The Bride and Groom Both Wore Custom Bode for Their Entire Wedding Weekend at a Tuscan Villa
Products are independently selected by our editors. We may earn an affiliate commission from links.
In 2019, Lauren Piscione had sworn off men and was planning a one-month “Eat, Pray, Love” trip to Peru. Meanwhile, Travis Garrett was complaining to his hometown friend Holly—who happened to be Lauren’s neighbor—that she never set him up with anyone. Travis shares, “The next day she said, ‘I can’t believe I didn’t think of this, but my neighbor is perfect!’” Just three days before Lauren’s trip, Holly arranged a double date with the pair, who ended up having another one-on-one date the night before her departure. “I found Lauren to be extremely interesting and not like any girl I had dated prior,” says Travis. “I had to manage my expectations, but was pleasantly surprised when she texted me from the deep jungles of Peru that she would like to spend NYE together.” Lauren jokes, “I made Travis in a petri dish with my shamans in Peru. I saw him in my visions as my husband and the father of my children and, well, that didn't seem to scare him away.” The pair texted throughout her entire trip—and they’ve been inseparable ever since her return to Los Angeles.
Since Lauren is an interior designer with a strong sense of style, Travis knew her engagement ring “had to be something special.” He first spoke with some of her friends about what she might like, but ended up with too much feedback that left him even more lost than before. The groom-to-be knew that ultimately Lauren would be happiest designing her own ring. “An idea came to me one night when we were at a group sound-bath ceremony that I should start with the building blocks of what a ring is—gold and a diamond,” Travis says. “I decided to procure the stone and a bar of gold. We would melt down the gold and create something together so that she could be fully a part of the design process.” From there, Lauren worked with Jean Prounis to design her dream ring.
When it came to the proposal, Travis wanted it to be a total surprise. So, he decided to do it on a date night out at the Beverly Hills Hotel that Lauren organized during the holidays. “She would never have expected it on a night that she had planned,” says Travis. Since the couple’s dogs are a huge part of their lives, Travis arranged for photos of their pups to be on the table along with Lauren's favorite drinks when they arrived at the Polo Lounge. “At that point, I think she knew something was up,” he says. “I don’t think the waiter got the memo as he was hanging around the table a bit too long as I was trying to get on a knee and fumble through my pockets. I nearly fell out of the booth onto the floor to get to the proposal. I eventually got there, and she said, ‘Yes.’” The couple celebrated the rest of the evening with friends at Sunset Tower.
Lauren and Travis began planning to host 80 of their nearest and dearest for a weekend filled with celebrations at Villa Cozzano in Tuscany. “The whole point of having our wedding in Italy is to feel like you’re in your nonna’s backyard—to see the beautiful ripe ingredients strewn about the tables, to eat authentic, cozy comfortable Italian meals, to have an abundance of wine, and just savor the rich local ingredients of what’s available nearby,” says Lauren, who also is a former event planner. Travis adds, “I was definitely more supporting cast on the planning aspect. Lauren had a vision and I’ve learned quickly her design palate may be more sophisticated than mine.”
The bride admits that finding local wedding vendors that could fit her target aesthetic proved harder than she expected. “It can be oddly difficult to find partners in the wedding industry that understand the simplicity—that everything did not need to be so perfect,” she says. That’s why she brought on Daniel Soares from Alimentari Flâneur. “Daniel has built an entire business around highlighting the beauty of the undoneness and simplicity of the Italian lifestyle—as he says cucina povera,” explains Lauren. “He is a true artist and completely understood exactly what I wanted without having to say a word. While I did not have a traditional wedding planner, having Daniel as my partner on this project made this process for me so much easier and of course so much more fun.”
Lauren says the in-house staff at Villa Cozzano was also integral to bringing her vision to life. “The entire team at Villa Cozzano was so hands-on and truly understood me,” she says. “I remember the first time I visited the venue and met the team, I was surprised to find a young, incredibly good-looking group of people running this incredible place. Sometimes youth is paired with the idea of inexperience, but they were complete masters in understanding modern hospitality.”
Another major collaborator on the look of the wedding was Emily Adams Bode Aujla, founder of her eponymous fashion brand Bode. The bride and groom’s entire wedding weekend wardrobe was created by the designer. Lauren knew she didn’t want to dress like a traditional bride, but still went to some local ateliers to try on a few silhouettes. “It wasn’t until I was in the Bode store shopping for a dress to wear to a friend’s wedding that the ultimate pipe dream popped into my mind,” says the bride. “As a longtime shopper of the brand, I realized that I always feel my absolute best when I am wearing Bode. Everything about the brand resonates so deeply with me. It’s an unwavering appreciation for old things and how old things were made; it’s storytelling at the forefront of everything; it’s the way something can be so simple but the fabric is so unique; it's the way that it toes the line of masculinity and femininity and the way something sparkly can still feel edgy.”
