Influencer Nikki Sharp planned her stunning destination wedding in Capri before she was even engaged

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Samantha GrindellAug 9, 2022, 23:44 IST
Influencer Nikki Sharp planned her stunning destination wedding in Capri before she was even engaged

Insider spoke to Nikki Sharp about her wedding.Dream Bella Photography

  • Influencer Nikki Sharp married the founder of Calvion Capital, Pascal Kummert, on July 23 after their whirlwind romance.
  • The couple tied the knot in Capri, Italy, in an elaborate three-day celebration.
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Nikki Sharp wasn't looking for a relationship when Pascal Kummert walked into her life.

Nikki Sharp wasn't looking for a relationship when Pascal Kummert walked into her life.
Nikki Sharp and Pascal Kummert met in 2020.Dream Bella Photography

Nikki Sharp, an author, podcast host, and model, is used to getting DMs thanks to her 455,000 Instagram followers.

So she didn't expect anything out of the ordinary when she checked her Instagram messages while on a trip with her girlfriends to St. Lucia in November 2020. But a message from Kummert, a hedge fund manager and founder of Calvion Capital, changed everything.

"It was one of those moments I think everyone gets where I was like, 'I really don't wanna date. I'm getting off the apps,'" Sharp told Insider. "'I wanna focus on me. I love my life. I love my friends.' And of course, that's when he showed up."

Sharp, 35, and Kummert, 37, started communicating, and they quickly realized how much they had in common. Sharp lived in Miami at the time while Kummert was based in New York, so their relationship continued virtually.

"We would have just these deliciously long, long conversations," Sharp told Insider of the social-media messages. "We hadn't had a phone call yet. I didn't even know what his voice sounded like."

Three weeks later, they had a two-hour-long phone date, and their connection only continued to grow.

"It was so nice for me because I am an author, I have been on TV, and I'm a former model. I know that people look at me based on my following and based on how I look. So it was really nice to have someone meet me for me," she said of their phone calls.

Despite their connection, Sharp didn't anticipate her interest in Kummert would last.

Despite their connection, Sharp didn't anticipate her interest in Kummert would last.
The relationship turned serious quickly.Dream Bella Photography

Sharp anticipated the relationship would be a "fun fling," but that changed when Kummert flew to Nevis Island in the Caribbean for New Year's to meet up with Sharp while she was on a trip with former clients.

"It was so fun," Sharp said of their time together. "We got to experience a lot very quickly, and we already knew our values were aligned."

They extended their time together by taking a trip to Tulum, Mexico, for New Year's Day, to bond. Sharp recognized that Kummert was anything but a fling.

"I told him about some hardships that I faced in my life," she said. "My life might look perfect from the outside, and it's anything but. I've worked hard to get to where I am."

"As soon as I told him, he just looked at me, and he goes, 'You're home. You're safe now,'" she said. Sharp responded by telling Kummert she loved him. He, of course, said it back.

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Kummert officially popped the question in June 2021, though the couple started planning their wedding back in January.

Kummert officially popped the question in June 2021, though the couple started planning their wedding back in January.
Kummert proposed in June 2021.Dream Bella Photography

Less than a month after they declared their love for each other, Sharp said that she and Kummert knew they were going to get married someday.

They started dreaming of a destination wedding in Italy, and they began a guest list for the celebration.

By March of 2021, they had hired Distinctive Italy Weddings and started planning their wedding in Capri, Italy, for July 2022.

But there had never been an official proposal.

Sharp hosted a birthday party at Paradise Island in The Bahamas, and Kummert used the occasion to formally ask Sharp to marry him.

"He planned a private dinner on the beach, and he created the menu for me because he knows what I like," Sharp said. "The guy did well."

She said she knew the proposal was coming, but Sharp was still emotional, falling to the ground when Kummert got down on one knee with a ring.

It felt even more significant for Sharp. Long before the proposal, Sharp had tattooed the word "trust" on her left ring finger. She said she got the tattoo because "I have to trust that the right person at the right time is going to put a ring on it, and I'm going be happy."

Kummert was everything she had been waiting for, she said.

Sharp and Kummert picked Capri as their wedding location because of the stunning views it offers of the Amalfi Coast.

Sharp and Kummert picked Capri as their wedding location because of the stunning views it offers of the Amalfi Coast.
The couple's wedding ceremony.Dream Bella Photography

They made sure their wedding guests would enjoy the scenery, especially because they were traveling from all over the world for the nuptials.

"There are so many things for guests to do," Sharp said of their Italian destination. "There's a gondola to the top of the mountain. You can go to a beach club during the day. You can walk in Capri or Anacapri."

"It was important for us that guests explore and go on the boat," she added.

For instance, to kick things off, they scheduled a group hike to Anacapri.

"It goes through the Philosophers Park — the views are just spectacular," Sharp told Insider of serving as tour guides. "It was a way for people to meet and greet and talk with us."

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Sharp wore a stunning Galia Lahav gown to say 'I do.'

Sharp wore a stunning Galia Lahav gown to say 'I do.'
Nikki Sharp in her wedding dress.Dream Bella Photography

The bride tried on multiple Galia Lahav gowns throughout her engagement, modeling them on her Instagram.

But she fell in love with The Giovanna, a strapless gown with a full skirt, sheer, corset bodice, and embroidered with stars. That was the gown she would wear for her wedding ceremony.

"I love the sparkle, but it's not your typical sparkle," she said of the dress. "I'd never tried anything on like it."

Sharp felt like the celestial gown also spoke to her spirituality. She even used extra stars from the dress to create a custom headpiece.

The dress flowed into a dramatic train, giving it a timeless look.

