Model Barbara Sprouse, née Palvin, and actor Dylan Sprouse are married! The couple tied the knot this past Saturday, July 15, in her home country of Hungary on her parents’ property, Harlekin Birtok, which doubles as an event venue. The two plan to celebrate with a larger wedding in California in the fall. “[This past weekend] was supposed to be an intimate event,” Barbara says. “But we ended up having 115 guests because there are a lot of people we care about and we wanted them all to be there.”
Barbara and Dylan first met around six years ago, when she cut him in line while entering an event. When Dylan chastised her for the bad behavior, she responded with: “What are you—a hot-dog vendor?” A jokey, flirty back-and-forth followed, and while phone numbers were not exchanged, Dylan’s curiosity was piqued.
After the event Dylan slid into Barbara’s DMs, but to no avail as she proceeded to ghost him for the next six months. Eventually she succumbed to his charms and replied—and three months later she flew to China to see the actor, who was on set at the time, and go on their first date.
By January 2019, they were living together. “Two worms officially in the Big Apple,” the Victoria’s Secret Angel captioned a selfie of herself and her boyfriend in their new apartment.
The couple got engaged last September while on a camping trip with friends in California. They had stopped at a spot where you can see otters, Barbara’s favorite animal, in the wild. “It was very romantic,” she says. “I was suspicious and thought he might pop the question because he packed a shirt that was too nice for camping.”
Given Barbara’s parents’ property often serves as a wedding venue, she and her sister, Anita Palvin, have experience with planning. And once Barbara was engaged, Anita quickly lept into action. “We didn’t have a planner, so Barbara and her sister planned most of it,” Dylan explains. “They told me my only job was to show up and say the right name.”
Barbara also carefully considered every aspect of her wedding wardrobe, wanting to wear something timeless and classic for the ceremony. Vivienne Westwood served as her starting point, and she eventually settled on a custom strapless design from the British fashion house. For wedding-day jewelry, it was always Tiffany & Co., with the jeweler creating a ’90s-inspired choker for the bride that perfectly complemented the dress.
For Barbara’s second dress, she wanted to wear a look that felt young and fun and that she could dance the night away in. To that end, she chose a short style with a crisscross back by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini. “It was the best choice,” Barbara says. “The dress made me feel like a modern princess.”
“There is also a Hungarian tradition where you have to wear a red dress after midnight—it’s called menyecske ruha,” the bride explains. “There was no question—I had to wear a Hungarian designer for this one, so I chose Mero. They created the dress of my dreams. It was sexy and sweet but also comfortable—exactly what I wanted.” Barbara planned all her looks with shoe pairings by Jimmy Choo in mind, designed to match the colors of her specific dresses.
Meanwhile, the bridesmaids were all dressed in cool pastels. “It was important for me not to pick a specific color but rather a palette so everyone could still express themselves however they wanted within the theme,” Barbara says. “I wanted everyone to feel comfortable. I had some of my family members for flower girls, and the guys were all just handsome in their black suits.”
“I just wanted a very traditional tuxedo,” Dylan adds. “And I made sure to shave.”
The couple exchanged vows in the church in Albertirsa, where Barbara’s parents got married 34 years ago. “All the people we love and care for were there,” Barbara says. “We all cried a little.” The church service was followed by a civil ceremony, which took place on a small island within a reserve on Barbara’s parents’ property. “The weather was perfect with a little cool breeze,” Barbara says. “It was a beautiful moment that we will never forget.”
“We were filled with excitement!” Dylan adds. “Since we were already done with the ceremony in the church, we were a little calmer for the second part. Before walking down the aisle, we were nervous, but as soon as we laid eyes on each other, we just started laughing, and this calmed our nerves. Of course we both ended up crying.”
Afterward, the newlyweds had trouble calming down. “We still had our first dance in front of us, and we were a bit stressed about it,” Dylan says. “But after we were done with that, we just enjoyed the great food and live music. We did a few pálinka shots and listened to some traditional Hungarian music as well while playing wedding games—if you want to know more, you had to be there!”
“It’s gonna take some time for me to get used to being called Mrs. Sprouse,” Barbara jokes. “Dylan’s been calling me his wife for three years now, so there’s not a lot of adjusting on his end. We’re excited to go back to LA to our pets and rest a bit—before we start planning the American wedding.”
This article was originally published on Vogue.com