Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin Marries Erica Krusen in 'Pure Magic' Italian — and Florida! — Weddings

Vincent Aiello Photography Erica Krusen and Kevin Griffin in Italy

It's a tale of two weddings for Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin and his longtime love Erica Krusen!

The "Good" rocker, 53, and Krusen, 48, tied the knot in a romantic waterfront ceremony in Positano, Italy on May 19, then took their vows stateside for a second celebration in Seaside, Florida on June 2.

"We used to say we can't wait to shout from the rooftops about our love for each other and now we finally can!" Krusen, a senior executive at Gibson Guitar Brands, tells PEOPLE.

The pair have come a long way since first meeting through a mutual friend in May 2014 at the BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

"I saw the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen talking with our mutual friend… I made my way across the room, walked up to Erica and said, 'Hi, who are you? And how do I not know you?'" Griffin recalls. "I was awestruck by her."

Tom Drummond Erica Krusen and Kevin Griffin in Florida

Shortly after, a breakfast meeting between the two solidified the friendship that would blossom into a relationship — though Griffin knew right away that Krusen was the one.

"Three days after we met, we talked about everything in our lives, work, family, aspirations, the future. I was smitten," he says. "After breakfast I was driving and had to pull over in a parking lot and pull myself together because I knew I had met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

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Vincent Aiello Photography Jonathan Silverman, Erica Krusen and Kevin Griffin

Though the two were engaged on a private island in the Grenadines in 2020, they faced several hurdles in planning their dream wedding, as Griffin popped the question just three weeks before COVID shut the world down.

"We just patiently waited on the planning stages," says Krusen. "We have family that is immunocompromised and never wanted to put people at risk. Once we saw the world was starting to open up safely again after the pandemic was settling down, we started planning not one but two weddings!"

The couple initially wanted to say "I do" in New Orleans, where Griffin had lived for many years, and spend their honeymoon in Italy — but after the Big Easy fell through due to logistics, they eventually settled on a two-acre oceanfront villa in Positano that was once home to famed Romeo and Juliet director Franco Zeffirelli.

Vincent Aiello Photography Erica Krusen and Kevin Griffin

"With Italy though, everything fell together with ease in planning the honeymoon. In a fit of inspiration, we decided to forgo New Orleans and just get married in Positano on Italy's storied Amalfi Coast," says Krusen. "I mean, it was the most magical-looking wedding location ever. We knew that had to be the wedding destination."

Though they'd found their ideal location, there were still some kinks to iron out.

"The only problem was when you get married in Italy, it's not binding in the United States," Griffin explains. "We knew we would have to come back and go to the justice of the peace or something like that to make it legal back home. It was then that we started realizing we wanted all of our family and friends to be a part of it too."

Tom Drummond Erica Krusen and Kevin Griffin

With that in mind, the couple began planning a second celebration, this one in Seaside, Florida, where all of their loved ones could be present. They soon settled on a chapel one block from the beach that they'd long eyed as a great wedding venue.

Their Seaside ceremony was officiated by Tom DeSavia, the mutual friend through whom they'd met, while they were married in Italy by actor Jonathan Silverman with vows they wrote themselves. Silverman, a veteran officiant who also married the late Bob Saget and his wife Kelly Rizzo, fulfilled his duties days before his own 15th anniversary with actress wife Jennifer Finnigan.

Vincent Aiello Photography Jonathan Silverman, Erica Krusen and Kevin Griffin

For their Florida ceremony, Krusen was walked down the aisle by her father and her son Jagger Finn, 23, as "At Last" by Etta James played. Her daughter Logan, meanwhile, helped mom get ready for her big day.

"Before I proposed, I made sure to not only ask her father, but also knew that it was equally important to ask Jagger for Erica's hand in marriage," says Griffin. Adds Krusen, "It was only fitting that my two favorite men should walk me down the aisle to take Kevin's hand."

Glenn Sweitzer Erica Krusen and Kevin Griffin

The singer-songwriter walked down the aisle to "Simply the Best," as played by Emerson Hart of Tonic.

"We are both huge fans of Schitt's Creek and the moment where David's boyfriend sang an acoustic version of 'Simply the Best,'" says Krusen. "We looked at each other and said, 'Emerson needs to play that song.'"

Griffin's children also took part in the day's events; his twins Harrison and Graham, 13, gave the couple their wedding rings, while his son Max, 23, escorted guests to their seats.

Vincent Aiello Photography Erica Krusen

In Italy, Krusen wore a Grace Loves Lace silhouette dress layered in silk, and chose a fitted matte crepe Jenny Yoo strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline for Florida.

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"I wanted something simple yet luxurious for Italy, and a little more traditional for the chapel in Florida," she says.

Vincent Aiello Photography Kevin Griffin

Griffin opted for a powder blue Paul Smith suit and white Common Projects sneakers in Italy, and a cream-colored J. Crew Ludlow cotton and linen suit in Florida.

Guests at the Florida wedding included New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, comedian Steve Byrne and all of Griffin's Better Than Ezra bandmates, who joined him for an hour-and-a-half-long set at the reception.

Vincent Aiello Photography The rings

As for jewelry, the singer chose a Cartier Trinity ring to symbolize love, friendship and fidelity. His bride also included something old, new, borrowed and blue, the "new" of which was a pair of diamond leaf drop earrings, a wedding gift from Griffin.

Guests in Italy noshed on a gluten-free chocolate ganache wedding cake, plus champagne, Aperol spritzes and negronis. For dinner, they ate dishes popular in the Positano area, like sea bass, snapper, steak and cavatelli cacio e pepe.

Vincent Aiello Photography Kevin Griffin and Erica Krusen

As guests ate, the couple played vintage Italian songs from Nino Rota, Patty Pravo and more, before they hit the dance floor to the sound of an '80s music playlist. Speeches from Griffin's business partner Michael Whelan and Jenny Marsh, an executive at Gibson, brought the couple to tears.

"It was pure magic," Krusen says.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S., they turned to RaeBird Weddings & Events to coordinate the details, which included an Italian bar cart from Bubbles & Brews that offered up cocktails.

Cloth and Stone Studio Bubbles & Brews

After tying the knot in Italy, they stuck around for a honeymoon, renting a 50-foot boat that took them and their friends to the island of Capri. After that, they headed north to Porto Ecole for a three-day stay at Hotel Il Pellicano, and then made their way to Florence.

Griffin — who says he's putting the finishing touches on a new Better Than Ezra album ahead of the group's upcoming fall tour, including a date at the Pilgrimage Festival — tells PEOPLE that he's eagerly awaiting married life.

"[I'm most looking forward to] having more adventures together and letting the world know how committed I am to this woman," he says. "Laughter, communication and forgiveness [keep us strong]. Never letting an argument go unresolved, putting our egos aside."

Krusen, meanwhile, says that "having a partner who is so patient" keeps their relationship thriving.