For their Friday night shabbat dinner, Lauren decided not to wear white. “When I saw this dress in the shop, I knew it was perfect—a long, flowy black tulle dress with intricately embroidered daisies scattered throughout. Despite the dress being black, it still felt light and ethereal with its sheer elements and plunging neckline,” she says. She paired it with Prounis earrings, a long wavy braid, and a Bode bag that featured the designer’s dog on it—who happened to be the same breed as one of the couple’s pets. “I was missing my pups so much, so it was fun to get to carry our dog ‘Grandpa’ around with me that night,” shares Lauren. Travis donned green that evening in a Bode embroidered button-down and trousers, paired with black leather house shoes from the brand. “I didn’t think I’d be in the shoes they put me in, but they quickly became my favorite that I rock daily,” he says.
Lauren describes her ceremony gown as “the dress of her dreams.” The design featured a straight neckline, a low back, fine pleating, and intricate embroidery throughout. “I wanted something I could move in and not feel self-conscious or have to think about how I need to be standing all night to look my best,” says Lauren. “The silhouette felt simple, classic, and something truly me.” Another unique detail? “The Bode team sourced one-of-a-kind 1920-inspired sequin geometric straps that added the slightest bit of sparkle,” says the bride. “I opted to forgo a necklace and let the straps do all the talking.” She paired the dress with an embroidered veil that “reminded me of wearing a silk scarf around my head on vacation.” Lauren adds, “The only reason I ever took it off was because I was so excited after the ceremony to put my hair into this delicate bow that feels like such a Bode signature at this point.” Later in the night, she would swap her outfit entirely for a 1930s-inspired sequined bra paired with a tulle full skirt. “My after-party look is one of my most favorite things I have ever worn in my entire life and yet something I would have never ever imagined I would wear,” she shares. She paired the ensemble with satin peep-toe flats from Le Monde Béryl.
For his wedding day attire, Travis wore a custom, chocolate-brown suit constructed with fabric from the ’70s. “A big surprise was the custom embroidery in the jacket with mine and Lauren’s initials that I didn’t notice until I put the suit on Saturday evening,” says the groom. He also wore an ivory button-down with French cuffs. As a final touch, Bode sourced vintage cufflinks with the letter “L” on them as a nod to Lauren’s initial.
On the day Lauren and Travis would say “I do,” guests convened outdoors beneath pine trees overlooking the Tuscan hillsides. “Something that I often said during the wedding design process was that I didn’t want anything to ‘feel like a wedding,’ so when it came to designing the ceremony that would be kind of an interesting feat,” says the bride. “Laura Hurst, my florist, did such an incredible job of making the space feel really natural, comfortable, and not intimidating in any way. The chairs were kind of strewn about in a somewhat organic organization creating a slightly off-centered winding aisle.” Music was also an important part of the ceremony. “Travis and I both selected songs that would make ourselves feel good and confident as we walked down what we thought would be a very intimidating aisle,” says the bride. Travis walked out to “Int’l Players Anthem” by UGK featuring Outkast, while Lauren processed to “She’s a Rainbow” by The Rolling Stones.
The pair’s best friends Hannah and Micah served as officiants, with Micah as the “rabbi adjacent” and Hannah doing most of the talking. “Hannah told the story of how we met, poking fun at how different Trav and I were when we met and how ridiculously similar we have become together,” remembers Lauren. “She even made a point to list out the plethora of names we have for our dogs. Our guests were laughing the whole time and so were we.” Travis also had a surprise in store. “Since our dogs Jennifer and Grandpa couldn’t be there, Hannah printed out life-size pictures of them on poster board so they could be in the chuppah with us during the ceremony,” he shares. After they were pronounced husband and wife, the newlyweds walked out to “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen.
After the ceremony, the couple took their friends’ advice to have a moment to themselves and drove out to take photos in the hills at sunset. “Before hopping in the car to drive out, Trav and I stopped to observe the party that was just getting started. It was so incredible to see all of our favorite people in one place,” says Lauren.
Looking back on the day, Travis reflects, “It was all worth it.” Adds Lauren, “Everything about the weekend was just absolutely perfect and it felt just as we had hoped for—like a homey backyard hang with all of our favorite people, eating all of our favorite foods, and dancing to our favorite music.”
Photo: Abigail Lewis Photography1/73Our invitation suite set the tone for the weekend. I wanted something that felt whimsical and light—Samantha from Design Studio Samantha nailed the assignment and perfectly doodled the centuries-old villa where we would host our weekend events.
Photo: Abigail Lewis Photography2/73All hail Jessica Berrulier! I was so concerned about hair and makeup going into my wedding. Jessica understood me perfectly. Night one, she gave me the most perfect undone braid, highlighting the sheer backing of my Bode dress.
Photo: Abigail Lewis Photography3/73I worked closely with Daniel and his team at Alimentari Flâneur to create menus that evoked the charm of an authentic Italian restaurant. For our wedding night dinner, I wanted something that felt elegant yet rustic, perfectly complementing the ambiance of dining al fresco outside a 500-year-old villa.
Photo: Abigail Lewis Photography4/73I knew I didn't want to wear white to our Friday night shabbat dinner. With its delicate daisy appliqués and airy tulle, this Bode dress was the perfect dress to welcome our guests to Italy.
Photo: Abigail Lewis Photography5/73I absolutely loved Trav’s look for Friday night—it was such an unexpected choice for him to wear a beaded shirt, but he pulled it off effortlessly. With his one-of-a-kind mint trousers and embellished shirt—both from Bode—he looked so cool that he nearly upstaged me!
