon Hermosa, @gideonhermosa PLANNER Anne Lindholm & Monica Jardine – Lovely Weddings Italy, @lovelyweddingsitaly FLORIST Gideon Hermosa, @gideonhermosa OFFICIANT Nnamudi Amobi, @nnamudiamobi ENTERTAINMENT Welcome Party – The Tuscany Folk Band, @fixthemusic; Pool Party – DJ Edo, @edoardodiciotti; Wedding Day – Strings and Band: Radio Kings Band, @radiokingsband, Fatimah Provillon, @fatimahprovillon; DJ Edo, @edoardodiciotti HIRE Audio & Lighting – Pagani Service Production, @pagani_service CATERING Welcome Party – Gli Orti di Via Elisa, @gliorti; Pool Party – Brinda Pino, @brindapino; Fattoria Sardi, @fattoriasardi; Wedding Day – Roland’s, @rolands_florence POOL PARTY GAMES Italian Wedding Games, @italianweddinggames POOL PARTY & WEDDING DAY BAR Event In, @eventinbar CAKE Roland’s, @rolands_florence STATIONERY Invitations – CraftsmanPaperCo, @craftsmanpapercompany SIGNAGE Menu, Place Cards, and Signages – Anne Lindholm – Lovely Weddings Italy, @lovelyweddingsitaly; Tambourines – Thistle Paper Co., @thistlepaperco RINGS Hamra Diamonds, @hamradiamonds BRIDE’S WEDDING RING Heirloom BRIDE’S WELCOME DINNER DRESS Custom Made – Deme by Gabriella, @deme_love_ BRIDE’S WELCOME DINNER SHOE Paris Texas, @paristexas_it BRIDE’S WELCOME DINNER ACCESSORIES Purse – Chanel, @chanelofficial BRIDE’S WELCOME DINNER HAIR & MAKEUP By the Bride GROOM’S WELCOME DINNER SUIT Custom Made – Suitsupply, @suitsupply GROOM’S WELCOME DINNER SHOE Loafers – Buscemi, @buscemi BRIDE’S WEDDING REHEARSAL SUIT Lace Suit – Ronny Kobo, @ronnykobo BRIDE’S WEDDING REHEARSAL SHOE Cult Gaia, @cultgaia BRIDE’S WEDDING REHEARSAL ACCESSORIES Sunglasses – Prada, @prada BRIDE’S WEDDING REHEARSAL HAIR & MAKEUP By the Bride GROOM’S WEDDING REHEARSAL OUTFIT Mango, @mango BRIDE’S POOL PARTY OUTFIT Cape – Selezza, @selezzalondon; Top – Loba, @lobawoman; Skirt – Helsa, @helsastudio BRIDE’S POOL PARTY SHOE Cult Gaia, @cultgaia BRIDE’S POOL PARTY Sunglasses – Fendi, @fendi BRIDE’S POOL PARTY HAIR & MAKEUP By the Bride GROOM’S POOL PARTY OUTFIT Suitsupply, @suitsupply GROOM’S POOL PARTY SHOE Frescobol Carioca, @frescobolcarioca GROOM’S POOL PARTY ACCESSORIES Sunglasses – Yves Saint Laurent, @ysl BRIDAL DRESS Couture – Galia Lahav, @galialahav BRIDE’S WEDDING DAY SHOE Mach & Mach, @machandmach; Bottega Veneta, @newbottega BRIDE’S WEDDING DAY ACCESSORIES Veil and Scarf – Etsy, @etsy; Slingback – Gucci, @gucci BRIDE’S WEDDING DAY MAKEUP By the Bride BRIDE’S WEDDING DAY HAIR Guisy Makeup & Hair, @guisymakeup_hairitaly GROOM’S WEDDING DAY OUTFIT Custom Made Tuxedo, Shirt, & Tuxedo Pants – P. Johnson, @pjohnsontailors GROOM’S WEDDING DAY SHOE Suitsupply, @suitsupply GROOM’S WEDDING DAY HAIR Mr. Natty, @mrnattyofficial BRIDE RECEPTION PARTY DRESS Mini Dress – RosieEtienne, @rosieetiennebridal BRIDE’S RECEPTION PARTY SHOE Mach & Mach, @machandmach BRIDE’S RECEPTION Gloves – Selezza, @selezzalondon GROOM’S RECEPTION PARTY OUTFIT Custom Made Silk Shirt – P. Johnson, @pjohnsontailors
