Yasmine Naghdi, the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in London, and Riccardo Ghezzi, director of a global private equity firm met in London, at the Mahiki club in Kensington, a classic love at first sight: “I immediately noticed Riccardo from across the room and as soon as we started talking I had a very special feeling about him. I was about to perform in ‘Swan Lake’ with the Royal Ballet at the Teatro Real in Madrid, then I was going to fly to Japan for a ballet in Tokyo. We wouldn’t see each other for a few weeks. Riccardo knew nothing about ballet and the first performance he saw was my debut as Gamzatti in ‘La Bayadere’ at the Royal Opera House,” says Yasmine. The proposal took place three years later, at the top of a tower of the wine estate belonging to the Rossi di Montelera family, near Florence. The newlyweds chose a wedding of understated elegance: “We stayed away from all the current trends and any excesses. We wanted the beauty of nature to speak,” continues the bride.
Yasmine chose two wedding dresses by Milla Nova, a Ukrainian brand founded by sisters Zoryana and Iryna Senshyn. For the main ceremony, the Prima Ballerina wore a long ivory strapless mikado satin dress with a long draped skirt that revealed the miniskirt at the front. The look was completed with Christian Louboutin “Loubi Queen” pumps and a vintage gold Alhambra necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels with a matching bracelet and diamond earrings. The bride discovered Milla Nova through an article published by Vogue UK and a CNN documentary. She was fascinated first and foremost by the brand’s human value and commitment to employees and their families who, during the ongoing conflict, were brought to safety across the western border in Warsaw. Furthermore, 95% of them are women with small children. So Yasmine immediately contacted the Senshyn sisters at their headquarters in the city of Lviv and commissioned two dresses from them. “I felt very classic in my dress with the slit and the mini skirt, which at the same time revealed something playful,” she said. For the cake cutting, she chose a strappy mini dress decorated with 3D flowers, a sweetheart neckline and a puffed mini skirt. She paired it with Christian Louboutin “Sandale du Desert” in crepe satin “Melancholia”. For the party, she wore customised white Converse with “Mrs Ghezzi” written on the laces and the wedding date printed on the back. The bouquet of white peonies was created by Italian designer Edi Rossello of Exo-Usia. The bride chose to do her own makeup, as she usually does her own makeup for performances at the Royal Opera House. Giorgio Armani Beauty foundation, with Laura Mercier translucent setting powder, NARS cream blush and powder in “Orgasm”. “I opted for a light coat of Dior Show waterproof mascara, to prevent any risk of panda eyes when the tears started to fall,” says Yasmine.
Among the many guests were many stars of dance, such as the director of the Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare and a select group of colleagues from the Royal Ballet, including the Argentine ballerina Marianela Nunez, the Spanish Prima Ballerina Laura Morera, Prima Ballerina Mayara Magri and Anna Rose O’Sullivan, the principal dancer Matthew Ball, Yasmine’s regular partner, as well as the dancers Reece Clarke, William Bracewell and Marcelino Sambé.
The ceremony took place on the Belvedere Terrace, a corner of the estate imbued with calm and poetry. Music obviously played a prominent role in the celebration. As the guests were invited to take their seats, the string quartet performed the Intermezzo from “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Pietro Mascagni. The four witnesses walked to “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve, the groom and his mother arrived to the tune of “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King, the bride’s mother and the groom’s father, with “O mio Babbino Caro” by Puccini, the groom’s two brothers and the bride’s sister were accompanied by “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. Yasmine was accompanied down the aisle by her father with “Canone” by Pachelbel. Finally, the newlyweds were showered with biodegradable heart-shaped confetti to the background of “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay. “The greatest emotion I felt was reading our wedding vows, which we both wrote during our pre-wedding honeymoon in Kenya,” explains Yasmine.
The cocktail party took place by the pool, surrounded by the priceless nature of the estate, almost suspended between heaven and earth. As the sun set, the celebrations moved to the Il Cristallo room, lit up with a candle installation. Yasmine and Riccardo opened the dance by dancing to the notes of “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli, their favorite song, and the party continued until the early hours of the morning.
Published by: Vogue Italia – British Vogue – Harper’s Bazaar
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