Italian Dressing, YOUNG AND RESTLESS

In an era of budget constraints and more recently, Covid safeguards, splashy weddings on daytime have been scarce. But for Victoria and Ashland’s big day, Y&R pulled out all the stops to create a grand affair that felt like a true event.

Several new sets were built to represent the Newman family palazzo in Tuscany and the attention to detail was extraordinary. Every room, from the study to the terrace to the bedroom suites, oozed oldworld charm and money. It was a splendid backdrop, not just for a wedding, but for the drama that swirled around the bride and groom.

The cocktail reception on the eve of the wedding aptly set the stage for the fireworks to come while revving up the sense of family and history by reintroducing Noah (in the form of promising newbie Rory Gibson) and giving “Skyle”-starved fans what they’d been waiting for: the return of Hunter King and Michael Mealor as newlyweds (again!) Summer and Kyle. In another valentine to longtime watchers, original character Leslie Brooks (the lovely Janice Lynde) was in attendance. “I remember you as a young girl at Nikki and Victor’s first wedding,” she marveled to Victoria.

Not all of the reunions were so warm. Victoria was steamed that Nick, who had been dropped from the guest list for digging into Ashland’s past, showed up, and Adam arrived with a most unpopular plus one: Sally. “I think she deserves a chance,” Adam opined, to which Victor deadpanned, “Oh, my goodness.