Jaime met Ben under a trulli surrounded by cypress trees as “You’re So Cool” by Hans Zimmer from the True Romance soundtrack played. She wore a custom head-beaded corset gown by Jackson Wiederhoeft of Wiederhoeft. “The beads had a slippery look to them, like the scales of a fish, and there was an internal corset, the likes of which Marie Antoinette and her court would have approved,” Jaime says, laughing.
She found a close creative confidante in the designer, who like her, has a love of the classics. They connected on the idea of incorporating that into her wedding day veil: “The motifs on the veil are all symbols I found from the Odyssey and the Aeneid that Jackson then turned into this beautiful beaded pattern,” she says. Ben, meanwhile, wore custom Ralph Lauren.
After Jaime’s close friend, Succession actor Jeremy Strong read “Sonnet XVII” by Pablo Neruda, the two recited their vows in front of 160 guests. The couple’s officiant, Chris Kantrowitz, had both the crowd and the couple in joyful tears as he presided over their union. “It was all so surreal and emotional,” Jaime recalls. “First walking down the long aisle with my dad, a memory I will hold onto forever. Then, seeing Ben there, with watery eyes, and my own eyes watering up…that was such a powerful moment.”
An animated Brazilian marching band—“pied pipers,” as Jaime describes them—led everyone to the reception site, where tables adorned with eggplant, tomatoes, and other local produce lay between two ancient cork oak trees. Their friends, Acyde and Myles Hendrix, DJed the evening, as the couple did not want traditional wedding music. The bride changed into another Wiederhoeft corset dress—“in masochistic fashion,” she jokes. “Between the visible underwear, punk-rock grommeting, and lace-up corset, it felt wholly original and very me.”
At 3 a.m., Ben led the remaining guests down a hedged path where a secret-after party awaited, completed with a psychedelic multi-level dance floor, giant disco balls, and striped Italian sofas. At that point, Jaime admits, her ribs were “screaming for mercy.” So she changed into an Anna October mini so she could dance the rest of the night away.
Which she did: “A group of about 25 of us were up to watch the sunrise,” she says. “It was another truly unforgettable moment.
Considering the early morning end, the couple wisely decided against a brunch the next day. Instead, they invited everyone to a low-key beach party in the afternoon, held in an ancient cave at Lido Santo Stefano. For her final farewell look, Jaime wore a vintage lace Dolce & Gabbana dress with a matching white bathing suit.
Each guest left the weekend with a special, scented memento: Jaime, who has studied perfumery, made a custom fragrance inspired by the Puglian countryside. Named “Fiore Legna,” it opened with a burst of Sicilian bergamot and grapefruit before morphing into a luscious orange blossom supported by cedar and sandalwoods.
Looking back at it all, Jaime says she couldn’t imagine a more heartful weekend. “Being surrounded by that much love, our closest friends in such a magical environment, and getting to create this celebration as one giant installation—wow,” she says. “Next stop: vow renewal!”