Welcome to Who What Wear Weddings, the destination for style-minded weddings. Expect insightful tips straight from the newlyweds, shoppable elements, and plenty of must-save imagery as we share the nuptials of our favorite fashion people getting married. For upcoming features, share your submissions here.
Blaize and Daniel Vitas are living proof that you still can meet people the old-fashioned way—in the wild at a bar. The two crossed paths in New York in 2017 during casual after-work drinks with friends. While their initial interaction was brief, Blaize was intrigued enough to make the first move. “Newly working for my family’s bespoke menswear brand, David August, I casually offered Danny my number in case he wanted some ‘better shirts’. Sure enough, at 9 AM the next morning I got a text from Danny to make plans. After some witty banter, we set a date and time to meet for drinks, which was followed by a text from Danny saying ‘BTW…I don’t need any shirts, it’s a date.’ Well, the joke is on Danny because 6+ years later he owns a lot of David August shirts,” shares Blaize.
Within just a few months of dating, travel quickly became an integral part of the couple’s lives as they would frequently fly together to London for Daniel’s work. A few trips across the pond eventually turned into a habit and eventually, Blaize and Daniel moved to London for good after a decade of living in New York. “We quickly fell in love with our life here and knew this was where we wanted to continue to build our lives,” says Blaize. Blaize is the founder and designer of the designer womenswear RTW brand Blaize Caprice. Her move to London also meant relocating her headquarters to London while also keeping an office in California. “On our first trip after moving to London, Danny surprised me with a trip to Marrakech where he proposed. I had been dreaming of going to Morocco for as long as I can remember because my grandma was born and raised in Casablanca. We stayed at La Mamounia and to this day it is still one of my favorite trips I have ever been on,” reminisces Blaize.
Fast forward to the wedding planning and naturally, the couple had only a destination wedding in mind. “We assumed that we would get married in France because that’s where my mom and that side of my family are from. We were struggling to find a venue and really felt very strongly about having everyone stay on the property. After we happened to book our first weekend escape to the English Countryside at Heckfield Place we immediately knew we had found our venue. Aside from the obvious wins of perfectly accommodating our guest list and having zero curfew, we loved the idea of bringing our closest friends and family to our new home in the UK to celebrate with us and enjoy a perfect weekend in the English Countryside,” says Blaize. The rest of the weekend was filled with customized everything from Blaize’s dresses to individually illustrated place cards of the guests to welcome baskets and more.
“To kick off celebrations in London on Thursday, we hosted an intimate dinner with just our wedding party in the private Flower Room at Annabel’s. For dinner, we arranged for our go-to date night menu from one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Mayfair, Matteo’s, to be served.”
“I wore an ivory off-shoulder mini dress from my newest Blaize Caprice collection with gold sequin Renee Caovilla Cleo Sandals and the Valentino Locò bag in honor of my new surname initial, ‘V’ for Vitas. Danny wore a fully bespoke David August look—ivory pants, an ivory cotton linen dinner jacket, and gold Loro Piana Open Walk loafers.”
“The menu included fried courgette flowers, spaghetti vongole, scarpariello and tiramisu (made in huge pans each fit to serve 8 people!). After dinner, guests continued down to the Jungle Bar for drinks and dancing.”
Blaize Caprice
Jasmine Dress
Rene Caovilla
Cleo Sandals
“On Friday, all our guests arrived at our favorite home-away-from-home in the English Countryside, Heckfield Place. Everyone checked into their rooms to find welcome gifts in wicker picnic baskets including custom branded sweatshirts, Cartwright & Butler tea and shortbread cookies, an emergency kit inclusive of Liquid IV packets, Patchology under-eye masks, no-crease hair clips, and a tiny hair brush (everyone who knows me knows I always have one in my bag!) as well as welcome packets including a welcome note, custom illustrated property map, itinerary, and a movie ticket for the Sunday movie screening of ‘Wedding Crashers’ in Heckfield’s Private Cinema.”
“I wore a Stella McCartney ivory set with Magda Butrym shoes and my Valentino Locò bag in honor of my new last name, ‘V’ for Vitas.”
“Most of our guests traveled from far away to spend this weekend with us, so we wanted to give them the warmest welcome. After check-in, we greeted our friends and family over traditional tea and cake in the parlor.”
WWW Weddings tip: “I strongly believe that the smallest details make all the difference in the energy surrounding an event and this starts from the moment you receive the wedding invitation. I know today a lot of people don’t see the value investing budget into their invites, but for me I always feel the moment you open a truly special invitation you set the tone for the entire event. You start to build the excitement.”
“We had our hearts set on creating a truly unique wedding invitation and I loved the idea of a pop-up invite. We commissioned a custom pop-up illustration of Heckfield by Cutture here in London to create our dream invites that put a smile on our guests faces the moment they received them.”
