At once modern and rugged, elegant and understated, this intimate Amangiri elopement is proof that creating beautiful designs in the most remote places is always well worth it.
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Panarea Island, Sicily, Italy
dallas and andrew
multi day italian Island takeover wedding
Panarea is one of those rare places that feels entirely untouched by time. A small, car-free island off the coast of Sicily, it requires intention to reach — boats, transfers, coordination — but rewards you with cinematic beauty at every turn. For Dallas Thompson (The RealReal) and Andrew, founder of Headway, that sense of remove was exactly the point.
They didn’t want a traditional wedding weekend. They wanted an immersive, multi-day celebration that felt like a true island takeover — fashion-driven, experiential, and centered around bringing their closest friends into a shared adventure.
Welcome Night: A Study in Red
We opened the weekend on the iconic rooftop of Raya for sunset cocktails. The dress code was simple: red. Every guest arrived in head-to-toe red, transforming the island’s narrow pathways into a moving monochromatic scene as everyone made their way from rooftop cocktails to dinner at Bridge Sushi. On a tiny island like Panarea, that visual cohesion becomes powerful — you could see the celebration moving through town. It set the tone immediately: intentional, elevated, and slightly unexpected. The evening unfolded into a late-night sushi party that carried on well past midnight, establishing the rhythm of the weekend.
Day Two: Sea and White
The following day, we chartered a private yacht and spent hours island-hopping through the Aeolian inlets. Guests swam, lounged on coordinated floaties, and spent the afternoon under the Sicilian sun with wine and Aperol in hand. It was relaxed but curated — effortless in feeling, precise in execution.
That evening shifted entirely in palette and mood. The rehearsal dinner at Bridge Amare embraced an all-white dress code, echoing the restaurant’s clean architecture and its perch above the sea. Guests gathered for aperitivo directly on the sand at sunset before following a candlelit path to dinner overlooking the water. The contrast between red and white across the first two evenings was intentional — bold, graphic, and reflective of the couple’s love of fashion and visual storytelling.
Wedding Day: Movement, Music, and the Sea
The ceremony took place on the cliffside terrace of Hotel Chincotta, overlooking the turquoise horizon and the Isle Bianca — a small rock formation rising from the sea in the distance. The setting required little embellishment; the natural landscape did most of the work.
Rather than transition by shuttle, guests were guided by live musicians through the winding streets of Panarea to Lisca Bianca. The procession created a sense of collective movement — intimate, celebratory, and uniquely tied to the island’s scale.
At Lisca Bianca, we hosted a rooftop aperitivo accompanied by the New York–based band who had led the procession. Dinner and the reception followed on the terrace, framed by panoramic ocean views and candlelight. The atmosphere was distinctly Italian — long tables, layered courses, and a pace that encouraged conversation.
The evening concluded back at Raya, which we transformed entirely for the after-party concept: Once Upon a Time in Panarea. The space became an immersive, all-red nightclub inspired by a modern interpretation of a spaghetti western — saturated color, layered textures, and a late-night energy that carried through until nearly sunrise.
La Dolce Vita Finale
The final day brought a La Dolce Vita–inspired pool celebration at Raya Hotel. The mood was celebratory and sun-soaked — bold fashion, pizza, Aperol Spritz, and playful design details (including custom pasta-shaped floaties) that kept the tone light without sacrificing sophistication.
That evening, guests boarded boats once more — this time dressed in sparkles — to witness Stromboli erupting in the distance. Watching the volcano light up the night sky felt like a fitting conclusion: dramatic, cinematic, and distinctly Sicilian.
Producing a four-day celebration on a remote, car-free island like Panarea is far more than a matter of coordination. Every guest arrival, vendor transfer, equipment load-in, and venue transformation required layered planning across land and sea — often within tight access windows and limited infrastructure. We worked across multiple properties, redesigned spaces nightly, and managed a moving guest experience that flowed organically from rooftop to shoreline to open water.
The result was a celebration that felt effortless to attend — but was meticulously engineered behind the scenes. For us, that is the art of destination production: building an experience so immersive and seamless that the complexity disappears entirely, leaving only beauty, movement, and memory.
Photo: Pablo LaguiaDesign, styling and planning: Mae&Co CreativeFlorals: Noble Floral Covideo: RomaVera FilmsTextiles: Creusa StudioVenue: HOtel RayaPaper goods and signage: nonaked Design StudioLet us plan your dream day
One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
Aviator Nation Founder, Paige Mycoskie and Jess Martin’s
3 day music festival inspired wedding
When Paige Mycoskie, Founder of Aviator Nation and her longtime sweetheart Jess Martin approached us to plan their luxury three-day wedding in the One and Only in Mexico, they made it clear: they didn’t want a wedding — they wanted an experience, and they wanted to give their friends the best weekend of their lives.
Every moment of the three-day celebration centered around the couple’s unique love story, filled with layered aesthetics, major reveals, and deeply personal touches. From moody jungle speakeasies to late-night beach concerts, every event was custom-built with intention and we knew this was going to be an event to remember.
