Christian DiCroce knew he was going to marry jewelry designer Rene Barnes by their third date. The real estate broker asked Rene to meet for the first time at Bar 167 on October 6, 2022. “I have this mental image I’ll never forget of him walking down the street to meet me for our first date,” says Rene. “I remember thinking how handsome he was as he walked toward me wearing a blue shirt and jeans.” Neither of them wanted the night to end. The pair continued on to Bin 152 and ended the date with a nightcap at the Blind Tiger. “At the end of the evening, he kissed me, and then asked me what I was doing the following night,” remembers Rene. “It was the best first date I had ever had. I remember going home so excited to see him again.” Adds Christian, “I knew she was everything I had been waiting for.”
Their relationship grew over the next few years, and on May 8, 2025, Christian finally popped the question. “I wanted it to be in Charleston, where we first met,” he explains. Originally, he planned to propose in Washington Square Park near their home, but a day-of text from the photographer he hired, Anne Rhett, informed him a wedding was taking place in the park and offered an alternative location. “It ended up being even better than the original plan,” says Christian. “If you know Rene, you know she loves places with an old soul. Chalmers Street, with its original 1850s European ship ballast stones and beautiful historic homes, felt like the perfect place to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.” He got down on one knee as they walked along the street on the way to dinner. “I had waited so long for that moment, and it was everything I had imagined,” says Rene. “Afterward, we celebrated at our favorite wine bar before heading home to feed our dog, Booka. When we walked inside, all of our friends and family were there waiting to surprise me. I immediately started crying. It was the perfect ending to one of the happiest days of my life.”
The pair decided to tie the knot exactly one year later on May 8, 2026, at Castello di Celsa in Italy. Says the bride, “The first time we drove through the gates, I just looked at him, and we both knew this was where we wanted to get married.” Adds the groom, “It just felt like us.” The couple brought an intimate group of friends and family to witness them exchange vows. “We wanted the weekend to feel like an experience rather than just a wedding, so we planned a few days for everyone to slow down and celebrate together,” says Rene.
The couple describes their wedding planning experience as quite relaxed. “Christian is probably one of the most peaceful people you’ll ever meet, and he brings that same sense of calm to everything he does. I had a very clear vision for the wedding from the beginning, and he never made me second-guess it,” shares the bride. “Instead, he became my sounding board. Some of my favorite memories are just the two of us sitting with a glass of wine at the end of the day, talking through ideas.” The couple also brought on planner Fabiana Vernetti to craft all the moving parts of the weekend and partner in their vision. “She had such a calm, positive energy that choosing her felt natural,” Rene says. Working on paper goods with Nicole Ferguson of Every Little Something was also a standout part of the planning experience for the couple. “I shared just a few thoughts about what we envisioned, and she somehow translated them into something even more beautiful than I could have imagined,” says Rene. “She has such a special gift, and I’m so grateful she was part of bringing our wedding to life.”
