Bettina Looney Segovia Wore a Bespoke Corset Dress to Renew Her Vows in South Africa
For a while, Bettina Looney and Carlos Segovia lived parallel lives. They’re both from Florida—she’s from Ocala, he’s from Miami—and attended the same university. They shared many mutual friends, but never crossed paths. The two eventually connected via Facebook Messenger in 2013 when Bettina was on the brink of moving to London as Carlos had already been living there for two years—and it immediately felt like they’d known each other forever. “We even said so out loud to each other when we met,” Bettina admits. “I thought it was just a friendly encounter, but Carlos definitely had other plans in mind!”
They had been dating for about five years when Carlos proposed with a radiant-cut solitaire ring with vintage prongs in a gold band. Very early on in their relationship, they had gone on a weekend getaway to Babington House in the English countryside. “That was actually when I figured out he was ‘the one,’” Bettina shares. So half a decade later, Carlos planned a trip back to Babington—supposedly with his cousins and their kids. “I didn’t suspect a thing—no manicure, no expectations,” Bettina remembers. “But he had it all planned out! Fake WhatsApp chats, fabricated flight details, the perfect cover.”
When they arrived, he casually mentioned his cousins’ flight had been delayed. “We were seated at the same table where we’d taken that photo years ago,” Bettina explains. “Feeling nostalgic, I joked about flipping tradition and proposing to him. He dodged the question.” A little later, the pair were walking through the gardens and into the chapel when Carlos finally got down on one knee. “Candles were lit all of the way down the aisle and he proposed when we got to the very end!” Bettina remembers. “We spent the evening in the honeymoon suite, sipping dirty martinis and dancing all night, still one of the best days of my life.”
South Africa has always been a very special place for the couple. Carlos went there for the first time for an internship while attending university and fell in love with it. When they went back together several years later to attend a wedding, Bettina was just as drawn to it. The two enlisted event planner Anne Mann of Anne Mann Celebrates to bring their four-day celebration at Johannesdal Farm in Cape Town to life.
Five years later, they turned to Anne Mann again to orchestrate their vow renewal at the same location. The couple had originally planned to spend their fifth anniversary settling into their new home in Miami with their children, but after construction delays, their plans changed—and they hard-pivoted to doing a spontaneous vow renewal set in the same place where they originally exchanged their vows. “A week before we left, I was getting my nails done by a friend who usually does them at home, and she asked if we were going back to renew our vows,” Bettina explains. “I hadn’t even thought about it until she mentioned it, but once the idea was in my head, I couldn’t shake it. It felt like the perfect time to do it, especially with our babies there with us!”
Soon afterwards, Bettina reached out to Anne Mann—“who always works her magic”—to see if Johannesdal Farm would be available during their trip. “I couldn’t believe it, but it was free for two nights, and we immediately said yes!” Bettina laughs. She remembers the next question from Anne being: “So you want to plan a vow renewal in five days?” As Bettina looked down at her four-month-old baby breastfeeding while sending emails, she typed back: “Absolutely, let’s do it—life is for celebrating!” As Bettina describes it, “The thought of being able to relive those moments, but now as a family of four, felt so emotional and special. It felt like the perfect way to mark this new chapter of our lives. Cue the madness, calls, fittings, and scrambling to make it all happen.”
The next morning, Bettina hit the ground running—making calls, rushing to fittings, and putting it all together. “I had my eye on an incredible designer, Ellie Misner. She specializes in corsetry, and I couldn’t get over the silhouette of one of the dresses she had made,” Bettina explains. “I reached out hoping we could make something work, and we did. I also wanted to connect with my dear friend Ahmed Akhyeli, the designer behind the brand Khyeli, who originally helped create my wedding dress. I wanted to wear one of his pieces to make our wedding feel even more special, since he designed my wedding dress. Brunello Cucinelli also went above and beyond last minute, fitting Carlos for an incredible suit after hours and delivering it fully tailored by 10 p.m. The next morning, we were up at 6 a.m., packed, and on our way.”
