The Bride and Groom Transformed Their Backyard for This Jazz Age-Inspired Wedding

While the location was set from the start, the date was a bit of a moving target. At the end of 2020, Ito and Leon had to reschedule from the spring to the fall of 2021 due to the pandemic. “After we got vaccinated, we had hoped, like everyone, that we’d be done with COVID,” Ito admits. “However, with the rise of the variants, we had to come up with a comprehensive safety plan which included requiring all our guests to be tested within 72 hours of our wedding. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it to us to be able to gather all the people we love safely.”

Once they’d come up with a plan, it was time to get creative. “We often switch roles, one person dreaming up something unique or exciting and the other having to temper it with the realities and restrictions of bringing ideas to life,” Ito notes. “[Planning during the pandemic] required us to dance between what we hoped for and what was possible against the backdrop of so much uncertainty. We knew we wanted something epic and unforgettable, so that was our North Star, but we had to stay open to new possibilities.”

The couple worked with Grace Beason of Grace Leisure Events. “She has become forever family to us,” Ito says. “In the ups and downs of 2020, she remained a constant source of guidance, perspective, and joy.”

The virus hit just after the couple got engaged, and they left Italy right before they shut down the country. “We had this grand, epic adventure in this ancient place and then the world had to cloister off," Ito remembers. "After all that, we wanted to expand. We wanted something that felt timeless and opulent and memorable. When I asked Leon what he wanted out of our wedding, he said two things: First, he wanted to throw the best party our relatives had ever attended, and second, he wanted it to be like The Great Gatsby. Curiously enough, considering he is a writer, I don’t think the themes of the book landed as hard on him as the general grand party vibes!”

Those two directives served as their starting point. The couple looked at New York City’s Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island and watched a lot of Boardwalk Empire for inspiration. “The world was struggling for a lot of reasons, and we wanted to celebrate hope—and the power of possibility, opportunity, growth, and success,” Ito says. “We wanted to evoke the optimism and energy of the Roaring Twenties.”

During the planning process, they looked into the history of their land and discovered that one of the first owners since the county kept records was a Black woman who bought the property in 1918—the year of the Spanish Flu. “Our predecessor was moving through her own global pandemic, a period of hard challenges, into an era of prosperity," Ito says. "The symmetry was divine.”

Ito's dress search felt similarly pre-destined. "I didn't expect to fall in love with the first dress I tried on,” Ito says. “However, my stylist and friend Christina Pacelli knew what I was looking for.” The bride wanted a dress that winked at the 1920s period through the lens of 2020s fashion. “When I put on the Kim Kassas dress for the first time, I knew it was ‘the one’ because I didn't want to take it off.” A veil by Ariel Taub completed the look with a simplicity and sophistication that was reminiscent of the detailing on the bodice of the dress.

On the day of the wedding, a five-piece jazz ensemble led by John Brown performed some of Ito and Leon’s favorite songs as guests were seated. Chandeliers hung from above and a luscious arbor, created by Alice and Stuart of Bluebird Meadows, stood beneath a simple white-washed A-frame that was custom-built to complete the altar. At the beginning of the service, Ito walked down the aisle with her mother and father to a vocalist singing Brown Eyed Girl in a jazzy rendition of the Van Morrison classic.

“Friends opened the ceremony with a reminder to take in the moment, and Leon’s godmother—an ordained Catholic minister—delivered a stirring speech about the history of his family up from slavery and the significance of the land to that history,” Ito remembers. “We symbolically planted a pecan tree in honor of our ancestors and our future descendants alongside our parents and one remaining grandparent—Leon’s ‘Papaw’, Leon Hendrix Sr. As we shoveled earth over the base of the tree, the vocalist sung the powerful bridge from ‘The Blessing’ by Elevation Worship.”

The final officiant, Leon’s Uncle Howard, gave a traditional Native American prayer, and then as everyone shouted their blessings and willingness to help the couple continue to grow in love, Ito and Leon recited their vows and exchanged rings. When the newlyweds kissed at the end, their wedding party threw organic confetti into the air. As everyone stood and cheered, they danced back down the aisle to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Dorothy Fields. “It was magical!” Ito says.

After the ceremony, it was time to party: The festivities kicked off with an outdoor cocktail hour, and guests walked over immediately after the recessional. Adding to the period charm of a jazz lawn party, antique lounge furniture from Greenhouse Picker Sisters had been set up. As the jazz ensemble played lively standards, drinks flowed and hors d’oeuvres were passed by The Catering Company of Chapel Hill. Bartenders in 1920s sleeve garters and suspenders served signature cocktails curated by the bride and groom along with a full array of spirits.

For this portion of the evening, the bride changed into a reception dress by Steven Khalil. “It captured the whimsy and opulence of the period that had inspired all the choices for the wedding,” Ito says. Her rose gold Cult of Coquette shoes were the perfect complement. Simon G jewelry and Jennifer Behr accessories added a balance of luxury and period-styled elegance. For hair and makeup, Ito wanted a timeless silhouette that hinted at the era of pin curls and flappers. Kristi Martinson of Wink and Dionna Owens of Sew Natural went to town and hit all the right notes.

Everyone was welcomed into the grand reception tent to the big band sounds of the 11-piece Soul Psychedelique Orchestra playing “Sing Sing Sing!” The bride and groom danced to a variation of Ed Sheeren’s “Perfect Duet." Above the dance floor, a custom art installation of black, champagne, and gold metallic orbs was suspended in air and flowing out of an antique gramophone.

Dinner was served family style with a menu showcasing the best of Southern cuisine. After the newlyweds made their grand entrance in their second looks, the after-party kicked off with an unbelievable indoor fireworks display from DJ Rang and a lineup of music from DJ Alex. A cigar girl dressed as a flapper made her way through the party, offering custom chocolate cigars. The night ended with an homage to New Orleans, the official birthplace of jazz, with powdery donut confections served from a Dusty Donuts’ food truck.

“We set out to throw the best party our friends and family had ever been to after a year of so much distance,” Ito says. “And judging by the smiles and all the love we’ve received since, I’d say we got pretty close.“