Love is Blind star Giannina Gibelli and former The Bachelorette contestant Blake Horstmann are officially married!
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The reality TV couple exchanged vows during a weeklong celebration in Croatia, with their 2-year-old son, Heath, serving as the cutest ring bearer.
During a recent interview with PEOPLE, Gibelli spoke about why she and Horstmann decided to get married in Croatia.
“I felt at home and knew that one day this was where I would get married,” she explained while recalling her first trip to the Mediterranean country. “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.”
Gibelli also shared, ” 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. 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.”
Speaking about the wedding’s theme, Gibelli said she and Horstmann wanted the event to have a “wanderlust” touch. The festivities notably started in Venice, Italy, on June 15.
“We wanted everyone to feel the whimsy and joy of la dolce vita at some point, so starting in Venice felt so romantic,” she explained. “And planning that was really fun since it’s such an iconic, robust place.”
The guests then headed to Ravinj on June 17. Gibelli and Horstmann held their rehearsal dinner at the Valentino Cocktail & Champagne Bar. Everyone wore blue as a symbol of the “something blue” tradition.
When it came to the wedding ceremony, Horstmann had one sweet goal. “The mission was to get the other to cry as hard as possible,” he said.
The Couple Described Their Reception as a ‘Banger’
Following the ceremony, the newlyweds and guests headed to Hutterott Castle for the reception party. The menu featured Croatian cuisine.
“Since we’re on an island, we wanted seafood to play a part in the experience,” Horstmann shared. “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.”
Regarding the reception, the couple described the event as a “banger of a party.”
“Blake is a DJ, and we’re very used to throwing a party and providing the vibes to the function,” Gibelli stated. “So we really wanted it to feel like an elevated banger of a party.”
Horstmann then added, “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.”
The couple was first romantically linked in 2021. They had met while filming the first season of All-Star Shore that same year. The couple welcomed their son in 2024. Horstmann proposed in late 2024.