Comporta was the first place fashion creator Vicky Montanari and her now husband, Miguel Correia, thought of when deciding when to get married. The laid-back spot on Portugal’s Alentejo coast (nicknamed the “Hamptons of Europe) holds special significance for the Lisbon-based couple, who spent four months holed up there during the pandemic. It was during that time they realised that, once they returned to Lisbon and to normal life, they wanted to build a home together. “It’s always held a very deep meaning for us,” says Vicky.

Though fashion is her passion – and her job – Vicky, who was born in Brazil and raised in Italy, says she’d “never really been able to picture myself as a bride”. Suffice to say, a traditional wedding wardrobe was never on the cards. Instead, the bride curated a series of exuberant looks for a three-day celebration that reflected the different cultures that are significant to the couple, incorporating a Miu Miu minidress, Havaiana flip-flops, Bulgari jewellery, jelly shoes, and not one but two Dior gowns.

A dress by Brazilian designer Marina Bitu for the rehearsal dinner, worn with Bulgari jewellery and heeled ballerinas.

“Dior is a fashion house for which I feel the deepest affection and admiration, and I’ve also been following Jonathan’s work for many years,” says Vicky, who chose two dresses she had snapped as they floated down the runway at Dior’s Cruise 2027 show in Los Angeles for the wedding day itself. The first, crafted from silk organza, comprised multiple layers of fabric to create volume, depth and movement, and was embellished with oversized embroidered flowers that extended from the shoulder strap across the bodice. “I love the way Jonathan uses flowers and nature, weaving them into his designs with an almost hidden magic that reveals itself only upon close inspection. The moment I put it on [at the final fitting in Paris], I simply thought: this is the one.” To complete the look, Vicky enlisted Lisbon’s Pureza Mello Breyner Atelier to create a bespoke veil in silk organza, and added white satin Dior pumps with a bow detail, and Bulgari jewellery.

Dior dress number two was a pure white sculptural number supported by an internal corset and embellished with tiny flowers, leaves and beads, with a statement blue flower appliquéd on the right side – her personal “something blue”. “I had never worn – or even seen – anything like it,” says the bride, who swapped out the white Dior shoes for a baby blue pair for her second look. The distinctive Dior looks, she says, “made me feel more powerful, modern, confident, self-assured and fashionable – more like myself – than any conventional wedding dress ever could”.

For the welcome party at beach club JNcQUOI that kicked off the wedding weekend, Vicky wanted something short and light, settling on a sand-coloured, ’60s-inspired Miu Miu minidress and adding a pop of colour with Chloé’s jelly shoes in pale blue. “The temperature reached 38C that day, so the minidress couldn’t have been more perfect for the occasion,” she says. The following night was given over to a private rehearsal dinner, for which Vicky chose a floaty dress by Brazilian designer Marina Bitu paired with Bulgari jewellery.

After the double whammy of Dior dresses on the wedding day itself, there was still room for one last party look: an incredibly personal piece by Farm Rio – not only has Vicky worked with the brand as a fashion creator, she worked as a sales assistant in one of its stores as a teenager. The bride collaborated with Farm Rio on the piece, embroidered with details including the Sugarloaf Mountain to represent Rio de Janeiro, and Lisbon’s 25 de Abril Bridge, to represent the city the couple calls home. The names of the the bride and groom’s late grandparents, and that of a dear friend lost to cancer, were also embroidered on the dress. “It’s a map of our memories, our cities, and the people we carry with us,” Vicky says simply. She swapped her heels for Repetto ballet flats and closed out the night with a pair of Havaianas. What better choice, for a Rio-born bride?