This Upbeat Wedding, Which Honored the Groom's Cuban Culture, Had Big Miami Energy

Katy and Adrian met at a Christmas party, and, at the time, Adrian was working as an EMT and Katy was working as a paramedic. “Although we had only muttered a few words to each other as coworkers, Adrian made a bold move and unexpectedly asked me to dance with him, to a slow song no less,” Katy remembers. “Surprised yet impressed, I agreed.” The two spent the rest of the night on the dance floor, and, over the next few weeks, had a few date nights and weekend getaways to the Poconos and Miami. The couple’s relationship grew and eventually, the two moved from New York City to California, where Katy transitioned to a Registered Nurse and Adrian devoted himself to his career in acting and stunts.

On a long weekend in Big Bear Lake for Katy’s birthday, they went on a seven-mile hike. When they reached the summit, Adrian popped the question. “We hiked back down, admiring the new ring dazzling in the California sun and collecting pine cones as keepsakes that now decorate our Pasadena home,” Katy says.

After researching several locations along the East and West Coast, Katy and Adrian ultimately decided to host their wedding in Miami. “If any single U.S. city could best emulate our energy as a couple, it's Miami,” Katy says. “The city is fun, vibrant, energetic, and also culturally diverse.” They selected Villa Woodbine for its Old-World feel, Mediterranean charm, and Coconut Grove location, but when the only available dates were over two years out or eight months away, they opted for less time to plan. They hired Ashley from The House of Gather for month-of coordination and invited 90 guests to their March 13, 2022, wedding. See all the modern tropical décor in photos by Danielle Margherite Photography.

On the morning of the wedding, Katy and her bridesmaids got ready in matching button down pajamas. Katy’s white Nadine Merabi set had feather trim on the cuffs and hems—and she wore blue cat eye sunglasses from Nordstrom that she later broke out on the dance floor. Her bridesmaids were given matching beige feather slippers, which they also changed into later when their feet grew tired from dancing. The girls kicked off the celebrations with cocktails complete with miniature disco balls.

Katy thought her guests might expect her to wear a beach- or Miami-inspired bridal look, but she wanted to stay true to herself and find something more fitting of her venue. “I wanted something both timeless and elegant, yet fun and flirty,” she says. When she tried on an off-white satin A-line silk mikado Maison Signore wedding dress with a pointed V-neckline, gathered bodice, pleated waist, and high leg slit at Kleinfeld’s Bridal in New York, it had all the elements she was looking for. “I began comparing it to every dress I tried on after that, and when I tried it on for a second time with the veil, my mom and I started crying,” Katy says.

She had a ton of fun accessorizing the look, first with freshwater pearl statement earrings from J. Crew that she found while shopping with Adrian in Los Angeles, along with a freshwater pearl bracelet she sourced a few weeks later. She wore INC International Concepts slingback pumps that reminded her of Cinderella’s glass slippers and changed into Loeffler Randall pleated bow heels for the reception for a more playful look, knowing her heels would be on display given the high slit of her dress. Her hairstyle was inspired by Gigi Hadid’s 2018 Met Gala look. “I wanted the same romantic, wispy pieces of hair by my ears and the middle part with hairpins on both sides,” Katy says. “I felt that it was both glamorous and timeless.”

Katy’s bouquet included tropical flowers like anthurium and gloriosa with cascading Mokara orchids and butterfly ranunculus, lisianthus, sweet pea, and a single reflexed red rose. “The Japanese snake ball allium gave this bouquet a super minimalist and ultra-modern vibe for an overall aesthetic that was true to Katy,” florist Simple Florals says.

The bridesmaids were Katy's longtime friends—some from preschool, elementary school, and high school. “We have evolved into such different, unique women with distinct styles and personalities, and I wanted their looks to reflect that,” Katy says. “I knew from the get-go that I wouldn’t have them dress and styled exactly the same.” They each selected their favorite style in the same champagne colored charmeuse fabric. They wore strappy lace-up heels to lean into the sultry Miami vibe and also chose their own accessories, hair, and makeup looks for the day.

Adrian opted for a black tuxedo from Suit Supply customized with the names of his grandfathers embroidered on the collar, along with the couple’s initials and wedding date on the inside pocket; he accessorized with a Seiko Automatic Presage black leather strap watch. As for his big-day prep? He got a hydrafacial the week of the wedding, plus a fresh head and face shave. His wedding day fragrance was Creed Royal Oud.

Adrian asked his brother, Henri, to be his best man. The groomsmen wore satin shawl collar black tuxedos from The Black Tux. “My husband and I felt that the look was elegant, timeless, and sleek,” Katy says. “He also felt like it was something the groomsmen would feel good wearing!”

