… OLIVIA ARBEN
THE MODEL STUNS IN FOUR DESIGNER DRESSES AS SHE MARRIES NICO CARY
A model marriage, four dresses and a stunning setting
Adecade’s
experience of catwalk shows came in handy for fashion model Olivia Arben when she married her long-term love last month. With not one but four stunning designer gowns at her disposal, the 26-yearold’s flair for a quick change was put to good use.
“I didn’t intend to have four, it just kind of snowballed,” Olivia, who wed tech entrepreneur Nico Cary at Goodwood House in West Sussex – the home of close friend Charlie Settrington, the Earl of March, who was among the couple’s 45 guests – tells hello!.
With Game of Thrones actress Laura Pradelska, Made in Chelsea stars Josh Shepherd and Gemma Gregory, plus Aspinal of London’s Mariya Dykalo and Iain Burton also on the invite list, the scene was set for a super stylish celebration.
Having lost her father Michael to a heart attack when she was just 16, Olivia, who like Pippa Middleton and Sarah, Duchess of York is an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation, walked up the aisle with her sister Natasha, a make- up artist. Although Olivia, wearing a Nicole + Felicia gown and veil, says it was a bit of a squeeze. “I had this amazing long feathered veil and it took up most of the carpet,” she says.
Later, she changed into a stunning strapless gown by Gyunel Couture for sunset photographs on the balcony of Goodwood House, a place she first fell in love with when she attended her friend Charlie’s 18th birthday party there. “I thought then: ‘This place is so beautiful – I have to get married here,’” recalls Olivia, whose new husband was equally wowed – more so by the sight of his stunning bride. “Nico knew nothing at all about my dresses, so he was blown away,” says Olivia, who also wore a gown by Zuhair Murad, who counts Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez among the stars he has dressed.
After the ceremony, guests dined on a fabulous feast of trout, roast chicken and honeycomb cheesecake.
Olivia wore her second Gyunel Couture gown as she cut into the wedding cake – a towering confection made by Foxwood Cakes, which featured vanilla sponge and was decorated with pineapples – a theme that featured throughout the occasion.
CHARMING OCCASION
“Nico has this lucky pineapple, which he is very superstitious about, and whenever our friends and family have something they want to come true, they say: ‘Rub the pineapple!’” explains Olivia with a laugh.
It certainly worked its magic on their wedding day. “We loved every minute,” adds Olivia, whose friend Ben Barnett, a DJ and saxophonist, provided the entertainment.
With London Fashion Week and a Vogue shoot with revered photographer Ellen von Unwerth coming up, it’s set to be a busy time for Olivia, who has 720,000 followers on social media.
But she and her new husband, who have been together for eight years, are planning to honeymoon in Cannes, the scene of Nico’s romantic proposal two years ago.
“Then we’re planning to do a little road trip through Italy,” reveals Olivia. For now, though, they’re still basking in the glow of being husband and wife. “I’ve slipped up a couple of times and said ‘ boyfriend’,” chuckles Olivia. “Being able to call Nico my husband is wonderful.”
‘ Nico knew nothing at all about my dresses, so he was blown away’