Two restaurateurs tie the knot at a castle in mexico

An LA guy and a Miami gal, we first crossed paths in 2012, at work in the Michelin-starred kitchen of NYC’s The Nomad Hotel. Thankfully, first impressions aren’t everything, and after getting to know one another better, we became friends. By January 2013, we had our first official fight and have been dating ever since. We’ve lived in NYC, LA, and now Miami together, opened 2 restaurants and a food trailer, bought a house, and adopted a dog. We thought we would follow in Kurt and Goldie’s footsteps as forever partners, but after ten years together, Alex proposed, surprising not only Luci, but all of our friends who thought we would never tie the knot.

When we thought about where we wanted to get married, we knew that we wanted it to be somewhere out of town. It’s tough to take time off when you run a restaurant, so we wanted to take advantage of the occasion and force ourselves to relax. Mexico is a place that Alex and I both have an affinity for. Throughout our relationship, we’ve traveled there many times together. Although at that time we hadn’t yet been to Merida, a very close friend recommended it to us because of the proximity to Miami, its delicious food scene, and rich culture. We were hooked after our first visit.

Deciding on the where and when turned out to be the easy part of the planning. Because of the out-of-town location and the fact that we were in the middle of opening a new restaurant, we decided to hire a wedding planner. We got so lucky finding Angelina Cardenas. She’s not only a pro, she’s also from Merida. She worked wonders in the short time frame we gave her and brought everything together seamlessly. She connected us with great vendors, including Maria Limon, who did our design and florals in a romantic and organic way that felt truly us.

When deciding on where to hold the festivities, we only visited three venues, the third being Hacienda Tamchen. Although all three were beautiful in their way, there was no doubt in either of our minds that Hacienda Tamchen, just like the city of Merida, felt right. We came to the decision over cold beers at Salon Gallos and then decided that same evening that the welcome dinner would be held there. Another special venue that we were excited to share with our loved ones.

The day of the wedding, Luci and her sisters got ready in the master suite of the Hacienda, while Alex and a few of his guys swam in the pool and hung out in one of the smaller rooms to get ready. Luci and Alex's first look moment happened before all their guests were bussed in from Merida for cocktails.

It was very important to us to have food we were proud and excited about at our wedding. There was a lot of pressure, both being chefs and all. Pancho Maiz is one of our favorite restaurants in Merida. We love their food and what they’re all about. We were so happy (and relieved) when the chefs agreed to cater the entire evening, including delicious late-night tacos! Dinner was amazing as expected, and dancing went well into the evening, curated by DJ Vosters out of Tulum.

Another food detail that meant a lot to us was gifting mini bottles of our favorite hot sauce, La Hija Del Yuca, which happens to be made in Merida, to our family and friends.