This Fashion-Designer Bride Made a Custom Gown Inspired by Marie Antoinette for Her Wedding in Spain

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Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"He's actually my first boyfriend and first kiss," fashion designer María Undo shares as she thinks back to when she began dating Daniel de Villanueva, her husband and business partner. "We met in our first year of uni. I was studying fashion design, and we would do an end-of-the-year runway show, where Dani was supposed to wear my designs since he was a model back then. In the end, he didn't get to wear them, but we talked a bit, and I had an instant crush on him."

The crush was mutual and soon led to dating. "[Fast-forward] six months, we went on multiple dates—museums, ice skating, cinema—and shared our first kiss," Undo says. "We've been inseparable since, and we actually started our fashion brand Avec Amour together almost three years ago. Together, we do everything from patternmaking to sewing the garments to the website and photo shoots, and this past April, we were lucky enough to host our first runway show at 080 Barcelona Fashion Week."

Three years into dating, the couple took a trip together to the picturesque coastline in the Scottish Highlands surrounded by sweeping green vistas. Soon after arriving, the couple was engaged. "The proposal happened on our road trip during a misty morning at the Isle of Skye—one of our favorite places we've ever been to. We visited the Fairy Glen, and when we climbed to the top of the castle, that's where he proposed to me," Undo shares. "The ring is not your usual engagement ring, which I didn't want. It is a gorgeous yellow-gold band with two pale-green tourmalines and a bigger pale-pink tourmaline in the middle. They sort of look like a flower to me, and if I were a ring, I'd be that one."

Following their engagement and the first runway show for Avec Amour that debuted months before the wedding, the couple designed a custom dress for Undo together. The romantic strapless gown took inspiration from the ballet Giselle as well as costumes in Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, Undo's favorite film. The breathtaking wedding dress infused classic elements, including a structured bodice and voluminous full skirt, and it was paired with a long tulle veil and pink satin ballerina pumps for the wedding day. The bridesmaid dresses and the groom's mother's dresses were also custom-made by the couple.

The couple held the wedding in Undo's hometown of Valencia, Spain in October 2024. They celebrated their love with a church ceremony followed by a reception in an elegant garden designed with draped fabrics, elaborate florals, and music from a live harpist. The bride wore the custom dress designed by the couple, a look that brought together the shared vision of the newlyweds.

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"I got ready at my childhood home where my parents and younger brothers live. My dresses took up so much space that we had to hang them from the stair railing and get changed in the living room so we all could fit: my mom, who helped me get into my dress, the photographers, and me."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"My dress was a custom Avec Amour, which is me and my husband's fashion brand, and it was our first bridal dress. It was constructed by my patternmaking teacher from college, Mari Carmen Frances. We worked on it for months and changed fabrics three times, but we finally made it happen, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"I was inspired by both my favorite film, Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, and the ballet costumes from Giselle, hence the tulle veil and ballet-inspired shoes. The first step for me was to figure out what silhouette I wanted and what parts of my body I wanted to show. For me, I knew I wanted to show my collarbones and to accentuate my waist. I also wanted to keep it pretty minimal, especially on the front, since I knew I wanted to carry a really big bouquet of flowers that would cover most of it."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

The perfume and shoes worn by the bride on her wedding day.

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"When it comes to my beauty look, it was very important to me to feel and look like myself. Having been a model, I have experienced getting my makeup done and not recognizing myself in the final pictures—that's why, after doing some trials, in the end I decided to do my own makeup.

"I usually keep it very minimal on my daily makeup and keep the focus on the blush, eyelashes, and eyebrows, which is pretty much what I did for my wedding. I wanted the skin to look healthy and glowy and the blush to look very natural and peachy. I laminated my eyebrows and put on waterproof mascara and a lot of setting spray, and I basically was done in about 30 minutes. It actually lasted all night! In fact, I couldn't even do a retouch because my makeup bag got lost at the venue."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

The groom getting ready.

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"Dani got his suit tailor-made in black and paired it with an Italian collared white shirt, black patent-leather shoes, and a tie made out of my dress's fabric."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"We had a religious ceremony, which was important for us, especially for our grandparents since they all are devoted Christians. During the ceremony, a children's choir sang and played multiple songs, which made it even more emotional for us."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

The bride arriving at the ceremony.

