To most people, the world of Daalarna is defined by bridal gowns, runway shows, and heartfelt wedding stories. Yet behind every collection and every unforgettable wedding is a dedicated team working quietly behind the scenes to bring these moments to life.
This year, however, that world became deeply personal for Luca Hollósy, Daalarna’s Marketing and Communications Specialist. Alongside representing the brand, she has now stepped into a new role of her own: she is becoming a Daalarna bride.
In our new three-part interview series, we follow Luca’s wedding journey from the engagement to the big day. We talk about what it feels like to move from behind the scenes to standing among the brides herself, how she experienced choosing her own wedding dress after years of working closely with Daalarna collections, and how this new chapter has given her an entirely different perspective on the brand she knows so well.
In the first chapter of our series, Luca shares the story of her engagement, the excitement of the first wedding plans, and the moment she realized that she was no longer simply part of the Daalarna team—but also a Daalarna bride.
Tell us a little about how you met.
Marci and I met through one of my closest friends. At the time, she had just started dating the man who is now her husband. He was an active CrossFit athlete and was preparing for a competition at Lupa Beach. She asked me to join her for the day so she wouldn’t have to cheer him on alone. I had just become single, it was summertime, the weather was beautiful, so I happily said yes.
One of the partner events at the competition paired my friend’s boyfriend with Marci, which is how we first met. To be honest, my first impression wasn’t particularly positive. Marci seemed a little distant—perhaps even slightly arrogant. Later, I discovered there was a very simple explanation for that: he wasn’t wearing his glasses, so he could barely see anything around him… including me.
A few weeks later, we ran into each other again at the Budapest Wine Festival. This time, it was a much more relaxed setting—and thankfully, he was wearing his glasses. Over a glass of wine, conversation came naturally, and we quickly realized how much we had in common. That was the real beginning of our story, and from then on we spent more and more time together.
When did you first realize he might be the person you wanted to spend your life with?
It may sound surprising, but I had a very strong feeling after our very first date that Marci was going to play a very special role in my life. Before meeting him, I had never been with someone who was so thoughtful and caring. Even on our first date, he made sure I got there safely and arrived home safely afterwards. He paid attention to every little detail.
I immediately noticed how responsible and dependable he was, and I could also sense that his intentions were genuine from the very beginning. On top of that, conversation flowed effortlessly between us. We laughed at the same things, shared a similar outlook on life, and simply felt comfortable together.
Of course, I couldn’t possibly know what the future would hold, but I remember leaving that very first date with the feeling that something truly special had just begun.
How did the proposal happen? Did it take you by surprise?
The proposal is one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Although Marci did everything he could to keep his plans a secret, I had a feeling something was coming. Call it intuition—but I could sense that he was preparing for something special.
What I could never have imagined, however, was how he was going to propose.
To understand why it meant so much, you need to know one thing about me: I am a huge Jane Austen fan. Pride and Prejudice has always been my favorite novel—and my favorite film. I’ve read the book and watched the movie countless times, and I’ve always been fascinated by the elegance, romance, and timeless atmosphere of that era.
When I saw that, in 2025, to mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Chatsworth House was hosting a special open-air screening in its gardens—the very estate that served as Mr. Darcy’s residence in the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice—I immediately bought two tickets and started planning our trip.
I was so excited that I even caught myself thinking how wonderfully romantic it would be if someone proposed to me there one day. As it turned out, Marci had exactly the same idea. Without me knowing, he contacted the Chatsworth House team and arranged for us to have a private tour that included access to one of the estate’s towers. Even that day, I could tell something was different. He seemed unusually nervous and excited—completely unlike his calm, collected self—so I had a feeling we were about to experience something very special.
When we reached the top of the tower, I found a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me, along with a glass of champagne. Then came the question I had been waiting to hear my whole life: “Will you marry me?”
Although I had a feeling he was going to propose, I never imagined how much thought, care, and love he would put into making the moment so personal, romantic, and perfectly tailored to me. After taking in the moment together, we walked back down into the gardens and watched the screening—this time as an engaged couple.
What was it like to experience the moment you became a bride-to-be?
It was an incredible feeling—almost impossible to put into words. The entire experience felt so surreal and magical that even days later, I found it hard to believe it had actually happened.
I think what made it so special was that every detail of the proposal felt as though it had come straight from the pages of a Jane Austen novel. I’d often dreamed about moments like that, but I never imagined that one day I would be the heroine of such a story.
It took me a few days to truly process that it wasn’t a film, a novel, or a dream—it was our own story.
How has your relationship with the brand changed since getting engaged?
Since the proposal, I’ve started looking at Daalarna from a completely new perspective. For years, I viewed the gowns primarily through a professional lens. Now, I also see them as a bride. Whenever I look at a design, I automatically imagine what it would feel like to wear it on my own wedding day, what kind of venue or atmosphere it would complement, and what type of bride it might be perfect for.
Because I’m responsible for Daalarna’s communications, this shift in perspective has naturally influenced my work as well. As a bride-to-be, I now understand much more deeply the questions, uncertainties, and emotions our brides experience throughout the planning process.
It has made me more conscious about creating content that genuinely helps and guides them, because I’m no longer simply telling their stories—I’m living the very same journey myself.
For years, you’ve helped other women find their dream dress. Now that you’ve become a Daalarna bride yourself, what does Daalarna mean to you?
It’s difficult to describe Daalarna in just one word or even one sentence because, over the years, it has become so much more than a brand or a workplace to me. To me, Daalarna represents dreams coming true.
Every day, I see the important role it plays during one of the most meaningful chapters in a woman’s life, and I witness the emotions that become attached to a wedding dress. For years, I experienced this from the outside, through my work. Now, for the first time, I get to experience it myself.
Perhaps only now do I truly understand that Daalarna is about so much more than beautiful dresses.
It’s about confidence, femininity, transformation, and those once-in-a-lifetime moments we carry with us forever. It’s about the feeling of looking at yourself in the mirror and knowing you’ve found exactly where you’re meant to be.
In the next chapter of our series, we’ll follow Luca as the wedding planning truly begins. She’ll share how she found her dream Daalarna gown, what it felt like to step into the atelier not as a team member but as a bride, and what guided her during the dress selection process.
We’ll also take you behind the scenes of the wedding preparations to discover what it’s like to plan your own wedding while working at Daalarna—and how different it feels to experience the journey not from the sidelines, but as the bride herself.
