Historic Venues, Custom Attire, and Local Cuisine Were the Backbones of This Couple's High Fashion Destination Wedding in Seville, Spain

Donn and Marcos met on Hinge during the summer of 2020 in New York City. After weeks of texting and FaceTiming during the pandemic, they met in person for a dinner date that turned into hours of conversation. “It really was one of those 'magic' dates that you hear about but don’t think actually happens, and things progressed quickly from there,” Donn says. In September of 2022, Donn surprised Marcos with a weekend trip to Napa Valley and proposed with a ring he designed himself. Marcos was in for another surprise when he learned that their family and closest friends were waiting at a nearby restaurant to celebrate over dinner. Just weeks later, Marcos pulled off his own epic proposal: He popped the question in return to Donn on the cliffs of Point Dume in Malibu with a custom ring and a video of loved ones wishing them well from afar.

Two years later, Donn and Marcos made it official on June 15, 2024, when they were married in Seville, Spain, surrounded by 140 guests. As avid travelers, the couple always envisioned getting married abroad. Seville made sense to them both: Marcos’ grandparents and great grandparents were born in Spain, and Donn felt the locale was blessed by his late father, who had been planning a family trip to Spain when he tragically passed away in 2003.

They held their ceremony at Alcázar Puerta de Sevilla, a fortress and historic monument, followed by a reception at Hacienda La Soledad, a historic olive estate dating to 1542 in the countryside. With help from their wedding planner, Bodas Del Sur, Donn and Marcus curated an unforgettable weekend with a rehearsal dinner, welcome party, ceremony and reception, and farewell pool party. “We wanted the wedding to be a perfect reflection of our individuality but also the life we’re building as a unit,” Donn says. “We wanted our friends to have their breath taken away when they walked into our venues, and we wanted everyone to feel their best in the spaces they were in.”

Read on to see how the couple combined their backgrounds, cultures, and personalities in each of their wedding celebrations, as documented in the photos by Ernesto Villabla.

Donn and Marcos worked with Cartalia to create custom invitations inspired by their wedding destination. The suite featured a Spanish passport design with the couple’s new family crest, designed by their dear friend Carolina, with elements pulled from both of the grooms’ family crests. As a fun, thematic touch, the RSVP cards were made to look like boarding passes.

The paper design hinted at the décor guests would see on the big day: It incorporated vibrant floral and orange illustrations as a nod to their reception, which took place in an orange grove. 

On Thursday, the couple hosted a rehearsal dinner at Hotel Alfonso XIII, where the property catered a sunset dinner for 30 of their closest loved ones in their suite. “Our extended families had yet to meet, so we wanted to give them time to mingle and get to know each other as we headed into the weekend of ‘official programming,’” Donn says. The next night, they welcomed guests with a reception at Casa de Pilatos, an Andalusian palace and museum in the heart of Seville.

Donn and Marcos worked with Brandon Gray of House of Gray to design all of their wedding looks. Marcos wore a torero-inspired bolero paired with tuxedo pants embellished with a floral strip. Donn’s welcome party outfit featured a brocade floral dinner jacket, jabot shirt, and trousers.

The couple’s welcome reception took place around a fountain, where the weekend's color scheme of magenta and purple was brought to life via lighting and floral centerpieces. Guests were invited to partake at the open bar, which also offered a few signature cocktail options. Instead of a seated dinner, the couple served 20 appetizers, including everything from foie gras with pear to Oxtail stew croquettes, three different types of paella, and an Iberian pork carving station. As a sweet treat, passed desserts were served later in the evening.

Donn and Marcos hired a Spanish guitarist and a local flamenco troupe for special performances throughout the evening.

A standout wedding planning memory for both Donn and Marcos? The creative process of working with Brandon Gray of House of Gray while designing their wedding weekend looks. “Working with a single designer allowed him to ensure our suits for our wedding day would be in harmony while still allowing us to live in the excitement and suspense of not knowing what the other would be wearing until that final 'first look' moment,” Donn says.

Donn wore white silk mikado trousers with a matching kimono tux jacket featuring a detachable textured silk organza cape. “The suit has a single large swarovski crystal closure on the side, which catches the light beautifully,” he says. He had the inside of his jacket embroidered with “A Fin Juntos,” words that Marcos had inscribed in his engagement ring, and “I am my father’s son” embroidered under the nape of his blazer as a way to honor his dad.

Marcos wore a white silk mikado double-breasted jacket fastened with a zip-off silk mikado train and oversized bow belt. “For the ceremony outfit I wanted something that would blend femininity and masculinity, while still being a conventional tuxedo,” Marcos remembers. “I tasked Brandon with incorporating a large classic bow and a train, but I wanted to be able to remove the pieces as the night went on.”

Donn wore embroidered suede shoes from Shutiq while Marcos wore tan Christian Louboutin shoes to complete their ceremony looks.

The couple’s ceremony took place at Alcázar Puerta de Sevilla, where guests were greeted by live music performed by a string quartet. A Spanish cathedral served as the ceremony backdrop, which was stunning all on its own, but the couple’s florist took the space to the next level by creating two columns of white and peach flowers to frame the stage where they'd exchange vows.

Balinese umbrellas were arranged over the wooden cross back chairs to ensure guests were shaded and comfortable during the outdoor ceremony.

