The Knot Unpacks That Wedding Moment During Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show

Everyone is talking about the Bad Bunny Bowl—or the Benito Bowl, as we're calling it. What this particular Super Bowl Halftime Show has sparked is how love, indeed, conquers all. And this message was particularly illustrated through our favorite topic: weddings, of course. Weddings symbolically represent an amalgamation of topics, from love and joy to community and celebration. This confluence of topics was the defining energy that was emitted last night when we witnessed a surprise wedding between a real couple: Eleisa and Thomas. A real wedding!

Here's everything we uncovered about that Bad Bunny wedding moment after talking to some of the wedding professionals who made it happen.

Inside the Super Bowl Wedding:

The Dress | The Cake | The Glam | The Officiant | The Food | The Decor

The Wedding Dress

Photo: Getty Images

The bride's wedding dress and veil were both designed by bridal designer Hayley Paige. Before the performance was even over, we got in touch with her to discuss the monumental moment. Paige confirmed that the bride wore her design "Becoming Jane," which, by the way, is available to buy right now.

The dress is an ivory lace and tulle gown with a fit-and-flare skirt. Because it's a convertible dress, it can be worn six different ways. We asked the designer, who rose to fame on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, about what it was like having her dress appear in the Super Bowl, and as you can imagine, it's quite the moment.

Photo: Courtesy of Hayley Paige

Paige said that never in her "wildest dreams" did she imagine she'd see one of her dresses at an event like the Super Bowl, but she added that the most special part was the wearer. "Dressing brides has always been my Super Bowl—so seeing that happen at the actual Super Bowl feels like a perfectly executed special teams play," she tells us.

The Cake Cutting

Photos: Bad Bunny/YouTube,@NFL/Instagram

As Lady Gaga serenaded the stadium, a tiered wedding cake with vintage Lambeth piping (which is right on trend with The Knot Editors' top predictions for 2026) was rolled out for the cake-cutting, followed by dancing. The lavish confection was inspired by the wedding cake that appeared in Bad Bunny's 2025 music video for "NUEVAYoL" off his Grammy-winning album, DtMF.

The music video cake was created by Valencia Bakery, an iconic New York staple that opened in 1948. The bakery's owner, Raul Valera, tells The Knot that business has been booming ever since he was commissioned to make the cake. For the music video, which features a vintage wedding, they wanted to create a dessert inspired by a classic quinceañera cake, which is a traditional Latin American celebration of a girl's 15th birthday.

That led them to design a confection with multiple tiers, ladders, ornate pink piping and a heart-shaped cake topper. Although Valencia didn't make the cake that was featured in the Super Bowl, Valera was over the moon when he saw the replica of his on the field, telling us that he was jumping up and down because he was so excited.

Leading up to the game, Valencia Bakery had been posting other Bad Bunny-inspired cakes on social media as well. Valera says it's generated a lot of interest among clientele, which he thinks is only going to continue. He said that the cake is a cultural tradition, as these celebrations help bring the Latin community together.

Editors' Commentary on the Symbolism

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Now we want to be clear: why, among all the moments of a wedding celebration, was the cake cutting a centerpiece of his performance?

1. The cake cutting is a practice that takes place during the reception. It's when the newlyweds share a taste of sweetness for the future with their loved ones.
2. It's also the first collaborative moment between the couple, together, slicing into a cake.
3. The cake cutting is a nod to community. It's about hospitality. As we well know, the guest experience is central to the planning experience.
4. Finally and most importantly: The cake cutting stands for inclusivity, as it's a practice that is shared among wedding guests. It's for everyone, and we saw this profound connection to his culture, a point solidified as the cameras panned to the kid sleeping on the chairs at the reception.

This is what weddings are about and Bad Bunny brought that magical spark of what weddings bring through his symbolic moment at the Super Bowl. As one of our team members, a member of the LatinX Employee Resource Group at The Knot Worldwide says, "The overarching theme of the show with the emphasis on celebrating love and moments of joy in this especially turbulent moment for the Latino community was deeply impactful and is so important to showcase that despite everything going on our love, our heritage, and stories, are worth celebrating."

---

FOR YOU

All The Details on Taylor Swift's Bold Engagement Ring

It's not a paper ring, that's for sure…but we've got dupes you can shop right now.

Shop Selena Gomez's Engagement Ring Stack

We've found marquise diamonds that look just like her iconic sparkler, which you can shop RN.

Team USA's Emily Renna & Elliot Markuson Are Engaged

See the details from their Christmas proposal in Italy, which featured a thoughtful nod to the 2026 Olympics.

The Glam

Photo: Getty Images

Los Angeles-based hairdresser Mariah Montes styled the bride's curls for her primetime wedding. In an interview with The Knot, she revealed that the final half-up, half-down 'do wasn't actually their first choice. "We originally planned for Eleisa's hair to be down, but during rehearsals her natural volume began to cover her face and change the balance of the look," Montes explains. "Instead of forcing it, we shifted. I showed her more options that preserved her natural texture but kept some pieces out of the face."

What mattered most, she said, was that the bride felt like herself when she stepped out on the field for the big moment. "As a bridal hairstylist, the bride's vision always comes first," she says. "Because this was a real wedding, it was important that she felt comfortable, confident and truly beautiful."

Montes used products from Rizos Curls, a Latina-owned haircare brand, to style her client's tresses. It was an intentional nod to the gravity of the experience. "As a Latina, it means a lot to see my work in spaces that shape culture. It's something I don't take lightly," she says. "It's not just about the platform. It's about being part of something bigger, feeling represented and knowing the work we do behind the scenes actually matters."

Looking back on the once-in-a-lifetime experience, she says the most memorable part was being involved in such an emotional celebration of love and joy. "It wasn't just a big production," she says. "It was a real wedding, real love and a real moment happening on one of the biggest stages in the world. Being trusted with her glam in a space that intense, while still keeping everything intimate and personal, was something I'll never forget."

The Officiant

Photo: Getty Images

Viewers were quick to deduce that the Super Bowl halftime show wedding was officiated by Antonio Reyes, a pastor at Project Church South Sacramento. Reyes took to Instagram to confirm the fact himself. "Now that the secret is out... this was an honor for me as a Latino and as a follower of Jesus to be in the presence of such a historic moment as this," he wrote in a translated social media caption.

The Food

Those looking to pull wedding inspiration from Bad Bunny's halftime show wedding may be enticed to curate a similar menu. During the performance, the singer paid homage to several street vendors, including LA's beloved Villa's Tacos. Considering tacos and margaritas have long been a favorite late-night snack for newlyweds, we wouldn't be surprised to see a spike in taco truck appearances. Call it the Bad Bunny effect.

The Decor

Photo: Getty Images

Real wedding ceremony aside, one of the most fascinating elements of the Super Bowl halftime show was the dancing grass. No, really: Dancers disguised in clusters of bushes brought more excitement to the spectacle. While this might not become a hot new wedding trend, per se, it is worth noting that immersive and innovative reception entertainment has been on the rise, especially in 2026. Could Bad Bunny's ensemble of dancers pave the way for a new era of interactive wedding decor? Only time will tell…but we wouldn't be opposed.

Follow @theknot for More Buzz

Follow along on @theknot for more details on social, including real-time reporting from our editors.

Additional reporting by Esther Lee.