This Wedding at a Spanish Vineyard Felt Like a Casual Yet Elegant Family Dinner Party

The wedding would take place just under a year later, on October 12, 2024, at Mas Palou, a family-owned vineyard in the hills of the Penedès wine region of Spain that dates back to 1623. “I came across the estate on Instagram through my research for non-cookie cutter venues. With its rich history, stunning rustic landscapes, and convenient proximity to Barcelona—it was an instant and obvious choice after our first tour of the property,” says Juliana. Since Matias is a native of Barcelona, it was an easy choice to select this destination close to much of his family. They even decided to hold their welcome party at the Barcelona Pavilion designed by Mies van der Rohe—a location that held extra meaning for the groom. “My stepmother, Diane, spent 25 years as the director of the Mies van der Rohe Architecture Award, making this building a constant presence in my childhood,” Matias says. “Juliana and I both have a deep love for design, and the Pavilion felt like the perfect place to set the tone for the weekend: intimate, timeless, and filled with meaning.”

The creatives decided to split up planning tasks, with Juliana taking on the aesthetics and menu alongside wedding planner Silvia Lindoso of Fresh & Wood, Matias managing the website (complete with a map of Barcelona recommendations), and the duo collaborating on the menus and signage together. The vision for the wedding was to create a scene that was relaxed and “effortlessly elegant.” The bride adds, “We knew we wanted it to feel like a big family dinner party!” To achieve this, they decided to decorate the winery’s timeless architecture with “an ethereal romantic ambiance” with shades of white, lilac, aubergine, and key lime. “For the flowers, we worked with Yolanda at Best Day Ever to create romantic, whimsical arrangements that felt playful and organic,” says Juliana.

When she wasn’t focused on styling the scene of the celebration, Juliana dove into finding the perfect looks to wear throughout the wedding weekend. “For my wedding dress, I knew I wanted something timeless, sensual, and elegant,” she shares. She first filled mood boards with gowns with high necks and low backs from the 1930s. “I was drawn to the refined, minimalist silhouettes of that era,” she says. “I came across Cortana Bridal—coincidentally a Spanish brand—with this beautifully understated elegance and a fresh, unconventional take on bridal style. It was exactly what I was looking for and I was so happy to find that it was carried at The One Bridal Boutique in Brooklyn–right next to the Moda Operandi offices.” The silk, bias-cut dress that was the winner featured an asymmetrical neckline and a sash that could be styled multiple ways. With a few alterations to lower the back further and thin out the sash, it perfectly fit her vision.

To walk down the aisle, the bride paired the gown with a tulle cathedral-length veil with a blusher. “It added a hint of classic drama and moved so beautifully, especially in the photos," she says. To accessorize, she wore a pair of chunky Loeffler Randall sandals “to move effortlessly on the pebbled grounds of Mas Palou” and carried a “something blue” silk bag by Hai she picked up at Muy Fragil in Barcelona the week of the wedding. Juliana also considered how to adjust the look as temperatures would drop in the evening. “I layered a Carla Zampatti sheer, crepe chiffon shawl over my gown during dinner to keep my shoulders warm and add a bit of ethereal dimension,” she shares. As a final touch, the bride wore a pair of pearl and onyx stone earrings given by her sister Cristina the day before the ceremony. “They complimented my dress so perfectly that I decided to wear them instead of my original pair," she says. “It felt meaningful to have ‘something new’ from my big sister on such a special day.”

For his own wedding day look, Matias donned a black Ralph Lauren suit paired with Alden Oxfords. As an extra touch, he wore a present from the bride. “I gifted him a beautiful suit pin adorned with a smoky sapphire, designed by our close friend Caroline Ventura,” says Juliana. “Something subtle but personal to style with his boutonniere.”

While Juliana initially wasn’t going to swap her outfit for the reception, a fashion discovery a week before the wedding led to a change of plans. “During a visit to the Cortana boutique in L’Eixample, I spotted a bias-cut silk velvet gown in the most beautiful shade of blush. The color and texture felt perfect, especially against the rich tones and architectural elegance of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. Skipping a traditional white look for the welcome reception felt understated and fresh—and it also gave Matias a moment to shine in his off-white Todd Snyder look,” says the bride. “I also loved the idea of wearing two looks from the same designer, and there was something serendipitous about the last-minute discovery.” She would pair the dress with a Tiffany & Co. x Elsa Peretti Bottle necklace leant by her friend, stylist Caitlin Burke.

