Nathalie Love’s Wedding on a Tiny Island Off the Coast of Maine

“I had just dropped out of college in Vermont when we met,” says Los Angeles–based actress Nathalie Love of her first encounter with director and producer Daniel Pappas. “I was at Bennington College at the time and just packed up and left. I took the train from Albany to New York City. I didn’t tell anyone—not even my parents—and I stayed with my best friend, Dylan, in her New School dorm room. She was dating a guy, Aaron Bobrow, at the time, who was Dan’s best friend. Ultimately, we were introduced at Dylan’s birthday party. We talked all night and then I went back home to Los Angeles, and I applied to school in New York. Dan waited for me, and I moved back six months later. That was 11 years ago.” The two dated for a decade. “It felt like forever, but I think the timing was perfect,” admits Nathalie. “We were able to grow up together.”

The proposal came on the eve of Nathalie’s birthday at her father’s house in Maine. “Everyone else had gone to bed, but Dan and I stayed up talking by the fire and drinking wine. When we finally decided to turn in, he went to get a glass of water, which annoyed me—he drinks more water than anyone I know! So, I turned off the light and rolled over on my side in a huff. When he came back, he put his arms around me and then slid the ring on my finger. I started laughing and kept saying, ‘You tricked me!’ I had felt like he was going to do it for the past few months, so every sunset walk or weekend trip, and even earlier that day, I was suspicious. But this moment came as a total surprise.”

Dan worked with jewelry designer Liseanne Frankfurt to create a custom ring. “His beautiful mother, Trish, had died a few years earlier, and they used the diamonds from her ring, along with a diamond band given to my mother by my father on the day I was born,” says Nathalie. “They took all the stones and added a few extra to create the most incredibly meaningful ring that brought together both of our families.” It also turned out to be Nathalie’s “something old.”

Newly engaged and on an island with no service, they stayed up all night. “We were too excited to sleep so we spent the next few hours trying not to wake everyone in the house and walked through the woods in an attempt to get a signal so we could call my mother and our friends,” says Nathalie.

A year later, the two were married on the very same island where they got engaged. “It’s the island I grew up going to every summer,” says Nathalie. “My father lives there, and it’s the only place I ever imagined getting married. There’s an old joke in Maine that goes: ‘You can’t get there from here,’ ” says Nathalie. “Well, people did.”

An army of friends was quickly enlisted to help plan all of the wedding festivities. Hank Tomashevski cooked, Joseph Free did flowers, David Rodgers produced, and Allia Alliata and Cameron Bird were the family fixers. “My mother, Lisa Love [Vogue’s West Coast Editor], was the curator of it all, though,” says Nathalie. “She was our MVP. She did everything, as usual, and it was perfect.”

Events kicked off on Friday night with a Greek-themed clambake—to honor Dan’s heritage—instead of a traditional rehearsal dinner. Nathalie wore a jumpsuit custom-made for her by Dylan Kawahara of Edun. “It was an amazing white pique suit perfect for dancing to ‘Zorba the Greek’ performed by my god brother Charlie Klarsfeld,” says Nathalie, laughing. Soft-shell lobsters were served, poems were read, and toasts were given by family and friends. “Dan’s sister stole the show, though,” says Nathalie. “She said she thought that Dan would never find a girl, but then she met me—and she knew.” After the speeches were over, the yacht club turned into a dance party. “I had to be dragged out by my mother at 11:58 p.m. on the dot in order to strictly follow the not-seeing-the-groom-past-midnight tradition,” says Nathalie. “I barely kissed Dan good night—so sad Cinderella went home while her friends danced the night away.”

The next day, the bride stepped into her Rodarte wedding gown to walk down the aisle. “I always knew I wanted to wear a wedding dress designed by them,” says Nathalie. “They are friends, based in L.A., and some of the most inspiring women I know. And, it was all kind of fate—the day after my engagement, my mother was at the Rodarte show at New York Fashion Week, and Anna Wintour turned to her and said, ‘I saw the dress Nathalie should wear for her wedding.’ That set everything into motion. The girls designed my perfect wedding dress using that look as the inspiration.” Shoe designer Francesco Russo met with Laura and Kate Mulleavy and made the bride beautiful gold metallic sandals to match. “I almost cried when I saw my initials and the little blue stone he put in the soles for my ‘something blue,’ ” says Nathalie. Liseanne, who not only created Nathalie’s engagement ring but also her blue sapphire wedding band, loaned her pearl and diamond earrings for her “something borrowed.”