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"I know the bouquet has caused quite a stir on social media, with people saying that it overshadowed the dress and that it was too big, but my reasoning behind it was that it would be like an offering during the ceremony at the church and that later on, at the reception, I wouldn't be carrying it anymore so the dress could be seen perfectly."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"When it comes to my bridesmaids' and my mother-in-law's dresses, I actually custom-made all nine of them myself. I spent two months working on them since I made them to measure. Both are designs we presented in our brand's, Avec Amour, runway show at Barcelona's fashion week. A fun fact about them is that each dress has over 30 ceramic flowers embroidered to them, which I also handmade myself."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"My favorite part of the dress is the back. I love the long train and the bow."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"Our flower children were both our little cousins, who were super excited to be part of it and couldn't have done it better. They wore matching pale-pink outfits from a local store here in Valencia called Ninet & Co."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

Inside the ceremony.

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

WWW Weddings tip: "Get a wedding planner. Elena from El Amor Productions saved our lives. We really couldn't have done it without her. You really don't realize how many things you need to keep under control until you start planning the wedding, and you'll get overwhelmed."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"Finding our venue was a pretty tough process. We started planning our wedding only six months in advance, so most places were fully booked. The one we chose was our favorite but didn't have any availability the first time we contacted [them]. After a couple of weeks of desperate searching, we decided to try again, and luckily, they had had a cancellation for the 4th of October—which was a date that worked also for our favorite church, the same one my parents got married at 25 years ago—so it was settled. What we liked so much about this venue is that it had beautiful views for the cocktail and also had the option to host the dinner on the outside underneath the trees and facing the beautiful historic building's façade. It was the perfect place for us, and as our wedding planner Elena from El Amor Productions said, it looked as if it was a secret garden."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"The design of the reception revolved around floral elements, draped fabrics, and the colors green and pink—as in my engagement ring. For the cocktails, the team from Pipeta made gorgeous installations out of grapes and silver tableware all over the cheese table and the guest tables. We also had a draped background for our photos, where all of our guests could see us while they ate the appetizers and while a live harpist played."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"After the cocktail, we all moved to the back of the building, where the secret-garden dinner was hosted."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"At the entrance, you'd see the huge seating plan made from draped fabrics that would then lead you to the tables, all adorned with forest-green and pink floral arrangements made by our dear friend Álvaro from Ócrea Flower Shop and our wedding favors—a custom-made scented candle that smelled of amber, sandalwood, cardamom, patchouli, cedarwood, iris, and white musk made by Lu Candles."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"The presidential table where our parents, Dani, and I sat was huge with multiple candleholders decorated with bows and 70-centimeter-tall floral arrangements on each side. We had multiple speeches during our dinner to which I cried every time, especially during Dani's, which was a beautifully written love letter that I want to get framed."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

WWW Weddings tip: "Don't give in to what's expected of you. If you want your dress or your shoes to be a specific way that wouldn't be the conventional option, then do it! It's your wedding. It should be what you dream of, not what someone else wants."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

The couple at the wedding reception.

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

Details of the bride's shoes and wedding dress.

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"When it came to the traditional moments in a wedding, we were both a bit hesitant on doing a first dance since we don't really like when a first dance has been rehearsed and choreographed."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"We wanted it to feel organic, so we opted to just twirl around to 'Fade Into You' by Mazzy Star and called it a day."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"We also gave in to peer pressure and did an entrance to our reception to 'Heaven or Las Vegas' by Cocteau Twins. I'm really shy and really dreaded the idea of doing it, but in the end, it was pretty fun."

WWW Weddings tip: "Prioritize what you like most. In our case, we decided to splurge on the flowers because they were very important for us and for the environment we wanted to create."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"The cake was huge—120 centimeters in diameter—[and] had been beautifully decorated with whipped cream and cherries, and it tasted heavenly."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"My second look is an unreleased design by Vivienne Westwood."

Maria Undo and Daniel de Villanueva wedding.

"I got a hold of it thanks to a friend that used to work there and gave me the toile of that dress. We used the prototype as a pattern and got it made on an ivory silk taffeta. I paired the dress with my late grandmother's pearl choker necklace that has an M engraved on the back since we share our initial. It was very special for me to get to wear it and carry her with me."

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