“Friday evening, our guests joined us for welcome cocktails in Heckfield’s Walled Gardens, followed by dinner under the stars. The small details throughout the weekend were extremely important to us. We made use of tealights to mimic the starry night in the grass. This coincided with the ceiling of our Raj-style tent adorned with gold stars and lanterns. Heckfield Place has a truly talented on-site florist, April Rose, who uses flowers from the Heckfield Home Farm. We really wanted to showcase April’s talent in the Friday florals and together chose a mix of chocolate and white arrangements in wicker baskets of varying sizes to create a perfect summer evening ambiance.”
“At the table, guests found their seats by discovering their names beautifully calligraphed beneath custom hand-drawn portraits of their faces, which I had commissioned. The tablescape was mostly Maison Margaux with perfectly mismatched green hues accompanied by cordless table lamps.”
WWW Weddings tip: “While it certainly may require an additional investment of time and meticulous planning, all of the small details in the end make the greatest impact on the day. This includes any personalizations or special surprises that aren’t necessarily personalized to you as the bride and groom, but to your guests who you are grateful for having come all this way to celebrate you. For example, Friday night guests found their seats by discovering custom portraits I had commissioned with their names calligraphed below their faces. I found an amazing artist on Etsy to commission the portraits and honestly, I think the project took me the entire year to manage. At one point, I was having him take the hair from this photo or the smile from that photo because I wanted him to get their likeness just right. The moment our guests discovered their faces at the welcome dinner it set the tone for the entire evening and everyone was so pleasantly surprised by the personalized touch. On Saturday, we embroidered their names on their napkins to take away with them as a fun keepsake.”
“I wore a one-of-a-kind George Hobeika sheer mid-length dress with gold appliqués styled with gold sequin Renee Caovilla Cleo Sandals. I also wore a pair of unbelievable multi-colored diamond earrings from our dear family friend Martin Katz. He makes the most spectacular jewelry and those earrings looked like they were actually made for my dress! Danny wore a fully bespoke David August look—a brown window plaid sportcoat, ivory trousers, and chocolate brown Loro Piana Open Walk Loafers.”
“The energy on Friday night was electric thanks to the moody lighting and incredible music from Your Dream Band. We chose an acoustic guitarist, drums, and DJ to really set the vibe. After we finished dinner and all retreated back to the main house, I assumed everyone would call it a night but the energy was so high we all continued the night in Heckfield’s Moon Bar until 4 AM.”
“I really wanted a slow wedding morning, so my friends and I met in Heckfield’s Bothy Spa for a sauna before having a big breakfast. I am blessed to have many close friends and my biggest struggle in planning for the wedding day was wanting everyone to have the opportunity to have their hair and makeup done without being forced to wake up early or lose their whole day. I ended up telling everyone to come and go as they liked but be sure to be there for their hair and makeup.”
“It was so nice having all of my friends as well as my mom, mother-in-law, and two sisters with me while we got ready. The music and laughter filled the room with the happiest energy and I could not have asked for a better way to spend the day. I wore white Sleeper feather pajamas and hotel slippers the entire day.”
“My two best friends helped me get into my dress—tying the internal corset in my dress was no easy feat! They each flew into London a few days before the wedding and came to my final wedding dress fitting. We thought it would be a quick try-on then off to brunch but it turned out to be a 1-hour lesson on how to lace me into my corset. I couldn’t stop laughing at their level of concentration and having the two of them there to help me into my dress on my wedding day is one of my most special memories of the weekend. “
“For my wedding dress, I chose a bespoke Dutchess Satin Gown by a London-based bridal designer, Phillipa Lepley Couture. With my background in bespoke menswear, and being a designer myself, I adored Phillipa’s atelier in Chelsea and the concept of having a gown designed specifically for my figure.”
“The entire process, which included nearly a dozen fittings, was an experience I will cherish forever. I fell in love with the cathedral-length train but really wanted the option to stay in my wedding dress as long as possible without compromising the look with a bustle. For this reason, we decided to make the overskirt detachable so I could wear it for the ceremony and cocktail hour then remove it before we started dinner when I wanted to feel more mobile.”
“I paired the dress with classic Jimmy Choo satin pumps and a lace-trimmed cathedral-length veil from Monvieve. For jewelry, I wore a beautiful diamond tennis necklace as my ‘something borrowed’ from my step-mom whom I am very close with. This was both sentimental to me and completed my look perfectly.”
“Danny and his groomsmen wore bespoke David August Couture black tuxedos. As a special touch, my dad had the inside collar of Danny’s tuxedo shirt embroidered with our wedding date.”
The couple before the ceremony.
“When I began building my wedding moodboards, I fell in love with all of the florals by Larry Walshe and it felt like it was meant to be when we were able to work with him. “
“We really wanted the vibe of the day to be full of color and enthusiasm, not wanting anything to feel too traditional. For the ceremony, we chose purple and pink florals artistically arranged in rolling mounds along the steps and fountain with four beautiful urns at the end of the aisle.”
“I’m a crier, and so I really wanted the ceremony music, and especially the song I walk down to, to be really happy and upbeat. As a 90s baby, I chose to walk down the aisle to the string quartet rendition of ‘Kiss Me’ which puts a smile on my face each time I hear it.”
