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A Model & Musician's Chic Lake Como Wedding

A Model & Musician's Chic Lake Como Wedding

The eternal beauty of Italy, a bride in Monique Lhuillier and a shared passion for music

Breathtaking Italian Wedding in Villa Balbiano

On the shores of picturesque Lake Como, at the elegant Villa Balbiano, a wedding full of love and music took place – the unique celebration of Grace and Hayden. The couple, who share a passion for music, fine dining and artistic expression, curated an event brimming with inspiration and romance. Their story began with a proposal in Japan, where Hayden presented Grace with a vintage platinum engagement ring that became a symbol of their eternal love. The ceremony was decorated with Stargazer lilies inspired by Nirvana performances, adding a touch of authenticity and flamboyance to the occasion. As day fell into night, guests dined amongst candelight and elegantly draped canopies, an exquisite Italian soiree accompanied by a soulful jazz band. Grace was radiant in vintage Chanel and a lace Monique Lhuillier gown inspired by Grace Kelly's wedding gown, while Hayden was ever dapper in Tom Ford. This wedding was not just the joining of two hearts, but a true work of art where every element was carefully considered, and captured by THE WED member Stas Moiseev, reflecting the beautiful love story that is Grace and Hayden.

Breathtaking Italian Wedding in Villa Balbiano

The Love Story

^{The Day They Met}

Love often magnetizes two souls, burning for the same cause and passionate about the finest things in life. Such was the case for Grace Kennedy, model and musician, and musician-turned-restaurateur Hayden Tobin, whose hearts are captivated by music and art. Having briefly met in late 2019 through mutual friends and later continuing to connect on Instagram, the couple made their dreamy wedding in Italy earlier this year a reality. “[Eventually,] I told him to come down to my Chinatown apartment and crash girls’ night,” the bride recalls their first official date in the beginning of 2020. “Unfortunately, he came with my most-hated drink – White Claw.”

The couple were then shortly connected by their love for two beautiful and wonderful things – music and food. “I was getting breakfast at JFK before a 7 a.m. flight home for Christmas and some guy pulled up and boldly asked for lobster ravioli and a Sex on the Beach – neither of which were on the menu – and I thought that was a good enough story to break the ice over DMs,” Hayden says. “We still laugh about lobster ravioli and his insane order every time we’re in JFK. Mr. Lobster ravioli – if you’re reading this, thank you.”

^{The Proposal}

After two years of dating, photographer Chad Moore, friend of the couple, invited the couple to Japan in May 2022 for his exhibition. “Chad had to get us visas for it and all he would say was, ‘I have a surprise for you there,’” the groom recalls. “We love to travel and are both obsessed with Japan, so we jumped at the opportunity. And, we had been talking about getting engaged for a while, so I also jumped on this perfect opportunity.”

^{The Engagement Ring}

A vintage platinum ring from the late 1800s was the groom's choice for the proposal. “Grace loves all things vintage and doesn’t wear gold, which was a bit of a relief when Japanese customs asked me if I was traveling with any gold,” Hayden recalls. Following a number of days in Tokyo, the couple traveled to the town of Atami, where the groom reserved a room in a traditional ryokan with an onsen. After suggesting that they order a bottle of sake in the room and celebrate, a natural question from the bride followed. “Celebrate what?” Hayden remembers, “I got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked if she wanted to marry me. The sake came. We celebrated. We made it back to Tokyo only to find out the kicker: Chad’s big surprise: He used an old photo of Grace and I kissing to promote his book – on the giant electronic billboard in the middle of Shibuya Crossing. He had no clue I was going to propose. It just all worked out.”

The Wedding

^{The Vision}

At the renowned Villa Balbiano on the mesmerizing Lake Como in Ossuccio, Italy the wedding took place, May 21, 2024. “After crashing girls’ night, I wrote in Grace’s notebook, ‘One day, I’m gonna marry you,’” Hayden shares. “On our next date, she told me to read her notebook, and she had written, “Okay, May 21st!”

^{The Location}

When the bride and her mother traveled together to Lake Como in 2017, they both were immediately captured by the destination. “My mother fell in love with Italy and eventually bought a house there,” Grace recalls. “Italy has always had a special place in my heart so I knew I wanted to get married there. Everyone loves pasta, right?” Having planned a tour of the sixteenth-century Villa Balbiano, her guide fortuitously turned out to be Sofia Bute, the event director of events at The Heritage Collection.“ We loved her and asked if she planned weddings and would be willing to plan ours,” Grace remembers. “She said yes! And, once we found Sofia, the planning process became exciting and easy.”

^{The Ceremony}

Grace and Hayden, big fans of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York performance, found their inspiration for their ceremony within it. Decorated with Stargazer lilies, the aisle and ceremony altar became a charming part of the setting, and paid tribute to the set of Kurt Cobain's once iconic performance. “We wanted to keep things very minimal, and didn’t want to detract from the beauty of the lake and villa,” Grace shares. “Also being musicians, the ceremony microphone was important, so Hayden brought his vintage RCA radio mic in his carry-on bag.”