Katy and Adrian’s ceremony took place in the villa’s garden, where a mature tree surrounded by lush tropical greenery served as the focal point. “My mentality for the ceremony décor was that less is more, and I wanted the tree to be appreciated for its natural beauty, not covered up,” the bride says. They draped the tree with a neutral linen fabric and added two grounded arrangements on either side of the aisle’s entrance. Wooden cross-back chairs were set up for guests, and white hand fans and wedding programs were placed on each seat.

The couple hired Bryant Del Toro to sing and play acoustic guitar during the ceremony. He performed John Mayer’s version of Beyoncé’s “XO” for the groom’s entrance and the family and wedding party processional. Then, Katy walked down the aisle with her parents to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.

Katy and Adrian exchanged traditional vows, but they also wrote personal promises for each other. “The vows were one of my favorite parts of the wedding,” Katy says. “We both put immense effort and thought into them, and you could tell so when we read them aloud.” Adrian was sure to include stories, like the time he waited outside the hospital in the middle of a blizzard to bring Katy her resume before her first nursing job interview, and the first time she accompanied him to a Law & Order audition in New York. They included a handfasting ceremony using the handkerchief from Katy’s parents’ traditional Serbian Orthodox ceremony over 35 years ago.

For the recessional, they celebrated back down the aisle as husband and wife to a recorded version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

After the ceremony, Katy and Adrian spent some time with their photographer, Danielle Margherite, for portraits. Later in the evening, after they'd had a couple of drinks, Danielle brought them back out for another session. “I was ecstatic to have these in addition to the more traditional portraits taken after the ceremony. They will remind us of the playful side of our wedding day,” Katy says.

When Katy showed Adrian a picture of escort cards arranged in coffee beans, he fell in love. “Coffee is a big part of Cuban culture, and I knew it would make him happy, so it became my mission to make this idea come to life,” she says, “Plus, we both love coffee!” She found rustic trays to display on one of the venue’s tables and chose arched cream-colored cards. She enlisted Natalie Yoo to design the escort cards with calligraphy and tropical leaf stamps like monstera, palm, and hibiscus that specified each guest’s table assignment. “They turned out picture-perfect and looked stunning when arranged in the coffee beans,” Katy says.

Katy initially envisioned long wooden farm-style tables with cross-back wooden chairs for their outdoor reception, but when her mom and Adrian made comments that it reminded them of a cafeteria and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, she decided to switch it up with some round tables. The couple’s families sat at four rectangular tables placed together as a single long table with gauze runners, and the surrounding rounds were dressed with blue tablecloths with matching knotted napkins.

Long tables had mixed small and petite centerpieces with bold and bright tropical florals along with tea candles, pillar candles, and fresh fruit like kiwis, blood oranges, pineapples, and blueberries; rounds had medium arrangements with the same tropical flowers and fruits, surrounded by candles. “For the table numbers and place cards, I went with a different style compared to the rest of our wedding stationery,” the bride says. “I wanted to tie in the hints of Mediterranean charm from our wedding venue with the modern tropical florals.”

Katy and Adrian sat at a sweetheart table that was set up underneath the linen-draped tree from the ceremony. Their planners repurposed the ground arrangements from the ceremony and positioned them on each side. The station had a blue gauze runner and was decorated with candles along with a pineapple and orange holding tropical florals.

Peacocks are known to roam around the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, and Katy and Adrian had one as a wedding crasher. “During dinner, a wild peacock wandered right into our reception,” the bride says. “The peacock flew into the big tree directly above our sweetheart table, so we ate dinner with the peacock sitting in the tree above us."

The couple had a three tiered subtle pink ombré wedding cake with buttercream frosting and love bird flamingo cake toppers. Their florist added some bold tropical flowers and fruit for decoration. They chose guava, coconut, and rose Champagne flavors. 

It was important to Katy and Adrian to incorporate elements of their backgrounds into the wedding day. Adrian is a first-generation Cuban, so they served Cuban hors d’oeuvres, traditional Cuban desserts (including domino pastries arranged as if for an actual game), and an authentic Cuban cigar roller. “We also asked our DJ to integrate salsa, bachata, and merengue into the mix,” Katy says. “Not to mention, our wedding took place in Miami—which has a Cuban vibe in itself!”

Katy and Adrian did a Filipino money dance using sashes her Filipino wedding dress seamstress gifted to them. “We modernized it by dancing to an upbeat song and using a money gun with fake dollars that had our dog’s face printed on it,” Katy says. They chose Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” for the moment and wore heart shaped sunglasses for a fun touch.

The couple’s guests sent them off in style at the end of the evening with ribbon wands. As for their honeymoon? They were largely undecided on where they wanted to go—but ultimately booked a spontaneous honeymoon to Grenada just a few days before the wedding. “We loved it!” Katy says. “We enjoyed snorkeling, boat rides, beach bonfires, oceanfront dining, live music, local chocolate and rum, and lots of tropical drinks! Grenada is a beautiful country with the friendliest people, and we’d love to revisit and explore even more.”