A Surreal Artist’s Italian Wedding with 2,000 Red Roses, a Two-Metre Bleeding Cake & Viktor & Rolf Couture

In Piemonte, where rose-filled villages rise among the vineyards of the Langhe, contemporary artist Job Smeets of Studio Job and art and design consultant Rebecca Sharkey celebrated their wedding with a distinctly surrealist vision. More than a traditional Italian wedding, the celebration unfolded as an immersive expression of the couple’s shared creative universe, bringing together contemporary art, fashion, design, and the places that shaped their story. Rebecca’s bridal looks added an equally personal fashion statement: both gowns were created by longtime friends Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren of the renowned fashion house Viktor & Rolf, balancing couture drama with effortless elegance.

The guest list reflected the couple’s deep ties to the worlds of art, fashion, and culture, with notable names including Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau, Lidewij Edelkoort, Pierpaolo Ferrari, and Maurizio Cattelan. Then came the details guests would remember: a 2.3-metre-high black Baroque wedding cake that appeared to bleed raspberry syrup when cut, a sudden storm that sent the party indoors, and a surprise DJ set that transformed the winery into an Ibiza-inspired dance floor. Every element was personal, playful, and deliberately unexpected — an Italian summer wedding where art, fashion, friendship, and beautiful chaos came together.

Our Love Story

The Day We Met

We first met during the annual Milan Design Week at the famous Bar Basso, where all the artists and designers meet and hundreds of people spill out onto the street every evening in a chaotic but almost cultish annual event. Singer Mika (one of Job’s best friends) introduced me to this tanned, extremely good-looking Dutch man (in fact, the only man working in art and design who looked like he did sports and had seen the sun!).

Job immediately jumped into gentleman mode, grabbed my bags for me (I’d been to endless showrooms that day and was laden with catalogues for my interior projects back in London), then went to buy me a drink at the bar (the classic Negroni Sbagliato the bar is famed for inventing). However, he realized he had no cash and momentarily panicked until graciously iconic Italian designer Stefano Giovannoni stepped in and bought them for us. We instantly clicked, like we’d known each other our whole lives, and within a few months I found myself on the Eurostar moving to the Netherlands.

The Proposal

Job knows how important family is to me, so during a typical over-the-top traditional British Christmas back in the UK with my family, we made a trip to church on Christmas morning to sing carols and feel festive. Unbeknownst to me, he’d arranged with the priest, via my father, to propose in front of the whole congregation. I was confused, then shocked! But it was perfect, the exact mix of weird, confusing, and romantic that is very “Job.”

The Engagement Ring

Job had crafted the ring in gold from one of his iconic rose sculptures by 3D-scanning one of the bronze roses and scaling it down, casting it in gold on a small scale, and setting a small Burmese ruby in the center to represent the red of the rose.

Our Wedding

The Vision

We reached a point in our lives where our boys were old enough (4 and 6) to have fun, and as we had them both during COVID (when we moved from Milan to the Netherlands), we felt we hadn’t seen so many important people in our lives and wanted to celebrate them, our family, and us. As Job said to me in a reflective moment, “There are only two times people you love come together,” so we wanted to throw an iconic party to celebrate us, our friends, and our creative circle. We felt a mixture of classic Godfather styling and Job’s bronze sculptures, with iconography from his work such as the red rose theme, recreating the bar where we met, and a truly grown-up Italian black-tie event mixed with a healthy amount of surrealism. We then wanted to change the pace halfway through by moving venues to our good friend Charley Vezza’s winery, L’Astemia Pentita, a modern, cool place for an iconic party where we would have the dinner and an L.A.-style party.

Our Team of Vendors

We were very lucky to have the Studio Job team helping us make many of the customized pieces, from napkins to banners, so we were able to produce and install a lot ourselves. For example, I prepped, stripped, and arranged all 2,000 red roses the days before the wedding in an effort to exactly create our vision. We didn’t feel the need to have any traditional wedding ideas. For example, instead of having a caterer, we asked our favorite restaurants to make canapés, starters, mains, etc., so our guests, who were likely only visiting for one or two days, could sample the best food from the Langhe in one go. Instead of investing in a six-course dinner, we focused on atmosphere, such as the music, the setting, the staging, and the experience.

