The Bride Swam in Her Wedding Dress the Day After Her Beach Ceremony in Puerto Rico

Aug 03, 2023

By Lilah Ramzi

Though Lizzy Harris and Miles Hammond had been orbiting each other all their lives (they were running in similar circles for years, having both grown up in and around New York City), it was only at the behest of a mutual friend, Addavail Coslett, that the now-married couple went on their first date in November of 2019. "I would have been the third set up of Addavail's that ended up getting married," Lizzy says. "The odds seemed in my favor!"

The first date was as low-key and unfussy as the couple themselves: an after-work dinner at the Time Out Market New York in DUMBO. Lizzy, who at the time was working as an editorial photo and video producer at Vogue and Conde Nast Entertainment (she's currently the founder and executive producer of M6Studios), recalls feeling a little distracted. "I had a big shoot the next day with Cass Bird," she says. "I remember I had to take a call in the middle of our date because I was still trying to lock in booking Taylor Hill." Miles, a hedge fund analyst who's all too familiar with long hours, wasn't put off—a second date followed shortly thereafter. For the next meetup, Miles offered to cook Lizzy spaghetti pomodoro at her apartment. He turned up with 23 tomatoes (about a dozen too many), and "he then proceeded to cook me the best spaghetti pomodoro I have ever had. We still make it, mostly on special occasions." With the leftover fruits, they stacked them in little towers on her kitchen counter and laughed when they decided the voluptuous tomato towers resembled the buxom sculptures of Fernando Botero.

It was during this meal and this playful exchange about art (Lizzy, a prolific creative, was impressed with Miles's familiarity with the Colombian artist) that the two really started to fall for each other. "The largest private collection of Boteros in the world is actually where ended up getting married, at the St. Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico," says Lizzy. "This is all completely by chance!"

During the pandemic, the couple had relocated to Puerto Rico, a temporary move that soon became permanent: Caribbean island life proved the perfect reprieve after years on the isle of Manhattan. Original wedding plans of a ceremony at Temple Emanu-El (Miles's family's temple) followed by a reception at Restaurant Daniel were thwarted by the pandemic, so the two relocated their nuptials altogether. "After we settled in San Juan, we realized that many of our friends and family had never been to Puerto Rico or had gotten the chance to visit us during the year we’d lived there," she says. "For this reason, it felt like a no-brainer to pick a long weekend in the winter and invite everyone down to join us and celebrate on the beach."

The wedding took place on January 15, 2023. The venue was the pristine St. Regis Bahia Beach which hosted the entirety of the wedding weekend's itinerary—from the welcome dinner on the beach to a pre-wedding tennis match on the resort's clay courts, to the ceremony itself, which took place on a grass lawn jutting out onto the sand and palm tree-laden beach.

Throughout all the wedding activities, Lizzy flexed her fashion muscles. The look she wore to her civil ceremony in Manhattan? An archival Balenciaga dress (with unfinished hems, incredible pleated details, and pieced-together sheer necklines) from Alexander Wang's final, all-white collection for the maison's spring 2016 show. "It was an incredible dress," the bride says. "I borrowed it from designer Patricia Voto (of One/Of by Patricia Voto) as she mentioned she had it at one of my fittings for my after-party look." For the welcome dinner, she selected another archival dress, which was sourced from her friend, the fashion stylist Lisa Von Weise; this time, it was a bias-cut ivory chiffon slip dress from John Galliano's spring 2004 collection. The dress featured delicate embroideries of roses and vines that twisted up the bodice in sherbet and soft green hues.

With a couple of archival dresses and a custom after-party look from One/Of by Patricia Voto, Lizzy decided to go bespoke for her ceremony gown. After she had "pretty much tried on every dress from every dressmaker in New York," her mother sent her a link to the website of Phillipa Lepley, the London-based bridal designer. "I somehow (due to COVID) convinced her team to send me a sample of a dress similar to what I had envisioned to New York for me to try on," Lizzy says. "Even over a Zoom call with my mother in Charleston and the design team in London, it was an immediate reaction."

Classic and chic, the gown was crafted in a sumptuous silk duchess satin that was sculpted with an internal corset bodice and off-the-shoulder neckline with knotted straps that lay gracefully below her elbows. The look was designed to be both modern and to hark back to the 19th century, like something out of a Giovanni Boldini portrait. In keeping with the references, Lizzy opted for pearl drop earrings and a pair of T-strap Chanel pumps adorned with pearls. "The details, the neckline, the train, the fabric—all of her attention to detail is one of a kind and impeccable," the bride says. "I then worked with her team to arrange three different trips to London to create the dress."

For Miles, Lizzy admitted that her groom is decidedly less into fashion. He picked out his suit from Suitsupply in Soho and had it slightly tailored in the shop. "That was his only fitting—I probably had at least 10 to 12!"

