The existence of love at first sight is an oft-debated topic. So allow newlyweds Alexandria Geisler and Nicholas Haechler to put it to rest, once and for all. “Neither of us had ever had a conversation with a stranger that flowed so freely or effortlessly, nor had we been that attracted to someone within seconds of meeting,” Alexandria says of the night she met Nicholas. “I think we both walked away that first night smitten.”
The couple met through mutual friends at an unassuming midtown New York City bar seven years ago. Alexandria, 27, a writer and founder of The Citiphile, had just finished her sophomore year at UCLA and was visiting a friend in the city. “As we walked in, I noticed a very handsome blond man standing in the back corner, towering over the rest of the crowd,” she remembers. “As my girlfriend waved to her friends, I realized that he was one of them. I didn’t think he’d pay me much attention—I was just days past turning 20 and he had been working this great job in the city for three years already—but to my surprise, we both gravitated towards one another almost instantly.”
But as they said goodbye, both thought they were being rejected by the other. “We shared a somewhat awkward hug and I hopped in a cab thinking to myself, ‘You’re just too young for him,’” Alexandria recalls. It was only a few days later when the group reunited that she learned Nicholas, 32, a VP at a real estate private equity firm, had actually gone in for a kiss, but she had turned her head. “His guy friends had been giving him a hard time ever since for being ‘shut down’ in front of all of them,” she says. “We shared our first kiss that night outside the Standard Hotel.”
Of course, true love is nothing if not inconvenient. Alexandria was living in LA, with plans to spend a year in Paris. Nicholas was living in New York. “After a few weeks, I received my first text message from Nicholas that had something to do with making me a playlist of songs we’d spoken about on the night we first met,” Alexandria recalls. “That sweet-natured text snowballed into hundreds of letters between us while I was living abroad.” A year later, Nicholas met Alexandria in the arrivals section of JFK. “We were officially dating just nine days later; and we’ve been together ever since."
Alexandria admits it’s a challenge to keep secrets from her, so Nicholas had his work cut out when it came to the proposal. He worked with their closest friends (also a couple) to throw her off the scent. “My girlfriend met me alone for brunch and casually brought up the idea of a couples’ trip for the four of us,” Alexandria recalls. “She asked me to remind her of that one place in upstate New York where Nicholas and I go every year for our dating anniversary. I had often chatted to them about how relaxing and peaceful it is up there.”
The idea raised no flags, and even as she and Nicholas made their way to Glenmere Mansion, her friend kept up the ruse with a volley of text messages. “My girlfriend was texting me things like, ‘stuck in traffic, but be there as soon as we can!’ right up to the point when Nicholas and I arrived. He suggested we have a drink in the garden, so the hotel manager escorted us to a table. In the middle of the table was a bottle of my favorite rosé champagne, but I still didn’t catch on—the table was set for four! After a minute or two, I heard a group singing a live version of our song, ‘Young and Beautiful’ by Lana del Rey, from behind the hedges and I turned back around to find Nicholas down on one knee. He proceeded to make me cry by saying the nicest things that will likely ever be said about me, and whilst shaking with surprise and pure happiness, I said, ‘Yes’.”
Nicholas had designed the exquisite custom-made ring himself: a single 4.5 ct tennis court emerald-cut diamond, framed by diamond baguettes on a platinum band. The couple spent the rest of the weekend à deux, rounding it off with a dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. “Chef Dan Barber had set a table for us in the middle of his kitchen where he proposed a toast to us,” Alexandria says. “It felt like the cherry on top of a surreal weekend.”
The couple were faced with a multitude of options when it came to choosing a wedding destination. “I have spent half my life living on the East Coast and the other half on the West Coast; Nicholas is half-Swedish, half-Swiss, but grew up in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East,” Alexandria says. “We settled on the south of France for a few reasons,” she explains. “Nicholas spent his childhood summers there at his grandparents’ home; I spoke the language and had previously lived in Paris; most of our guests would be traveling from Europe; and the two of us had shared many special memories in France over our six years together. It didn’t hurt that Provence is one of the most magical places on Earth.”
The couple worked with wedding planner Muriel Saldalamacchia, who coordinated a three-day celebration at Château d'Estoublon, a working winery and olive grove with a newly renovated private residence. “What made it even more special was that it was big enough to host our entire wedding party,” Alexandria says. “Having all of my bridesmaids and Nicholas’ groomsmen together in a storied chateau for three nights was a dream.”
