“It all felt so easy, so fast,” Alana Rosu remembers of her first date with Peter I. Vilkins II, on which they spent eight hours bouncing around his friends’ various Memorial Day Weekend gatherings. The following year, Pete proposed to Alana over Fourth of July Weekend. “I guess we like a holiday weekend,” laughs Alana, adding that Pete surprised her by having both of their families get together – for the first time – to celebrate with them. “I just felt complete,” she adds. 

Though Alana has led the planning for premieres, festivals, and screenings throughout her career, the reality of planning a wedding was unexpected. “Competition is higher, lead times are longer, decisions are harder… I thought I could do it all by myself with all my experience, but I’m so happy I didn’t and that I had a planner with me to get through everything!” she affirms of hiring Alexandra Rembac of Sterling Engagements, who she had worked with in the corporate world. 

When planning the nuptials, Alana collaborated with her planner, as well as her mother and best friend, to curate a modern, yet elegant aesthetic that reflected both her and Pete’s personalities. “Our vision was to bring our beautiful and playful spirit to life with edge and elegance. It was romantic, whimsical, and different!” the bride shares. The result was an aesthetic fusion of sophistication and approachability, and above all, an unforgettable experience for their guests.

Friends and family took their seats for the alfresco ceremony atop Ghost chairs facing a stone waterfall as a live harpist and violinist performed romantic versions of modern songs including “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift, “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey, and “Golden Hour” by JVKE. “I basically curated a list that brought me to tears while simultaneously giving me chills and bringing out the little girl in me who was marrying her Prince Charming,” Alana notes of her meaningful choices. 

Following her groom, an intimate wedding party, and their adorable niece and nephew down the aisle, Alana walked the mirrored runway to join Pete beneath an acrylic chuppah embellished with chic monochromatic white florals. “It was unique, unexpected, and undeniably breathtaking,” muses the bride of the décor. Pete’s best friend officiated the nonreligious ceremony that incorporated some Jewish traditions, such as the breaking of the glass.

“Our vision was to bring our beautiful and playful spirit to life with edge and elegance. It was romantic, whimsical, and different!”

Once Alana and Pete were pronounced husband and wife, guests walked across the pond to the indoor reception space bathed in natural light and showcasing exposed beams and a large fireplace that provided a warm, cozy ambience. Since the venue itself leans rustic in style, modern décor in a chic black-and-white color palette brought the edgy, cool feeling the pair desired, and wishbone chairs featuring natural woven seats beautifully tied everything together.

Round tables were strewn with stark-white linens and decorated with towering black candelabras adorned with whimsical arrangements of ivory roses, orchids, hydrangeas, and baby’s breath, while long, rectangular lacquer tables were dotted with rose-filled bud vases and “floating” candles in varying heights. 

Ebony flatware, midnight-rimmed charger plates, smoky fluted drinkware, and custom black-and-white circular menus – that not only highlighted each guest’s name, but also tailored notes from the couple sharing something special about them – completed the contemporary look and reflected the pair’s deep love and appreciation for their guests. 

Following the newlyweds’ first dance, a mother- son dance, a memorable father-daughter dance that began with the secret handshake Alana and her dad perfected when she was five years old, and a modern hora to “Wake Me Up” by Avicii, the bride changed into a party dress and sneakers to celebrate on the dance floor all night. The entertainment was “epic!” exclaims the groom of the custom mixes that blended his love for soul, R&B, and folk with his wife’s taste for trendier tunes. “Best DJ, best band, and best music selection possible. It was incredible,” he adds. 

Dancing with her husband, family, and best friends and “knowing that I was married to my favorite person,” Alana smiles, was the perfect way to end such an electric day personalized with purpose and intention. “Having all our family and closest friends celebrating together with us was the most special experience I could have imagined,” confirms Pete. “The entire weekend went perfectly and each aspect was impeccable.”

This real wedding was originally published in the Summer 2024 issue of Inside Weddings magazine. 

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