Inside Conor Kennedy and Giulia Be’s Three-Day Wedding Celebration in Rio de Janeiro

When it came time to plan their wedding, there was never a question as to where it would take place. Despite the groom’s close ties to Massachusetts, “We wanted to celebrate not just the wedding, but also Rio de Janeiro, the city we love,” Giulia says of their decision to marry in her hometown.

After settling on a location, the couple spent the first year of their engagement enjoying the moment rather than rushing into wedding planning. When they were eventually ready to get started, they enlisted event planner Anna Carolina Werneck, and Giulia threw herself into researching vendors and considering every detail. Though, she admits, she couldn’t have done it without her mother. “I swear, if it weren’t for my mom, I probably would have given up halfway and gone to Las Vegas to wing it!” Giulia jokes. “She was my absolute savior. Whenever I had decision fatigue, she would decide, and whenever she had decision fatigue, I would decide. Besides being my mother, she’s also my manager, and my best friend… it was a really special exchange.”

The three-day celebration began on Thursday, October 8, with a welcome party featuring a performance by the samba school Unidos de Vila Isabel. “It was such a fun way to welcome everyone to Rio,” Giulia says. The following day, the couple invited their guests to Ipanema for a beach volleyball tournament—a distinctly Brazilian take on a Kennedy family tradition. “Conor’s family usually has sporting competitions around their weddings!” Giulia explains. “Since we’re in Rio, volleyball on the beach feels much more natural to us.” On Friday, October 9, they had a blessing at the Capela de Nossa Senhora Aparecida inside the city’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. “Being there, overlooking Rio, with our family was one of those moments I’ll never forget,” Giulia says. Finally, on Saturday, October 10, Giulia and Conor exchanged vows at the historic cathedral of Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Sé, followed by a celebratory lunch and reception at Instituto Brando Barbosa.

For a bride who recently released a trilingual album, it was only fitting that her wardrobe be similarly international, featuring designers from Spain, Brazil, the United States, and the United Kingdom. For the welcome party, Giulia wore a custom dress by YolanCris, a Spanish fashion designer she discovered on Pinterest. “I saw one of their capes on Pinterest and wanted to know who made it,” she recalls. “Before I could DM them, they had already messaged me offering to create a custom look.” The finished cape featured embroidered personal references, including the couple’s matching tattoo and the Leo constellation.

Her second look was by PatBo, the Brazilian label founded by longtime friend and collaborator Patricia Bonaldi. “It was important to me to wear Brazilian fashion at my own wedding,” Giulia says.

For the blessing at Christ the Redeemer, Giulia turned to Calvin Klein, a brand she’s worked with for the past three years. After reviewing about 20 sketches, she decided on a minimalist silhouette and a pair of sheer opera-length gloves. “We landed on a timeless dress with the right amount of drama, which is the essence of the brand,” she explains. The look was also reminiscent of the understated elegance of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Conor’s late aunt by marriage.

For the ceremony itself, the bride enlisted Harris Reed to create her wedding look. “I DMed him expecting no reply, and he answered within 10 minutes,” she recalls. Over the course of eight months, she traveled to London five or six times as they worked on the design, incorporating lace from the historic French house Solstiss. “I knew I wanted long sleeves and a high neck, and the sleeve itself was a decision we made together, inspired by ’70s romanticism and a little bit of Star Wars—like Padmé’s looks,” Giulia explains. “The final result is beyond what I imagined.” For the after-party, Giulia changed into another Harris Reed look, and accessorized with pieces from Tiffany & Co.’s high jewelry archive. Brazilian accessories brand Luiza Barcelos created Giulia’s custom shoes, as well as personalized flip-flops for the guests to slip on once the dancing began.

Meanwhile, Conor wore suits by Vasco Vasconcellos, Giulia’s father’s longtime tailor. “My dad’s love language is taking someone to the tailor,” she explains. “And it was one of the first things he did when he met Conor.” Having her father and brothers accompany Conor throughout the process made it all the more meaningful. “I also love that I made so many of my dresses in the U.S. while he made all of his suits in Brazil!” she adds.

Giulia let her bridesmaids choose their own dresses, asking only that they stick to a palette of navy blue and dark green. “The beauty of having so many friends from so many different parts of my life is how different they are and how each expresses herself through fashion,” she says. “I wanted to give freedom within a constraint.”

On Saturday, Father Victor Pimentel Pereira officiated the Catholic ceremony and allowed the couple to exchange personal vows in addition to traditional ones. “Not all priests allow that,” Giulia notes. “We’re very grateful for that.”

One of the moments Giulia looked forward to most was walking down the aisle with her dad to “Nessun Dorma”—an aria from Puccini’s Turandot. “My favorite song from my favorite opera by my favorite composer,” she says. “It was a dream come true, the kind you imagine as a little girl. We were both really nervous, but having my dad take me down the aisle and deliver me to the man of my dreams, what else could a girl ask for?”

Following the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests made their way to Instituto Brando Barbosa, where a photo booth, tarot reader, and packed dance floor awaited. “I was excited to show Conor’s friends how we party down here,” Giulia says. “It’s a Brazilian wedding, and there’s nothing like it!”

Reflecting on the wedding now, the couple are most grateful that everyone made the journey to Brazil. “This is the best city on Earth, and this wedding was a labor of love,” Giulia says. “It was the most special weekend of our lives!”