From rituals to revelry, Emily Shah and Mena Massoud’s wedding was a vibrant meeting of cultures, flavours and music
By Kriti Saraswat-Satpathy, VOGUE Journalist
“My dad is a Gujarati man from Mumbai and my mom is an American of Scottish and Welsh ancestry. My husband, Mena Massoud, immigrated to Canada from Egypt with his family when he was three, and we both currently live in Las Vegas,” reveals actress, entrepreneur and content creator Emily Shah, who tied the knot in Italy this July. With multicultural roots and years spent in different cities, Shah and Massoud first crossed paths in 2018, when they were in Los Angeles. “We actually met on a dating app that was exclusive for artists in the entertainment industry and despite the spark, we went our separate ways as our schedules did not align. But almost a year later, we finally started dating,” she says.
Massoud, who is an actor, producer and writer, proposed in Japan during a trip that coincided with Shah’s birthday in December 2023. After dating for close to four years, the couple got engaged, though their wedding would take place a year and a half later. “I wanted a summer wedding and Mena wanted to get married in Tuscany. While I initially thought we could pull off a wedding within six months of the proposal, I quickly learned there were multiple important elements that needed to align, so we settled on a date at the end of July 2025 when we had the greenlight on all levels; religiously, schedules, and (almost) guaranteed good weather.” explains Shah.
After scouting for venues, they chose Tenuta Di Sticciano in Certaldo. “We wanted all our guests to stay on site, enjoy locally produced organic wine from the vineyard, as well as have space to host multiple wedding events in different parts of the property, and the estate really ticked all our boxes,” shares Massoud. The celebrations opened with a welcome dinner, styled as a classic Italian garden party with brick-oven pizzas, Sticciano’s award-winning wines and Italian beer. The tablescape by Fede Floral Design combined fresh florals with heirloom tomatoes, paint-splattered garlic and red chillies.
Shah arrived in an all-white Valentino ensemble, her hair and make-up inspired by ‘60s glam. “I had dreamed of wearing this look for my wedding since I saw it on Valentino’s runway right before we got engaged, and it was probably my favourite look of the weekend,” she adds. Massoud wore a Valentino jacket with flared tuxedo trousers and Marc Nolan loafers, paired with the vintage Audemars Piguet watch he wore for his proposal in Japan.
The following day, in the gardens overlooking the Tuscan hills, Shah and Massoud held a Hindu wedding ceremony. The bride wore a bespoke red Arpita Mehta sari with a matching corset blouse and silver kitten heels from Dolce Vita. Her veil featured a quote that translates to, “On his peaceful land, my flame found rest,” their horoscope symbols and the word Om, while her mehendi by Suhenna Creations included their zodiac signs and constellations. “It was important for me to support a female Gujarati designer whose designs were modern yet honoured our traditions, and Arpita and her team were a dream to work with. I paired the handmade sari with my ba’s diamond bangles, a custom mangalsutra from Modern Mangal with a ruby and diamond set consisting of earrings, a bracelet, and a nose ring from Sanzany,” shares Shah.
To complete her look, she wore her hair in voluminous waves styled by Senada Ceka, with mauve eyeshadow and kohl-rimmed eyes by her friend and make-up artist Austin Ryde. Massoud wore an ivory and silver Manish Malhotra outfit, a necklace by Sanzany, Marc Nolan shoes, and a Rolex Hulk. A sangeet-style reception followed that evening, with music by Luxor Music, Indian fare by Crown of India in Florence, and cocktails featuring Dharma Indian Dry Gin. Shah changed into a gold Itrh outfit, then a silver mesh Shona Joy dress for the reception and after-party.
To honour Massoud’s faith, the couple also had a Coptic Christian ceremony the next day, officiated by Father Pishoy, his childhood priest from Toronto. Groomed by Ashley Cornett for all his looks, Massoud wore a custom Zegna tuxedo with Christian Louboutin shoes and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Their wedding bands were custom-made by Bhindi Jewelers of Los Angeles. The bride walked down the aisle in a bespoke Lihi Hod gown with a veil, Louboutin lace bridal heels, and her grandmother’s diamond tennis bracelet. She later changed into a custom Marquise Bridal dress for the reception, accessorised with a Maya Brenner tennis necklace, diamond drop earrings and bracelet.
“We had a four-course Italian dinner catered by Florence’s oldest caterer Guidi Lenci, paired with Sticciano wine, and followed by classic Italian millefoglie cake which we made live in front of our guests.” There was also an after-party where we had ‘The Massoud’s Martini Bar’, and truffle and margarita pizzas as midnight snacks,” says the groom. Shah, now in a Rosie Etienne mini dress with silver Tieks flats, ended the weekend dancing to Arabic music in the estate’s wine-cellar rave cave. “I was rocking corsets all weekend, and it felt appropriate to end the celebration with a corseted mini,” she quips.
Produced and executed by Birch Event Design, planned by Tuscan Weddings, with customised stationery by Inktricate Designs for the celebrations that unfolded across days and traditions, with both families and friends carried along for the ride.
