There are brides who want to look like they're from a catalogue, and there are brides who want to look like they're from another era. Claudia, who married Marc in a Catalan house dating from 1952, belongs to the second group - her wedding dress was inspired by the twenties and the art deco aesthetic, far from the standard white code.

"I wanted something that breaks with the usual, and I drew inspiration from vintage designs," the bride recounts. The dress, by designer Ze Garcia, had an asymmetric neckline and a fluid silhouette. But the strongest detail wasn't the dress itself - it was a Manila shawl with embroidery and fringe, draped over it, giving her a bohemian, romantic stamp rarely seen at modern weddings.

Instead of a traditional veil, Claudia wore a silk cap during the ceremony. The reason was as practical as it was aesthetic: she wanted to keep her natural, loose wavy locks rather than a high updo, so the silk cap gave her a sense of occasion without having to put her hair up. Sometimes the boldest decision is simply to stay yourself.

The details rounded off the story. Nappa-leather sandals with a chunky heel for comfort, a second, shorter dress with vintage boots for the party, natural make-up and a bouquet of curled cyclamens. The decoration played on neutral tones - white and beige - broken up by dark-red floral arrangements.

Back home a wedding is a serious affair, a celebration remembered for decades, and that's exactly why decisions like these mean more than they look. When a bride chooses history over sparkle, she isn't running from tradition - she's choosing which tradition to wear. And a Manila shawl, embroidered and fringed, carries more of a story than any new dress sewn to the latest fashion.