With recent news of brides auctioning off bridesmaid roles and asking their bridal parties to lose weight before the wedding, we must say, we thought we'd heard every shocking wedding story to date.
That was until we saw pictures of fashion blogger Feiping Chang's recent nuptials, which subsequently made us give a sigh of relief at only being asked to fork out £150 flights to Mykonos for a friend's recent hen do, given the sheer extravagance of this three-day extravaganza.
Last month, Chang married her now-husband financier Lincoln Li in what has to be one of the most over-the-top, beautiful, and pricey weddings we've ever seen in Capri Italy.
Think we're exaggerating? Well, here's exactly what went into the pair's big day:
1. It was the first-ever wedding at Villa Lysis
Most brides and grooms have the choice of a local hotel, pub, marquee in a field or, at a push, a boujie castle in the countryside.
However, for Chang and Li, the couple we granted the opportunity to marry at the exclusive Villa Lysis, because they reconstructed it. Yes, they helped refurbish the blummin' place.
Built by poet Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen in 1905, Fersen once wrote it was 'dedicated to the youth of love', and it's not hard to see why.
'The government has never allowed a wedding to be done [at Villa Lysis]. It took a lot of work, but we're so happy that we were able to help and refurbish this historical monument,' Chang told Hong Kong Tatler. 'We actually built an entire bridge to link the grounds of the villa to the rooftop.'
Oh, you know, as you do.
2. The wedding lasted three days
While the majority of of us suffer from a three-day hangover after a friend's boozy wedding, Chang's wedding lasted a whopping 72 hours.
The pair's 150 guests were welcomed to the nuptials with a lemon-themed 'welcome dinner' at Da Paolino restaurant, followed by a day at Chang's favourite beach club, La Conca del Sogno in Nerano, before they held the wedding on the third day at Villa Lysis.
3. The bride wore three dresses
Okay, so this isn't that many dresses when you compare it to the extravagance of everything else the wedding entailed, but Chang's outfits weren't your average bridal gowns, of course.
For the ceremony, Chang wore the biggest wedding dress Giambattista Valli has ever made before changing into another gown by the designer for the reception.
'For as long as I can remember, I always knew when the day came I would want Giamba to make my dress, because he really makes very dreamlike creations that are just above and beyond,' Feiping revealed.
'The final dress definitely exceeded my wildest expectations—it was the biggest dress they've ever made.'
4. There were surprises aplenty
Not only were guests chauffeured up to the villa in private gold cars, but Chang and Li basically made the villa their own for the day.
'We had local bands playing, and we changed some of the street and restaurant signs along the way into our names,' Chang added.
5. There was a dessert room
Enough said.
6. Everything was covered in flowers. Like, e-v-e-r-y-thing
Dessert room, table, chair, floor – you name it, it was floral-covered.
7. Every guest had a personalised wedding favour
Forget chocolates or adorable bottles of liqueur with the couple's wedding date on, Chan and Li went all out, gifting their guests hand-embroided monogrammed bags or sayings that meant something personal to them.
Guests were also given hand-painted name tiles, men's and stationary personalised by an Australian calligrapher.
We have a feeling saving up for this wedding wasn't an issue for this couple.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
