In case you haven’t already heard, Giacomo Gianniotti (aka dreamy Dr. Deluca on Grey’s Anatomy) recently tied the knot to the beautiful Nichole Gustafson in an intimate ceremony at Villa Pocci in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Today, we’re walking you through every can’t-miss moment of their special day planned by Sanda Pandza Events. Prepare to be blown away by their romantic ceremony covered in enchanting mauve and blush blooms from Andrea Patrizi. Check out the full gallery of images by Linas Dambrauskas and keep on reading for an interview with Mrs. Gianniotti herself!
Tell us a bit about your love story! How did you two meet?
So I’m a makeup artist. We met on a photoshoot in Beverly Hills. I was hired to do Giacomo’s hair and makeup for an Italian magazine. They were featuring him. I was the only American on this shoot, it was all Italians and ME, I didn’t know anything about Giacomo, just that he was on some TV show called Greys Anatomy. I had never even seen the show. There was this instant chemistry on set tho. But, he waited for a month to actually ask me out! I mean the rest is history. He took me on one romantic date after the next. We both knew on our first date it was something truly special. We just fell completely in love and it has been such a beautiful love story.
What was your inspiration for the wedding design?
Rustic Italian with elegance. Romance way key. I just wanted it to feel warm and very romantic. It was a bit of rustic, modern, classic Italian, elegance? Is that even a thing? I just wanted lot’s of flowers and beautiful lighting. And boy, did I get that! Our floral designer Andrea Patrizi was a magician. I mean, he did more than I could have asked for. The ambiance was there. It was so romantic.
Why did you choose Villa Pocci as your wedding venue?
We chose that venue for the location. We really wanted an intimate setting. The lake (Castel Gandolfo) is so beautiful.
Tell us about the dress!
THE DRESS! It was a custom, one of a kind, Netta Benshabu gown. It was everything I wanted. It was so romantic and elegant, but hugged my curves, as the shape was a mermaid silhouette. I just love off the shoulder dresses. The lace was so detailed. I felt so beautiful in it. Giacomo loved it.
We love that you did your own makeup for the Big Day, you looked gorgeous! Describe your bridal makeup look.
My look was more emphasizing my eyes. I did a smokey brown eye using warm tones to bring out my light eyes. I went for a soft rose tone on my lips. I used Armani Beauty and Beauty Counter products.
Nichole, with your incredible background in the beauty industry, do you have any tips or products you love for bride’s who are prepping for their big day now (skin, choosing your makeup direction, getting that glow)?
I would definitely suggest getting a facial a few weeks before. Hydrating a lot and not fussing with your skin too much before the big day. Everyone is different. But, my skin is sensitive, so I didn’t want to stray too far off from my normal routine. Decide beforehand what your look will be. I think it’s best to choose one focal point. So, if you are going with a bold lip, choose softer eyes. And vice versa. If you’re going with a bold smokey eye, go with a more subtle lip. I also think it’s best to not over do it and not look like yourself. Ultimately, find what makes you feel the most beautiful. Even if that means very simple and minimal and that’s true to you. Getting that glow comes from happiness! Haha It really does tho. But, highlighters help too! ;)
What was the most important aspect of the wedding day to you as a couple?
The most important aspect to us were our vows and that people walked away feeling the love between us. Often times we’ve both gone to weddings in the past and just felt that the love didn’t shine through. We didn’t want our guests to leave that way. Music was huge part of that for us. We had music playing the entire time. It was a soundtrack to our love. I think people really felt that too.
Walk us through the floral design, the arrangements were absolutely breathtaking!
Oh gosh! Yes! My floral designer is one of the best in Italy. His name is Andrea Patrizi. I really owe all that credit to him. I sent some Pinterest photos. But, he delivered on a way bigger scale than I could have even asked for. The ceremony flowers were insane. The arch and just everywhere you looked there were huge floral arrangements. My colors were whites, with soft blushes and mauves. Lot’s of greenery. All the guests just kept talking about all the flowers.
Favorite moments from the day?
My favorite moments were: Our vows. The speeches our friends gave. There were not many dry eyes in the room. Our friends said some of the most beautiful words we’ve ever heard. My husbands little sister (19 years) surprised us with a song. It was by Daniel Cesar and H. E. R. Called Best Part. She had the dining room giving her a standing ovation, she blew us away and that’s one of my favorite songs. We kissed before we were supposed to haha. We were confused and kissed before we had even exchanged rings. It was really funny. So we actually got to kiss twice, everyone was laughing. And toward the end of the night… I started Dj’ing and Giacomo got behind the bar and started doing his old flair bartending tricks. It was like out of cocktails. It was a blast! Our wedding planner surprised us on our first dance. Red flower petals fell from the sky, we were totally surprised and the videos show it. It was so cute and the guests loved it.