The Location

We have been visiting friends and working in Piemonte for over a decade, and around five years ago we bought a house in one of our favorite villages, Bossolasco, “the village of roses.” It was therefore an easy choice to hold our wedding there, surrounded by friends, spectacular food, scenery, and the authentic Italian atmosphere of the Langhe, which remains relatively undiscovered despite Barolo’s fame. We wanted to balance the big party with something more romantic and traditional, so we had a formal Catholic ceremony in the village, followed by cocktails at a private castle. We then moved everyone to our longtime friend and collaborator Charley Vezza’s winery, L’Astemia Pentita, for dinner and the party. Its striking, warehouse-like architecture was perfect for the celebration, and we created a modern take on an Italian summer dinner, with long tables wrapping around the building before the full party began.

The Ceremony

The 18th-century Italian Baroque church was filled with red roses, black dahlias, Job’s iconic gold Milo vases, and long-stemmed roses lining the aisle. Guests received a red rose, a wine- and blood-splattered program, and a paper fan hinting at the Barolo and Godfather themes. Job created a red-carpet aisle shaped like a long tongue, and I walked from the castle to the church with my three bridesmaids and one bridesman.

The traditional ceremony was held in English for our 200 international and Italian guests, with readings by Viktor Horsting, Fabio Novembre, Annabel Sharkey, and Carola Cometto, accompanied by a soprano from the Turin Opera. To honor my Scottish family, we surprised everyone with a bagpiper as the guests left the church, followed by confetti made from fresh rose petals and dried petals from my own garden.

The Cocktail Hour

The bagpiper led guests to the castle, where waiters served Spumante from our friend Alessandra’s female-run vineyard, Cascina Le Doti. All the wines that day came from female-led wineries run by friends of ours, reflecting our desire to celebrate the people and collaborations that have been part of our lives. The castle was decorated with Job’s white industrial furniture for Seletti, tongue banners, his bronze Dresden Baroque sculpture, and custom tape featuring the only three Italian words he knows: “Madonna, Casino, Ecco!” Oyster shuckers, caviar service, a 10-piece local Piemonte band, a magician, and Michelin-starred canapés kept the party moving, while one room recreated Bar Basso, where we met, and another became a Godfather-style portrait studio with Maurizio Beucci photographing guests.

Job’s bronze sculptures appeared throughout the castle, including a room dedicated to “Monkey Business.” Then, in true surreal fashion, a small hurricane—or “Medi-cane”—swept through the party, sending everyone rushing inside before the storm passed and the guests returned for a surprise performance by Asti’s historic 30-person sbandieratori. For the food, we wanted to keep things light and social rather than have guests sit for hours, so we focused on our favorite local restaurants and chefs, with Michelin-starred Guido Ristorante providing canapés, roaming oscietra caviar and oysters, and sorbetto from L’Agrigelateria San Pè, made with local ingredients including Piemonte mint and their own vermouth.

Our Favorite Moment

For Job, he said it was “the moment you entered the church with the light behind you, looking like you were floating down the aisle.” For me, it was leaving the church with all of our friends throwing confetti, smiling and cheering. I felt truly lucky to have such a wonderful circle of friends.For us both, we had an amazing moment in the portrait room with the 10-piece band playing and circling this small room with us in the middle, and our youngest child, Ziggy, lying on the floor in his tiny shirt and bow tie, dancing on his back. The combination of joy, family, and surrealism was such a perfect moment. Artist Maurizio Cattelan joining the Piemonte band and marching around the grounds in his hospital scrubs, leading the music.

The Reception

Our friend Charley Vezza hosted the dinner and party at his family winery, L’Astemia Pentita, with dinner on the terrace among the vines. Guests arrived to “Charley,” the vineyard’s Spumante, whose label was designed by Job, and a Vermouth bar, Bar 64, named after the rooftop terrace at Chateau Marmont where we stayed in L.A. when we found out we were pregnant with our first child, Elvis. Each place setting featured a custom drawing by Job for all 200 guests, while DJ Franco provided vinyl-only music. After changing into my second dress, I arrived with Job in his custom-made “Bismark” car, driving directly into the dinner.

Our friend Mika, who couldn’t attend, created a special voice-over introduction for our arrival. Dinner began with Langhe classics from L’Osteria La Piazzetta, followed by speeches from Job and Rolf, who led everyone in the classic Dutch tradition of “Er staat een paard in de gang” (“There’s a horse in the hall”), turning the dinner into a spontaneous conga line. The main course featured several pasta dishes, including fresh truffle and local “Plin,” before the dramatic black Baroque cake, which “bled” raspberry syrup when cut—a 100% Job idea and a nod to the Godfather theme. The party then moved downstairs into the winery’s bottling warehouse, where our friend and DC-10 DJ William Djoko surprised us with an incredible set inspired by our friends at DC-10 in Ibiza.

