ONCE UPON A DREAM — Maria Constanza & Luckas: A Love Story in Three Acts

Evely Oliveira
2 hours ago
10 min read

'BRIDES' COVER EDITION - AUGUST 2026 ISSUE

A bride standing at the doors of a church can still make Maria stop in her tracks.

It doesn’t matter how many she has seen. How many she has done the makeup for. How many dresses she has helped adjust, how many bouquets she has watched arrive, or how many times she has stood beside a woman in the minutes before she walks down the aisle.

When a bride crosses Maria’s path, she looks.

Perhaps that is why this story began so early.

Maria grew up at a resort where weddings were part of the scenery.

As a little girl, she would watch brides, dresses, and celebrations from a distance, while her imagination filled in everything she couldn’t see. That was where her fascination began — a fascination that, years later, would find its way into her professional life.

For a long time, Maria stood beside other women precisely when they were about to enter a new chapter of their lives. She witnessed their anxiety, anticipation, little unexpected moments, and that deeply personal instant when a woman finally sees herself ready.

Until it was her turn.

And it was fascinating to discover that, after so many years immersed in the world of weddings, her own wedding would place Maria in a completely different position. This time, there was no other bride to watch. There was her, there was Luckas, and there was a story the two of them had already been building long before that day.

The celebration began to take shape around the life they shared. Art, theater, musicals, their families, their Argentine roots, their friends, and the way they love welcoming people into their home all found their place naturally.

Nothing needed to be chosen simply because it was beautiful. It needed to mean something to both of them.

And perhaps that is precisely what makes a celebration so personal. You look around and begin to recognize the people who are there, the stories they carry, and the little things that, to anyone else, might seem like mere details.

At Maria and Luckas’s wedding, there were many of them.

Some were obvious. Others would only be noticed by those who knew them well. But every one of them helped tell a little more of their story.

For Maria, there was something especially symbolic about experiencing that day.

The little girl who spent her childhood watching weddings. The professional who learned how to care for other brides. The woman who, for so many years, imagined what her own wedding might be like. And now, someone by her side with whom to share everything that had once existed only in her imagination.

This time, she didn’t have to imagine it.

When she went downstairs to see the décor, received her bouquet, and finally saw herself ready, Maria realized that the moment she had so often witnessed from the outside had finally arrived for her.

And perhaps that is why a bride can still make her stop in her tracks.

Because, for a few seconds, Maria may become that little girl at the resort again, watching from a distance as a woman dressed in white and imagining everything that could exist within that story.

Only now, she knows the answer.

She lived her own.

And, by Luckas’s side, she began living theirs.

Before becoming a bridal makeup artist and psychologist, you were already a girl fascinated by the world of weddings. Growing up at a resort, you watched brides, dresses, and celebrations from a distance and, at some point, decided that you wanted to work in that world. What was it about those weddings that captivated you so much and allowed your imagination to go so far?

I remember her very clearly, because she was the one who decided that one day she would work with weddings. As a guest, I have attended very few weddings in my life. I’m usually there as a vendor, even at weddings where I’m actually invited to stay and enjoy myself.Because of that, I believe I created a fantasy in my mind of what weddings could be. So every wedding I watched from a distance allowed my imagination to flourish — imagining grand settings, promises of love, and unparalleled beauty.Growing up with that idea made me dream big about my own wedding. I wanted to create an unforgettable day, both for myself and for my guests, in the way I had always imagined it would be.I also always felt that there was nothing quite as angelic and perfect as a bride. Even today, when I’m walking down the street and see a bride standing in front of a church, I have to stop and watch. There is nothing more perfect in the world than a bride who is fully ready, bouquet in hand, with a smile on her face.It doesn’t even seem like I see one every weekend, right? I believe that’s the beauty of life — allowing yourself to be constantly surprised by its magic.

And then there is the story of the two of you. You say you knew Luckas would be your husband as early as your second date, in a rather special moment at the Spanish Steps. What happened that day, and what made you feel so certain so soon?

I knew Luckas would be my husband on our second date.You see, I have always been a very private person when it comes to love. I like to joke that Luckas was the second man I ever kissed and that I hope he will be the last!That’s why it took me a few months to agree to go on a date with him. I needed to be sure that he was a good person, that his intentions were genuine, and that we could become good friends. I have never been interested in anything casual.On the date I mentioned, at the Spanish Steps, Luckas showed an act of chivalry and consideration toward me — someone he barely knew (although apparently, he had already read me completely) — that made me completely let go of all the resistance I had been holding onto.To keep you from getting too curious, here’s what happened: I was absolutely terrified that he might want to kiss me.TERRIFIED.While we were waiting at the Spanish Steps for the restaurant to call us to our table, I was walking toward one of the benches thinking: “This boy is going to want to sit next to me and kiss me, and I don’t want that. If he touches me, I’m going to get up and leave. How outrageous...” And, right in the middle of this entire monologue in my head, Luckas chose to sit on the bench directly across from me, and spent the next 30 minutes simply talking to me and getting to know me.I fell in love with Luckas in that moment, when he didn’t want me.Something so powerful touched my chest and sent chills through my body that I felt a kind of intuition. It was as if I had spent 19 years waiting for that day, as though it had already been written in the stars.From that moment on, I never stopped loving Luckas. And today, he no longer needs to sit on the bench across from me. In fact, I want him sitting right beside me until we grow old, on that very same bench in that very same square.

You spent years being part of other people’s weddings. At your own, there was a moment when you received your bouquet, looked at the décor, and realized that this story was yours too. Do you remember when you felt that this wedding stopped being simply a bride’s wedding and became your wedding?

