When Jane Handorff initially matched with her now husband Jack Zapala on Hinge, things didn’t get off to a great start. “I got sick and accidentally ghosted him for six months,” the LA-based fashion director tells Vogue. Thankfully, when they matched again at the start of 2023, Jack gave her “another shot”, and the rest is history.
Fast forward a couple of years, and Jack planned a romantic trip to Sonoma, California – with Jane quickly suspecting that a proposal was on the cards. “I kind of ruined it a bit. The whole time I was like, ‘Where’s my ring?’” she says, laughing. Sure enough, there was a ring: an antique cushion-cut diamond, which Jack presented to her as the couple enjoyed a Fortnum & Mason’s picnic under a gazebo in the grounds of the Madrona, where they were staying. “It was very sweet,” Jane recalls.
Having spent a year in London studying for a Master’s in history of art at the Courtauld, long-time Anglophile Jane knew that she wanted the wedding to be in the UK. “Neither of us wanted a big wedding, it’s just far too stressful,” the bride explains. “Initially, we were going to elope, just the two of us, but I thought I’d be kind of sad if my mom wasn’t helping me get ready.” They decided instead to have an intimate London wedding with just 10 guests in attendance: immediate family and a couple of close friends.
When it came to picking a venue, Jane knew she wanted to incorporate her interest in art somehow. Her friend Penelope, who helped her plan the wedding, suggested Leighton House, the 19th-century home and studio of artist Frederic Leighton in Holland Park. “I had this idea of being surrounded by artworks, and the venue was particularly special because I love the Pre-Raphaelites,” she reflects.
The bride’s interest in art and historical dress influenced her choice of wedding looks, too. As a fashion executive at LA-based consignment shop Justin Reed, Jane is responsible for sourcing the store’s vintage womenswear offering – so it’s no surprise that she wanted to wear archival for her big day. Putting her contacts to good use, she immediately came across a vintage John Galliano slip dress from 2004 via Timeless Vixen, which “fit perfectly”, then a second Galliano dress from 2003, this time in cream, via Jovem Archives, which she bought for the reception.