Our Style

The Bridal Looks

As a very personal wedding gift, longtime friends and creative collaborators Viktor Horsting (who was a reader in the church) and Rolf Snoeren (who was the best man) of Viktor & Rolf designed and created two custom bridal gowns for me. They have created very few wedding dresses for close friends, and having them design mine was especially meaningful as they had famously created Princess Mabel’s royal wedding gown early in their career. It was also an honor to have Mabel at our wedding. I went to their Amsterdam atelier to begin the process, trying on gowns and samples to explore how I wanted to look and feel. I wanted them to guide the choice, as they know so well how to make women feel beautiful. We ultimately chose silhouettes that felt romantic and couture while still being light enough for the historic heat wave.

For the ceremony, we chose a fitted couture bodice with miles of micro-tulle and an airy, lightweight skirt—modern, elegant, confident, and effortlessly beautiful. The team secretly sewed my and Job’s initials into the dress, which made me tear up. Viktor & Rolf also created a vintage Italian-style veil with a soft tulle blusher, which completed the Gothic, ethereal look. I wore vintage Miu Miu platform shoes from our Milan days and no jewelry other than the rings Job created for me. My second dress was a customized Viktor & Rolf Marriage gown, a mermaid silhouette with flowers running from the plunging neckline across the back, which was elegant, comfortable, and perfect for dancing. I paired it with bright green Prada platform sandals. Job also created our wedding rings from a gold bar a collector had once paid him with. He originally planned one “water” ring and one “fire” ring, but decided we were both fire—so we have matching fire rings.

The Groom Looks

Job’s Lardini suit, tie, and shoes were a gift from friend and stylist Damiano Manoni, creating an iconic Italian Godfather vibe. Cufflinks were vintage Baccarat, loaned by friend Guillaume Giraud from his personal collection.

Our Advice

For the Planning Process

We took a trial-and-error approach to planning, staying true to our ideas while remaining flexible with the outcomes. After working with several planners, we ultimately split the planning between ourselves and our good friend Manuela, who understood our surreal vision and gave us the creative freedom we needed. We are used to producing gallery and museum shows, so we knew what we wanted and what was possible, while wedding planners understandably tend to err on the side of caution. We focused on a few strong themes and what mattered most to us, constantly checking that everything felt true to who we are and not just like a “Job show.” I’m lucky that Job has done almost 400 shows, along with fashion shows for Viktor & Rolf, 15 years of stage and set design for Mika, and countless visual projects, so I had the best creative help. My advice is that personalization is more than a stamp on a napkin—it’s about creating an experience that represents who you are through music, art, food, and atmosphere. Don’t worry about what is traditional or expected; if llamas or an ice sculpture feel right for you, go for it!

For On the Day

One thing we had to get used to was being the main attraction. Usually, it’s the work that is the focus, so we had to let go of doing so much ourselves in the moment, to enjoy ourselves and be okay when things didn’t work out as planned. Embrace mistakes; they make your day memorable, human, and real. We had some issues and small dramas that, in the end, turned out to work in our favor!You never have as much time as you think, and people around you are also stressed and excited, so our advice would be to give a lot of clear instructions. If you want something specific, be clear and don’t assume it’ll happen. Once the day is over, it’s over, so be there in the moment. Take a moment with your family. The classic moment is getting ready, but we had a great moment between venues when it was just the bridal party and, for a moment, just us, and we got a tiny breather together.

For Post-Wedding

There will be a grieving period after such a huge process—the things that didn’t work out and the things you forgot (I forgot my reception shoes!). Give yourself time to digest, and ask everyone to send you their photos and videos, no matter how imperfect, so you can relive the real moments. Quite a few of our guests’ drawings went missing (too much wine!), but so many people contacted us to thank us for them or ask for another that they became one of the most memorable parts of the day. Instead of gifts, we asked for personal notes or bottles of wine for our anniversaries, giving us years of memories to enjoy. With two small children, a long honeymoon wasn’t realistic, but we highly recommend doing something to mark the transition—the comedown after months of work is huge! Inspired by Viktor & Rolf, who always leave immediately after a show, we jumped in the car the next day and headed to the mountains. We’re also lucky to have the civil part of our ceremony planned for next year in the Netherlands, at the opening of one of Job’s biggest projects in Delft, giving me a chance to redo some of the things I forgot to say and maybe get one more use out of that party dress—if I can get the raspberry sauce out after the cake exploded!