This Jewelry-Designer Bride Created All Her Own Looks for Her Tuscan Castle Wedding

Christian DiCroce knew he was going to marry jewelry designer Rene Barnes by their third date. The real estate broker asked Rene to meet for the first time at Bar 167 on October 6, 2022. “I have this mental image I’ll never forget of him walking down the street to meet me for our first date,” says Rene. “I remember thinking how handsome he was as he walked toward me wearing a blue shirt and jeans.” Neither of them wanted the night to end. The pair continued on to Bin 152 and ended the date with a nightcap at the Blind Tiger. “At the end of the evening, he kissed me, and then asked me what I was doing the following night,” remembers Rene. “It was the best first date I had ever had. I remember going home so excited to see him again.” Adds Christian, “I knew she was everything I had been waiting for.”

Their relationship grew over the next few years, and on May 8, 2025, Christian finally popped the question. “I wanted it to be in Charleston, where we first met,” he explains. Originally, he planned to propose in Washington Square Park near their home, but a day-of text from the photographer he hired, Anne Rhett, informed him a wedding was taking place in the park and offered an alternative location. “It ended up being even better than the original plan,” says Christian. “If you know Rene, you know she loves places with an old soul. Chalmers Street, with its original 1850s European ship ballast stones and beautiful historic homes, felt like the perfect place to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.” He got down on one knee as they walked along the street on the way to dinner. “I had waited so long for that moment, and it was everything I had imagined,” says Rene. “Afterward, we celebrated at our favorite wine bar before heading home to feed our dog, Booka. When we walked inside, all of our friends and family were there waiting to surprise me. I immediately started crying. It was the perfect ending to one of the happiest days of my life.”

The pair decided to tie the knot exactly one year later on May 8, 2026, at Castello di Celsa in Italy. Says the bride, “The first time we drove through the gates, I just looked at him, and we both knew this was where we wanted to get married.” Adds the groom, “It just felt like us.” The couple brought an intimate group of friends and family to witness them exchange vows. “We wanted the weekend to feel like an experience rather than just a wedding, so we planned a few days for everyone to slow down and celebrate together,” says Rene.

The couple describes their wedding planning experience as quite relaxed. “Christian is probably one of the most peaceful people you’ll ever meet, and he brings that same sense of calm to everything he does. I had a very clear vision for the wedding from the beginning, and he never made me second-guess it,” shares the bride. “Instead, he became my sounding board. Some of my favorite memories are just the two of us sitting with a glass of wine at the end of the day, talking through ideas.” The couple also brought on planner Fabiana Vernetti to craft all the moving parts of the weekend and partner in their vision. “She had such a calm, positive energy that choosing her felt natural,” Rene says. Working on paper goods with Nicole Ferguson of Every Little Something was also a standout part of the planning experience for the couple. “I shared just a few thoughts about what we envisioned, and she somehow translated them into something even more beautiful than I could have imagined,” says Rene. “She has such a special gift, and I'm so grateful she was part of bringing our wedding to life.”

While the bride is a jewelry designer, she took a chance and designed clothing for the first time for every one of her wedding looks. “The moment we got engaged, I knew I wanted to design everything I wore,” says Rene. “I’ve always been fascinated by one-of-a-kind, deadstock haute couture textiles, and my wedding wardrobe felt like a natural place to begin.” The bride worked with Alice from Mendel Goldberg Fabrics to find all the fabric and began draping pieces by hand to ideate her looks. Couture dressmaker Mary Funt then brought these designs to life. “She gave me the freedom to create through draping, sketching, and talking through ideas, then helped turn those ideas into beautifully constructed garments,” shares Rene.

“Rather than thinking about one wedding dress, I thought about the entire wedding weekend as a collection,” the bride says of her process. “Every look had its own moment.” For the morning of their welcome dinner, Rene wore a cream dress crafted from deadstock Italian silk and wool jacquard by Dior. That night, the bride wore color in a dress cut from Oscar de la Renta silk with florals and a low back. She got ready for the big day in a silk and wool jacquard lurex robe with ostrich feathers, walked down the aisle in a gown and cape crafted from Italian silk jacquard printed with lamé haute couture fabric, and ended the evening in a white sheath dress made from Armani silk plissé. For her final ensemble, the bride wore an Italian fil coupé dress before changing into a swimsuit for a recovery pool day with her guests.

Naturally, the designer also created all her jewelry for the weekend. “Every piece was designed and made specifically for the look it accompanied, using old European diamonds throughout the collection,” she shares. “I also created our matching wedding bands and a custom diamond brooch for Christian.”

The groom also wore a bespoke look for the wedding day. He worked with Casa dei Tessuti, a fifth-generation tailoring house in Florence, to craft a double-breasted, black tuxedo. “When we came back to Italy in October for our tasting with the caterer, we stopped to look at fabrics while we were there. That's when we stumbled upon Casa dei Tessuti and met the owner,” says Christian. “The next morning, I went back and spent the day with the father-and-son team designing it. I really enjoy well-made clothing, and getting to experience that level of craftsmanship firsthand was something I'll always remember.”

The weekend kicked off at the Grand Hotel Continental in Siena. “We started with a welcome dinner in a breathtaking fresco ballroom that felt like stepping back in time,” describes Rene. The night was a grand reunion with all their guests filled with food and memorable speeches. Adds the groom, “Madonna had celebrated her birthday in the same room just a few months earlier!”

The next day, everyone gathered in the garden of Castello di Celsa for the couple to say “I do.” With the Tuscan countryside as the backdrop, the bride walked down the aisle with her parents to “Con Te Partirò.”

“It’s always been a special song because Christian is constantly singing it, whether he’s cooking, in the shower, or just around the house,” the bride says. “I asked our band to create their own rendition of the song so it felt more like us.” Rene’s father officiated the ceremony to give the proceedings an intimate touch. “While I was a little anxious, I also felt very at peace and calm during the ceremony,” says Christian. “I absolutely knew I was marrying my soulmate and my person, and that really put me at ease.” After saying “I do,” the newlyweds recessed down the aisle. “The first thing I remember after the ceremony was seeing a rainbow over the gardens,” says Rene. “It felt magical.”

The couple and their guests headed to another garden on the property for cocktail hour. “We walked over to the aperitivo, hugged everyone, started dancing, and celebrated together,” remembers Rene. “We were just so happy.” The party then transitioned into the inner courtyard of the castle, which was decorated with two long tables full of red florals and candlelight. The reception began with an intimate dinner with a locally inspired menu. “Having everyone gathered together in one place under the stars in a Tuscan castle was exactly what we wanted,” shares Christian. Then, music from the band The Cool Boyz went into full swing and the party really began. “We danced and had the time of our lives. I kicked off my shoes, went barefoot, and just thrived,” says the bride. “I knew it was one of those moments I’d never get back, so I fully lived it.”

Looking back, the couple expresses their gratitude and love for each other and those who came to celebrate with them. Says the bride, “It was more than we could have ever dreamed of, and I’m just so thankful we got to experience it with the people we love most.”