When it comes to celebrity wedding fashion, few brides in recent memory have taken as many creative liberties as Gabbriette Bechtel. The model, musician, and former Nasty Cherry frontwoman married The 1975's Matty Healy on July 18 at Castillo del Lago, the Hollywood Hills estate once owned by Madonna. Rather than leaning on tradition, Gabbriette turned to Paris-based avant-garde label Matières Fécales for three custom looks that redefined what unique bridal looks can mean in 2026.
The wedding marked Matières Fécales' first-ever bridal commission. Founded in 2014 by Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran, the label built its reputation on distressed silhouettes, gothic romance, and storytelling through fabric. According to Vogue, cited by Vogue Arabia's coverage of the wedding, Gabbriette had long admired the duo's approach before the collaboration ever took shape.
Why Gabbriette Chose Matières Fécales
Gabbriette told Vogue that she has always been drawn to designers who treat clothing as narrative rather than decoration. She pointed to the brand's most recent runway show as the moment she knew the partnership made sense, describing it as a complete story told through garments. That instinct shaped every decision that followed, from fabric choice to silhouette, and it explains why her wedding wardrobe reads less like a single gown and more like a three act arc.
The bride has also been open about rejecting the idea that bridalwear needs to follow a fixed formula. Her now widely quoted line, asking whether bridal has to always be white and answering that it clearly does not, has become something of a thesis statement for the entire wedding.
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The Three Looks, Explained
Gabbriette wore three distinct outfits across her wedding events, each with its own name and its own story.
- "Leigh," the pre wedding look, was built around an archival Martin Margiela black gown pulled from Gabbriette's own closet. Dalton and Bhaskaran reworked it with the brand's signature tulle treatment along the back, adding long sleeves and a fitted bodice. Gabbriette has said the design nods to her love of Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula," and the accompanying Christian Louboutin heels carried that same gothic influence .
- "Gabriella," the ceremony gown, was the centerpiece. Made from hand pleated white silk taffeta, it featured a triple tiered bustle, a cascading train, and déchiré tulle detailing at the hem. A veil created in partnership with milliner Stephen Jones completed the look, along with white tulle covered Christian Louboutin pumps. Gabbriette described feeling like a princess in the gown, which was exactly the effect she and the design team were chasing.
- "Healy," the after party look, closed out the night with a sharp turn away from traditional bridalwear entirely. The two piece set was crafted from buttery lamb leather with bold shoulders, raw edge hems, and aged tulle chiffon detailing at the back. A satin riding hat by Stephen Jones and matching Louboutin pumps rounded out the outfit, giving the bride a striking transition from ceremony elegance to celebration energy.
The Christian Louboutin Connection
Every look was paired with footwear from an ongoing collaboration between Matières Fécales and Christian Louboutin, first introduced during the label's debut runway show in March 2025. The shoes are built around a curved heel silhouette that has become something of a signature for the brand, appearing again during its Spring 2026 Paris showing. For the wedding, that heel shape was reinterpreted in ruched white tulle for the ceremony and white satin for the after party, tying the footwear directly back to the brand's runway identity rather than treating it as an afterthought.
A Family Affair Behind the Scenes
Gabbriette's final fitting in Paris, ahead of the wedding, brought an emotional layer to the process. She was joined by her mother, Chayo Bechtel, and her close friend Bailey Quinones. Chayo described the moment as a milestone, reflecting on watching her daughter prepare to celebrate what she called true love. Those details, shared across recent coverage of the wedding, underline that despite the boldness of the designs, the day carried the same sentimental weight as any traditional wedding.
What This Wedding Says About Bridal Fashion Right Now
Gabbriette's wedding did not happen in isolation from broader shifts in bridal style. Matières Fécales had already built a following among celebrities on red carpets before this commission, and its move into bridalwear signals growing appetite for designers who treat weddings as a canvas rather than a checklist. The gothic Victorian silhouette running through Gabbriette's looks also lines up with a wider resurgence of Victorian inspired fashion that has been showing up across runways this year.
For brides who feel boxed in by convention, Gabbriette's wedding offers a clear example of what is possible when personal style takes priority over expectation. Three looks, three distinct moods, and one consistent thread: clothing chosen because it told the truth about who she is, not because tradition demanded it.
What Gabbriette's Wedding Wardrobe Really Represents
What stands out most about this wedding is not just the craftsmanship or the designer names attached to it. It is the reminder that bridal fashion can flex to fit a person's identity rather than the other way around. Gabbriette's black rehearsal dress, her sculptural ceremony gown, and her leather after party suit all point to the same idea, one she stated plainly herself: bridal can be whatever the bride wants it to be. As celebrity wedding fashion continues to evolve, her Matières Fécales wardrobe may end up being remembered as one of the moments that pushed unique bridal looks further into the mainstream conversation.
