Serena and Stephen began their three-day celebration in Marbella when the light turns liquid gold. Photographer: The Fashion Wedding.
Their story began far from Marbella, in the electric hum of Miami. In 2022, at ZZ’s, a members-only sushi bar, mutual friends introduced them over wagyu sandos and matcha margaritas, perhaps a few too many. But it was enough. Enough to spark a connection that would flow seamlessly into a proposal two years later, on June 1st, 2024, and from there into a year of meticulous, passionate planning.
“From the start,” Serena says, “we knew we wanted our wedding to be joyful. Full of laughter. Full of life. Marbella gave us that.”
PART I — The Welcome Dinner: Serena and Stephen’s Chiringuito
Marbella
There is a certain hour in Marbella when the light turns liquid gold; an hour when the sea softens into silk, and the sky performs its nightly ritual in shades of apricot, lemon, and cobalt. It was precisely at this hour that Serena and Stephen began their three-day celebration, transforming a simple chiringuito into something entirely their own: Serena and Stephen’s Chiringuito.
For most couples, a welcome dinner is a warm prelude. For Serena and Stephen, it was the overture to an entire world they were designing: joyful, Andalusian, intimate, and deeply personal. And guiding them, with her signature precision and artistry, was Carla Tucco, the Marbella-based wedding planner with a reputation for turning the Costa del Sol’s laid-back glamour into pure editorial fantasy.
“Serena and Stephen came to me with a simple wish,” Carla recalls. “They wanted the welcome night to feel like an embrace, – something relaxed, sun-lit, alive with Andalusian soul. Nothing forced, nothing too embellished. Just effortless magic.”
The Southern Spain’s palette
What followed was a full takeover of a beachside chiringuito, reimagined with the vibrancy of Southern Spain’s palette: yellows, oranges, blues, and every shade of Mediterranean sky. These were the colors of the old town’s façades, of flamenco tiles, of childhood summers spent on golden sands—Serena’s childhood, to be precise. Having grown up partly in Marbella, she was determined to share the emotion of this place with the people she loved most.
“As soon as I introduced Stephen to Marbella,” Serena would later say, “it became part of our story. Some of our happiest summers are here. We wanted everyone to understand why.”
The transformation
Transforming a beach bar into an elegant pre-wedding setting without losing its soul is an art form—one that Carla executed with quiet brilliance. Tablets of rustic wood were softened with linens in earthy textures, lanterns flickered in the breeze, and ceramic pieces reminiscent of local markets added charm without pretension. Everything felt curated, yet untouched; luxurious, yet grounded in tradition.
“It was essential that the transformation didn’t overshadow the authenticity of Marbella,” Carla explains. “Serena and Stephen love the feeling of this place—its simplicity, its charm. I wanted them to feel completely at home.”
And they did. Throughout the night, they moved with the ease of two people celebrating not just a wedding but a shared history—a history rooted in beaches like this one, in nights warm enough to sit outside until dawn, in the colors and textures of Southern Spain.
PART II — The Wedding Day: A Seventies Dream at The Marbella Club
On the second day, the wedding celebration rose to its crescendo—an extraordinary union of glamour, nostalgia, and Mediterranean enchantment. Serena and Stephen’s wedding day at the Marbella Club was not merely an event; it was a curated world of its own, a homage to the luxurious 1970s, wrapped in the coastal elegance that defines this legendary resort.
From the moment guests stepped onto the property—reserved entirely for the couple in an exclusive takeover—the atmosphere felt cinematic. The Marbella Club, with its storied past and quintessential Andalusian charm, became the canvas for a celebration that blended vintage glamour with modern sophistication. This was a wedding defined by vision, emotion, and artistry, orchestrated masterfully by wedding planner Carla Tucco, whose signature style radiates through every detail.
“It had to be timeless,” Carla says. “Their love story deserved an aesthetic that felt both iconic and personal. The 1970s provided the perfect inspiration—bold, glamorous, and full of soul.”
A Ceremony in White and Green
The ceremony was nothing short of a floral dream. White blooms, accented with touches of green, shaped an aisle that felt ethereal.
Serena’s Andalusian-inspired wedding gown mirrored the spirit of the location: refined, romantic, subtly dramatic. Its silhouette evoked the grace of flamenco heritage, yet carried a modern softness. She moved through the ceremony like a vision—serene, present, glowing.
The couple had insisted on a ceremony that felt “clean, simple, beautiful”—a reflection of their personalities. “We wanted something that let the emotion speak for itself,” Serena said. With Carla’s guidance, that vision unfolded flawlessly.
The 1970s Come Alive
If the ceremony painted a picture of purity, the reception was a dive into stylish nostalgia. The Marbella Club was transformed into a 70s-inspired luxury haven, where every detail played homage to a decade defined by creativity and sensuality.
