Even though Cara Santana and her fiancé, Jesse Metcalfe, have been together for 14 years and engaged for three, they are just getting around to thinking about their future nuptials. “We are back on track to planning the wedding,” the 35-year-old revealed exclusively to Life & Style while celebrating the launch of her new Kohl’s capsule collection, Cara Santana x Apt. 9, on Monday, October 7. “We were just waiting for his show schedule. He is on a television show now, and we were just waiting to finalize when the show schedule was before we could see what time we were both available. So, now we have done that, and we are having our conversations and we are getting back on track!”
The brunette beauty is excited to walk down the aisle, but she feels like nothing will change after they exchange “I do’s.” “You know what, I feel married,” she admitted. “It’s like I don’t feel the pressure, which is why I think we are so laissez-faire about it. We own two properties together, so I think it just releases the pressure. But I am definitely traditional, and I want to have that moment when my dad walks me down the aisle, and we can really celebrate the relationship in front of the people we love.”
So, does Cara have a vision of what she hopes her big day will look like? “I am going to wear my mom’s dress, and then customize it so that it’s a little more modern,” she revealed. Additionally, the Texas native dished that she and Jesse, 40, will be getting married in a “warm season” in a “location where it feels like one big party for three days.”
The fashion designer has been keeping tabs on her friends’ affairs in the meantime. “I have Devon Windsor’s — who is a good friend of mine and a Victoria’s Secret model — wedding in November. So, I will be taking notes,” she said. “I am very analytical. I went to Julianne Hough’s wedding. Every wedding I go to. It’s so bad.”
Despite having a hectic schedule, Cara made time to create her own fashion line. “It’s been a year in the making,” she exclaimed. “It’s been a labor of love, really. I wanted to do it at Kohl’s — I know they are the largest retailer in the country, but that was the only place that I shopped when I was a little girl with my mom in El Paso, Texas. I didn’t want to create a collection to create a campaign that does not represent the majority of young women in the United States.” Cara explained that the 37-piece collection has something for everyone. “There is a pantsuit you can dress up, you can dress down,” she said. “A trench that is sexy and elegant. There are pieces for every event, every day and every time.”
Of course, the Desperate Housewives actor couldn’t help but show his support for his girl on social media. “He is like telling everyone to go shop the collection,” she gushed. “He is really invested and that is what a partner is all about. I feel so lucky to have Jesse.”
The influencer also revealed that Jesse has a favorite look — the Faux Leather Jumpsuit — which he helped her design. “It’s like a date night, but it’s also, like, I wore it today with sneakers,” she said. “It’s the juxtaposition of like sexy but feminine and masculine all at the same time.”
It sounds like these two are a match made in (clothing) heaven!