Inside Olympian Mondo Duplantis and model Desiré Inglander’s wedding at a Côte d’Azur Château

Olympian Mondo Duplantis and model Desiré Inglander first connected in a very Swedish fashion. “We met for the first time on midsummer 2020,” Mondo tells Vogue. A few months later, the Swedish American pole vaulter needed to return to the States. First, however, he had to reach back out to Desiré. “Mondo said he would love to take me on a first date,” she explains. From there, their relationship grew, with the couple becoming inseparable as Desiré built her social media career and Mondo hit world records and won Olympic gold medals.

In October 2024, Mondo planned a big surprise for Desiré. “Mondo told me we were doing a digital cover for Vogue Scandinavia, and I had no idea my whole family, best friends, and his family were on the way to the Hamptons at the same time,” remembers Desiré. “He proposed at the beach, and when we walked up to the house, all of our loved ones were gathered as a surprise.” She adds, “It was so special to share such a big moment with the people you love.”

The couple waited until spring 2025 before they really began to dig into wedding planning. They decided to tie the knot on June 12, 2026, in the South of France, with a welcome party at Villa Eilenroc in Antibes, the wedding day at Château de Castellaras in the hills behind Cannes, and a pool party at Villa Castel. “We already knew that we wanted a wedding in the South of France since we have spent a lot of time there before at my mom and her husband’s house,” notes Desiré. “It was also close to our new home base in Monaco.”

Mondo and Desiré admit that there were quite a few decisions in wedding planning—like choosing cutlery, for example—that felt new to them. “Mondo preferred to be the head of the music and food, and I could do the flowers and details,” says the bride. “We had a good split.” The to-be-weds also hired planners White Eden Weddings to help bring their vision to life. “They made the whole planning process so much easier since they are so professional at what they do,” says Desiré. “After all the planning together, they made sure to make us feel like guests at our own wedding. All the stress leading up to it was completely gone the second we entered the venues, thanks to them.”

When it came to her wedding day fashion, the bride knew she wanted to wear a Swedish designer to exchange vows. “Even though we decided to be in the South of France, it was important for me to bring my roots in some way,” Desiré says. After working over the years on gala looks with Ida Lanto, she knew the designer would be the perfect fit to create her wardrobe. “We started a year before, and she made my vision come to life,” says the bride, who was inspired by Grace Kelly for her look. The completed silk organza ceremony dress featured a sweetheart bodice that nipped in at the waist, a full skirt with a dramatic train, and a bolero with long lace sleeves. “The dress is adorned with covered silk buttons and features a hand-embroidered lace-trimmed edge,” adds Desiré.

To accessorize her gown, the bride wore Tiffany & Co. jewelry, including an emerald-cut diamond pendant and earrings with pearls and diamonds. “I was a young little girl strolling around New York with my family, and I will never forget walking by the Tiffany store looking up at the big sign on Manhattan thinking to myself, Wow, I hope someday I get to wear their jewelry,” says Desiré. “They made my dream come true during our wedding.” Hair and makeup artist Emelie Jonsson pulled back her tresses in a French twist with soft strands that framed her face and allowed the neckline and jewelry to be shown. “The look was sleek but never rigid, designed to move naturally and feel romantic rather than overly structured,” she describes.

At dinner, the bride would change into another look by Lanto—a fitted off-the-shoulder dress with an open back. “It was crafted from romantic corded lace and embellished with hand-beaded crystals and pearls,” says Desiré, who let down her hair in bouncy waves for this portion of the evening.

For the after-party, the newlywed would change into a custom corseted dress by French designer Antoine Guérin. The bodice featured 1,000 individually cut goose feathers that were hand-painted with a pearlescent finish. “All of them are oriented toward the center of the corset, forming a radiating movement,” notes Desiré. A silk-satin miniskirt provided contrast to the structured look.

For his wedding-day style, Mondo was inspired by two icons: James Bond and his own father, who also wore a white tuxedo on his wedding day. Mondo wanted to pay homage to them with this outfit, so he wore a white jacket and black pants as he tied the knot. “Saman Amel worked with me to create my perfect wedding-day look,” he says. The custom look featured a raw silk double-breasted jacket with an irregular slub and cloth-covered buttons. The high-waisted trousers were crafted in kid mohair with Ottoman silk details. “For my shoes, it was Morjas all weekend,” says the groom, who donned black patent loafers for his ceremony style. He wore an Omega De Ville Trésor watch with the ensemble.

The couple also outfitted their wedding party in custom looks. Desiré’s bridesmaids were her something blue in Shona Joy. “I wore a dress from them to the first gala Mondo and I attended together. I love their fabrics, and I wanted my bridesmaids to feel beautiful,” says Desiré. “I knew they would in their designs.” Mondo’s groomsmen wore bespoke ink blue tuxedos by Tiger of Sweden that blended classic and modern tailoring.

The wedding weekend kicked off with a welcome cocktail party at Villa Eilenroc in Antibes. The night featured food, drinks, and a few speeches from the couple’s circle. “It started off very calm,” says Desiré. “But when the strolling band arrived, both Mondo and I started off the dancing and the guests joined. The evening ended with a packed dance floor in the sunset with our DJ Thomas playing the best music.” The bride wore a strapless dress with layers of beaded tulle by Georges Hobeika—the designer she wore to the 2026 Met Gala. “I became obsessed with their handcrafted designs a few years back, and I knew I wanted to incorporate that sparkle as well,” she says. For extra shine, she wore a yellow diamond pendant by Tiffany & Co. Mondo looked dapper in a suit by Tiger of Sweden featuring a navy double-breasted jacket and white herringbone trousers.

The wedding day procession for the Swedish couple naturally began with ABBA. “When the pianist started playing ‘Slipping Through My Fingers,’ I already started shedding happy tears,” remembers Desiré of her trip down the aisle with her father. She remembers that being with Mondo, surrounded by flowers during the ceremony, brought her a sense of calm. “Standing by the person I love more than anything else in front of the people I love the most made me feel so grounded and happy,” says the bride.

The groom echoes feeling overwhelmed by emotions, particularly with love for Desiré and their community who joined them on their wedding day. “It was the best merger of cultures that we could have asked for. Half of my friends and family are from Louisiana, and the other half, as well as my wife Desiré and her family, are Swedish,” shares Mondo. “That, with a sprinkle of international friends, made it the most amazing mix of energy. We felt so loved and appreciated.”

After they exchanged personal vows and said “I do,” the cocktail hour began. The newlyweds kicked off festivities by filling up a Champagne tower before the bride went off with her maids of honor to change into her second dress. “They even massaged my legs after standing up for so long in tall heels,” she laughs. Desiré and Mondo made their entrance at sunset in time for father-daughter and mother-son dances. Then the bride and groom shared their first dance, one of their favorite parts of the night. Dinner followed, along with speeches from the couple’s parents.

Desiré changed into her Antoine Guérin minidress before cutting into a cake designed with the Swedish three crowns and the fleur-de-lis as nods to the couple’s backgrounds. Then the party really began. “We really had the best guests who loved to dance and have fun,” says the bride. The next morning, the festivities continued at a villa pool party in Cannes. Desiré wore a Vivienne Westwood dress with a Tiffany bird brooch, and Mondo wore Tiger of Sweden. Of course, the couple soon changed into their swimsuits and jumped into the pool to celebrate with their friends.

The newlyweds say it was the best weekend of their lives. “We barely have any words, and the crying will have to take a break from now on,” they joke. “In the car on our way to the honeymoon, we looked at each other and started laughing and said, ‘How is life even real right now?’”