Bride Of The Week: Carina Altamirano
Written By Kaileah Searcy
This week, we’re featuring the wedding of our gorgeous GL Bride Carina, who tied the knot in our Evelyn gown. From heartfelt vows to a reception overflowing with love, laughter, and dancing, her celebration was everything she had dreamed of and more. In the following interview, Carina shares the unforgettable moments, heartfelt advice, and special details that made her wedding day truly magical.
“With all the bumps life threw at us, walking down the aisle felt like pure magic."
A moment of your wedding day you’ll never forget
Every single part of it! It was a dream, and I’m so grateful.
One of my highlights was when my husband and I locked eyes for the first time during the ceremony.
One thing you wish you knew as a new bride? What advice would you give to future brides?
One of the best pieces of advice I received was: be present. Come back to yourself as many times as possible. Have at least five minutes alone with your husband after the ceremony—you deserve that time to breathe and to realize you just got married! My advice for new brides would also be: don’t worry too much about protocol. This day is to celebrate love. Be open to doing (or not doing) whatever feels right for you and your husband.
A detail that made your wedding special/unique?
So many things! 1. Our wedding cake featured our dogs. 2. My bouquet included my dad’s favorite flower, and my sister gave me a small picture of him to pin on the handle. 3. My husband’s suit had a collage of photos of us inside. 4. My mom walked me down the aisle.
As a surprise, in the middle of the ceremony, my mom read a letter I had written for her when I was 19 (I’m 30 now). The letter said: “Open on the day of my wedding.”
“The dress is everything I imagined and more.”
How did you know your dress was 'the one'?
I was about 90% sure when I first saw it. But when they told me they could make the changes I wanted so it would feel unique and even more me, I had no doubt it was the one.
How did it feel when you put on your dress the day of the wedding? What was everyone’s reaction to the dress?
Like a fairy—I felt like I was dreaming. That dress was everything I imagined and more. Every single detail was perfect.
Would you have done anything differently?
Absolutely not. I know everything happens for a reason, and that day was authentic and flawless.
What was your favorite part of the wedding to plan/what were you most looking forward to?
The dress, haha!
Also: the first dance with my husband, the vows we read during the ceremony, and the music for the party.
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose?
We met on the beach, and he also proposed on the beach—it’s our happy place. We were having a picnic, something we usually do, so I had no clue he was going to propose. I love that we had that time to enjoy the moment by ourselves.
How did you find working with the team at Galia Lahav?
Smooth, easy, stress-free. Everything was enjoyable.
How many dresses did you try on before you found it?
Less than 10. I went to five stores, including Galia, but I knew I’d find my dream dress the moment I stepped into the New York store.
Anything else you’d like to add?
During the same trip to New York to pick up my dress, we discovered three masses in my brain. I had to spend a month in the hospital doing treatments and tests, just one month before the wedding. But we didn’t change the date—because no matter what, we wanted to get married. And we did. With all the bumps life threw at us, I was still able to walk down the aisle and dance all night, celebrating how much we love each other.
We still don’t know exactly what the masses are, but we do know we’re going through this together.
“Every single detail was perfect.”
Bride | @carinaalt_
Planner | Debbie Abadi
Decoration | Carlos Mastellari – Grupo Pompa
Venue | Buenaventura, Panama
Makeup | Miranda Makeup Studio
Hair | Javier Velazquez
Photography | Alexia Uliarte, Ruben Parra
Videography | UtopiaFilms