Christina and Michael’s multi-phase wedding was nothing short of extravagant, kicking off in their home city of New York with an Italian Renaissance meets New York Glamour themed affair. The next night, they threw an Arabian Nights-themed party before jetting off to Turks & Caicos for a Buddymoon. A few months later, they reunited with friends in Aspen for an après-ski celebration. Honestly, how do we get in their friendship circle?

“Our multiple themes and venues really made our wedding very different to any wedding we’ve been to!” Christina told us. “Both Mike and I are into fashion and entertaining and we really loved producing our dream shows/parties. The entertainment segments of wedding night one featured ballet and opera performances which was really unique! Additionally, we both skipped bridal parties and instead invited our closest friends to stay with us on our two Buddymoons.”

Dubbing their celebration “NySea2Ski”, the couple made everything they could themselves, yet brought in a coordinator to help bring everything together and run the events smoothly. “Mike and I make everything—robots, buildings, clothes, art—so we collaborated to design the event of our dreams,” the bride continued. “We were inspired by Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet, Black Swan, and An American in Paris.” The duo also partnered with experiential performance guru Lola Von Rox of Rox Republic to produce all the entertainment.

The main ceremony took place on a Friday evening at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, followed by a reception at Cipriani Wall Street. “We wanted the warmth of a big Italian dinner party with the grand, artistic feel of a fashion gala,” Christina explains. Guests dressed in their best “Red Carpet Black Tie” attire and entered a candlelit space draped in rich berry hues, gold candelabras, and dramatic floral arrangements of vines, grapes, and roses. A string quartet welcomed them, transitioning seamlessly from classical compositions to covers of Wu-Tang Clan and Dr. Dre.

“The hardest part was the seating arrangements!” Christina admitted. “We had 250 people and I felt like Anna Wintour planning out the Met Gala seating! We made colour charts for each table because we planned it down to the chair and I wanted our coordinator to be able to put all the name cards in the right place.”

Christina’s wore a rare drop-waist macramé lace and tulle gown from Vera Wang’s Fall 2019 Versailles collection, styled with Sophia Webster pearl platform heels and Tudor-inspired chandelier earrings from The Met. “I was set on designing my own dress after some bad shopping experiences, but then I found the dress at Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier,” she says. “I felt like an Italian-Renaissance queen in it, especially with the lace-trimmed veil my mum and I picked.”

Michael’s wanted a wanted a white fur jacket, but to keep it slim we decided on pure white pony hair leather,” Christina says. The tux featured a red satin lapel, gold piping, and tailored black pants with a red satin stripe. “We didn’t realise it looked like Prince Charming until someone pointed it out!” she laughed.

Rather than an afterparty, the next night they hosted an Arabian Nights themed celebration at Casa La Femme in the West Village. Christina wore an iridescent chiffon jumpsuit inspired by Bob Mackie’s Fall 2001 collection and Britney Spears’ I’m a Slave 4 U era, while Michael donned a purple panné velvet tunic with gold brocade pants. Guests lounged on cushions, sipped cocktails, and enjoyed a belly dancing performance into the early hours.

And that was just the beginning. The following morning, rather than a farewell brunch, the newlyweds and their friends boarded a plane for Turks & Caicos. The couple had planned their honeymoon as a “Buddymoon,” encouraging guests to join them for a week of celebrations in the Caribbean before the final leg of their wedding journey two months later—a ski weekend in Aspen, complete with an après-ski party. “Rolling right into Turks after the NYC weekend was a bit wild,” Christina admits, “but we loved extending the experience and celebrating with the people who mean the most to us.”

Looking back, Christina has no regrets. “I was lucky that my parents trusted us to do what we wanted. The rules are, there are no rules,” she says. “People get too caught up in worrying about what others will think. Your wedding should reflect who you are.”

As for advice to future couples? “Invest in the things that matter to you,” she says. “And remember, the people you share the night with make the wedding. If you have to cut back in one area to invite more loved ones, do it. The more, the merrier.”