Professional tennis player Carol Zhao and DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang both attended Stanford University at the same time – Andy even lived across the hall from one of Carol’s bridesmaids during freshman year – but it wasn’t until they both graduated that they connected. After Zhao sustained an injury in the spring of 2019 on the tennis circuit, she returned to San Francisco, where their paths finally crossed. “I had no idea that what felt like a career misfortune at the time would be the impetus to the start of our relationship,” Carol says.
“Now, it feels like it was fate.” Their first date took place at the Biergarten in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. “What started out as a simple conversation over drinks turned into a multi-hour affair that spanned multiple bars in the neighbourhood,” Andy says.
“And even a chicken ramen dinner!” After they started dating (and Carol recovered from her injury), the tennis calendar kept Carol travelling close to 10 months a year, so it took serious planning for Andy to lock down a time and place to propose. “In February 2023, I decided to propose in Austin and also looped her parents into my plans,” Andy remembers. “When I arrived, I pretended all of us were going out for a nice dinner, but surprised Carol with my proposal.
Afterwards, we celebrated together at a nearby Mexican restaurant, Suerte.” “I loved that it was simple, intimate, and private,” Carol says. “Just the two of us in that moment.
” The couple’s wedding was on 20 July at the Belmond Villa San Michele in the hills of Florence. Florence was one of the first cities Carol’s parents travelled to after they got married, and Andy had always wanted to realise a family trip to Europe that he’d planned to take in 2020, but that fell through due to the pandemic. “Since our guests were coming from various places around the world, we felt more comfortable offering Florence as our wedding destination,” Andy says.
“And we couldn’t be happier about that decision!” They had around a year to scout locations, visit sites, taste menus and plan the itinerary, but it was no small task. Their planners – Colin Cowie Events – ensured they stayed on track. It was important to the couple that they spend meaningful time with each guest, so they curated the events and guest accommodations with connection and community in mind, and they worked with Cowie and his team to plan every aspect.
“They were an amazing partner to help shape our wedding celebration and make it come to life,” Carol says. “During the wedding weekend, the Colin Cowie Lifestyle team was extremely detail oriented and catered to any need we had. The level of service was a cherry on top of an already amazing weekend.
” The festivities began on Thursday night with a welcome dinner at the hotel’s La Loggia restaurant overlooking Florence. “The view was magical, and the single 100-seat-long table was adorned with summer Tuscan flowers and wooden chairs,” Carol says. “And it felt surreal to have all of our loved ones sitting at one table together, something we knew may never happen again.
” For this first night, the bride found a cream Schiaparelli dress while holiday shopping in New York. “I loved how elegant and slightly theatrical it was,” she says, “and thought the shape and sheen would complement the tones and architecture of the venue.” On Friday afternoon, they surprised their guests with vintage Italian cars and Vespas that drove them from the hotel to Villa di Maiano, a 15th-century estate with an Italian garden and olive grove where they hosted a picnic.
Guests enjoyed pizza, local sandwiches, gelato and spritzes while mingling and engaging in some friendly competition with lawn games. During the picnic, Carol wore a flowy white dress from Khaite – which felt to her like the perfect balance of casual, bridal and practical for the active afternoon – along with cream flats from Bottega Veneta. “Andy and I wore a matching colour!” she notes.
The groom was in a white shirt and shorts with matching hand-stitched details from Bode and leather slip-on loafers from Bottega Veneta. Friday evening began with a tour of the Uffizi Galleries as Carol and Andy wanted to incorporate their appreciation for art and culture into their wedding weekend, especially given Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. “We felt this was a great opportunity to explore the city centre and also allow everyone to appreciate Renaissance masterpieces with close company,” Carol says.
Because red is auspicious and the traditional bridal colour in Chinese culture, Carol chose a deconstructed red dress from Alexander McQueen for the gallery tour. “We followed the tour with a Chinese-themed celebration at the Santo Stefano al Ponte church, just a short walking distance away in the heart of Florence,” the bride explains. “We wanted to create a night-market atmosphere reminiscent of the ones in Taipei, where Andy’s parents are from.