“Danny and I asked our best friend Ben to be our officiant which was the best decision we could have made. We really wanted someone who not only knows us as a couple, but is a friend that feels like family to be up there with us. It was the most perfect intimate ceremony. Danny and I wrote our own vows and, as expected, I sobbed reading mine. As if right on cue, Danny nodded to Ben signaling the need for a tissue they had ready for me. I couldn’t stop laughing because they both know me so well and it made me feel so safe and loved.”
“Despite England being known for its grey weather, we couldn’t have been luckier with a beautiful, sunny day.”
WWW Weddings tip: “Always prioritize ambiance and vibe over ‘Instagramability’. The more fun people have, the better the memories and it will show in your photos.”
“Heckfield is such a beautiful venue and we wanted to make use of all the spaces it has to offer. The front of the house is so iconic and we decided it was the perfect backdrop for our cocktail hour. During cocktails, the sun was shining against the main house’s red brick facade, and it was the perfect place to convene post-ceremony.”
“My bridesmaids chose perfectly mismatched colorful floral dresses to embody the charm of the English Countryside.”
The bride with her family.
“We made our dinner entrance to our favorite song, ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, and the entire room erupted. It was such an incredible and rewarding feeling seeing the months of thoughtful planning come together in that room. The florals and tablescapes were spectacular and truly exceeded our expectations.”
“Alice and I’s vision was to create an evolution of the florals throughout the night. As guests traveled inside the house, the arrangements changed to sunset tones to match the warm interiors of the house. At the entrance to our wedding dinner in the Marle, guests found their names on custom laser-cut envelopes on a 12-foot sideboard with cascading florals. The cascading arrangements in the entry were on my wedding mood board since day 1 and something we built the rest of the dinner florals around.”
The couple at the reception.
“The tables were named for the cities meaningful to us, New York City (where we met and fell in love), Marrakech (where we got engaged), and London (our new home and where we chose to get married and start our family). For the table plan, guests found their seats by discovering their names embroidered on personalized linen napkins.”
“Something a bit atypical in the US, we chose to separate the party and dancing from the dinner. Clearly, our guests had other plans—the energy in the room was so high that a spontaneous dance party broke out between courses. The managers even asked me if they should cancel the main course and migrate everyone to the party room. To manage the situation, Danny had to get on the microphone to let people know we still had our mains and 2 speeches left! After dinner finished, exuberance was still high, and everyone relocated to the after-party by way of a dancing conga line.”
“After dinner, we transitioned everyone down to the “club”. When we first visited Heckfield, we knew we wanted to completely transform the downstairs card room and assembly room. Alice executed our vision perfectly, lining the walls with rust-colored velvet drapery and creating the ultimate marble checkerboard dance floor with a 50-disco ball installation above it.”
WWW Weddings tip: “When it comes to party planning, I think the best advice I can give anyone is to always keep your guests guessing. You never want them to be able to “look behind the curtain” or be waiting around, anticipating what is next.”
“Danny, an avid espresso connoisseur, had one simple request throughout wedding planning: to have a dedicated station to get a double espresso and, of course, espresso martinis. As for me, my love for desserts led me to choose not one, but two wedding cakes. The first was a traditional 3-tier, all-white cake with modern fondant floral details and our initials. The real showstopper though was the meter-wide raspberry pistachio cake covered in fresh raspberries created by pastry chef Skye Gyngell. The dessert bar also included a meringue tower from cult-favorite London bakery Ottolenghi.”
“For the after party, I slipped into a custom Blaize Caprice lace and crystal mini halter dress which served as a preview to my upcoming bridal capsule collection. It was the perfect dress, so comfortable, and I felt ready to dance as it sparkled brilliantly under the disco ball installation above the dancefloor!”
WWW Weddings tip: “Go with the flow, don’t be afraid to do away with traditions that don’t suit you, and make game-time decisions that are additive to the enjoyment of your day. For example, we actually decided to call off our first dance at the end of dinner. Our amazing planner Alice was certainly surprised but understood that we just wanted to keep up the energy of the evening. We ended up having the most perfect impromptu ‘first dance’, dressed in our party looks, as our friends cleared the dance floor for us.”
“At the party, we had incredible music from Paris-based band Your Dream Band followed by DJ Sergio who we flew in from Athens and played until 4am.
On the Sunday after the wedding, we put together the ultimate wedding recovery day. Everyone took the opportunity to detoxify at the spa, the perfect remedy for any lingering hangovers. In the afternoon, we hosted a traditional English Sunday Roast in the Hearth followed by a private movie screening of Wedding Crashers in the on-site cinema. In addition to the selection of popcorn and candy, it was the perfect setting to enjoy what remained of our wedding cake!”
Wedding Planner: @alicewilkes_designMakeup: @makeupbyhelenrose_
Hair: @willisgalbraithhair
Thursday Florals: @Bloominghaus
Friday Florals: @April_rose_flowers
Saturday Florals: @larrywalshe
Tableware: @MaisonMargaux
Music: @YourDreamBand
DJ: @sergio__dj
Thursday Photography: @milianeyes
Weekend Photography: @barkerevans
Videography: @eachandeverymoment
Wedding Location: Heckfield Place
