This model bride’s wedding in Italy featured Lake Como views and a Sabyasachi lehenga

When the international model Arya Bendkhale met the Orthopedic business owner Federico Diego Perego during an equestrian event in Verona during Milan Fashion Week in 2021, none could have predicted the swirling romance that would follow. Their love story, covering continents and cultures, culminated with two wedding ceremonies that celebrated their Italian and Indian heritage, which makes a memorable marriage in Italy.

Bendkhale, a 23 -year -old model from Pune, Maharashtra, was in Milan for Fashion Week when she attended the event in Verona. At the After-Party, she met Perego, an Italian business owner from Brianza who shared her passion for horses. The two non-droops, they started a conversation that continued well in the night. “We just started talking and sharing our Instagram handles,” recalls Bendkhale. “Then he dm and asked me for a first appointment in Milan.”

This first date had its share of challenges. Perego took him to a place of aperitif that turned out to be disappointing. “It was very, very disgusting,” said Bendkhale. But he quickly reserved another restaurant, Izu, and the evening turned around. In four and a half hours, they discovered an unexpected connection. The night was soon became unforgettable when the Peergo vehicle was damaged and its jacket stolen.

For Bendkhale, the relationship was a first. “He was the first guy I got out,” she said. “I never went out with anyone before because I always studied, and my mother had told me to graduate before I could start going out together.” After a month, she returned to India to speak to her parents in Peergo.

The following year, when Peergo was in Chennai to work, his father insisted to meet him. “Either he comes to Mumbai, or I’m going to Chennai,” he said. Perego flew to Mumbai, meeting his parents at dinner in his Italian shirt and moccasins while they wore formal Indian outfit. “Everyone looked at us,” recalls Perego. “The restaurant in India was huge, and everyone was really looking at us, wondering what I was doing with them there.”

After more than two years of long distance meetings, Perego decided to offer. Knowing how important New York was for Bendkhale after signing with Ford Models, he planned the proposal there with the help of his best friend Madhulika, who later became his bridesmaid. The setting was Summit, a building with a panoramic view of Manhattan. “I had to hide the ring during the whole trip,” explains Perego. Madhulika maintained the cunning by telling Bendkhale that they were heading for a Michelin star restaurant and persuading her to make nails and hair. “She took me for a blow of blood and nails, which I do not usually do,” recalls Bendkhale. The proposal took place on a cloudy afternoon, but while Perego put itself on one knee, the sky has emerged to reveal what Bendkhale calls “the most beautiful sunset in New York that I have ever seen”.