Our wedding planners had the brilliant idea of creating a surprise for our guests. Once they were escorted into the cocktail space, a kabuki curtain hid the rest of the market, where there were bustling food stalls with glowing red lanterns and various carnival games.” For the night market, Carol changed into a more traditional qipao, and the couple walked out with a kabuki drop to join their guests.
“Andy and I were just as blown away by how well everything was constructed and orchestrated as everyone else,” Carol says. “We were truly transported to another world.” The couple found her qipao and his tangzhuang while visiting China at a local boutique.
“My qipao was sewn with a golden phoenix, Andy’s a golden dragon, and they both fit like a glove from the moment we tried them on, so we felt like it was meant to be,” Carol says. “I felt so elegant and feminine in the traditional qipao silhouette.” While Carol was competing at Wimbledon last year, she had some time in London and started her hunt for a wedding dress.
“I am not the kind of girl who had a very specific vision of what she wanted to wear on her wedding day, and given my rigorous travel schedule, I did not have a lot of time to search and overthink my decision,” Carol says. “As someone who can be burdened by choice, gowns from Elie Saab and the meticulous custom tailoring from their team made it easy for me to be decisive.” She eventually chose an off-the-shoulder dress from the spring/summer 2024 collection for the ceremony.
“I loved the detail in the embroidery, the regality of the shape, and the softness of the tulle flowing around me,” she explains. “I wanted something that felt grand and special but also feminine and intricate.” When she went back to London this year for Wimbledon – and for her fittings – she found her reception dress hanging on the rack.
“It was a stunning seamless, fully embroidered Elie Saab gown with a sweetheart neckline from the spring/summer 2025 collection,” Carol says. “It was exceptionally detailed and made me feel so glamorous.” The ceremony was held at the front of the Belmond Villa San Michele hotel, with the monastery façade designed by Michelangelo as the backdrop.
Colin Cowie transformed the space into a dreamlike wonderland with a lush sea of pink and white flowers that blended perfectly with the surroundings and a long white lacquered aisle. Andy’s brother-in-law Jay – who is a minister – led the way down the aisle to a rendition of “Beauty and the Beast.” Carol then walked down, escorted by her father, to a violin-led version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.
“I thought I would be more nervous walking down the aisle and delivering my personal vows, but instead I felt only serenity that everything in my life had happened for a reason to lead to this moment, walking toward Andy,” the bride says. “I knew I would get emotional during the ceremony, but I was still completely overcome with emotion when I saw Carol walking down the aisle,” Andy adds. “That moment was definitely my personal highlight of the wedding weekend and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
” Following the ceremony, everyone transitioned to cocktail hour in the main cloister area of the hotel, where they were treated to a performance by the jazz ensemble the Ellingtons. Shortly thereafter, guests were escorted to the reception area in the hotel’s main garden, where guests took in the Florence cityscape with a live set from the band Brooklyn Soul. The reception area was decorated in a deep, romantic red colour, including plenty of roses.
Once there, Carol and Andy performed their first dance to “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane, a song that was significant in their relationship’s early stages. After speeches by family and friends, to Andy’s complete surprise, Carol played the guitar and sang a song she had written for him. “I played piano growing up, which eventually evolved into an affinity for singing and songwriting, and I agonised over whether to perform this song that I had written for Andy in the first year of our relationship as a surprise for him,” Carol admits.
“I almost passed out from nerves rehearsing it for my bridesmaids earlier in the evening, but they convinced me that it would be worth it to express what couldn’t be said as easily with words.” After this moving moment, the event transitioned into party mode with the cake cutting, fittingly set to “Cake” by 99 Percent and Flo Rida. Along with the vanilla berry cake, guests were served affogato, and the caffeine coupled with music by Brooklyn Soul kept the dance party going.
When the reception ended, guests were escorted to the balcony to view a surprise drone show over the Florence skyline, which told the story of the couple’s relationship over the years through various creative animations. Everyone then continued their journey to the after-party, where a gelato cart, pizza stand and bar with Japanese whisky awaited them. The DJ set soon transitioned to karaoke – and guests quickly took turns letting loose and singing their hearts out.
.