In the days leading up to the ceremony festivities kicked off with a sultry, immersive welcome party nestled deep in the trees. The vibe was sexy, moody, and unexpected—designed to feel like a hidden speakeasy in the cliff-side jungle. We brought in Moroccan-inspired lounge pockets, layered lighting and velvet textures, and infused the space with dramatic chandeliers and tropical plant life. Working with Aragon Artists, we brought in a full cast of immersive greeters and dancers in costume, and the night came alive with bongo drummers, dynamic aerialist performances, and a surprise jungle concert by Vandalux on a custom-built stage. Paige and Jess made their grand entrance wearing Prada, vintage Christian Dior and custom dresses with the top made entirely of stones, Swarovski crystals and beads. The brides dazzled guests as they shredded guitars to an iconic anthem - building on an atmosphere that felt transportive and totally unhinged in the best way possible.
The next day guests enjoyed a laid-back, sun-drenched beach club experience. Everything was branded, from the coconuts, to the custom-designed menus and signage to an airbrush station where guests personalized their own gear with custom logos and playful artwork that Paige, herself, chose.
Then as Paige and Jess made their majestic arrival on horseback for a beachfront rehearsal dinner, the evening evolved into a high-contrast Hollywood Glam Dinner on the beach. Paige and Jess wanted this night to feel stunning and unexpected – with white silk, crystals, gold details, and vintage chandeliers, all juxtaposed with the raw ocean backdrop. This rehearsal dinner was anything but ordinary, as guests wove through fire dancers to enjoy custom cocktails and crystal readings from a certified shaman. Musical festival magic continued as Emmett Fenn closed the evening with a set that blended perfectly with the glowing shoreline and crisp design, so that Paige and Jess could dance the night away with their guests.
The wedding day was, in a word, electric. On their wedding day, Paige and Jess always envisioned saying their vows at the end of the One&Only Mandarina jetty, and we made it happen for them by bringing in a 90-person production crew, VVR Pro, to rebuild and extend the platform, as well as adding custom flooring to the entire walkway.
Custom was the operative word for this luxury wedding design, as we spared no expense on custom-made details, from the altar with ten-foot-tall crystal clusters to lush tropical arrangements styled by Studio Mondine to Paige’s wedding dress - every detail was a meticulous match to Paige and Jess’ vision.
The reception followed in true Paige-and-Jess fashion: a checkerboard dance floor (a nod to Paige’s Aviator Nation stores), branded velour napkins, and a three-level seating arrangement built over the Jetty Beach Club. From the dramatic drapery to velvet decor to the lush greenery, Jess and Paige’s reception was a luxury oasis in and of itself. Paige designed the concept for the stage herself — an Old Hollywood-style backdrop dripping in velvet and drama — and we commissioned full production to build it out
One of the most jaw-dropping reception elements was the cake. Paige personally designed the visual concept: a hyper-realistic, oversized tiger sculpture that felt like an art piece straight out of a dream. We flew in The Cake Architect from the UK, who spent an entire week on-site constructing the massive four-foot-wide, three-foot-tall cake. It was unexpected, larger-than-life, and exactly the kind of magic Paige and Jess wanted infused into every single detail.
To close out the celebration, we created a full concert experience on the beach. Paige chose the musical lineup herself—including Lyrah, Ayokay, and Elderbrook, and we worked with production and Aragon to build out a massive performance space complete with a 56-foot, three-panel LED backdrop, Moroccan-inspired soft seating — arcade games and neon signage were a must-have for Paige and Jess so we brought in custom everything to really bring the space to life. Everything to make it feel like a private beachfront music festival for their guests. The stage was built five feet off the ground and overlooked the ocean, giving the performances an epic backdrop as guests danced barefoot into the early morning hours.
When we started planning this five star resort wedding at the One&Only Mandarina , Paige and Jess dreamed of an immersive, boundary-pushing celebration that would reflect their love, their story, and the things they care about most: music, design, the people in their life, and not doing anything halfway. Our team took every step to recognize Paige and Jess’s incredibly creative minds—while also ensuring they never had to worry about the “how.” They dreamed big, and we did everything to match that energy: sourcing and incredible team of creative vendors, producing every detail, navigating private property logistics, managing multiple stages of production, and creating custom builds from the ground up. Every idea had a place. Every detail mattered. And it all came together to create a celebration that was truly one-of-a-kind.
Watch Emma K Films’ video of Aviator Nation Founder, Paige Mycoskie and Jess's 3 day music festival inspired wedding at the One&Only Mandarina in Mexico below:
Featured in: ELLE and Green Wedding Shoes
Photo: Jose VillaDesign, styling and planning: Mae&Co CreativeFlorals: Studio Mondinevideo: Emma K FilmsRentals: Casa de Perrin, Del Cabo Rentals & Found Rental Co. music & Immersive entertainment: Aragon ArtistsVenue: one&only mandarinaPaper goods and signage: Nubo StudiosProduction & lighting: VVR PRoHAIR & MAKEUP: 901 SalonCake: The Cake Architect