Mari Fonseca Wore Schiaparelli to Marry Drew Taggart at a Classic Beach Wedding in Costa Rica

To accessorize, the bride paired the dress with a custom veil and shoes by the brand. “Badra Amar, from the Schiaparelli team, really helped my personal ideas come to life,” notes Mari. Her only piece of jewelry was a “something borrowed” item—a pair of diamond earrings from her maid of honor, Danielle Pontes.

Before changing into the second version of her Schiaparelli dress, the bride put on a sheer lace dress by Aadnevik to wear for her first dance. “I’ve worked with them many times in the past, and I’ve walked their runways,” says Mari. “I knew how their dresses fit and that I would be able to move in it.”

For the groom’s wedding day attire, he turned to his friend David August to craft a double-breasted suit with exaggerated peak lapels and a pink interior lining. “Like the rest of the wedding details, Drew’s goal was to have a classic look that spoke to his personality more than the environment of the wedding,” explains Mari. “David took care of every detail from cuff links to shoes to the custom shirting.” Later in the night, Drew would change into a champagne dinner jacket to coordinate with the bride’s Schiaparelli mini.

On the wedding day, guests congregated at the beach, where beautiful white florals created a dreamy ambiance for the ceremony. Songs like “Take Me Where Your Heart Is” by Q, “The Dress” by Dijon, and “Bloom” by The Paper Kites served as the soundtrack to the ceremony. “The music played was all songs from the night we fell in love in New York City years ago,” shares Drew. The bride remembers she was filled with nerves leading up to the big moment, but it all fell away as she walked down the aisle with her father. “I imagined the ceremony many times when we were planning, and I worked on controlling my emotions, so I could fully enjoy every moment and get all my vows through without crying,” she recalls. The groom says he actually felt entirely calm that week. “That day was no different. I felt like I was doing exactly what I was meant to be doing,” he says. “All the people I loved the most were there in front of me with a perfect sunset at my back as I stared at the most beautiful bride I could have ever imagined marrying.”

After saying “I do,” guests went to watch the sunset and listen to live Bossa Nova at cocktail hour, while the couple spent time alone taking portraits with their photographer, Emilie White. “Drew wanted the ceremony to be the first time he saw me in my dress,” notes the bride. Once the sun went down, the newlyweds rejoined their guests beneath the illuminated lights of their reception space for their first dance. “One of the highlights of the night was a home video Mari made of her and I growing up in different parts of the world that led us to where we met and beyond,” shares Drew. “It’s normal in Brazilian culture, but was new to me and ended up being an absolute hit with our family and friends.” After one more outfit change, dinner was served, and the night continued with speeches by the couple’s parents and best friends.

A few hours later, the wedding went into full party mode as everyone danced on the beach to music by Sound House. “They played a classic wedding playlist with some spicy suggestions from Mari and I, seamlessly blending songs together and carrying the energy perfectly. Everyone was in awe,” shares Drew. “They were the highlight that may have been even more memorable than the sunset.” The party didn’t stop as the couple’s villa was transformed into a “Summertime Friends After-Hours Club.” The couple’s friend, DJ Ruckus, kept the music going late into the night.

Both of the newlyweds reflect that they are still so grateful for the team who executed the event and their friends and family who came out to celebrate with them. In the groom’s words: “I would not change a single detail of that day.”