Congratulations are in order for former Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo, who has tied the knot with her football player partner, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in a quiet yet beautiful ceremony.

The couple married in her home state of Rhode Island on Saturday, June 29, getting married in a chapel in the coastal neighbourhood of Watch Hill, as per McCaffrey’s wishes of a church wedding. “That was our number one priority,” Culpo told Vogue of the wedding location.

The model also opened up about her unique choice of dress, having been covered head to toe in a custom long-sleeved crepe crew neck ball gown with a voluminous skirt, a train and a button-lined back, designed by Dolce & Gabbana.

“I didn’t want it to exude sex in any way, shape, or form,” the 32-year-old said of the dress, which was paired with an almost five metre-long lace veil.

“I wanted it to feel effortless and as if it’s complimenting me, not overpowering me. There’s so much beauty and simplicity.”

She said of marriage: “It’s a covenant. It’s the beginning of the rest of your life – and it’s the union and bond of two people forever.”

And so her only not to the designer fashion house when designing the dress was that “I wanted something that felt as serious as that commitment.” She ended up going with their original sketch for her dream wedding gown, admiring the design which she says she couldn’t find anywhere else.

 

The renowned model even skipped mascara and eyebrow gel on her big day to obtain the natural, simple look.

“When I think about Christian and what he loves and the moments that he thinks that I’m most beautiful, it’s absolutely in something like this: timeless, covered, and elegant,” she said.

Though they had stayed relatively quiet about the nuptials, McCaffrey did mention he was proud of Culpo for “steering the ship” on the wedding planning.

“She’s done a hell of a job,” the 28-year-old told Extra “She’s definitely steering the ship when it comes to anything regarding the wedding as of now, but I give my input when needed, but obviously her style is unbelievable and everything she wants I also like, so it’s going really well.”

The couple announced their engagement in a joint post shared to Instagram in April last year, after they were rumoured to have begun dating since May 2019.

They shared photos of McCaffrey getting down on one knee during a Utah getaway, as well as a photo of Culpo’s ring, which featured a large oval diamond and epaulette side stones.

“We tried to keep this quiet for as long as possible, but apparently word travels fast,” she wrote on her Instagram Story at the time, “I’m marrying my best friend, I love you so much, fiancé.”