Exclusive: Influencer Caroline Vazzana's Fashion-Forward Wedding Included a Convertible Wedding Dress

Caroline Vazzana, an author, fashion editor and stylist, and David Lopes, an account executive working in finance, tied the knot with a fashion-forward wedding at Bourne Mansion in Oakdale, New York. "If I had to describe our overall theme it would be chic and elegant, with a bold twist," says Caroline of her New York nuptials. "We wanted our wedding to be a big mansion party that was The Great Gatsby meets Marie Antionette. Once we found Bourne Mansion and had our vision solidified, everything started to fall into place."

"David and I worked on all of the elements of our wedding together," explains Caroline. "We called in some help from a few different places to help with some of the details to bring all of our wedding visions to life. Elizabeth Strange of Strange Events helped with planning leading up to the big day, Leilani Weddings assisted with design coordination, and Julia Feigus of Julia Feigus Creative managed the day-of coordination. We had a clear vision as to what we wanted; we knew we wanted a big party in a mansion on the water with red and pink florals and a very romantic atmosphere. We realized that wedding planning takes a village; there are a lot of moving parts that go on behind the scenes to make everything happen, and we were grateful to have help from various people so that we could not only make our wedding dreams a reality, but to also be able to enjoy the process together as a couple as we moved toward this milestone in our lives."

To the more than 300,000 followers Caroline's amassed on Instagram, her name has become synonymous with impeccable fashion and bold ensembles. So it was no surprise that the fashion influencer's New York wedding was a stylish affair. The striking styles began far before the wedding rolled around when David initially popped the question with a custom engagement ring. "David designed the ring and got it in March 2020 right before the world shut down and waited until June 2020 when he could plan an outdoor proposal," shares Caroline. "David knew that I wear a ton of rings every day and that I love them, so he set out on a mission to design a ring that truly felt like me, and would also still match all of my everyday bold rings. The final ring is composed of an emerald-cut diamond with a yellow gold band."

As for the wedding weekend's fashion, the couple came out swinging with chic rehearsal dinner ensembles the evening before their nuptials. For the spaghetti-filled event, Caroline rocked a V-neck off-the-shoulder dress which she paired with a wide-brim hat, chic gloves and a feather clutch. Meanwhile, David looked dapper in a navy sportscoat and light blue button-down shirt. 

When the big day arrived, Caroline started out in white silk pajamas with blue feather trim while her wedding party members slipped into matching red silk pajama sets. Red stayed a central theme throughout the day—Caroline rocked a bold rosy lip color that seamlessly coordinated with the chosen palette. "I love color, as anyone who follows my social media can tell, so when it came time to choose the colors for our wedding, we wanted to pick colors that were our power colors and colors that we both love," explains Caroline. "The color palette we chose was full of reds and pinks. This is a color combination that we hadn’t seen very often, but actually really loved and it lent itself perfectly to creating the romantic, fantasy and fairytale look we were after."

In keeping with the eye-catching scheme, the bridesmaids wore floor-length red satin dresses, each with unique necklines. "I had 8 people in my bridal party. All of the girls wore different floor-length gowns from Amsale, and one of my best friends, Sean, matched with the groomsmen. We had an amazing time going as a group for different fittings and the Amsale team went out of their way to measure each bridesmaid and choose a dress style that fit them beautifully and that they felt confident in. One of my main goals, when it came to choosing dresses for my bridesmaids, was to make sure that they all found dresses that they felt comfortable in."

As for Caroline's Pièce de résistance? The bride worked with designer Christian Siriano to create an iconic tulle ball gown with a corset bodice and sheer puff sleeves. The dress was floor-length with a dramatic train for the couple's traditional Catholic Mass, but she wowed guests at the reception by revealing that the custom wedding dress converted into a flirty short number, perfect for dancing the night away.

"My look was a custom, one-of-a-kind dress made by fashion designer Christian Siriano," shares Caroline. "We worked together for over a year to create the dress, beginning with the sketching and ideation process, all the way to the final fitting. During our first meeting, Christian suggested that we create a dress that could transform, and I loved the idea. The final dress was composed of 3 pieces that created two looks for the day. The top, which remained the same for both looks, was a white fitted bodice with a tulle overlay and large tulle sleeves that had small sequins sewn in that faded going up toward the neck. The first skirt I wore to the ceremony and the first half of the reception was a large tulle ball gown skirt with white floral appliques and small sequins that dispersed down the top layer of tulle. Some of the layers of tulle throughout the skirt were light pink, while the rest were white to subtly infuse a bit of my colorful style into her wedding dress. The second skirt, which I changed into right after dinner, was a shorter, all-white version of my first skirt. It was a mini tulle skirt with the same sewn-in sequins and floral appliques, and featured a floor-length white train that bustled, allowing me to dance the night away."

While fashion was, unsurprisingly, a central element of the day, the couple also made sure they didn't overlook other wedding elements, such as decor and catering.  Caroline and David filled the entire day with meaningful personalization and creative touches. Caroline and David personalized their signature cocktails by naming both sips after their two beloved felines. "We had a dirty dirty martini named after Mia and an Aperol spritz named after Fitzgerald," says the bride. In addition to paying homage to the couple's cats, Caroline also included a heartfelt tribute to some other special VIPs who weren't in attendance at the wedding. "I attached pins with photos of my late aunt and grandparents so that they could still feel close to me for my big day," says Caroline. 

Looking back on her epic New York wedding, Caroline shares that she didn't have just one favorite moment from the celebration, rather a handful of moments stuck out to her. "The first moments with David in the car after our ceremony on the way to Bourne Mansion were so special. Just getting to be together after being married for the very first time and soaking in the experience and emotions was priceless and something that both of us will cherish for the rest of our lives," she recalls. Additionally, "doing my second grand entrance in my second look was also a highlight and a very powerful and exciting moment for me. The energy in the room was so high and everyone was so excited to continue the night’s festivities. Dancing is also a huge part of our lives and our families, we all love to dance, so getting to dance the night away with the people that are closest to us was such an incredible feeling, from dancing to 'Sweet Caroline' with all of our family and friends to our first dance, each moment was so special and something we will remember forever."