Influencer Becca Bloom faced online criticism after followers and etiquette-minded observers pointed out glaring wording errors on the invitations to her wedding at Villa Balbiano on Aug. 28, 2025.
The cream-and-gold cards circulated by the 27-year-old TikTok star included the lines "Request the pleasure of your company of your presence" and "Three Thirty O'Clock in the Afternoon," which critics described as redundant or clumsy. Wedding etiquette experts said the time phrasing is unnecessary and that standard forms would read either "three-thirty in the afternoon" or "half past three." The invitation errors were first highlighted by followers on social platforms and then amplified by entertainment coverage.
Bloom, who has about 4.3 million followers on TikTok and 2.3 million across Instagram, was already known for luxury-focused content, including high-end fashion hauls and lifestyle videos that have earned her the nickname "queen of RichTok." Fans and critics took aim at the stationery gaffe on those same platforms, posting reactions ranging from amusement to incredulity. One user called the line a "HUGE and glaring mistake," while another urged that the invitations be reprinted. A commenter who said they had spent heavily on stationery wrote that they still "had to triple check everything." The posts drew hundreds of replies and shares.
Despite the online attention paid to the invitations, Bloom and her husband, software engineer David Pownall, proceeded with an opulent ceremony at the historic Lake Como villa. Bloom told Vogue the couple picked the date after a fortune teller assured her it was lucky. The pair limited the guest list to about 60 for the Lake Como service, with family members planning a larger traditional Asian wedding back in California.
Details of the ceremony were shared by Bloom and covered in fashion and lifestyle outlets: for the rehearsal dinner she wore a vintage Chanel couture dress with an ice cream motif; for the ceremony she wore a custom Oscar de la Renta gown embroidered with peonies as a nod to her Chinese heritage. She accessorized with Van Cleef & Arpels high jewelry and a Tiffany Victoria band, which she has said was the first fine jewelry collection she owned. Pownall wore Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Thom Browne. Guests were served truffle pasta and an Italian millefoglie cake the couple assembled by hand, and Bloom later changed into a shattered-glass Oscar de la Renta dress for the reception. She walked down the aisle to "Can't Help Falling in Love," and observers reported Pownall was moved to tears at the altar.
Organizers had been preparing for possible storms, but reporters and guests said the forecasted rain paused as arrivals began and later returned, creating what attendees described as a cinematic moment rather than spoiling the evening. Bloom has chronicled her relationship publicly: she has said she first met Pownall at a Philz Coffee shop in Palo Alto in December 2019 and that what began as a brief meeting turned into a 15-hour first date. In July 2023, Pownall staged a surprise proposal on a Positano boat ride, which Bloom recounted as disguised as an "Instagram photoshoot."
Coverage of the invitation wording added to an ongoing conversation about the scrutiny public figures face over even minor details of private events. Bloom was contacted by the Daily Mail for comment; no formal statement addressing the invitation wording had been published by the couple as of the wedding coverage.
While the stationery misstep drew online mockery, neither the criticism nor the printed language appeared to alter the plans or the atmosphere at the Lake Como ceremony, which guests and outlets described as elaborate and emotionally resonant.