The dress flowed into a dramatic train, giving it a timeless look.
The dress had a long train.Dream Bella Photography

"I love meeting our GL brides personally, it is always such a special moment for me," designer Galia Lahav said in a statement provided to Insider. "When I had the pleasure to meet Nikki at our store in Miami, I was so happy to see her in one of my all-time favorite gowns."

Sharp paired the look with an updo, showing off the intricacies of the gown.

Gianni Iavarone was Sharp's hairstylist, while Beauty Livery did the bridesmaids' hair. Carmine D'Angelo was Sharp's makeup artist.

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Sharp and Kummert had a first look ahead of the wedding.

Sharp and Kummert had a first look ahead of the wedding.
The couple on their wedding day.Dream Bella Photography

Sharp told Insider that the first look was a moment she looked forward to, particularly because Kummert is "stoic." She was curious about his reaction.

"He is the grounded one of us," Sharp said. "He's the more rational one. He really balances me."

But Kummert got emotional seeing Sharp in her gown.

The couple exchanged vows on the rooftop of the Capri Palace Jumeirah.

The couple exchanged vows on the rooftop of the Capri Palace Jumeirah.
The ceremony.Dream Bella Photography

Sharp and Kummert wed during a 6 p.m. ceremony at the six-star hotel, with the sea behind them.

The space was decorated with white and blue flowers from Flowers In Capri to highlight the venue's natural beauty.

Sharp carried a bouquet with a photo of Kummert's late mother attached to it, so she was part of the wedding too.

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The newlyweds drove a red convertible to their reception.

The newlyweds drove a red convertible to their reception.
They made their exit in a convertible.Dream Bella Photography

The reception took place at Il Riccio, a Michelin-starred restaurant that's part of Capri Palace, with Sharp and Kummert arriving with a dramatic entrance in the vintage, open-top car.

The cocktail hour and dancing took place on the Palace's rooftop, while the newlyweds and their guests dined in the downstairs open-air restaurant.

The cocktail hour and dancing took place on the Palace's rooftop, while the newlyweds and their guests dined in the downstairs open-air restaurant.
The reception space overlooked the ocean.Dream Bella Photography

To give the terrace an even more whimsical feel, the area was decked out with fairy lights and canopies.

The couple's friend, Baroness Nicola Winspeare Guicciardi, also known as Niki DJ, provided music as the guests arrived at the reception.

FX-Treme provided music and lights for the wedding.

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Kummert and Sharp's wedding singer, Angel, played a special role in their relationship.

Kummert and Sharp's wedding singer, Angel, played a special role in their relationship.
Their wedding reception.Dream Bella Photography

The couple also had a surprise performance.

The night of their engagement photo shoot with Dream Bella Photography, who documented their wedding too, the couple went to dinner where singer Angel Reckley performed. Sharp told Insider she sounds exactly like Whitney Houston.

"We listened to her, and I told her, 'You're one of the best singers I've ever heard,'" Sharp said.

As she and Kummert planned their wedding, they knew Angel was the perfect person to perform during their reception, including for their first dance.

They also hired Studio d'Essai as their videographers for the wedding.

Kummert and Sharp opened the dance floor with a duet.

Kummert and Sharp opened the dance floor with a duet.
They performed at the reception.Dream Bella Photography

The newlyweds put their own "spin" on the first dance. Rather than a traditional, choreographed number, the couple actually decided to sing the first part of their song, "Shallow," from the film "A Star is Born."

Angel then took over as the couple stepped onto the dance floor. Sharp's bridesmaids arrived with sparklers at the end of the dance.

Sharp changed into a white Retrofete minidress for the performance. It was covered in intricate, sparkly beading, giving it a 1920s feel that was perfect for dancing.

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The couple had a secret code to stay present during the busy wedding day.

The couple had a secret code to stay present during the busy wedding day.
The bride and groom.Dream Bella Photography

The couple wanted to be sure they enjoyed the day, so they devised a plan.

They had recently watched "We Crash," which stars Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. In the show, Leto says "olive juice" to Hathaway but it sounds like "I love you" to her, and it became an inside joke between them on the series.

Sharp and Kummert decided to do the same thing at the wedding: they would mouth "olive juice" to one another.

"We'd both take a breath and come back to reality," Sharp said. "It was a fun little thing to keep us in the present moment throughout the wedding."

The weekend festivities ended with a relaxed day at Lido Del Faro, a beach club in Capri.

The weekend festivities ended with a relaxed day at Lido Del Faro, a beach club in Capri.
The wedding was in Capri, Italy.Dream Bella Photography

The couple spent the final day of their wedding eating fresh pasta, swimming, and decompressing with their guests at the beach club.

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Sharp credits her lack of experience with weddings as the key to planning the event of her dreams with Kummert.

Sharp credits her lack of experience with weddings as the key to planning the event of her dreams with Kummert.
The bride and groom during their ceremony.Dream Bella Photography

Sharp told Insider that the only wedding she has ever attended was as a flower girl as a child.

Because of this, she didn't have a strong reference point for what to plan. Sharp says she felt it was beneficial, as she was able to create the nuptials of her dreams without expectations.

"I literally planned a wedding based on what I've seen in the movies and what people have told me," she said.

Sharp told Insider she was thrilled to celebrate the "deep and beautiful connection" she and Kummert share at their wedding.

Sharp told Insider she was thrilled to celebrate the "deep and beautiful connection" she and Kummert share at their wedding.
The newlyweds.Dream Bella Photography

Sharp is looking forward to continuing to get to know Kummert for the rest of her life.

"We live together, we travel together, and I still miss him when he goes out for the day," Sharp said of her love for Kummert. "When we're in a crunchy moment, we're able to talk and work through it. When we're laying in bed, we always have something to say to one another. There's always a discovery of the other person."

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