Ronnie and Dennis in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Dennis (@denni_denden) and Ronnie Cestero-Spruill married in April 2021 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They first met in 2008.
“A few years later, in 2012, we became Facebook friends. Every year Ronnie will say happy birthday beautiful. Never paid too much mind to it. In 2017 we reconnected at a cabin trip in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee,” Dennis told GayCities.
“We knew we wanted to marry abroad. We knew we wanted it in a tropical area. We were indecisive between Costa Rica and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.”
Ronnie has been to the popular Mexican resort 3-4 times before, and Dennis had visited for the first time last October.
“We ended with Puerto Vallarta because of how acceptable PVR is to the LGBTQIA+ community.”
“The event of the wedding and leading up was nothing but magical. We had three events in total. The meet and greet, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding. We wouldn’t change too much. I do wish I worried more about my wardrobe instead of focusing on our wedding party,” laughs Dennis.
Chase and Allen in Phuket, Thailand
Chase Sansing (@chasesansing) is originally from Mississippi and Allen Ellis is originally from Tennessee. They both now live in Orlando, Florida.
“We met on the 28th Of April in 2018 on Tinder while both of us were living in Nashville. Since then we’ve mostly spent every day together,” they told GayCities.
“We decided to marry abroad because we are wedding videographers (@chasingfilmpro) and we wanted to do more to make our wedding memorable. We wanted it to last weeks instead of just one day.
“We chose Phuket, Thailand because we love the beaches, the animals and the culture. We knew we wanted a wedding in Asia. This was our first time here.
“The wedding was originally planned for April 2020 but due to COVID we postponed seven times and had to wait an extra 16 months. We finally got to travel because of the Phuket Sandbox program.
“It has been more than amazing. Everything was perfect. Our wedding planner, Ilaire Yaya at Wedding Boutique Phuket kept us thinking positive. If we had to do it again, she would be the first person I’d call.”
The couple got married July 29, 2021, and completed paperwork in the US to make their marriage legally recognized back home
James and Efrain in Mexico City, Mexico
James Jones (@saymyjamez) and Efrain Guerrero live In New York City. They met on the Scruff app in September 2017.
“At the time, we both lived approximately six blocks from one another in Harlem, the neighborhood where we both still reside in Manhattan,” says James.
“As we discussed marriage and a wedding, we both instantly considered Mexico City as our top choice. Mexico City is the first international destination we traveled together as a couple and we both instantly fell in love with the city.
“We have returned frequently to the city since our first trip in 2018. We love the vibe of the city and as foodies, we appreciate the city as a culinary hotspot.
“Having the wedding in Mexico City allowed us to celebrate a city we both love, Efrain’s Mexican heritage, and provide a unique experience to our guests (many of whom have never been there before). In addition, as you can imagine, having a wedding in New York City is quite expensive and by having the wedding in Mexico we were able to afford our dream wedding at a fraction of the price.
“The wedding took place on Ion August 21, 2021, at Sobremesa, an event space in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City. Forty guests attended the open-air celebration which included a surprise vocal performance by Mr. Guerrero of “Hermoso Cariño”, backed by a mariachi band.”
Rohit Chopra, a friend of the couple and a U.S. Federal Trade Commissioner, was the celebrant. The wedding weekend also included a welcome reception at a rooftop terrace in Roma Norte, a family lunch at one of their favorite restaurants, Contramar, and a taco and churro farewell brunch.
“There is actually nothing we would change about the event. It came out exactly as we had envisioned,” says James. “This is in large part to our wedding coordinators at Lorda Events, who managed the whole process on the ground while we were in the US. In addition, since I do not speak Spanish, it was extremely helpful to have a local team, who could communicate our vision as well as use their own networks to execute our ideas.”
Related: Seven gay, married couples share their honeymoon travel adventures