With a new look all set for the welcome party, Juliana now had an extra dress on hand. Not to let it go to waste, she decided to wear the black and white Simkhai number as an outfit change for her wedding day. “It felt like the perfect nod to New York, with its bold, ruched leather bodice contrasted by the fluid movement of the pleated skirt,” she says. “I styled it with minimalist sandals by The Row and a Julietta pearl drop necklace to accentuate the sculptural elegance of the look.”

Two days before the ceremony, the couple and their guests connected at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion for an elegant evening of passed bites and live music. “Surrounded by family and friends, we toasted the weekend ahead,” says Juliana. “We shared floral bouquets with our parents in gratitude for their love and support, as well as in celebration for my younger sister Miranda and her husband Joe, who had just eloped at San Francisco City Hall a month earlier. It made the evening even more meaningful, knowing we’ll share back-to-back anniversaries in the years to come.”

Heavy rain put some clouds over the wedding day, yet skies cleared enough for the start of the ceremony. “I will never forget my excitement and anticipation of walking down the aisle with my father, towards my love, Matias,” shares Juliana, who processed to an acoustic rendition of “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper played by their friend Noah Gershwin. “As I walked past our guests, the guitar was just soft enough that I could hear gentle gasps and whispered well-wishes. It was such a surreal but grounding moment.” Matias remembers focusing on the bride's face during her walk down the aisle. “She has an incredibly expressive face, more than she realizes, and after all these years, I know every subtle shift, every flicker of emotion in her eyes,” he says. “In that moment, I could see it all: happiness, a touch of overwhelm, excitement woven with deep emotion. Juliana looked absolutely stunning, and every choice she made for that day felt effortlessly her; elegant, chic, timeless, and sensual all at once.”

The weather cooperated perfectly throughout the ceremony as well. “When our officiant Michael took a moment to honor our departed, including Matia’s late sister Soledad, big raindrops started to fall almost as if it were a message from her above,” says the bride. “It was such a special moment. I was a little nervous it would start pouring, but our guardian angels didn’t let that happen, and the rain slowed again.” Later, at the exact moment the couple were pronounced husband and wife, a light broke through and shined on Juliana's face. “The timing was surreal, like something out of a film,” says Matias. “It felt like a blessing, a quiet hello from those who couldn’t be with us.”

Next came a food and Bossa Nova–filled cocktail hour—one of the highlights of the wedding day for the couple. “Our caterer—and dear friend—Oriol, known to most as Uri, really gave it his all during our cocktail hour. He cooked, steamed, sliced, grilled and garnished everything to perfection—thoughtfully tailoring each element to reflect our tastes and vision for each dish,” shares Juliana. Special touches Uri brought in included a sommelier from his restaurant El Bart and a professional jamón carver. “At one point during the cocktail hour, after greeting what felt like everyone, Matias and I caught each other’s eyes and realized we were both starving,” remembers Juliana. “We slipped away to the second floor of our guest house, where I’d gotten ready earlier, to eat for a few moments in peace—just the two of us, enamored with each other and the day, plus plates full of jamón and scallops. It was a much-needed pause from being in the spotlight.”

Guests then proceeded to the floral-filled tent for dinner. “We had fun with the seating plan, mixing both sides thoughtfully to ensure everyone would leave with a new friend,” says Juliana. The meal featured dishes like a rich mushroom risotto, Angus-Wagyu fillet with potato mille-feuille, and local monkfish with wasabi mayo. “True to how we cook at home, we didn’t stick to one cuisine and just followed flavors we love,” shares Juliana. “Umami, always.” Speeches followed dinner, including toasts from both sides of their family. “My older sister Cristina shared that she had trimmed her seven-page speech down to three just the night before! Her words were touching and full of love,” says Juliana. “Matias’s cousin Santi translated Cristina’s speech into Spanish, and it was charmingly hilarious—his calm, straightforward delivery made the perfect, if unintentional, counterpoint to Cristina’s heartfelt emotion.”

The party moved to the dance floor, where the couple had their first dance to “Sunday Kind of Love” by Etta James. “It’s a song we feel connected to since we always reserve Sundays for each other—playing our favorite records, cooking together, and melting away the Sunday scaries side by side,” says the bride. Once the DJ turned it up, the newlyweds danced into the night under the stars. Juliana adds, “Nobody wanted the night to end!”

The next day followed with a relaxed paella party. “The weather turned out to be absolutely beautiful, and by the time we woke up, everyone who had stayed at the house after the wedding was already in the pool,” says Juliana. “When the rest of our guests arrived for lunch, I was still in my Mare Perpetua swimsuit—and decided to stay in it!” The couple share it felt like a sun-drenched family reunion.

Reflecting on the weekend, the groom shares, “If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. It was everything we hoped for—a celebration of love, friendship, and family, woven into a night we’ll cherish forever.”