The intimate rehearsal dinner was hosted by Nicholas’ parents at Baumanière, a small boutique hotel a few minutes from the chateau. “We had a long table on the patio and set the table with arrangements of eucalyptus, peonies, hydrangea and wildflowers,” Alexandria says. Guests dined on marinated tuna with lemon confit and crudités, followed by grilled branzino with olive oil, caramelized onions, and charred artichokes, a course of local cheeses, and a dark chocolate bar with Morello cherries and pistachio ice cream.”
Alexandria wore a white, balloon-sleeve dress by Roksanda for the rehearsal dinner, pictured in her portrait above. “I fell in love with how elegant it was; it reminded me a bit of Grace Kelly,” she says. A few of her fashion industry friends helped her complete the look. “Shoe designer Paul Andrew sent over a pair of white, satin peep-toe pumps. Jewelry designer Sanjay Kasliwal sent me the most gorgeous yellow gold and diamond chandelier earrings.” Nicholas wore a vintage cornflower blue linen blazer over a crisp white Canali button-down with cuffed white pants, a pair of navy Tod’s drivers, and a black-faced Panerai Luminor watch.
Afterwards, diners retreated to the restaurant’s adjoining deck overlooking a lily pond, where the rest of the wedding guests joined for a cocktail reception. “Though I had initially planned on going home at 11 p.m. to get some beauty sleep for the big day, the magic of the setting and having everyone Nicholas and I love gathered together in one place swept me up,” Alexandria admits. “We shared bubbles and laughs until 2 a.m. the next morning!”
The following day’s ceremony took place just outside the chateau, in the property’s olive grove. Their 90 guests were greeted with a glass of champagne garnished with Provençale lavender, before being escorted to the vintage wooden benches laid out for the ceremony. The olive trees had been decorated with tealights, with two rows of wildflowers leading to an arch of eucalyptus, hydrangea, dahlias, carnations, and larkspur. “My superstar of a florist (Morgane Planque of Big Day Studio) not only listened to my vision, but she turned it into the most poetic reality,” Alexandria says.
A violinist and pianist played ‘Moon River’ to indicate the start of the ceremony, followed by a rendition of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Wild Horses’ as Nicholas led their mothers down the aisle in a midnight blue custom Ralph Lauren tuxedo, Prada lace-ups; an A. Lange & Sohne 1815 wristwatch, and a pair of vintage onyx tuxedo cufflinks that Alexandria had left as a gift for him to open on the morning of their wedding.
Alexandria walked down the aisle on her father’s arm to ‘In My Life’ by The Beatles. She wore a couture dress by Naeem Khan, a designer she met while working at the CFDA. “I wrote him a note, and within a few weeks I was in his atelier discussing how I wanted to feel as a bride, my vision for the dress, and all of the tiny details. I am not overtly girly, so I didn’t want the dress to be too sweet or soft,” she says. The result was a collaboration between the designer and his son Zaheen; a deep V-neck gown with an Indian paisley bodice and sleeves, fading into sharp florals at the skirt and train. The prints were outlined with caviar pearls, Swarovski crystals, and tiny glass beads, all of which were applied by hand. The Khans also created a cathedral-length veil with a scalloped edge, embroidered with the same flowers and caviar pearls as the dress.
For Alexandria, the gown was nothing short of a fashion fairytale. “I will forever be grateful to the Khans for their incredible work, kindness, and love,” she says. “Never will I feel more special.” Alexandria’s hair was worn up with tiny white flowers woven through the strands. The look was completed by white leather Manolo Blahnik sandals and her ‘something blue,’ a pair of Sanjay Kasliwal white diamonds and aquamarine chandelier earrings. Her bridesmaids wore vintage and Reformation dresses in shades of nude, blush, ivory and mauve; the groomsmen wore Ted Baker suits.
“As my dad gave me his arm to lead me from the chateau to the ceremony, I remember my legs beginning to shake in my heels; I was convinced my mom’s garter—my ‘something borrowed’—was going to slip right off my thigh,” Alexandria recalls. But all nerves vanished when her eyes met Nicholas’. “I took my first step down the aisle and looked into my soon-to-be-husband’s eyes, and it felt like we were the only ones in the world.”
The couple wrote their own vows—and a line from Nicholas’ was especially poignant for the occasion: “You’re truly happy when your creativity is allowed to flourish,” he told Alexandria. “I promise to encourage, support, and believe in you and your dreams, because your dreams are part of what makes your soul shine.” Alexandria designed her own wedding ring at Fred Leighton—a vintage-inspired sapphire and diamond band.
The pair then marked their union by opening a bottle of champagne at the altar, each taking a sip from the same vintage champagne coupe. “It felt like the perfect celebratory segue into our cocktail hour,” Alexandria says. “We walked back down the aisle hand-in-hand to our pianist and violinist playing ‘For A Better Day’ by Avicii.