The centerpiece of the evening—both literally and symbolically—was the serpentine table, an architectural marvel that curved gracefully around the swimming pool. It was an innovative, sculptural layout that created movement, intimacy, and visual drama. Above it, vintage crystal chandeliers, sourced exclusively to fit the theme, cast a soft shimmer reminiscent of glamorous supper clubs of the era.
The table settings were equally striking: plexiglass place cards, pristine white florals, and flickering candlelight that reflected off mirrored surfaces. Together, it created a tableau that felt both modern and retro—luxury reinterpreted through a 70s lens.
When the sun began its descent, the Marbella sky unfurled the kind of sunset that makes people believe in omens. Pink, coral, lavender—the colors layered themselves across the sea as Serena and Stephen slipped away for their golden hour portraits.
The photos taken by the editorial photographers : The fashion wedding would become some of the most iconic images of the entire celebration. The bride and groom—hands intertwined, laughter effortless, eyes shining—looked utterly at home in the place where their love story had deepened over the years.
The Fireworks That Lit Up the Sea
Just when guests thought the night couldn’t become more dazzling, Serena reappeared after her outfit change—a pink tunic embellished with white Swarovski crystals, catching every beam of light in the club. It was a 70s-inspired vision, playful yet glamorous, perfectly aligned with the theme.
As night enveloped the Marbella Club, anticipation filled the air. Guests gathered near the terrace overlooking the ocean for one of the most unforgettable moments: the cake cutting, staged under a burst of spectacular fireworks.
The Transformation into Club Ascher
But the evening was far from over.
Following the fireworks, guests were guided to a new, electrifying universe: Club Ascher, a bespoke after-party designed to feel like an exclusive nightclub, built just for Serena and Stephen’s wedding night.
Red lights pulsed dramatically against mirrored surfaces. Cocktails and signature drinks flowed effortlessly. A world-class DJ—handpicked by Stephen—took command of the room. With the first beats of Michael Jackson echoing across the dance floor, the crowd erupted.
Stephen’s creative direction was instrumental in shaping the mood of Club Ascher. Lighting, staging, transitions—every detail reflected his eye and taste. The atmosphere crackled with energy: joyful, sensual, irresistibly fun.
A Night That Became Legend
The dancing continued deep into the early hours. Friends sang. Families mingled. The bride and groom were lifted in the air more than once. And over everything, the sense of celebration felt pure, unrestrained, unforgettable.
PART III — The Farewell Brunch: A Sun-Kissed Goodbye at Playa Pedro
The morning after a wedding like Serena and Stephen’s arrives with a particular kind of glow—soft, unhurried, golden. It is the glow of a love story that has already celebrated its crescendo, now settling gracefully into its afterglow. And for this couple, the farewell brunch at Playa Pedro was not merely a conclusion; it was a final embrace, a slow exhale, a sun-drenched epilogue to three unforgettable days on the shores of Marbella.
Playa Pedro, with its powder-soft sand and effortless charm, was chosen deliberately. Serena, who spent part of her childhood in Marbella, wanted the final gathering to take place somewhere that felt personal, somewhere that held echoes of summers past—sunsets, swims, seaside lunches. “I wanted a place,” she said, “where every guest could understand why I am so deeply connected to this coastline.”
Stephen agreed. After three days of glamour and spectacle, this morning was meant to feel grounding. “We loved the idea of giving everyone one more slow, beautiful memory,” he shared. “Something honest. Something coastal. Something Marbella.”
Team Credits:
Wedding Planner: @tuccoweddings
Venue: @marbellaclub
Hairdresser: Demian Piazza
Makeup Artist: María Luisa Peña
Photographer: @thefashionwedding
Videographer: @M4.productora.bodas
Styling, Flowers and Decor: @studio8.events
Production: LIT@liteventsmarbella
Cake Stage: EJ Events
Welcome Drinks and Ceremony Music: Alessia duo
Sax Player: Dani Vikario @danivikario
DJ: Paul Arkitec
Fireworks: Fuegos Lara
Stationery: Nulki Nulks @nulkinulks
Photobooth: Risbox @ris_box
Wedding cake: Alyson Thomas
Watercolour Painting: Sebastian Marc Graham
Content Creator: The Joy Is Reel @thejoyisreel
Day One: Serena’s Dress: Amen. Earrings: JAR. Bracelets: Bulgari.
Day Two: Wedding Day.
Serena Dress: Oscar De La Renta. Ring: Harry Winston. Shoes: La Silla.
Earrings: Harry Winston Clusters. Second Dress: Self Portrait.
Stephen: All custom by David August.
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