Did you incorporate any traditional Italian elements to your wedding day?
Yes, very much so with the food. Our guests couldn’t stop asking us what the cake was. It was a mille foglie cake. Which means a thousand leaves. It has many layers. Very popular in Italy. It’s delicious. We gave bomboniere’s to our guests. Traditional confetti (candy coated almonds) with a bottle of wine from the region. Wine and prosecco were flowing all night for sure. We had a guy walking around making fresh cannoli’s and another station where they were making fresh mozarella. It was very Italian. A cigar bar as well. And of course driving off in a classic car.
What was the most challenging aspect of planning a destination wedding? Any advice to future brides looking to do the same?
It was challenging at times. And that was with having an incredible wedding planner (Sanda Pandza Events). But, ultimately we still have to sign off on everything and so that means lot’s of emails. I tried to not bother Giacomo too much with stuff unless I needed to. He has long hours on set. So, I always tried to keep it minimal for him. We both decided together the whole look of the wedding tho. We have similar tastes, so that always makes it so easy. We are great collaborators together. We value each others opinions.
ADVICE: get a wedding planner for destination weddings. And if you can’t afford one, start way earlier with your planning. It takes time!
What were your food and cocktail choices?
Pasta. We had a lobster pasta that was to die for! A fish dish that I chose. Sea bass with a Limoncello sauce on top, that the guests loved. And the mille foglie cake of course was a hit. We had the signature bride and groom cocktails. A classic Margarita and Negroni. During the aperitivo hour there was lot’s of Aperol spritz flowing, prosecco and wine. We had 2 full bars all night as well with amazing cocktails.
Tell us about the honeymoon!
We went to the Philippines and Indonesia. It was pretty adventurous. That is very much true to who we are tho. We first went to El Nido and then Coron in the Philippines. We chose those places because of their beauty and because neither one of us had been there before. It did not disappoint! The Philippines is so beautiful. White sandy beaches and clear water. We wanted to be where it was warm. We snorkled a lot and saw some amazing coral reefs. The people were so kind. We would love to return and explore more. Our second stop was Bali. We stayed in Uluwatu and then Ubud. Bali was great! We stayed more in the jungle and it was a great experience. Went to the monkey forest and the temple at sunset. It was all so magical and so nice that we had time to take a few weeks off and just travel and live in the moment of being husband and wife. It was everything I think a honeymoon should be. Romanic private dinners watching the sunsets in the most beautiful places.
Were any Grey’s Anatomy cast members in attendance at the wedding?
I’ll never tell. Haha But I won’t. I like to keep peoples privacy. There were a few familiar faces at the wedding.
Tell us about your hair & makeup business! Was it hard to decide on your wedding hair and makeup since you’ve seen it all or just the opposite?
Ya know, I think I keep it pretty tame. I really look up to old school makeup artists. I prefer classic over “overdone” I am not really into the latest instagram trends. I hate that stuff. I like to make my clients into the best version of themselves. But, still keeping them looking like a version of themself. Personally, I love switching things up on myself tho. I am a gemini, we get bored ya know :) Sometimes I want to rock a bold red lip, or just keep it simple with some lashes, a nice liner and a soft nude on the lip. I decided on my wedding makeup and hair to feel like me. I kept my hair down because I hate my hair up. I wanted a classic bouncy wave in my hair (which was done by my amazing hair stylist in Italy named Sasa Sicilia from Sasalon) I paired it with beautiful statement earrings and a necklace. My gown was the standout. I didn’t want to over do it.
Both having successful careers, how did you two juggle your busy schedules on top of wedding planning?
It was tough. But we did it! And we made sure to have fun along the way. We had a longer engagement (1. 5 years) and that helped so much! I couldn’t have imagined planning it in one year. We needed that time. And also just to enjoy being engaged was so nice.
Nichole, what has been your favorite role of Giacomo’s thus far? Besides “husband” of course ;)
Dr. Deluca duh. And yes, for all the fans that ask me on the daily. I ship Merluca! I just learned what ship means btw.
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WEDDING PLANNER: SP Events by Sanda Pandza | Wedding Dress: Netta Benshabu | HAIR STYLIST: Sasalon | Wedding Venue: Villa Pocci | BACKSTAGE PHOTOGRAPHER: GIUSEPPE VOCI | COCKTAIL BAR: OFFSIDE EVENTS | FIREWORKS: LA PIROTECNICA | FLORAL DECOR: Andrea Patrizi | LIGHT DESIGN: MAMA EVENTS | MAKE UP ARTIST: Arianna Fares | MARQUEE: Paolini Allestimenti | OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER: Linas Dambrauskas | PARTY DJ: LEO ALESSANDRELLI | PHOTOBOOTH: Zin Gone At The Wedding | VIDEOMAKER: Matteo Castelluccia Videomaker
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