Guests gathered in the chateau’s rose garden for post-ceremony cocktails, including two signature concoctions inspired by the bride and groom: the ‘Spicy Geis’ (mezcal, jalapeño and lime) and the ‘Nordic Negroni’ (a Negroni made with Aquavit in lieu of gin). Photographer John Dolan had the couple kiss on the chateau steps with the guests smiling behind them, capturing one of Alexandria’s most memorable moments. “It felt like some cheeky Wes Anderson version of a vintage family reunion–and it’s now one of our favorite photos from the weekend,” she says.
The dinner was prepared by Michelin-starred chef Xavier Mathieu. “It was really important to us to find a chef who could deliver delicious, locally-inspired, seasonally-driven food on a large scale,” Alexandria says. Mathieu, who leads the kitchen at the nearby Le Phébus & Spa, served canapés featuring the chateau’s own olives, followed by a four-course menu of zucchini blossoms with roasted summer vegetables, lobster tails in a lemon beurre blanc, a frozen absinthe palate cleanser, lamb filets with pesto, caramelized vidalia onions and potato dauphinoise followed by a cheese course, and (lastly) a dessert of a white chocolate Vacherin with lavender honey, wild flower pollen, and peaches. Each dish was paired with one of the couple’s favorite French wines.
Alexandria was particularly delighted by the cheese course, which was curated by a cheesemaker in the neighbouring village of Eygalières. “I actually gave [the cheesemaker] a picture of a Renaissance oil painting as inspiration—I wanted it to feel like some sort of Bacchanalian feast with halved pomegranates mingling with raw honey, loose figs, nuts, jams, and a myriad of cheeses. It turned out to be insane! It was the cheese table of my dreams.”
The setting for the dinner—a cobblestone courtyard—was especially magical, thanks in no small part to Alexandria’s vision and attention to detail. “I wanted the dinner to feel like a rustic garden party—intimate, nostalgic, ethereal, but at ease and unfussy,” she explains. “I found long vintage farmhouse tables that we paired with traditional French X chairs and decorated with mismatched vintage crystal stemware, porcelain plates, and blue-tinted water glasses (a Provençale staple).”
A keen cook, Alexandria has a special appreciation for herbs and wanted to incorporate them into her wedding table arrangements. “I had my florist bundle bounties of thyme, rosemary, and olive leaves into sweeping garlands that sat atop a natural linen runner, which ran down the center of the tables,” she says. “We peppered the garland with white and blush blooms like calandiva, white monroe, and cappuccino roses and wove in white candles throughout.” A floral trellis was arranged over the head table with tealight candles suspended by twine.” The culinary thread continued in the wedding favors—the couple gave each of their guests salt cellars filled with fleur de sel as a takeaway.
Alexandria changed into rose velvet pom-pom mules by Aquazurra for the party, which were kicked off by their first dance to ‘Something’ by the Beatles, performed by a four-piece band. The dance floor was in the same olive grove where the ceremony had taken place, surrounded by hanging candles. After the cutting of their ivory tiered cake decorated with olive leaves, the DJ—plus a late-night crepe stand—kept guests dancing until 6am. “It was the night of our lives,” Alexandria says.
The following morning, hangovers were nursed over brunch at the chateau. The guests were asked to wear white, while Alexandria and Nicholas coordinated in yellow and blue, Sweden’s national colors and a symbol of happiness. Alexandria wore a two-piece ensemble by her friend Tanya Taylor, while Nicholas wore a white linen button-down with pale blue trousers and yellow-and-blue suspenders that Alexandria had tracked down on Etsy. “It was the perfect end to our fairytale weekend,” Alexandria says.
After the wedding, Alexandria and Nicholas continued the celebrations with a two-day 'buddymoon' along the coast in Saint Tropez. “All of our best friends had traveled to Europe just for us and we loved the idea of continuing the celebrations with a more intimate group,” Alexandria said. “We made memories we’ll cherish forever.” The couple then traveled from France to the Maldives for a beach break, and from the Maldives to Sri Lanka where they went hiking, stayed at a yoga retreat and learned how to cook Sri Lankan curries.
Friends describe the couple as “completely in-tune, symbiotic and one of those rare, but real great love stories.”
“I never believed in picture perfect love stories until I stepped into one,” says Alexandria, who is currently working on her first novel. “Our wedding was everything—pure happiness, magic and once-in-a-lifetime love —because so is he.”
Tamara Abraham is a UK-based journalist and the former Managing Editor at Business of Fashion. She spent six years in New York where she launched and ran the fashion and lifestyle team at Dailymail.com. Now back in her native London, she writes on fashion, lifestyle and royals for publications including Grazia, the i Paper, and of course, BAZAAR.com.