When it was finally my turn to sit in the chair, I still had that feeling of the usual “rush” of a wedding morning. Waking up, having breakfast, getting dressed, checking everything three times to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, dropping off a few boxes with the décor, checking in with the wedding planner, putting on the robe...But when I finally got dressed, went downstairs to see my décor, and received my bouquet, I felt that it was finally my turn.I had seen thousands of wedding setups, one more beautiful than the next, with the most spectacular arrangements you could imagine, but they had always reflected other women.When I saw all that theatricality, drama, warmth, and attention to detail, I saw myself and my husband. If I could, I would have that exact décor in my home.My bouquet was something I had designed and envisioned myself, but I didn’t know whether my decorator would be able to execute it in a way that would actually make it functional to carry.I, who had read so many love stories throughout my life, was now taking my own romance to the altar — a story written by the two of us, with its first chapter beginning that very day.From that moment on, a strange and entirely new feeling took over my whole body. I was ecstatic, happy, and radiant to finally be living my own wedding.

The dome, red curtains, chandeliers, candelabras, and books gave your wedding a very strong identity. But there was an even more important intention behind it: making every guest feel welcomed, just as they do when they enter your home. How did this way of hosting and welcoming people make its way into your wedding?

Something that is incredibly important to us in our everyday lives is welcoming people. Here, no one is ever received casually.I set the table, spend one to two days in the kitchen preparing homemade food for our guests, and always ask about their preferences, allergies, or dietary restrictions.Luckas prepares the atmosphere with candles or incense and chooses the perfect playlist for the moment. We are also two amateur actors and lovers of the arts. We thought a lot about creating a day divided into “acts,” like a theater play. So why not bring the classic red curtains into our own set as well?My wedding planner, in all her brilliance, came up with the idea of using chandeliers and candelabras on the floor as a reference to the first musical I ever saw on stage, The Phantom of the Opera. It’s no secret that Broadway is my reason for living, so it was incredibly thoughtful of her to incorporate an element of musical theater into the décor.We also thought about small details that would make every guest and vendor feel loved and expected. We included many translations into Spanish, incorporated Argentine cultural traditions, created personalized stationery with each person’s name, greeted every guest with a hug as they entered the venue, and offered menu options for everyone, including those with more significant dietary restrictions... the list goes on.We wanted them to feel, as they sat down for dinner, as though they were in the living room of our home, surrounded by soft lighting, music in the background, countless candles, and the knowledge that every person there plays an important role in our lives.Best of all was being able to have three days of celebration that truly felt like us. The first was our civil wedding, followed by breakfast at a place we often visit with Luckas, with my family from Argentina there. The second was the wedding day itself. And the third was a farewell dinner for my family, together with a few friends and vendors who couldn’t attend the day before.They were three dream-filled days, thoughtfully planned, and they accomplished exactly what we wanted them to: to celebrate, to love, and to be loved!

Your dress seems to hold an entire story within it. Long before becoming a makeup artist, you dreamed of creating bridal gowns, and for your own, you incorporated lace, red embroidery, your love of color and texture, and even a tribute to your father and your Argentine roots. When you look at that dress today, what do you feel it says about who you are?

Before becoming a makeup artist, I had already dreamed of having my own bridalwear brand, so this was the element that received the most attention from me compared to everything else. Because I see so many wedding dresses all the time, I didn’t want to wear something that I would easily see again. So I created a gown with Madah that felt completely like me, while still carrying the authentic touch that has always been part of my identity. The fluidity of the romantic lace, extravagant at the same time because of the size of the flowers, was perfectly contrasted by the drama of the red embroidery that would echo our décor.In my personal life, I love color, prints, and texture. I usually joke that if there isn’t something a little “weird” about my outfit, I don’t feel complete.Inside the dress, my father embroidered a little Argentine flag so it could be my “something blue,” following that old wedding tradition. Who here has watched Bride Wars and knows exactly what I’m talking about? My dress was perfect — so perfect that I didn’t want to take it off.And if it hadn’t been for the weather, I would have worn a beautiful red stole after the ceremony as well, made especially for me.

You work in weddings and are used to taking care of details and other brides. At your own wedding, you were able to simply live the day and trust the people around you. What made it possible, in that moment, to let go of control and simply be the bride?

I discovered that I really am an excellent wedding vendor.You see, I’m extremely cautious about absolutely everything. I live in a constant state of alertness. And that was very evident in the way I chose my vendors.Working with weddings and always being aware of what a bride might need made me want to have an entire team like that around me, so that I could simply live the moment.Throughout the day, I didn’t have to be attentive, anxious, or worried. I simply trusted the people around me and allowed myself to be fully present.Perhaps if I weren’t this way in my work, I would have been less demanding when choosing my vendors, and it probably would have caused me some headaches at some point, either on the wedding day or during the months leading up to it.After the wedding, a friend even joked with me and said:“I was sure you were going to be freaking out on the day, but you were so calm.”Of course. I chose people who work the way I do. They would never have allowed me to get stressed.And for that, thank you, my vendor friends!!

Wedding Team Credits

Wedding Planner: @enfimcasadosporcrisassef

Décor: @sejaoqueflor_decoracoes

Bride’s Dress: @madah.atelier

Groom’s Suit: @madah.forman

Venue: @espaconamata

Accessories: @tantannoivas

Stationery: @chuvadepapel

Photography: @amorenosfotografia

Videography: @papelecanetafilmes

Ceremony Music: @partitamusical

Desserts: @dierica.atelierdedoces