Giannina Gibelli and Blake Horstmann Marry in Dreamy Destination Wedding in Croatia with Son, 2, as Ring Bearer (Exclusive)

The couple's friends from 'Love Is Blind' and Bachelor Nation were among the nearly 100 guests

NEED TO KNOW

• Giannina Gibelli and Blake Horstmann married in a destination wedding in Rovinj, Croatia
• The Love Is Blind star and The Bachelorette alum welcomed nearly 100 guests for the happy occasion, including a number of their reality TV castmates
• Their 2-year-old son, Heath, served as ring bearer during the ceremony

Giannina Gibelli and Blake Horstmann have tied the knot!

The Love Is Blind star, 33, and The Bachelorette alum, 37, married in a weeklong European destination wedding that culminated in a ceremony on Saturday, June 20, in Rovinj, Croatia. They were joined by nearly 100 guests, including a number of their reality TV castmates, among them Jessica Vestal, Alexa Lemieux, Colleen Reed, Raven Ross, Taylor Krause, Jason Tartick, Anna Redman, Chris Bukowski, Kevin Wendt and Astrid Wendt.

Gibelli, whose father is Italian and whose mother is half Croatian, tells PEOPLE that she fell in love with Croatia the first time she visited the country before meeting Horstmann — and she wanted to share "such a gem" of a place with her friends and family.

“I felt at home and knew that one day this was where I would get married," she recalls of her first trip there. "To me, Croatia is the love child of Italy and Greece — the same blue sky waters, sweet crisp wine and food that reminds me of Sunday dinner. I wanted to remember the feeling of being here to start off my marriage in bliss and also gift the same experience to our guests."

She adds, "I wanted our guests to fall in love with Croatia as much as I did. It's such a gem, and I knew it wouldn't disappoint."

Gibelli and Horstmann, who love to travel around the world, wanted to bring a spirit of "wanderlust" to their wedding, so the festivities kicked off in Venice, Italy, on Monday, June 15. Guests spent time taking in the sights of the Floating City and gathered for a welcome party at Ristorante Agli Archi that included dinner and dancing.

"We wanted everyone to feel the whimsy and joy of la dolce vita at some point, so starting off in Venice felt so romantic, and planning that was really fun since it's such an iconic, robust place," Gibelli says.

On Wednesday, June 17, the group took a ferry over to Rovinj, where they were free to spend the day exploring the town, which Gibelli describes as "relaxed and coastal." On the eve of the wedding, Friday, June 19, the bride and groom hosted a rehearsal at the cliffside Valentino Cocktail & Champagne Bar, with appetizers, dancing and toasts to the couple. Everyone wore blue in a nod to the “something blue" tradition.

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The couple's romantic outdoor wedding ceremony unfolded on Saturday at the Mauzolej on St. Andrews Island off the coast of Rovinj. The bride, who was escorted down the aisle by her father to a violin cover of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" — wore Galia Lahav Couture's Opéra gown and Opéra veil.

Gibelli says she "unexpectedly" found her dream dress in the very first shop she stepped into.

"I went to the Little White Dress in Denver to take a peek right after our engagement and unexpectedly ended up finding my dress that very day," she recalls. "It was the first one I picked out and the last one I tried on, and every time I would try on a dress I would say, 'I wish it was this or that,' unknowingly describing that very dress. So when I put it on, I immediately started shaking and crying, the sun literally parted and shone down on me out of all the stations in the warehouse, and all the moms started nudging each other and nodding at me."

"I knew deep down I'd found it and didn't need to look elsewhere," Gibelli says. "It was the perfectly divine moment you'd want when finding your wedding dress."

Horstmann walked to the altar on the arm of his mother. Gibelli's cousin officiated the ceremony, which included a special role for the bride and groom's 2-year-old son, Heath, as ring bearer. Other kids in the family were flower girls and bubble boys.

The bride and groom exchanged handwritten vows, making for an emotional moment. "The mission was to get the other to cry as hard as possible," Horstmann says.

Following the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests celebrated at a reception at the historic Hutterott Castle by the sea. A four-course plated dinner was served, with a menu emphasizing Croatian delicacies.

"Since we're on an island, we wanted seafood to play a part in the experience," Horstmann notes. "Croatia's national food is the oyster, and that happens to be one of our absolute favorites, so we clearly had to play into it."

The meal finished on a sweet note with tiramisu, traditional Croatian desserts adorned with fruit and two cakes — a traditional tiered wedding cake per Horstmann's request and an amaretto light sponge cake for the bride.

The dinner transitioned into a lively celebration — and the couple tells PEOPLE their goal was to throw an absolute "banger of a party."

"Blake is a DJ, and we're very used to throwing a party and providing the vibes to the function, so we really wanted it to feel like an elevated banger of a party," Gibelli says.

Horstmann says the soirée went on late into the night.

"In G's culture, there's a moment that's called 'La Hora Loca,' or 'The Crazy Hour,' where it's the second wind of the party, and performers come out and midnight snacks are served. Since we had the venue until 4 a.m., that was something we knew was essential," he explains.

The wedding festivities capped off on Sunday, June 21, with a "recovery boat day."

"Since Croatia has been voted among the top ten beaches in the world, we wanted to make sure we sailed the coast since no one loves a leisure day more than us," Gibelli says.

Then, the newlyweds were off on a mini-moon in Santorini, Greece. For their official honeymoon, they plan to go on a safari later this year.

Looking back on their multiday wedding celebration, Horstmann and Gibelli say it was unforgettable. "[It was] a celebration of love and serendipity, something we never thought would happen the way it did, but everything magically came together in its own divine timing, just perfectly imperfect," the bride says.

She and Horstmann met on the set of the first season of the crossover reality TV series All Star Shore, which aired in 2022, and were instantly "stuck [to each other] like glue."

They welcomed their son, Heath, in April 2024, and Horstmann popped the question to Gibelli during a surprise proposal in Parque del Retiro in Madrid, Spain, in October 2024.

Now that they are married, Horstmann says he is thrilled to call Gibelli his wife. "I love the idea of promising ourselves to each other and our happiness. I can't wait to grow our family until our house is full," he adds.

Gibelli, who says she is "a child of divorce," tells PEOPLE she never pictured herself getting married and saw participating in Love Is Blind as a way to "heal [herself] from that" — though she ended up meeting her future husband on a different reality TV set.

"Now, I get to do [marriage] with the love of my life and the father of my child," she says. "It's the biggest commitment I'll ever make apart from being a mom, and I treasure the responsibilities and meaning of being his partner in life on a much deeper level."

Reflecting on what she loves most about Horstmann, Gibelli describes him as "a man of dignity" who "says what he means and does what he says."

"It's really rare to find that quality in a person, especially when you're looking to build a life together," she notes. "We do absolutely everything together — we raise our child, work, exercise, travel." 

For his part, the Bachelor in Paradise alum loves "the way G is able to live in the moment with our family."

"I am envious of her ability to put all the stresses of life away for moments that are special for us," he says, calling it her "super power."

As they start this new chapter, they are looking forward to hopefully having more kids and continuing to chase their career dreams. And above all, they are focused on "cherishing each other and remembering not to take life too seriously."

"The only thing that matters is us and our family, and the rest will follow," Gibelli says.

Additional Credits:
Wedding planner: Weddings in Croatia
Hairstylist: Kylee of Beige + Bronde
Photographer: Avery Hericks
iPhone content: Ally Hericks
Film: Taitum Brooks
Croatia hotel: Maistra Group
Decorations and flowers: Showroom Design & Events
Alcohol: Absolut

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