Being musicians, the couple's wedding couldn't go without some memorable music accents. As Hayden and his mom were walking down the aisle, a string quartet performed "Ruby Tuesday" by the Rolling Stones, which was another significant coincidence since the ceremony took place on a Tuesday. “Luckily following a week of rain, and a forecast that predicted hail, an hour before guests were set to arrive the skies turned to completely blue,” Grace recalls. “The guests were all given sunbrellas and folding fans. The service was officiated by our very good friend Currie. We kissed and walked hand in hand down the aisle as newlyweds while the string section played a rendition of ‘Heroes’ by our favorite: David Bowie. It was a dream wrapped in a fairytale.”

^{The Reception}

Following the ceremony, the newlyweds sailed on a vintage Chris-Craft as guests socialized and savored hors d'oeuvres. Afterward, they all sat down to a vibrant Italian dinner accompanied by a jazz band. Hayden and Grace had their first dance to The Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You" and sliced the cake to "Life's a Gas" by T. Rex. They then dressed in their afterparty outfits and raised a champagne toast. “It was a 15-liter nebuchadnezzar of Veuve Clicquot toast poured into a pyramid of coupes, to be exact,” Hayden pointed out. “And in true after-party fashion...the glasses toppled.”

^{The Favorite Moments}

“Seeing Grace appear at the end of the aisle in her dress made it feel like the universe stopped,” Hayden recalls. “She was stunning. Standing across from Grace – my best friend and greatest love – having our close friend officiating, in front of our friends and family, who we love so much, it all felt so easy. We wrote our own vows but didn’t share them with each other until that moment. Grace blew me away. I’ll always remember the feeling. Everything was perfect.”

“I felt like everything finally made sense,” Grace touchingly notes. “I wrote my vows the morning of and thought I would be nervous. I was. But, once I saw Hayden at the end of the aisle, I felt at home.”

The Style

^{The Bridal Looks}

Finding the perfect wedding dress can sometimes be time consuming and overwhelming. “I think I went to five appointments in one week and didn’t find anything that felt quite right,” Grace remembers. “I was named after Grace Kelly and my entire life I dreamt of wearing her wedding dress. She was a literal princess. I knew I wanted long lace sleeves and to replicate her dress as close as possible. I started to freak out and go into shutdown mode when I couldn’t find what I was looking for.” It ended up that a friend of Grace's suggested attending the A Current Affair vintage fair that was taking place over that weekend. “I bought a ticket and went the next day to search for the vintage dress of my dreams,” the bride says. “I ended up running into a mannequin wearing a silk Chanel top that was the closing piece of the fall 1987 show. That ended up being the ‘closing piece’ to end out our wedding weekend and was my top for the after-party accompanied by vintage Celine pants from Amarcord Vintage in Brooklyn. Finding this piece made me feel a bit more at ease – but I still hadn’t found the dress.”

Grace then booked an appointment at Happy Isles Salon, which had just set up a store in Soho, and found a 1950s Pauline Trigère gown. “Pauline Trigère designed for Grace Kelly, and this dress was stunning,” the bride recalls. “It was raw silk that landed at my toes with long sleeves that ended in a beautiful ruffle. It spoke to me and became the rehearsal dinner dress that I wore to kick off the wedding festivities. Nevertheless, the pursuit for the ultimate wedding dress was ongoing. Only six months away from her wedding, she had an appointment at Monique Lhuillier and fitted a couple of dresses. Finally, Grace ended up finding one that left her speechless. “I asked to try it with the matching bolero and that was it,” she recalls. “That was my dress. The only thing I wanted differently was the back to be changed from a keyhole to a V shape. They made my perfect dress, I paired it with Miu Miu shoes, and I lived the dream.”

^{The Groom Looks}

Tom Ford – the tuxedo that was always meant for Hayden. “I just think he does the quintessential tuxedo,” the groom says. A shirt from his grandfather's closet was a heartwarming choice for the rehearsal dinner. “It was white with blue pinstripes, and I just saw it and for whatever reason really loved it,” Hayden says. “But it had French cuffs, so I never had the right occasion to wear it. I found the occasion. His initials were still embroidered on the chest pocket as I welcomed all our guests. I wore that with my Ralph Lauren linen suit, and my off-white chucks. I had always wanted a burgundy velvet suit, but lacked the audacity to hunt one down. Finally, I had the reason: my wedding after-party. It was also Tom Ford.”

Advice

^{For the Planning}

Plan every single detail. The napkins. The ice cubes. The color of the Peroni bottles. Or just hire The Heritage Collection Event Director Sofia Bute. As artists, we are extremely detail focused. Sofia not only understood and made all of our wild ideas, from the inane to the insane, a reality — she out detailed us and magically thought of the things we missed. Not only thought of them, but completely pulled them off, in our style. She gets it. Plan as much or as little as you want. It’s your show. But having a wedding planner that you really get along with, and feel understood by, makes it all.

^{For the Day}

It turns out there’s a reason why cliches are cliche. They’re accurate. Everyone tells you it goes by so fast. Slow down. Remember everything. They’re right. Taking that to heart helped make so many more indelible memories. Throw your phone in the trash. Leave the photos to the pros. Let Sofia send any messages the old fashioned way, by finding the person and telling them. She will. She’s in fact very good at this. I think professional is the word. Remember you are there with everyone you love the most. Everyone’s cheering for you. And in the moment, it’s just you and your best friend… with benefits. It’s easier than you could ever imagine. A dream.

Breathtaking Italian Wedding in Villa Balbiano