Claudia Sulewski and Finneas Are Married! Inside the Bride’s Final Fitting at Oscar de la Renta

Congratulations are in order for Finneas and Claudia Sulewski: the couple married on Saturday, August 29, in Montecito, surrounded by family and friends. Just under two weeks before, Vogue followed along as the actor and beauty founder bride headed to the Oscar de la Renta boutique in Beverly Hills for the final fitting of her four wedding weekend looks, all custom-made by the legendary American fashion house. “I’m so excited,” Claudia says, inviting us through the door. “Let’s go!”

The morning began with Claudia greeting her mom, Beata Sulewska, and her now-mother-in-law, Maggie Baird, and outlining the run of show: trying on her rehearsal dinner dress, ceremony dress, first dance and reception dress, and the after-party dress. The one she’s most excited about? The main ceremony dress, of course. “Every fitting thus far has sort of been an alteration, so I’m really excited to try on the final version,” Claudia adds.

And so it begins: first with the rehearsal dinner dress, which draws coos and gasps from two of Claudia’s other friends who are also by her side for the day, musicians Rebecca Black and Dru MacDonald. A bias-cut gown crafted from a liquid crepe back satin, with a bias neckline draping that extends down to the lower back; as Claudia turns to reveal it, both friends exclaim “Oh my God!” in unison, before reminiscing on Claudia and Finneas’s first date. (It turns out both Rebecca and Dru bore witness to that fateful meeting, and thus the beginning of the couple’s eight-year love story.) “You literally look like a sculpture,” Dru adds, as Oscar de la Renta’s senior designer Grace McCoy makes her final adjustments.

Next comes the ceremony dress, which draws quiet gasps from Claudia’s onlookers—and then a spontaneous round of applause. “Guys, you’re going to make me cry—stop!” Claudia laughs, as Maggie adds: “Wow. That is so pretty!” The ivory silk faille ballgown features a drop-waist bodice and a structured, pleated skirt, all finished with an asymmetric, draped, and pleated scarf neckpiece that streams down the entire length of the train.

“We were putting it on, and I was saying, there’s something about this dress that just demands a moment of silence,” Claudia notes, sharing that she was inspired to go for the style after scouring the Oscar de la Renta archives and finding herself gravitating to some of the more dramatic, “princess-like” silhouettes from collections past.

Given the gravity of the moment, it was only natural that Maggie dial in a special guest to get a first glimpse: Claudia’s friend and now-sister-in-law, Billie Eilish. “My God, I can’t believe it,” Billie exclaims over FaceTime. “You look like an angel. Sorry to be interrupting. Love you so much!” Claudia then also encourages her stylist, Thomas Kikis—“he’s been a part of every step of this journey,” the bride says—to come out and say hello to the cameras. As per Thomas: “I’ve been in the back crying this whole time!”

They also take a moment to try on the veil, a length of tulle designed to extend from under her bun. And then, to showcase the most important detail of all: pockets! “She’s a modern bride,” Claudia says with a beaming smile, taking another turn around the atelier.

Next up is the party-starting reception dress: a structured cady gown with a sculptural peplum made from upcycled feathers, a detail that was especially significant to Claudia. (Her brand, Cyklar, is vegan and cruelty-free.) “It feels so grown up in this sexy wifey way, but it’s so celebratory—so I’ll be dancing in this,” Claudia says, noting that she’d already done a dance test in the dress.

Grace also highlights the crystal beaded accents scattered among the feathers: perfect for catching the dance floor lights for an added touch of disco ball shimmer. “Finneas hasn’t seen any of these dresses, but since we’re doing our first dance in this dress, I’ve had to be very vague about certain limitations—the ways in which he can lift me, for example,” Claudia says. “We want to keep it intact, so I’ve just been like: there’s an obstacle!”

Finally, it’s time to reveal the after-party dress—and for that, Claudia looked to a very specific chapter of Oscar de la Renta’s history. Namely, a series of playful, party-ready looks from the early 2000s originally worn down the runway by models like Gisele Bündchen. “The boat neck felt so fresh and different to the rest of the looks—and we made it pink!” Claudia explains. (The top comes paired with a hand-draped dove grey silk faille bubble skirt and matching grey heels.) “I feel like a little cupcake,” Claudia laughs, as Dru interjects: “And we’re getting leg!”

It turns out, however, that there’s one last look to be revealed—and it isn’t for Claudia. Instead, it’s a pair of silk faille bows cut from the same fabric as her ceremony gown, sized perfectly for her and Finneas’s two rescue dogs, Peaches and Moose. “They’re going to walk down as flower dogs,” Claudia explains, and Dru adds: “That’s when the tears will start, for sure.” With all the looks in place and the final adjustments ready to be made, there’s only one thing left to do. As Claudia herself puts it: “Let’s go get married!”

Director: Stephanie Romero
Director of Photography: Aaron Butwinick
Editor: Evan Allan

Senior Producer: Bety Dereje
Coordinating Producer: Chase Lewis
Associate Producer: Julia Garcia
Camera Operator: Kristopher Wheeler
Assistant Camera: Marissa Ann Korn, Marisa Torre
Gaffer: Lina Kraftsoff
Audio: Paul Cornett, Gloria Marie
Production Assistants: Fernando Barajas, Lauren Boucher

Production Coordinator: Tanía Jones
Production Manager: Kristen Helmick
Line Producer: Jen Santos

Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch

Video Styling: Thomas Kikis
Video Makeup: Jennifer Luney Tioseco
Video Hair: Ericka Verrett

Photo Styling: Thomas Kikis
Photo Makeup: Misha Shahzada
Photo Hair: Dawson Hiegert

Executive Producer: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Video: Romy van den Broeke
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
VP, Video Programming: Thespena Guatieri