There are brides who change dresses during the celebration. Vicky Montanari took that idea much further: during the three days of her wedding in Portugal, the content creator turned every change of look into a new transformation and also kept altering her hair. The result was a journey that began with her XL-length hair and ended with a bob.
Together with Miguel Segade Correia, Vicky celebrated her wedding in Comporta, a Portuguese town that has a special meaning for the couple. They met in Lisbon and, during the pandemic, spent four months together in Comporta, where they finished imagining the life they wanted to build upon returning to normality. Eight years after meeting, they chose that same week of the year to marry.
The wedding gathered references from Brazil, Italy and Portugal, the three cultures linked to the couple’s story, but there was one element that threaded through the celebration especially: fashion. Vicky did not choose a single wedding dress and built everything else around it. There were five dresses, different shoes, jewelry, veils and accessories and, as part of that sequence, a hair transformation that ended with a dramatic cut.
1. Miu Miu: the first look change
The dress
The first major transformation arrived at the welcome party, held at the JNcQUOI Club Comporta. Vicky chose a sand-colored mini dress from Miu Miu, made in a blend of silk and wool and decorated with embroidered flowers.
The straight silhouette, inspired by the 60s, moved away from the traditional bridal image from the outset. Additionally, the high temperatures—on that day they reached 38°C—ended up justifying the choice of a short and light dress.
The shoes and accessories
The contrast came at the feet: Vicky wore the Chloé Jelly Mules, light blue plastic sandals that provided the color pop to the look. She completed the ensemble with Bulgari jewelry.
Hair
The hair was already part of the construction of each look, as in this case worn up in a ponytail. The work on the various hairstyles over the weekend was handled by Gianni Crispino. But the most radical change was still to come.
2. Marina Bitu: a piece already in her closet
The dress
For the second night, devoted to a private dinner with family, bridesmaids and close friends, Vicky turned to a garment she already had: a design by Brazilian designer Marina Bitu that had been waiting for a special occasion for some time.
The dress featured a surface covered with hand-applied fish scales, created from materials gathered on Brazil’s northeast coast through practices connected with responsible fishing. The organic texture of the piece contrasted with the more graphic proposal that would come later with Dior.
The shoes and accessories
It was paired again with Bulgari jewelry and low-heeled ballet flats. The footwear was another element Vicky used to differentiate each transformation: it was not simply about changing the dress, but about building an entirely new image.
Hair
For this look, the bride wore her hair loose with natural waves, a side part and movement that matched the dress.
3. Dior: the first wedding dress
The dress
For the religious ceremony, Vicky chose the first of her two Dior dresses, both from the Cruise 2027 collection designed byJonathan Anderson and presented in Los Angeles.
The design was crafted in silk organza and built with multiple layers that generated volume, depth and movement. Large embroidered flowers rose from one shoulder and ran down the body, while the back and train completed a spectacular bridal silhouette, though far from a conventional wedding gown.
There was also a backstory to the choice: Vicky had photographed the two dresses with her phone during the runway show, not imagining they would end up part of her wedding. A month before the ceremony, she traveled to Paris for the final fitting.
The shoes and accessories
For this first Dior she wore a silk organza veil made to measure by Pureza Mello Breyner Atelier, slightly lighter than the dress and with a border inspired by the piece’s finishing touches.
The jewelry was again from Bulgari and, on her feet, she chose Dior satin white pumps with bows.
Hair
With the veil and the dress silhouette, the hair complemented the look closest to the classic bridal ideal for the whole celebration. A bun at the nape, with a middle part and a clean appearance. But Vicky still had another Dior reserved for after the ceremony.
4. Dior: the second dress and the “something blue”
The dress
The second Dior dress was virtually the opposite of the previous one. Pure white and with more graphic lines, it featured a sculptural construction with an inner corset that defined the shoulders.
The body was formed by delicate ribbons, threads, tiny flowers, leaves and beads, creating a three-dimensional surface. But the detail that drew all eyes was a large blue flower applied to one side, her personal take on the traditional “something blue.”
The bride also changed the headpiece: she left behind the traditional veil and went for a custom-made design, more like a headpiece, placed at the height of the hair.
The shoes and accessories
Footwear changed again. For this second Dior she chose a blue flat model, to match the large flower on the dress. The shoe switch reinforced the idea that each appearance was an independent styling and not merely a variation of the previous one.
Hair
The hair again adapted to the new headpiece. Loose but gathered in a half-up style that pulled strands away from the face, with a relaxed vibe that complemented the bridal look.
5. FARM Rio: the final dress and the most extreme haircut
The dress
For the party, Vicky returned to a brand with which she has a personal relationship: FARM Rio. At eighteen she had worked as a sales assistant in one of its stores and, years later, reconnected with the brand through her work in fashion and on social media.
The piece was created especially for her by FarmEstudio and Nelson Camargo and became FARM Rio’s first wedding dress. It was a short design, with a straight silhouette and a bikini-inspired detail, incorporating references to Brazil into its construction.
But the most special part was in the embroidery. The piece functioned as a true map of memories: the Morro Dois Irmãos and the Pão de Açúcar, in Rio de Janeiro; the 25 de Abril Bridge, in Lisbon; and references to Rome were embroidered. The names of the couple’s grandparents who had passed away and a friend of Vicky who had died of cancer were also embroidered.
The creation required more than 360 hours of artisanal work, with embroidery, crystals and rhinestones.
The shoes and accessories
After the high heels, Vicky toned down for the dance floor: first she wore Repetto ballet flats and later she switched to Havaianas to keep dancing through the night.
And she wasn’t the only one who ended up in sandals: guests were also given Havaianas so they could take off their shoes and keep dancing.
Hair: from XL length to bob
It was during this final transformation that the boldest gesture of the entire wedding occurred.
After the first dance, Vicky cut her XL hair and ended the night with a bob, a change that made the hair a central part of the wedding narrative.
But the cut was not merely an aesthetic decision. Vicky decided to donate her hair to a cancer-related organization, in homage to the friend whose name had also been embroidered on the FARM Rio dress and who had died from that disease.
Thus, the most drastic of all changes ended up having a meaning that went far beyond the look: after three days of dresses, shoes and transformations, the bride closed the celebration by leaving behind her XL mane.
The groom’s detail: a boutonnière that wasn’t a flower
Fashion attention did not stay solely on the bride. Miguel Segade also stepped away from the traditional groom’s code and, together with his friends, replaced the classic boutonnière with a silver Alhaja brooch.
The piece was made to order and designed to be worn after the wedding, a small but coherent decision with the spirit of a celebration where details were thought to have a life beyond that day.
The groom also wore three tailor-made suits by Alphaiate, while the bride’s wardrobe remained focused on the five major transformations across the three days.
An ambience also diverging from tradition
The wedding’s aesthetics followed the same logic in the décor. At the reception, two long tables were set for the guests and, beneath them, a large tapestry formed by carpets in different colors.
The floral design, production and creative direction were led by Bouquet de Liz, while the reception took place at Sítio do Passal. The ambience also incorporated Portuguese elements, such as terracotta tableware from the Alentejo.
Even the food followed the idea of escaping some traditional rituals: instead of a traditional wedding cake, the couple chose trays of Italian pastries.
In the end, Vicky Montanari’s wedding was built as a sequence of transformations: Miu Miu, Marina Bitu, Dior, Dior and FARM Rio; heels, ballet flats, flats and Havaianas; veils, headpieces and accessories. And, above all, hair that ceased to be merely part of the styling to become the story’s centerpiece: from XL length to a bob, in the midst of the celebration and with a personal meaning behind it.
