A Cornellian-designed wedding dress took center stage during Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday.
“I originally thought [my design] was going to be [a part of] something performative, probably a rehearsed act of some sort,” Hayley Paige Gutman ’07 told The Sun. “But then I was told it was actually for a real bride, and that they would be getting married on the spot — on the stage at the Super Bowl — which made it so much more meaningful and exciting.”
A few weeks before the Super Bowl, the wedding dress designer's sister, who works as a producer, connected her with a stylist who wanted to borrow some of her dresses for a “super secret project,” Gutman said.
After sending over dresses in various sizes, Gutman said she was “thrilled to hear” that the bride personally handpicked the “Becoming Jane” dress.
Gutman said she did not know how much airtime the wedding would have during the halftime show, nor what the arrangement would look like.
“It was pretty exciting to see [the wedding] kind of play out with so much joy and authenticity and people just celebrating in the love of this couple,” Gutman said. “I thought she looked really fabulous, really ethereal, and the moment just was tremendous to be a part of as a bridal brand.”
A real bride got married during this year's Super Bowl performance while wearing Hayley Paige Gutman's '07 dress design. (Courtesy of Hayley Paige Gutman)
After the wedding aired on Sunday, Gutman posted a video to her now 1 million Instagram followers, capturing her live reaction to seeing the dress she designed spotlighted in a vibrant halftime show.
“A football game may have been on, but love was still the main event,” Gutman wrote in the post’s caption. “Forever grateful to be that girl who gets to cheer when another woman finds her person.… esp in a really great dress.”
At a young age, Gutman’s grandmother gifted her a Singer sewing machine. Since then, Gutman said she quickly became known as “the kid that was always making her own clothes.”
She described her time at Cornell as “intense,” as she juggled a double major in fiber science and apparel design and trained for two years on the women’s gymnastics team. As a self-prescribed “worker bee,” though, Gutman said she enjoyed the heavy workload.
“[My time at Cornell] allowed me to learn a lot more about the fabrications, … so there was that mathematical scientist side of it,” Gutman said. “I always appreciated the wedding dress industry because of its love and romance and getting to dress for that big moment, and so that all came together [in my degree].”
The wedding dressed used during the Super Bowl halftime show is called the "Becoming Jane" gown, designed by Hayley Paige Gutman ’07. (Courtesy of Hayley Paige Gutman)
During her senior year, Gutman said she was discovered by a fashion designer who sat in the front row during Gutman’s senior showcase, which landed her a job working in the design sample room of Jill Stuart. After six months, Gutman transitioned to bridal design under Melissa Sweet.
In 2011, Gutman launched a namesake collection in which she said she designed wedding dresses for thousands of brides.
Gutman reached a career milestone in 2016 when she saw her work featured on “Say Yes to the Dress,” a TLC reality show following prospective brides’ wedding dress selection.
But it was not all smooth sailing from there. In December 2020, Gutman ended up involved in a federal lawsuit after a contract dispute with her former employer over intellectual property rights.
“I spent five years fighting in litigation to get my name back, and my right to design wedding dresses,” Gutman said.
Under a seven-year paid non-compete agreement, Gutman could not work with competitors or open a competing bridal business. During this period, she pivoted to launching a shoe and accessory line called “She is Cheval.”
After her previous employer filed for bankruptcy, Gutman got her intellectual property rights back in May 2024, relaunching the Hayley Paige collection in July 2025.
Now with her own bridal line, Gutman said she plans to "enjoy the present moment." She hopes that her brand continues to reach more brides and grows organically, whether through wedding dress designs or accessories.
Hayley Paige Gutman '07 learned to persevere in order to achieve big things, such as having her dress design featured at the Super Bowl halftime show. (Courtesy of @chardphoto/Hayley Paige Gutman)
Gutman said she encourages Cornellians and aspiring designers to learn from her journey.
“The setbacks and the moments where you just feel a bit like you're failing, ... those build fortitude,” Gutman said.
Through it all, Gutman said she has stayed true to her love of design despite highs and lows in her career.
“Direction is a lot more important than speed," Gutman said while referencing achieving one's goals. “Just hold on to your whimsy through all of the wicked moments of life.”
Anjelina Gonzalez is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a senior writer for the News department and can be reached at agonzalez@cornellsun.com.
