How A Bride Built The Ultimate Vintage Bridal Wardrobe

Alexis Luz assembled archival treasures by Ralph Lauren, Halston, Danielle Frankel, Phoebe Philo, Alexander McQueen, and more for two island celebrations.

Alexis Luz says she knew it first. Andrew Felman insists he knew it before she did.

The couple first met in the Hamptons during the summer of 2020, when much of the world had seemingly come to a standstill. Amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, however, something between them felt remarkably clear. Andrew told his best friend that Alexis was “the girl I was going to marry,” while Alexis arrived at the same conclusion shortly after their first official date in New York. “I came home and told my friends, ‘That’s my husband,'” she recalls over Google Meet.

What followed was not simply a wedding, but a trilogy of celebrations that unfolded across continents: a civil ceremony at New York City Hall, an intimate wedding on the shores of Amanpulo, and a three-day gathering with 100 loved ones in St. Barths.

For Alexis, the celebrations reflected values she inherited from her grandfather, Arturo Luz, the painter and sculptor who was named National Artist for Visual Arts in 1997. Although she only came to fully appreciate his work later in life, his influence remains ever present in her philosophy and aesthetic. “I think about him in everything I do,” she says, adding, “I definitely inherited his love for minimalism and classic things.”

The couple’s love story depends on whom you ask.

Andrew believes he first expressed interest through Alexis’s best friend, Abby, who would later marry Andrew’s best friend, David, and then reintroduce the pair at a gathering in New York. Alexis remembers it differently. “I definitely drive the ship,” she says with a laugh. “I asked him out early that night.” Three years later, Andrew proposed during an early-morning walk along the beach at Amanpulo. Alexis assumed they were simply recovering from the jet lag and thought little of his repeated suggestions that they go for a walk. “There were no pictures and no evidence,” she says. “It was just the two of us.”

When it came time to plan the wedding, the destination was never in question. “It didn’t matter how many people were there,” she says. “The place was the most important thing.” The couple invited just fifteen guests and planned the celebration themselves, with Alexis working closely alongside her mother rather than hiring a wedding planner. “When you don’t have a planner, there’s a certain level of care you take with everything,” she says. “It becomes really personal.”

Before flying to the Philippines, they married at New York City Hall. Alexis had long imagined a quintessentially New York wedding moment. “You have these amazing green couches and this beautiful building,” she says. “Then you step into this room, and it’s not that romantic, but really romantic at the same time.”

Instead of following the traditional route of bridal boutiques and off-the-rack designs, Alexis curated her wedding wardrobe the way she approached any great vintage hunt with help from stylist Sarah Kim Harned. “The first thought I had when we got engaged was honestly, what am I going to wear?” she says. “I never envisioned myself as a bride. I envisioned myself as someone getting married in the clothes I love.” For the courthouse ceremony, she wore an archival Spring/Summer 2011 Donna Karan jumpsuit, layered beneath a cream Proenza Schouler blazer and finished with Saint Laurent pumps. For her “something borrowed,” she wore diamond jewelry lent by Andrew’s mother.

One of Alexis’s fashion discoveries came during a trip to London, when she and Andrew visited Lovers Lane, the Notting Hill vintage boutique known for its curated archive. “I was manifesting being a Ralph Lauren bride,” she says. “Come hell or high water, I was going to be one.” While browsing the racks, she discovered a cream skirt from the Spring/Summer 2005 collection. Weeks later, she found what she describes as its twin online. “Someone had listed it on eBay and didn’t realize what it was,” she says. “I recognized it instantly.”

When guests arrived at Amanpulo, the celebrations began with a traditional kamayan dinner beside the water. Set around a long white table on the pool deck, the evening brought together Andrew’s family from New York and Alexis’s relatives from Manila for their first days together in the Philippines. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more euphoric in my entire life,” she says. “I can’t believe that I’m looking around and his family and my family are in the Philippines together.”

She wore an archival Alexander McQueen dress from the house’s 2012 collection, paired with Toteme flats and a bag by The Row. As a wedding gift, she had also sourced a vintage caftan for her mother-in-law. “My love language is fashion,” Alexis says. “It was really sweet that she wore it.” For the first evening, Andrew wore a custom white lace Barong Tagalog by Ched Studio, paired with Hermès loafers and trousers from Todd Snyder. His father and brothers were dressed in matching Barong Tagalogs for the wedding day itself. “They were such incredible creative partners,” she says. “They take traditional barong elements and reinterpret them in a really modern way.”

Rather than spending the morning of the ceremony apart, Alexis and Andrew went swimming with family near Amanpulo’s floating bar. “Andrew is my calm,” she says. “I didn’t want to spend the day hiding from him.” While getting ready, Alexis wore a 1999 Yeohlee silk dress and cape sourced from Arcade Fashion, paired with a custom tassel necklace created by her friend Silvia Dusci of Le Sundial. Before leaving for the ceremony, the couple gifted each guest a handwritten letter accompanied by a vintage handkerchief.

For the main event, Alexis wore a Danielle Frankel gown with a matching veil, Emme Parsons shoes, and carried a single cymbidium orchid stem, the same flower she had held at City Hall. Her hair was styled by Gelo Cibrian, while Jay Salcedo created her makeup look. “The single flower felt really intentional. It offered the drama, but it wasn’t a bouquet.” Her mother walked her down the sandy aisle while Andrew’s brother Jake officiated. In one of the ceremony’s most memorable moments, he unexpectedly delivered part of it in Tagalog. “When he started speaking Tagalog, everyone’s mouths dropped,” Alexis recalls. “My mom was sobbing.”

