A High-Concept Wedding in Denver Inspired by a ’90s Fashion Show

Even now, nearly a decade after they first met, Frida and Luis keep the story of the start of their relationship private. “We met on an adventure in December of 2015,” they say—and even their friends and family haven’t heard more. “Funny as it may sound, we’ve always kept the details to ourselves—and intend to keep it that way,” says Frida. The proposal, however, wasn’t so secret. In October 2023, the couple traveled with their son and Frida’s mother to New York. During the trip, Luis popped the question—even looping in the staff at their hotel for assistance. 

The couple, who live in Denver, found a distinct, specific, and completely unique inspiration source for their wedding aesthetic. “Our wedding was designed as an ode to Maison Margiela Couture,” says Frida. “Specifically, a ‘90s runway, because Margiela is known for transforming unique, grungy spaces into high-end fashion show runways.” Full-service planners from Banks & Leaf helped the couple curate a vendor lineup that could bring their concept to life. “We looked for vendors who had a unique eye and who we knew could create and document our beautiful and slightly rare vision,” says Frida. “I say rare because Denver isn’t generally thought of as a fashion hub. So finding vendors who could bring that editorial, design-focused vision to life was really important to us.”

Though the spaces they chose for their September 14, 2024, ceremony and reception for 100 guests—Holy Ghost Church and University Club Denver —were far from grungy, they did offer a historical atmosphere that worked with the couple’s “luxuriously gothic” vision. “I just love old buildings; I love the soul,” says Frida. 

Maison Margiela fashions, a color palette of white and crimson, architectural florals, and nods to the couple’s childhoods in Mexico resulted in a one-of-a-kind concept. “Remember that you know your vision better than anyone else,” says Frida. “Try to drown out the noise surrounding planning and design and stay true to your vision! Then hire amazing vendors and trust them.” See how the couple’s vision was realized in the following photos by Kelly Mour.

Frida and Luis turned to Birdsong Bespoke for a multi-piece invitation suite and day-of paper goods, offering the Maison Margiela logo and the brand’s iconic Spring/Summer 1990 runway show as inspiration for the fonts and overall aesthetic. “Our paper goods were in English and Spanish to reflect our upbringing in Mexico,” says Frida.

Frida felt no hesitation choosing her embellished trumpet gown from Vera Wang, though it didn’t quite match the vision she had in mind when she started shopping. “I’ve always been a very decisive person, but I still surprised myself with how quickly I chose this dress,” she says. “I can’t explain it. I went in wanting a very minimalistic gown, but opted for a trumpet-style, strapless gown with large lace appliqués and a mesh bust.” She made the decision on her own, choosing to visit boutiques without any friends or family members. “I shopped by myself and loved it,” she says. “Shop by yourself. You know you best.”

She had her Maison Margiela veil ready to wear—until it ripped a week before the wedding while the couple’s son played with it. “I was really bummed and figured I’d just wear a more basic one, but Luis surprised me by gifting me the same exact veil that he went out of his way to find,” she says.

Frida left the details of her wedding-day beauty look to “geniuses” Salvador Gonzalez, her makeup artist, and Nyla Nasser, her hairstylist. “I fully trusted them to do their thing,” she says. “It was important to me to have two looks, one for the ceremony which was a bit more classic, and one for the reception, which was a bit bolder.” She requested a “classically beautiful” hairstyle for the ceremony—one that would show off a custom headpiece she had made in Ukraine—and a bold lip color. “I’m very dedicated to my skincare, so I mostly continued what I had been doing for the last few years,” she says. “I work with an esthetician I love, and trusted her to guide me as we prepared for the wedding. Finding an esthetician or practitioner you can trust is life-changing, and not just for your wedding day.”

While styling her accessories, Frida spotted a model online wearing her gown with oversized gloves. “I couldn’t find the gloves anywhere and even called Vera Wang, but they said it was only for the photoshoot,” she says. Undeterred, she raided her own closet: “I had white leather gloves that my mother gave me for Christmas and used those!” she says. “I love how over-the-top it all looked once put together.”

Maison Margiela’s famous split-toe Tabi pumps were an obvious choice for the bride’s footwear. She added a spritz of Chanel Comete—”It’s a classic and one of my regulars,” says Frida—and heirloom jewelry alongside her Tiffany engagement ring. “I wore my grandmother’s earrings, and that felt very special,” says Frida.

Luis’ attire incorporated Maison Margiela also, as he paired the split-toe Tabi shoes with a Tom Ford tuxedo. “Luis looked so handsome in an all white outfit. He has an amazing sense of style,” says Frida. The couple requested a ceremony bouquet and boutonnière that were “mini, white, and wild,” complementing the florals installed outside the church.

Frida’s father escorted her down the aisle of Holy Ghost Church to meet Luis at the altar, following the flower girls and the couple’s son, who were only members of the wedding party. “Our flower girls wore simple white dresses. Our son, Felix, walked with the girls and wore an amazing outfit that included sunglasses and knee-high socks. He looked so dapper,” says Frida.

Mariachi Internacionale performed throughout the service, but they weren’t the only musicians in the room: “We exchanged vows in Spanish during our reception, and Luis took me by total surprise and sang me a song as part of his vows,” says Frida.

Rosemary Floral Co. decorated the church entrance with two soaring installations of flawless lilies, which framed the couple during their recessional as guests tossed streamers. The newlyweds paused for portraits before joining their guests at the University Club Denver for cocktails and dinner. 

Signature drinks—a smokey old-fashioned and a chamomile rose spritz—greeted guests as they arrived at the reception space.

Luxurious draping and a color palette of white and oxblood red added a high-fashion contrast to the historical spirit of the dining room. “Our space felt luxuriously gothic,” says Frida. “Our planning and production teams did a fantastic job completely transforming our reception space. We brought in insane white drapery that stretched across the entire reception space, decorated the tablescapes with wild white and red florals, and had an abundance of candles, including some religious iconology candles.”

Textured table linens, silver footed centerpiece vessels, and ivory china set off crimson floral arrangements filled with asymmetrical blooms, garlands, and branches, and minimalist, ikebana-style displays. Glimmering candles and dripped-wax table numbers added to the gothic atmosphere. “Just seeing our reception space for the first time was so special,” says Frida. “We had such a specific vision, and our vendor team pulled it off beautifully.” The room was further personalized with a montage of family videos projected onto the draping at the end of the tables. 

Frida and Luis took full advantage of the club’s many vintage spaces for their event, including posing for portraits in the old racquetball courts. Frida’s reception bouquet of deep red branches stood out against her Maison Margiela slip dress, while she describes her “very bold” hair as “fun, assertive, and daring.”

Intricate Icings created a massive buttercream wedding cake that was part dessert, part décor. “Our amazing wedding cake was the size of an entire table and was decorated to mimic the florals on my custom headpiece from Ukraine that I wore during the ceremony,” says Frida. “It sat in a sun-drenched corner throughout our reception and was such a fun add.”

The couple brought in their favorite musician, Mike Yung, from New York to perform their first dance song, followed by a private set—a moment that ended up as one of their favorites of the day. “Listening to our favorite artist Mike Yung play our favorite song live was really incredible,” says Frida.