On the Sunday of their wedding weekend at 3 p.m., guests gathered on the main lawn, which had been set for a ceremony with a chuppah that framed the ocean. Just after a well-timed walk down the aisle, rain started to fall. While Lizzy and Miles stood beneath their chuppah canopy, guests got one of their own via personal umbrellas that shielded them from the tropical drizzle. The ceremony was abbreviated due to the weather, but, per the bride, "I’m glad it was short and sweet! It felt casual and fun and joyous. Not serious or a tear-jerker. Cocoa, our dog, was wandering around unleashed during the ceremony, which was cute and gave everyone a little laugh."

A Sato dog (the local name for the mixed breeds that roam Puerto Rico), Cocoa was adopted from Soul of Bahia, the dog and cat rescue facility on the St. Regis property. The place where Lizzy and Miles first met Cocoa? On the beach, almost exactly where the couple said their I dos.

After the ceremony, guests congregated beneath a portico at the hotel, enjoying cocktails as the rain and the sunset melded together in a romantic Puerto Rican night. "Miles and I spent a moment alone after the ceremony and just sat together and put our feet up," Lizzy remembers. "Then we all went to celebrate."

A quick golf cart ride took guests to the hotel's ballroom, where the reception unfolded. Cocoa roved through the crowd, receiving lots of love from all the wedding attendees, and the bride's father delivered an incredibly moving speech that had most of the room in tears. Following several toasts to the bride and groom, it was time to party. By now, the rain was full-on and going nowhere but the outdoor dance floor was thoughtfully situated beneath a canopy. Being in Puerto Rico, the band played salsa, merengue, and reggaetón hits alongside the wedding classics. By the end of the night, hair was swept up, shoes came off, and Lizzy had swapped her gown for her disco-esque metallic two-piece set from One/Of by Patricia Voto. DJed by Miles's best friend, DJ Alex Cecil, the Studio 54–theme after-party went on well past midnight. The theme also winked to Miles's parents’ meet-cute; the couple met at the iconic New York nightclub, and the rest was history.

The next morning—and perhaps inspired by the fact that her dress was already half-soaked from the rainfall the night before—their photographer, Roey Yohai, convinced them both to put their wedding outfits back on and meet him on the beach for a post-wedding ocean shoot. "I was reluctant at first to get in the water in my gown, but in the end, we just went for it," Lizzy recalls. Plus, as a producer, Lizzy had an inkling of just how magical the photos would be. The resulting images of Lizzy with her gown floating in the waters next to Miles sitting with Cocoa in his lap stand out as some of the most romantic of the weekend. "Believe it or not, my dress was not ruined by the dip in the ocean! I was still able to have it professionally cleaned and archived once the wedding weekend was over." So, in the end? Absolutely, undoubtedly worth it.

For our invitations, we decided to work with Julie Shek. We wanted a modern take on classic calligraphy but also something beachy and analog feeling, which she executed perfectly. We added handmade paper and ribbon in a "haze" color, along with vintage stamps from the ’60s—some local to Puerto Rico, some hinting at the activities in store for the weekend—to complement Julie's overall design.

Our rehearsal dinner took place a short way down the beach from the St. Regis at the Bahia Beach & Golf Club. To welcome our guests to Puerto Rico, we decided to have a casual cocktail hour and dinner by the sea. We leaned into the local flavors of the island and served a traditional lechon (spit-roasted pig) and tropical rum punch.

On our rehearsal night, I wore a vintage slip dress from John Galliano's spring 2004 runway show. My friend and stylist Lisa Von Weise thought it would be perfect for the occasion, so she pulled it out of storage just for me! I immediately fell in love with the flower embroidery and applique. It inspired our choice of floral centerpieces that evening. I paired the dress with minimal chartreuse satin sandals from The Row and bohemian gold double hoop earrings from Barney's (RIP) that I had been gifted for my birthday from my mother over a decade ago.

Taking cues from the island surroundings, we opted for sea-glass-color bud vases with orange ranunculus and local ginger flowers. Our menus were a watercolor script. We decorated each place setting with starfish, pale blue glazed ceramic plates and natural linen napkins.

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This is our beloved Sato rescue dog, Cocoa "Bad Bunny" Hammond. She wore a studded black collar and matching leash I picked up at Harrods in London. I paired it with a festive handkerchief from Lick, a popular shop on Calle Cerra in Santurce, Puerto Rico.

The candlelit tables at dusk, just before dinner started.

Miles and I listened to an impromptu speech at our rehearsal dinner by one of our guests with our dear friend and matchmaker, Addavail Coslett.

Guests enjoying dinner late into the night.

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