A cinched waist. A curvy hip. A dramatic cat-eye—“you can never go wrong with liner,” says the model, actress, and singer Nazanin Mandi, who married her longtime beau, the R&B musician Miguel, in front of close friends and family at the Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Los Angeles on Saturday. “I tried to keep things very authentic and true to myself. It’s not about becoming another person on your wedding day.”

That said, a little inspiration from the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Brigitte Bardot never hurt anybody. “[Iconic] Hollywood starlets were my only references,” says Mandi from over the phone a mere two weeks before walking down the aisle. “I just love a classic look.”

In a lace white Monique Lhuiller gown, her nails nude, brows full, and dark hair blown to perfection with a trio of Oribe styling cream, R&Co dry shampoo, and Color Wow thickening spray, then tied up in a face-framing chignon, Mandi was every inch the elegant bride. “Traditional but with an edge,” she says of the desired effect, adding that she’s been growing out her signature chin-length cut in preparation for the occasion since last year.

The striking beauty look, which finally came to life to the tune of Piero Umiliani’s “Crepuscolo sul mare” for her walk down the aisle Saturday, wasn’t the only variation on bridal hair and makeup she dreamed up for the occasion. At her rehearsal dinner on Friday, Mandi accented a custom Cushnie et Ochs white pantsuit with a pigmented smoky eye and wore her hair loose and voluminous around her shoulders; For the reception following the ceremony, she pulled out yet another subtle shape-shifting transformation in the form of a custom Cushnie et Ochs white gown topped off with freshly touched-up makeup, her chignon shaken loose, and finished with a veil of her favorite Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium perfume.

As for the skin-care and fitness regimen leading up to the big day? Wedding or not, consistency and balance is key, she says. Facials once or twice a month. A Peach and Lily Resurfacing Mask at least four times a week. La Mer’s Nourishing Moisturizer, supplemented by plenty of water, and vitamins, for a radiant glow. Below the neck, body-toning laser consultations at CRMC in West Hollywood and a weeklong low-carb, high-protein intake left her feeling energized. “I’m not trying to lose weight, I just want to maintain what I have,” says Mandi, who dedicated herself to a six-days-a-week regimen of hiking, weight lifting, and cardio with her trainer, Torri Shack, over the course of the past 12 months.

Still, that impressive commitment pales in comparison to the strong and happy relationship she’s built with her partner. “Miguel and I have been together for 13 years—we worked really hard to get to this place,” she says. Sounds like just the stuff real-life fairy tales—not the fast-forward-to-the-final-credits Hollywood version—are made of.