The ceremony aisle started outside the fortress’ inner courtyard, where Donn and Marcos walked individually down the stairs before meeting each of their mothers and walking the remainder of the aisle together. Donn walked down the stairs to a string version of John Legend’s “All of Me” and Marcos entered to Sarah Bareilles’ “I Choose You." They met their mothers in front of their guests and walked the rest of the aisle together to “Your Song” by Elton John. 

The couple asked Marcos’ brother-in-law, Frankie, to read the Cuban poem “Mariposa” by Nicolas Guillen as a nod to his Cuban background. Donn’s cousin, Katrina, who is a screenwriter, wrote a piece for the ceremony. The couple joked about how they can get competitive, so their officiant flipped a giant gold coin to determine who gave their vows, which each penned for the other, first. “It was very emotional to hear the story of falling in love from each other’s perspective,” Donn says. “To be that honest and open in that moment is something we’ll never forget.”

Before celebrating back up the aisle, Donn and Marcos incorporated the African-American tradition of jumping the broom as a symbol of a prosperous start to a new life together. Then, they walked through a flower tunnel created by their guests and exited to Beyoncé’s “Halo.”

Donn and Marcos took portraits with their photographer at the ceremony site before heading to their reception venue, Hacienda La Soledad. Once guests arrived by bus, the couple entered the courtyard in a vintage Maybach. “There, we greeted guests and gave them their first big surprise of the reception: a dressage show featuring Andalusian horses,” Donn says. “It was a beautiful show that really kicked things off nicely.”

At the end of the dressage performance, the outer courtyard bell rang and the large red doors opened to reveal an interior courtyard. A live jazz quartet welcomed guests to the fountained courtyard for the cocktail hour. 

As a nod to the hacienda’s orange grove, fresh oranges were used as escort cards, featuring pinned-on leaves with each attendee's name and assigned table. “We also featured an old-fashioned telephone where guests could record a message or piece of advice for the grooms,” Donn says. “Boy did these get more and more ridiculous and funny as the night went on.”

Guests enjoyed champagne, cocktails, and their choice of delicious appetizers that highlighted the best of the local cuisine. At the end of the cocktail hour, the band kicked off a second line to guide family members and friends through a hidden passageway to the orange grove for dinner and dancing.

Inside the orange grove, string lights were hung among the trees to create a warm, glowing ambience for the al-fresco dinner reception. Guests were seated at four long tables with alternating magenta and pink toile de Jouy linens and floral runners with pink and purple flowers and lush, leafy foliage.

The grooms dined at a sweetheart table, but they added extra chairs for guests to come by and visit during dinner. White china, gold flatware, and fluted crystal stemware came together to create each place setting. As a finishing touch, personalized Spanish fan with each attendee's name doubled as a place card and favor.

Marcos designed four seating chart posters made to look like retro travel posters to place at the head of each table. “Each poster featured the city and food in the backdrop and were created leveraging a lot of trial and error via prompts Marcos input into a generative AI tool,” Donn notes.

Inspired by something they'd seen at a friend's wedding, the couple decided to create an editorial portrait studio with a designated photographer instead of a traditional photo booth, which meant that guests could take home their own stunning portraits at the end of the night. “Since everyone was dressed to the nines, we felt it was important to stage a photo area that was similarly dressed,” Donn says. The setup included a pink couch, giant disco balls, stunning flower arrangements, and the venue’s historic clay olive oil aging casks to complete the background.

The couple hired an 11-piece band with local male and female singers to perform at their reception. Before joining guests on the dance floor, they changed into their second looks of the night. “When we reentered for dinner, we went straight to the dance floor to do our first dance after being welcomed as the Perez-Ogilvies,” Donn says. The band played a medley of two songs, “Cómo Fué” by Benny Moré and a slow version of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston.

At the couple’s after-party, they kicked off an Hora Loca with a music video they created for their loved ones. “Only a handful of guests knew this was happening,” Donn says. "We really wanted to lean into our queerness at the wedding, but given the logistics of getting in and out of drag—we decided to make a day of it in LA and shoot a music video.” As soon as the video of Donn and Marcos lip-syncing in drag was over, dancers kicked off a live performance and handed out boas, hats, wigs and other accessories. 

The next day, Donn and Marcos invited guests to join them at Hacienda Majaloba, another historic country estate with origins going back to 1253. “We envisioned a day of activities—akin to a lawn party, but with hints of a Vegas pool party,” Donn says. “We hoped the final day would leave our guests feeling like they had seen and experienced so many aspects of Sevilla.”

Donn wore a silk two-piece set with their family crest embroidered on the front and their new last name on the back. Marcos wore a Cuban Guyabera-inspired silk organza sheet short sleeved shirt with white silk milkado trousers. “We both wore white bathing suits and casual sandals,” Donn adds.

The lawn had various seating areas shaded by balinese lounge umbrellas, which ensured everyone had a place to relax and unwind. Those who were up to some fun enjoyed lawn games like bocce, croquet, poolside beer pong, and cornhole with custom decals of the couple’s new family crest. And when they needed a cool down, everyone was encouraged to hit the pool, where a vintage lifeguard chair, individual guest towels, and oversized floaties were available.

The couple spent their minimoon in Sardinia and are planning a longer honeymoon later this year. Donn and Marcos remind couples who are planning a wedding to be present and enjoy the wedding day. “Once things are underway, don’t act like you’re the hosts of this big party—think of yourselves as the guests of honor,” they say.