The Bride Wore Galvan—And Custom Lipstick—For Her Wedding at a Portuguese Vineyard

The civil ceremony was held on August 24, 2021, followed by a three-day celebration at L’And Vineyards that kicked off with a welcome dinner on the first night. “Alexis and I share different backgrounds and also had friends coming from all over the world, so we decided to throw a party celebrating our roots and asked our guests to come dressed in an outfit that reflects the place that they consider home,” Shirley explains. “Alexis’s mother is from Normandy in France and his dad is from Benin in Africa. I was born in Democratic Republic of Congo, was raised in Paris, and have been calling New York home for the past 12 years, and our friends are from everywhere. In a world where our differences often divide us, we wanted to celebrate each other’s heritage and cultures. It was also a way for us to break the ice between our guests and for everyone to have something for them to start a conversation.” To honor their African heritage with their outfits, Shirley and Alexis wore wax prints custom made by designer Angela Peralba, who owns a store and brand in Paris called Awaxland.

Shirley has always been a fashion obsessive. At a very young age, her mother introduced her to all the designers of the ’90s: Mugler, Christian Lacroix, Dior by John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Claude Montana, and Paco Rabanne among others. From there, she was hooked. “[Meanwhile,] Alexis couldn’t care less about labels or what he wears as long as it is clean, sleek, and well-tailored,” she says. “He only cares about quality and fit. That’s something I love about him, his simplicity and how down to earth he is, which is the opposite of me.” Both brought these particular approaches to the pieces they chose for their wedding wardrobes.

“For my wedding looks, I took inspiration from Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and stylist Danielle Goldberg, who are among my favorite style icons,” Shirley says. “I admire their minimalist, sleek, timeless yet sexy styles. They are effortlessly chic and cool, and I love that. They both wore simple white Calvin Klein dresses for their weddings and looked stunning. That’s what I was trying to embody and achieve for the wedding: simple, timeless but sophisticated.”

Shirley knew exactly where to find what she wanted, immediately turning to Galvan London for her dress. “You can never go wrong with a Galvan dress for any occasion,” she says. “They design simple yet sophisticated and sexy pieces that are timeless. You instantly feel good and confident in a Galvan piece, and if there is a day out of any day I wanted to feel that way, it’s my wedding day!”

Last summer, Shirley and Galvan designer Anna-Christin Haas were both at a mutual friend’s birthday party and hit it off. “In October 2020, I went to the Galvan store in New York to try on dresses,” Shirley recalls. “I ended up buying the Mayfair gown. It is in silk satin and has an asymmetrical neckline and a dramatic silk sash that cascades down the back. It’s very elegant and an investment piece that I know I can re-wear outside of a bridal context, and that’s the particularity of Galvan—their dresses can endlessly be re-worn.”

Since she opted for a simple dress, Shirley wanted to have a veil that had some detailing. “Because my mother and sisters could not make it to my dress trials in New York, we had a veil trial in Paris at Pronovias,” Shirley says. “I went for a long tulle veil with a thick edging of white scalloped Chantilly lace.”

The bride’s friend Laura Martel is the fine jewelry group manager at Chanel, and she lent Shirley jewelry for her wedding. “I shared photos of my dress, and then she sent me a few options,” Shirley says. “I went for a pair of earrings from the Camélia collection in white gold and diamonds and then the matching necklace to go with my party dress later at night. These pieces are just so elegant and perfectly fit with the overall look I wanted.”

One of Shirley’s clients, the French clean beauty brand La Bouche Rouge, has a bespoke service for lipsticks, and the CEO, Nicolas Gerlier, offered to let her create custom shades as a wedding gift. “One of my favorite makeup artists, Harold James, helped me create the shades,” she says. “We went for two shades, one nude pink for the ceremony that we called Ceremony, and one pink red for the party that we simply called Party.”

Once on location, Shirley worked with makeup artist Miguel Stapleton to achieve a natural beauty look. “I did not have a lot of directions to give, I just let him do it, and it was perfect,” she says. Hairstylist Lilia Costa created a classic sleek bun for the occasion.

The ceremony, like everything else the couple wanted, was perfect in its simplicity. “Being religious, I always wanted to get married in a church,” the bride says. “I was raised Catholic but became Protestant at 16. There was no Protestant church near our venue, so we had to give up on that idea and have a pastor officiate at the venue.”

The service took place in the afternoon, in the garden of the hotel, facing the lake. “We were both missing one parent for the ceremony so we decided that Alexis’s father would walk me down the aisle and my mother would walk Alexis down the aisle,” Shirley says. After the violinist started playing, signaling the start of the ceremony, the flower girls—Alexis’s nieces, Salomé and Josephine—processed down the aisle throwing rose petals from a little basket. “They could not have been more adorable in their matching dresses, shoes, and flower crowns—they were true angels,” Shirley says.

“Alexis and I, we were proud of ourselves for being so relaxed along the way,” Shirley says, “…up until the moment a car came to pick me up from my mom’s suite to take me to the hotel entrance! [At that point,] I started getting nervous and was overwhelmed with a rush of emotions I did not see coming. But when I saw Alexis waiting for me down the aisle, all of that stress disappeared immediately. I lit up instantly, and I felt very present during the entire ceremony but still very emotional. I took it all in and felt so happy to see all our friends and families here with us after all these months of planning and uncertainty. I felt grateful to be standing in front of Alexis, finally about to become husband and wife.”

After being pronounced husband and wife, the newlyweds signed their marriage certificate and joined guests, who were waiting to congratulate them with cocktails in hand. A saxophonist played while the couple took photos—and when Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” started, Shirley knew it was time to toss the bouquet. “I did not expect what happened next,” she says. “A fierce battle between my mom and my sister Cynthia and no one would let go! But Cynthia ended up winning. It was quite shocking and hilarious at the same time!” Dinner followed with touching speeches given by family members. Afterward, Shirley changed into a second Galvan dress, and the dance party kept going until 4 a.m.