It's a story made for an early 2000s Rom-Com. Leading wedding industry expert Sarah Kay Love established herself in New York City, working for InStyle magazine, photographer Nigel Barker of "America's Next Top Model" fame, and most recently, the premiere wedding publication The Knot. After over seven years in the wedding world, Love finally found — love.
With top connections in the bridal space, she turned to Gabrielle Hurwitz, coveted bridal stylist, to curate the wedding outfits of her dreams. With the destination wedding in Italy, Hurwitz worked with Creative Director of The Bella Rosa Collection Maria Caruso Martin to develop unique, Italian handmade clutches for each event leading up to the big day. Keep reading to learn more about the inspiration behind each handbag.
1. The Rosa Hummingbird Clutch with Custom Embroidery
Location: Palazzo Avino
Wedding event: The Hummingbird-Inspired Dinner
2. The Raffia Clutch
Location: Da Paulino Restuarant
Wedding event: Capri Lemon Luncheon
Photo Credit: Rebecca Yale Photography
Taking inspiration from the location, Love wanted to pay homage to the citrus fruit synonymous with the Amalfi Coast — the bright and happy lemon. The wedding party boarded a speed boat to Capri to enjoy a private lunch at Da Paulino, famous for its lemon grove.
Love wore the custom clutch complemented by the lemon-motif Dolce and Gabbana gown and matching earrings Hurwitz picked out for this event. "We knew we had to incorporate lemons into a theme during the wedding week," Love said. "The Raffia Clutch kept the look feeling fresh and casual."
3. The True Love Bella Pearl Clutch
Location: The Belmond Caruso
Wedding event: The Rehearsal Dinner
With over 1,100 pearls hand-sewn, the white pearl bridal clutch had over 40 hours of craft to complete Love's look for the rehearsal dinner. Hurwitz paired the clutch with Jennnifer Behr earrings to reference Love's first date "under a pink moon" and a pair of pearl Jimmy Choo heels.
"Gabrielle [Hurwitz] and I were both speechless when the clutch arrived," Love said. "The detail and expertise were exquisite! Maria is truly an expert in her craft, and I am so grateful to her!"
"The detail and expertise were exquisite! Maria is truly an expert in her craft, and I am so grateful to her!"
The Bella Rosa x Gabrielle Hurwitz collaboration now offers a Bella Rosa exclusive, the 'True Love' clutch. It takes ten weeks of dedicated production for this unique clutch to be meticulously handcrafted in Italy.
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4. Limoncello Yellow Satin Bella Clutch
Inspired by Italy's Amalfi Coast, a coastline featuring terraced vineyards and cliffside lemon groves, the bold yellow bridal handbag features a refreshing pop of color. Crafted with duchess satin by Italian artisans, the celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger wore the design first during her Miami wedding weekend.
Love carried this gorgeous yellow satin clutch on her honeymoon week. Need help planning your bridal looks? Download our complimentary Bridal Planning Tool to effortless plan all your bridal looks from engagement party to honeymoon.
Bespoke x The Bella Rosa Collection
The Bella Rosa Collection knows the importance of honoring heritage and believes every bride deserves to own a personalized clutch to remember the people there to love and support you on your wedding day — in person or in spirit. Creative Director Maria Caruso Martin works with each bride to design each couture bridal clutch and evening bag.
Select from four stunning materials — Italian Duchess Satin to hand-sewn pearls — and choose a gold or silver frame to complement the mother-of-pearl clasp. All of Bella Rosa's Bespoke bags offer a custom sentiment plaque laser engraved with a wedding sentiment, and Love's message didn't disappoint:
