Marisa Abela Tapped This British Designer For Her Dream Wedding Dress
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31 minutes ago
She married fellow actor Jamie Bogyo over the weekend
It seems September is a busy month for celebrity weddings. Hot off the news that Charli XCX tied the knot (for the second time), it was announced that actors Marisa Abela and Jamie Bogyo made it official over the same weekend. But rather than make the trek to sunny Sicily, the couple got married closer to home. Here’s all the details on their old Hollywood-inspired East Sussex celebration, plus the lowdown on Marisa Abela’s British-made wedding dress.
Marisa Abela & Jamie Bogyo Are Married
Marisa Abela and Jamie Bogyo are both successful actors in their own right – with Abela known best for her roles in the HBO series Industry and the Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black, and Bogyo for a successful run on the West End in shows like The Devil Wears Prada and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. But the two met long before fame struck; almost 10 years ago, when they were students at RADA.
‘We were best friends throughout the course, and Jamie finally asked me out when we were graduating in 2019,’ Abela revealed in an interview with British Vogue. And, five years later, he popped the question where they first met, on Primrose Hill. ‘This was where we met for the very first time at a meet and greet for the class of 2016. He hit on me immediately… It was amazing to be back where Jamie had literally walked into my life for the very first time.’
The couple tied the knot on Saturday (13 September 2025) in Brighton, where Abela was born and raised – and the couple spent lockdown together. Working with Katrina Otter Weddings, the bride and groom opted for a classic, glamorous theme, laced with film references (the bride walked down the aisle to the theme of Cinema Paradiso) and plenty of champagne.
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A Closer Look At Marisa Abela’s Wedding Dress
For her wedding ceremony, Marisa Abela wore a classic bridal gown constructed from 20 metres of 100 percent duchess satin. The gown featured a dropped waist and an elongated bodice with a sculpted corset, as well as a full, pleated skirt for added drama.
This was topped with a train, measuring nearly three metres long and crafted from sculptural pleats, and a grand three-and-a-half metre veil.
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Her accessories, meanwhile, included a pair of Jimmy Choo Max 150 heels – colour matched to her dress and personalised with the couple’s initials on the sole – Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses and a headpiece by Mayfair jeweller Bentley & Skinner.
Who Designed Marisa Abela’s Wedding Dress?
Marisa Abela’s wedding dress was a bespoke creation by Emilia Wickstead, who crafted the gown from her West London atelier. The British designer is known for her old school glamour and classic style – traits which resonated with Abela, who wanted a theatrical reveal on her big day.
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‘[I] don’t shy away from a touch of drama when it feels appropriate, so I knew I wanted my wedding dress to feel like a real moment,’ said the bride. ‘Emilia creates dresses with such timeless elegance that I knew she would understand my references immediately.’
A fan of classic movies, Abela revealed that the main reference on her mood board was old Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn – who, coincidentally, Wickstead has referenced on many occasions throughout her career. Alongside her most recent bridal collections, which take inspiration from Hepburn’s life on the silver screen, the designer also designed her own bridal gown, created for her wedding in 2010, based on Hepburn’s iconic dress in the 1954 film Sabrina.
So it’s safe to say that Wickstead perfectly grasped Abela’s vision. ‘If I had to do this all over again, a million times, I would choose working with Emilia every single one,’ the actress said. ‘Her attention to detail, her love of women’s bodies, her desire for perfection is unparalleled.’
Marisa Abela trying on her bespoke Emilia Wickstead wedding dress (Courtesy of Emilia Wickstead)
The designer also went on to design custom dresses for all the bridesmaids and the mother of the bride, the former of which paired their gowns with Heist tights, bespoke DeMellier handbags, Lucy Delius jewellery and Jimmy Fairly sunglasses (and stepped into pairs of Russell & Bromley penny loafers when they were ready to start dancing).
Did She Have A Second Look?
The actress had a second and third bridal look, as well as her ceremony gown. The second dress, which she wore for the dinner after the ceremony, was also an Emilia Wickstead design – this time from her most recent bridal collection, the Micheline dress. Crafted from double crepe, the floor-length ivory dress featured a tailored, column fit and a wide-set square neckline.
But the most important factor was that the bride could move more freely in it. ‘It was its own showstopping moment with its simplicity and cut, but was slightly more practical,’ she said. ‘I needed something to be able to dance in!’
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And when the couple well and truly hit the dance floor, Abela made sure she’d be able to go all night – opting for a custom blazer and sport shorts by Ukrainian designer Bevza. ‘I wanted something sexy that really felt like me, and I love tailoring,’ she explained to Vogue. ‘The sport shorts were perfect, and I could really let loose.’