The bride’s longtime friend Jamal Hammadi came from Los Angeles to do her hair, sew in her veil, and masterfully calm her nerves pre-ceremony. Meanwhile, New York–based Miguel Ramos handled her makeup. “I never wear foundation, so it was important to me to stay as natural as possible—taking hints from iconic French natural beauties,” explains Nathalie.

Scott Sternberg, formerly of Band of Outsiders, designed Dan’s suit with the help of tailor Martin Greenfield. “My mother also bought him Belgian loafers, which are practically a staple in Maine,” says Nathalie. The bride’s younger cousins, Melanie and Mariette, who also have spent countless summers on the island, served as flower girls, and Dan’s best friend’s children, Alice and Oliver, were flower pages. They all wore Bonpoint that the bride’s mother bought in Paris during Fashion Week. “When I was 12, I was in the only wedding I’ve ever been in,” says Nathalie. “It was the wedding of Marina Rust and Ian Connor at the very same church. It was wonderful for everything to come full circle and to have their daughter, Lara, in mine as a junior bridesmaid.” Lara and the bride’s sister, Laura Love, who served as the maid of honor, wore Tome. “They also wore gold Francesco Russo sandals, but I had them wear flats because they are much taller than I am,” says Nathalie, laughing.

Guests gathered at Christ Church, where the bride’s great-grandfather had been a founding trustee. Its medieval-Gothic architecture served as the perfect backdrop for the dress. “My father took my arm and we walked down to ‘Ave Maria,’ ” says Nathalie. “At that moment, I saw for the first time the trees, ivy, and flowers Joseph Free had filled the entire place with. It was as if he created an allée within the church for me to walk through. The windows were open and you could hear the birds singing.” Originally, the couple had wanted to get married in the woods, but the weather proved to be temperamental so they had to prepare for rain. “Joseph brought the outside in, and it was honestly the best of both worlds. It was magical. And it was made even more magical when the skies cleared and the sun came out and shined through the stained glass windows of the church.”

Barry Sanders, a good friend of the bride’s father, performed the nondenominational ceremony. “He was eloquent and brilliant, and covered a world of history and chose words that gave meaning to our love,” remembers Nathalie. Finally, the couple read their vows. “They weren’t really vows so much as expressions of our love,” notes Nathalie. “Promises can be broken, but words can’t be taken back. I thought I would cry, but I felt so strong in the moment—it was wonderful. Dan went first and actually cracked a few times.” They were pronounced husband and wife, kissed, and receded to Handel’s “Rejoicing.”

After the ceremony, guests reconvened at the wedding reception “rain option,” aka Marina and Ian’s house opposite the church, for cocktails. Dan’s friend Chris Candy played the trumpet call to arms. “My mother and father toasted and thanked Ian and Marina for hosting us and then invited everyone to follow them for dinner at my father’s house,” remembers Nathalie. “My dad’s house is the old ballroom from the island inn located just five minutes up the road. It was first built as a resort for the island summer community. It burned down in 1915 and was rebuilt in 1917, but due to years of disuse caused by the Great Depression and World War II, the inn was torn down—everything, that is, except for the dance hall. You can still find old inn silverware and china on the grounds. My father bought the ballroom in the ’80s. It’s basically just one big open room that used to host the dances, so to have it filled with people and dancing and music again was something I’d always dreamed of. It’s so much better than a tent! And with my mother’s impeccable taste and attention to detail, it was a dream come true. My father collects Audubon bird prints, and so instead of using table numbers, my mother assigned the guests to different Audubon bird tables. Candles lit the room, and Joseph covered the tables with purple clematis. We entered the ballroom and all of the candles were lit, and it was the most beautiful room I have ever seen.”

For dinner, Hank made the bride’s favorite corn chowder for the starter, which was followed by steak and a rack of lamb, summer vegetables, blueberry cobbler, and pot au chocolat. While most of the toasts had been given the night before, the groom’s brother gave a toast after the first course, and then the bride’s sister spoke after the main course. “I cried,” says Nathalie. “Dan then gave the final thank-yous and took my hand and asked me to dance to Teddy Pendergrass’s ‘Love T.K.O.’ performed by our great friends Chris Candy, Hanni El Khatib, and Itaru de la Vega.”

For the late-night portion of the evening, Nathalie changed into Proenza Schouler. “Jack [McCollough] and Lazaro [Hernandez] made me this epic white sequined dress,” she says. “I put up my hair and kicked off my shoes! I am a bit wild on the dance floor—and it was definitely the perfect dress to party the night away in.” DJ Ross One kept everyone out until 3:00 a.m. “After hours, some people ended up at our house, and some in the bay,” says Nathalie, laughing. “But Dan and I spent the night in the boat house—our honeymoon suite on the water—and it was magical.”