These Grooms Got a Shoutout From Taylor Swift at Their Black-Tie Wedding in California
“For our fellow same-sex couples!” Kevin Louie and Marcos Melero share, “We hope more representation in wedding blogs and magazines will allow others to see some examples of how their weddings can be both a mixture of tradition and breaking the norm.”
A serendipitous encounter on a dating app is a good way to kick-start a relationship nowadays, but in 2012, it was still a very new concept. Marcos and Kevin matched on a dating app over a decade ago, marking the beginning of a beautiful chapter. Reflecting on those early days, Kevin fondly recalls, “Marcos was the first person I ever dated, and sometimes we get it right the first time!”
Marcos orchestrated a heartfelt proposal in the enchanting embrace of Central Park since New York is a city that held a special place in their hearts. Reminiscing about that unforgettable moment, Kevin recounts, “I thought it was a last-minute trip, but Marcos had been planning and surprised me with a dozen friends and family on the bridge in Central Park during the proposal.” Marcos asked Kevin to be his husband, and with a resounding “yes!” the group celebrated the soon-to-be-married couple.
Having never attended an LGBTQIA+ wedding themselves, the grooms worried it might be challenging to find inspiration for their big day. “We wanted it to be timeless and classic but have a lot of modern, masculine and signature personal touches,” Marcos reveals. With this in mind, they opted for a black-tie event, sticking to a white, black and emerald green color palette. “We chose to stick with an all-white and tropical green color scheme with the florals,” says Kevin. “We wanted it to match the mood of our black tie attire but also keep it fresh and modern and use some more unusual elements.”
Guests entered the stunning Southern California property in their black-tie best on a bright autumn day. The alfresco ceremony space utilized a verdant forest as its backdrop: small arrangements of white blossoms and greenery lined the aisle and gave way to an overflowing wedding arch of tropical greens and neutral-toned flowers. The grooms met one another at the altar in matching attire. “We each wore custom-fit black tuxes which included green on the inside liner, as well as our wedding date and 'K+M' initials embroidered on the inside breast and the collar,” Marcos explains.
Once the vows had been made, the newlyweds led their friends and family to a picturesque cocktail hour. “This area was our favorite!” the grooms admit. “Our beautiful venue is fully outdoors and has a stunning fountain, where we created a custom cutout of our 'K+M' wedding logo that floated in the water, surrounded by floating white flowers. However, the focal point was our seating chart, a large three-piece display we built ourselves.” To honor both grooms’ professions in aviation—Kevin being an aerospace engineer and Marcos, a flight attendant—the couple themed their seating chart around vintage travel. “The display featured the lettering ‘Love Deeply, Travel Often’ and a Vestaboard, reminiscent of a retro ‘Arrivals’ and ‘Departures’ sign,” says Kevin.
Attendees discovered new decor details around every corner. “We had custom-cut drink charms with our logo that accompanied all the glassware. And we also had a lounge setup, which included furniture (an emerald green couch, mid-century chairs and gold accent tables) from our own house!” reveals Marcos. Long dining tables featured sleek black linens, while the round tables offered the signature green hue. A mix of tall and low centerpieces were flanked by candles and table numbers named after iconic airports, and the entire scene sat underneath string lights and towering trees. “We had a custom 26-foot-long arch built with hanging Edison light bulbs to go over the head table (we had a large wedding party of 18),” Kevin laughs.
Our newlyweds showed off their dance skills with a choreographed (“but not too elaborate!”) first dance to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon,” which featured a dramatic lift. “The mother/son dance between my mom and I was extra memorable because my mother has been battling a disease, and the doctors didn’t originally think she was going to be able to make it to the wedding,” Kevin says. “So to have a full dance with her was more than we could have hoped for.”
Even after the wedding day, there were surprises abound for the grooms. “We got married on October 21, 2022, which was the day that Taylor Swift released her new album Midnights, and being a huge Swiftie, Kevin posted a video about our wedding day (from starting the day by picking up her new album on vinyl and ending the day dancing to her songs), and she commented 'Congratulations' on his post with 13 exclamation points in true Taylor fashion.” The new Mr. and Mr. also received a congratulatory comment from famed singer Adele. “I don’t know how we got so lucky.”