After 100 fittings, this bride finally found her wedding dress – which was inspired by Audrey Hepburn

The de Vallière-McHughs had always envisioned a destination wedding—sunshine was non-negotiable for them—and it was the 17th-century Villa Gamberaia on the outskirts of Florence that finally won them over. The venue ticked all the boxes: it could accommodate guests flying in from London, Switzerland, and Australia, was just 20 minutes from the city center, and promised the al fresco dinner they dreamed of. Wedding planners Laura Bravi and Viviana Tarantino were enlisted to bring the vision to life, while Véronique undertook an intensive prep period. "I work for Lululemon, so I lead a pretty active lifestyle," she says. "I did 150 Barry's Bootcamp sessions to make sure I was in great shape before the wedding, supplemented by Lagree, Reformer Pilates, and barre classes at MAD." She didn't necessarily want to feel slim on her big day, but she definitely wanted to feel strong.

The bride chose a dress by Givenchy – inspired by Audrey Hepburn

All that, and over 100 fittings with a single design in mind: the strapless Givenchy dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Billy Wilder's 1954 film "Sabrina." "It was ridiculous," says Véronique. "I went from one brand to another, from one store to another, and yet I always came back to a silk Elie Saab dress. The craftsmanship was simply incomparable." But it wasn't an immediate yes. "I had to justify the decision by looking around." Eventually, the bride visited the Elie Saab boutique once in London, twice in Paris, along with her mother and sister-in-law, and one last time in Singapore so her grandparents, who couldn't travel to the wedding, could see the vision. "When my mother said, 'No, it has to be this one,' I thought, 'Who am I to disagree?'" When Véronique finally entered the Villa Gamberaia on May 30 with a bridal bouquet, while a string quartet played Henri Mancini's "Moon River," the train of the wedding dress fluttered in the breeze. "I felt like a queen," she says.

Undoubtedly, the welcome drinks the night before on the roof of the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi—where she greeted her loved ones in a cape by The New Arrivals over a bralette by Fleur du Mal—and an optional yoga session on the morning of the wedding helped Véronique achieve a sense of zen. For the latter, Véronique, like her bridal party, wore a white Lululemon set and led 25 guests through a gentle yoga flow under the Tuscan sun. "It was the perfect way to start the day," she adds. "Any nerves melted away, and even Rob joined in." These moments of calm were purposefully incorporated into the proceedings. After exchanging vows and taking family photos, the bride and groom were then ushered into a private room where they were greeted with a glass of champagne and an hourglass, giving them ten minutes to take it all in before Véronique slipped into her second look: a fitted corset gown by Floure Studio. "Rob isn't a dancer," she says. "But he took dance lessons from me and learned the choreography like a superstar," so they could dance a waltz together in the courtyard.