Mel B Red Morocco Wedding Dress Exclusive

Just as “breathtaking” as Melanie “Mel B” Brown’s wedding in Morocco was her “show-stopping” red dress.

The Spice Girl, 50, married Rory McPhee, 37, for a second time at the “gorgeous, spiritual and very private” Selman Marrakech in Morocco on Aug. 2, just one month after the couple’s first ceremony in London, England. For her Moroccan nuptials, the singer wore a “sultry” sheer fit-and-flare red gown entirely hand-beaded with rich red crystals and bugle beads.

“Morocco is all about color and flamboyance, and I had in my head an idea for a classic figure-hugging gown covered in dazzling ruby-red gemstones, very dramatic but also quite old-school Hollywood,” Mel B exclusively tells PEOPLE. “And as it is boiling hot in Morocco in August, I also wanted it to be light and easy to move in — so quite a challenge!”

The dress was designed by Justin Alexander Creative Director Justin Alexander Warshaw and Chief of Design Terri Hilferty. The intricate craftsmanship required a team of six artisans and over 850 hours to complete.

“The plunging sweetheart neckline is framed with concentrated red crystal detailing that gradually disperses across the structured corset. Exposed boning subtly peeks through layers of sheer tulle, while asymmetrical draping at the waistline adds dimension,” the Justin Alexander team tells PEOPLE. “A sexy side slit reveals a glimpse of leg as the crystal beading lightly scatters down the length of the skirt. The back features a lace-up corset with red ribbons to highlight her hourglass figure, while a cascading godet flows into a dramatic cathedral-length train.”

The bride’s Moroccan-inspired cathedral veil was custom-draped in mocha tulle and accented with red crystals to mirror her gown’s embellishments. Its warm tone blended seamlessly with the dress, “offering a radiant, skin-toned glow.” Crystals accented the veil’s crown and cascaded delicately to the back drape, with additional sparkle scattered throughout the train to complete the look.

For her big day at the luxury five-star hotel, the pop star “wanted to make a statement.”

“I wanted to be able to dance and I wanted to reflect the beautiful surroundings and I also wanted it to feel romantic and delicate,” she says. “I wanted everything from my Morocco dress!”

Warshaw tells PEOPLE that the musician desired “a wedding look that was powerful and personal, but also full of personality.”

“Mel B wanted a wedding look that felt powerful, romantic, and unapologetically her. She envisioned a bold color palette, intricate detailing, and a silhouette that celebrated her figure,” he shares. “It was important that her dress made a statement while still feeling meaningful and deeply personal. She also wanted to bring in cultural inspiration and incorporate her signature edge and glamour.”

After two fittings in New York City and two fittings in London, Mel B was in awe of the final gown.

“When I put it on honestly I cried,” she says. “It was beyond my best hopes, beyond my greatest expectations. This dress was everything, and I could move and dance, and it was covered in gems but felt as light as a feather. Ecstatic does not come close to how I felt.”

Mel B previously told The Sun that her second wedding would be “more informal, sexy and beautiful.” This is in contrast to her “traditional” first wedding ceremony to McPhee, which took place inside The Crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral and was followed by a star-studded reception at the Shangri-La Hotel inside The Shard on Saturday, July 5.

“We wanted to be surrounded by family and friends. We wanted things to feel warm and intimate, however grand or beautiful,” Mel B tells PEOPLE. “We wanted a sense of fun (hence Cookie, my dog, bringing the rings in St. Paul’s) and it was important to us we respected traditions and to have a church wedding because this is his first wedding and my last wedding — this is it for both of us.”

Among the celebrity guests was “Baby Spice” Emma Bunton, plus Cara Delevingne, Katherine Ryan and Daisy Lowe. The bride’s three daughters — Phoenix, 26, Angel, 18, and Madison, 13 — from previous relationships were also in attendance.

For her first ceremony, Mel B wore a “timeless, elegant” ivory custom wedding dress from Josephine Scott. The strapless corset gown had a sheer illusion jacket embellished with pearls and was paired with a cathedral veil.

“My friend kept telling me I was like the Queen of Sheba. I felt like a goddess,” Mel B gushes. “But I also felt like a bride. It was perfection.”

Caroline Black, the owner of London-based bridal boutique Evelie, helped the musician pick out her wedding attire. She told PEOPLE at the time that Mel B was “a dream to work with, bringing her own sense of style to the occasion.” She continued to work with Mel B for her second wedding dress.

“After choosing my first dress, I told Caroline I wanted something totally different, I wanted something red and sexy but also classic and something I could move in,” Mel B explains. “Caroline brought out this beautiful dress by Justin Alexander. I knew he was a NYC designer which felt so perfect for me to have an English designer and an American designer to represent my life in the UK and as a judge on AGT.”

The Gildara dress “wasn’t quite the one” but served as the “perfect jumping-off point,” so Black coordinated Mel B’s vision with the Justin Alexander team, and they eventually brought her “dream dress to life.”

“For Mel’s Morocco wedding dress, we focused on trying Justin Alexander gowns with a little extra sparkle,” Black tells PEOPLE. “Mel loved the idea of a red dress — something bold, with lots and lots of shimmer — but it also had to feel light and easy to move in. We drew inspiration from a variety of dresses she tried on at Evelie, then went back and forth brainstorming with Justin and his design team … the final result came together beautifully.”

With “a clear vision and an incredible eye for detail” and “such a strong sense of what she wanted,” Mel B was “closely involved” in the design process from the start, according to Warshaw and Black.

“We collaborated with her to bring that vision to life, refining the silhouette, color, embellishments, and custom veil together,” Warshaw says. “Her passion and decisiveness made the design process a true creative partnership.”

To “match the drama she was after,” Warshaw and his team went through several sketches, materials and mockups before they perfected the dress.

“We followed with a fit sample to perfect every detail: the shape of the neckline, the placement of the asymmetric waist, the delicate balance of the tulle and mesh layers to match her skin tone and enhance the illusion of floating embellishment,” he explains. “From there, we dove into the final gown! The entire piece was hand-beaded with intricate detail, a process that took time and care, but the result was absolutely worth it.”

The designer adds: “Every element of the dress, from silhouette to sparkle, was designed to celebrate Mel’s spirit, confidence, and individuality. It’s a look that tells a story, and it was a joy to create it with her.”

Mel B was most drawn to “the color [and] the glamour” of her red wedding dress, and believes that its juxtaposition with her first ivory dress is symbolic.

“To me it summed up the point of difference in the ceremonies — the second ceremony was about fun, about reflecting Marrakesh, something completely different but equally as breathtaking,” she says. “I’m a Gemini — there’s two sides to me … both dresses capture who I am.”

Warshaw and Black “had such an enjoyable time working” with the “Wannabe” singer.

“Every meeting felt like a creative burst of energy and laughter, and that spirit is absolutely woven into the dresses we created together,” Warshaw says. “There was so much joy and trust in the process, and creating these dresses together felt like a true celebration of her love story and personal style.”

He continues: “Mel is a lover in every sense of the word: of life, of people, of passion, of fun. As a bride, she radiated that energy. She brought joy, excitement, and a sense of celebration to every step of the process. Designing for her we hoped to capture her essence: bold, confident, loving, and always up for a good time. She doesn’t do anything halfway.”

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Mel B and McPhee — who got engaged in 2022 after three years of dating — are keeping their honeymoon plans a “secret” so it “will be an adventure” for just the two of them. Then it’s “straight back to work” on America’s Got Talent for the pop star.

“Then we will be back home on our farm in Yorkshire living life and loving each other,” she says.