Bianca Betancourt’s NOLA Wedding ceremony | Into The Gloss

Days after Bianca Betancourt documented Madison Utendahl’s engagement occasion extravaganza for Harper’s Bazaar, she was preparing for her personal huge day—her marriage ceremony! The tradition editor married fiancé DJ Ben Stepnowski in October. The couple tied the knot in The Huge Simple on the sixth anniversary of their first date—and a yr after they bought engaged on the similar lodge. The weekend was a glittering celebration of dancing, NOLA, and naturally, love. Let’s let Bianca take it away.

Pricey ITG,

I’m a spouse! I married my husband, Ben, in New Orleans, on October 20.

Ben and I met in late 2017—waaay earlier than I grew to become the tradition editor at Harper’s Bazaar—once I was dwelling in Chicago. Humorous sufficient, he was my ex-boyfriend’s roommate, which is all the time a enjoyable dialog starter. On the time, I ran an indie artwork journal known as Circus, and once I discovered he was a DJ, I requested him to play at a gallery occasion hosted by the journal. He was an actual DJ enjoying at golf equipment, however there I used to be asking him to do that small occasion, each as a result of I wanted a DJ but additionally as a result of I preferred him. We frolicked for a few weeks, and the evening of the occasion, he requested me to be his girlfriend.

The primary journey we took collectively was to New Orleans to have a good time Ben’s birthday. I had gone to NOLA on my own earlier that yr, and I beloved the whole lot about it—the meals, the music, the folks—and I simply knew that Ben would adore it, too. After that first journey and up till the pandemic, we went yearly, whether or not it was for a birthday or an anniversary or simply to get away for the weekend.

On our five-year anniversary final yr, Ben stunned me with a keep at Lodge Saint Vincent, and he proposed on one of many balconies with dinner and flowers. We checked out a number of different venues after we have been planning our marriage ceremony early on, however we ultimately landed on HSV. Not solely was it attractive, however we beloved the meals, the drinks, and the employees. It was a no brainer.

The colour scheme for the marriage was cream and black. We additionally had pops of silver—the photograph sales space had a enjoyable, metallic fringe, and we had a disco ball—so it type of gave Beyoncé’s Membership Renaissance, earlier than we even knew what that may appear like.

At first, I needed a princess robe. Don’t get me mistaken, these robes are lovely, however they’d manner an excessive amount of material once I really began attempting them on. I ended up discovering the proper costume from Eva Lendel. It has a very lovely off-the-shoulder neckline, a practice that isn’t overwhelmingly lengthy, and a leg slit for somewhat little bit of sexiness. It’s off-white, too; I didn’t need a true white as a result of it might be too stark on my pores and skin. I wore a pair of strappy sandals from Magda Butrym for the ceremony, after which switched into Loeffler Randall kitten mules that carried me by way of our second line, cocktail hour, and our first dance. When the dance ground was actually going, I switched right into a child blue strapless costume from 16Arlington and silver kitten heels from Larroudé.

I labored with make-up artist Mollie Gloss for my make-up. We met in Chicago and moved to New York across the similar time, so we’ve been pals for nearly a decade. Going into it, she already knew what I used to be—and wasn’t—prepared to experiment with and what works for my face. My two fundamental inspirations have been Zendaya, particularly her work with Raoul Alejandre, and Beyoncé. I assumed her make-up on the Renaissance tour was so good. It was festive however not excessive. So, I actually needed somewhat little bit of the shimmer from Renaissance and the recent, glowy look that Zendaya is understood for.

Mollie used a variety of Charlotte Tilbury, Uncommon Magnificence, and Saie on me for each the rehearsal dinner and the precise marriage ceremony. For my dinner lip look, she used a combo of the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat liners in Iconic Nude and Pillow Speak 3 Intense, with a little bit of the Uncommon Magnificence Lip Soufflé Matte Cream Lipstick in Braveness on the middle of the lips, topped with the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre Gloss in Pillow Speak to mix all of it in. The following day, we saved the Charlotte Tilbury combo however swapped within the Uncommon Magnificence Lip Soufflé Matte Lip Cream in Assured and the Saie Glossybounce Lip Gloss Oil in Kiss.

My updo was very ‘90s and Pamela Anderson-inspired. Now that I’m fascinated by it, it positively provides off Selena Quintanilla vibes, too; Selena-everything is all the time embedded in my mind. In the end, my appears have been a two-part course of. I went to my common hairstylist Mickiela Mbatha for a recent trim and my first-ever extensions for quantity. Truthfully, I used to be scared—I assumed they could look loopy—however nobody knew I had them except I instructed them. Then in New Orleans, my hairstylist was Courtney Bradberry from Paris Parker. She’s principally the queen of hair in NOLA. She’s been doing it for 15 years, so if you would like fabulous, particular occasion hair, you go to her. We went with a facet bang for my rehearsal dinner hair and delightful, voluminous waves for the ceremony. For the after-party, she put it again up in simply quarter-hour. She’s magic.

I went to this actually cute salon on Journal Avenue known as Southern Swings Nail Spa, the place you actually sit on swings, for a basic French mani—I didn’t need to give it some thought too laborious. For my toes, I went with a very nice pinky nude known as My Vampire is Buff from OPI. Ben bought a mani-pedi, too.

Selecting a fragrance for the weekend was so essential. I ended up layering Phlur’s Father Determine and Dauphinette’s 369. Father Determine could be very fig-forward with touches of bergamot, which is a big sure for me. The evening earlier than, I wore Phlur’s Lacking Individual, a heat, spicy scent with a touch of citrus, combined with Reduox’s Paradise Service.

We’re actually excited for our honeymoon subsequent yr. We’ll in all probability go to the Amalfi Coast within the spring, however for a small celebration, we spent a few days on the Delamar Lodge in Southport, Connecticut after the marriage. Ben laughs as a result of I hold saying it felt like an episode of Gilmore Women through the fall, however it did!

—As instructed to Daise Bedolla

Photographs by Mollie Gloss and JP Calubaquib; Courtesy of Bianca Betancourt