After three weddings, a million PDA moments, and one thousand scandals, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are officially married. The elegant wedding took place on Sunday, May 22nd in Portofino, Italy, at Villa Olivetta a dolce and Gabbana-owned villa overlooking the sea. While the nuptials were between Barker and Kardashian, the relationship between the Kar-Jenners and Dolce and Gabbana seems to have stolen the show in more ways than one. With each member of the family donning different extravagant Dolce and Gabbana pieces. all the opulence of the Italian fashion house was conveyed through everything from the gold and red alter to Kourtney’s glamorous veil. 

Everything about this wedding was surprisingly religious, the integration of traditionally catholic elements displays an interesting side to the couple. While neither has officially spoken about being highly religious Barker has spoken about his catholic upbringing and his various religious tattoos with Vice in 2015. 

“I got the Virgin Mary tattooed on my foreman when I was 18, 19. And I was brought up Catholic,” 

While Kourtney Kardashian does post the social biblical quote, her wedding veil is the most apparent relationship she has had with religion. The royal length veil, over 120 inches, depicted the virgin Mary surrounded by the words ‘family loyalty respect’, all of which can be found tattooed somewhere on Barker’s body. Embroidered flowers that can be found on the French seaside could also be seen scattered all over the veil. Kourtney’s mini dress, which was inspired by 1960s Italian lingerie, also had a biblically inspired bleeding heart detail in the middle of her dress. 

The veil 

While the veil was largely inspired by Barker’s tattoos, the symbolic and biblical meanings of the depictions are also relevant in a marriage setting. The Virgin Mary is arguably the most significant and recognized woman in female culture. Not only as the mother of Christ but also as a representation of purity and the embodiment of Christian beliefs. These both become important when understanding the significance of Mary in a wedding setting. As the eldest Kardashian and Barker each have three children of their own and have been very vocal about having a child together, the representation of Mary doesn’t seem out of place. The closeness seen between the couple and their children is clearly an important aspect of their relationship, as all of the children were not only present at the Portofino wedding but very involved. With Mary on her veil and the words ‘Family Loyalty Respect’ surrounding her the message was clear; this wedding wasn’t just about binding Kourtney and Travis but also their children. This idea of unity is further reinforced by the flowers embroidered onto the veil. All the designs were done using a “cross stitch” technique, as Dolce & Gabbana pointed out on their Instagram, the flowers and design as a whole act as “ a symbol of alliance, respect, and common devotion.” 

The dress 

The mini wedding dress was an interesting contrast to the other traditional and hyper-religious aspects of the wedding. This non-traditional dress design is aided by the depiction of the bleeding heart embroidered into the middle of the dress. Throughout the Bible, the bleeding heart signifies the pain and heartbreak Mary went through after the death of Jesus. While this is an interesting factor to consider in regards to two people who have had extremely public relationships that have ended poorly, there are other meanings that seem more fitting. For example, the red bleeding heart flower symbolizes love, passion, and intense affection. Seeing how Kardashian and Barker have presented themselves to the public, it’s safe to say their relationship is nothing short of passionate and very intense.