After exchanging vows, the couple returned to the villa for sunset cocktails and dinner on the beach. Alexis changed into the Ralph Lauren skirt she found in London, pairing it with a custom top created by New York tailor Tati Kova, who sourced deadstock fabric to match the archival skirt almost exactly, along with a vintage bag sourced from eBay. “It felt like an elevated dinner party, which is very us,” she says. “It was the best day ever for us.”

Knowing many friends would not be able to make the journey to the Philippines, Alexis and Andrew later hosted a larger celebration in St. Barths. “We knew we wanted the most sacred part of our wedding to remain in the Philippines,” Alexis says. “Then we wanted to celebrate with the people we love most.” With the help of L. Scott Events, they rented out the Hotel Christopher, a 40-room property perched above the Caribbean Sea, inviting one hundred family members and friends to spend the weekend together. “It was less of a wedding and more like a multi-day vacation,” Alexis says. Andrew agrees.

“If people are travelling to an island with so much character, you want them to appreciate the island,” Andrew says. “It would have felt odd if everyone flew there and ended up in black tie inside a ballroom.” Instead, the weekend was designed to feel relaxed and unmistakably St. Barths. The celebrations began on a Thursday with a family dinner overlooking Gustavia Harbour before Alexis and Andrew slipped away to meet friends at La Petite Plage, one of the island’s most legendary late-night destinations.

“We ended up staying out far too late,” Alexis says with a laugh. “All of our friends were there. We were dancing on tables way past our curfew.” For the night, Alexis wore a 2008 Ralph Lauren runway gown and later changed into the Spring/Summer 2005 Ralph Lauren Collection skirt she had discovered in London, pairing it with an additional custom halter top by Tati Cova and satin heels by Kiana Givadel.

The following evening, guests gathered at Nao Beach Club for dinner on the sand overlooking the water. Alexis described the dress code as “St. Barths Elegant,” encouraging guests to embrace the island’s blend of South of France glamour and Caribbean ease. Long tables were set with tropical florals and lush greenery as the sun dipped below the horizon. Throughout the weekend, Abby and David, the friends who had first brought the couple together, joined family and friends in offering heartfelt toasts as guests settled into the rhythm of island life.

At the welcome party the next day, Alexis wore a Phoebe Philo–era Chloé gown that she had tracked down from Raffe Vintage: “I was dreaming about it for such a long time.” Styled with diamond earrings from Rodi and Khaite sandals, the yellow chiffon halter dress became one of Alexis’s favourite looks from the entire wedding journey. “I knew immediately that I needed to wear it,” she adds. Andrew complemented the look in a relaxed white linen set from N007, layered over a cashmere polo.

While attending A Current Affair in New York, Alexis discovered an original Halston gown from the 1970s, complete with the designer’s signature chiffon cape. The peach-toned dress immediately caught her attention. “I’ve never really seen one in person, and I’ve been such a Halston fan for so long,” she recalls. She purchased the Halston two weeks before leaving for the wedding celebrations, knowing instantly it was destined for the occasion. “I don’t have any slots in my wardrobe, but I will make a slot for this.” The dress ultimately found its moment during portraits with her mother.

Alexis wore an archival Alberta Ferretti dress for Saturday’s ceremony sourced through Female Hysteria, a buttery silk design with softly draped details that reflected her preference for understated elegance. Later that evening, she changed into a semi-bespoke lace tunic and skirt by Meredith Stoecklein of LEIN Studios, backed with champagne organza. “It felt like something I would wear in my day-to-day life,” Alexis says. “I think she’s going to be a really big name.” After five fittings, the team incorporated a hidden wristlet into the train so she could move easily through cocktail hour.

Andrew, meanwhile, approached his wedding wardrobe with a collector’s instinct of his own. He wore a bespoke linen suit by P. Johnson featuring blue lining that doubled as Alexis’s “something blue.” The look was paired with a silk-blend shirt and grey suede loafers. “We said, please no one wear ties,” Alexis says. “We wanted this to feel informal and fun.” Unlike most men’s shoes, the Belgian loafers had actually taken years to find. “You can only buy them in the store,” Andrew explains. After years of searching, he happened to find a pair in his size while walking past the shop near his office. “I kind of just bought them, didn’t know for what, and then months later I decided that I’d wear them for the first time at the wedding.”

The celebrations eventually spilled into Le Ti, the island’s legendary after-hours institution. Guests emerged in costumes, pirate hats, and wigs, and Andrew fully embraced the theme. Alexis closed the weekend in a sheer silk-chiffon Colleen Allen dress from the designer’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, another piece by a designer she has long admired. “Colleen is someone I’ve watched for a really long time,” she says. “She is one of the most talented and chic emerging designers right now.”

A seated dinner gave way to dancing as a DJ and saxophonist carried the festivities late into the night beneath the Caribbean sky. “And then we turned it into the most epic dance party,” Alexis says. “Andrew and I still think it was one of the best moments of the weekend.” What remained was exactly what Alexis and Andrew had hoped to create: a celebration shaped by the people, places, and traditions that mattered most to them.

Looking back, the couple felt grateful that every decision felt entirely their own. “We celebrated our love in the way we envisioned it, not the way the internet tells you to, and not the way you’re supposed to,” she says. “It felt completely and entirely like us.”