Mr Theodore heads to Miami for the wedding of Chris and Chris, two handsome grooms and one spectacular wedding day. Their 'Palace' in the sky is how they described their exceptional wedding setting, with influences of the Miami lifestyle brought to life throughout. It is a true honour to showcase the story of these two beautiful grooms and take you into the land of sun and sea.

Photographer Maloman Studios | Venue 1111 Lincoln Road

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How and when did you meet? We met in 2007 at NYC’s gay pride Dance on the Pier.

Tell us a little about the early days of your relationship? We didn’t start dating right away. There was chemistry when we met, but Chris Bush was finishing college and starting his career. We didn’t keep in touch or see each other for 6 months until we were at a holiday party. We became friends and then dated in 2009.

Who proposed and how? Chris Lucia planned this out... in January 2017, he was able to use a duplex suite at the Four Seasons downtown on a snowy Saturday for a few hours through some connections. Chris Bush thought it was a networking event for work (yes, even on a Saturday!) and arrived with Chris Lucia opening the door and touring him around the unit with champagne and chocolate. Lucia popped the question, and then Bush did the same thing (Lucia had purchased 2 rings). After calling family, we had dinner downstairs at Cut by Wolfgang Puck.

When did you get married? We were married in April 2018 in Miami Beach. We decided to do a destination wedding because most of our family would have to travel anyway and wanted a warm weather setting with multiple events.

Chris & Chris’s story continues below >

same-sex wedding Miami/mr-theodore-wedding directory

Was there a theme to your wedding? From a colour standpoint, we went with the sand, the ocean and sky for ourselves and the wedding party. From a design standpoint, we wanted modern, masculine and elegant. However, the overall theme to the weekend was to make it a weekend our guests wouldn’t forget and show them what we love about Miami. We had a welcome party BBQ, a pool day and the wedding/reception.

What was the main influence behind your wedding day? It was about creating our “palace” in the sky from a completely raw space. Every detail was designed to express our love for each other and our guests.

Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration? It really came from all the time we’ve spent in Miami and the way we see it as both a city and a beach. We created a lot of Pinterest boards and also had multiple meetings with our wedding planners to go through each event.

How did you choose your suppliers? Because we’re not from Miami, we knew we needed a planner who could navigate the area for us. We hired Forever Events, and they made a lot of the recommendations as well as worked directly with the suppliers.

Tell us a little about your overall wedding planning experience in regard to being a same-sex couple in a predominantly ‘Bride & Groom’ saturated industry? We were the first same-sex couple for our wedding planner and photographer, but we wouldn’t have known it if they didn’t say it. It felt to us the way it should –like 2 people getting married regardless of gender.

Did you find it difficult to translate more common traditions into a ‘same-sex’ wedding? i.e Walking down the aisle, choosing a wedding party... We knew –and were excited –to be completely original here. Our parents walked us down the aisle. Our wedding party was a party of “bests.” We had best men (2 brothers), best “bros” (Lucia’s 2 other brothers), besties (our best friends), and best gals (our best girlfriends). Once we started talking about it, we knew it was perfect for us. Also, we kept the ceremony meaningful and under 40 minutes.

What was the most difficult thing about planning your wedding? The distance and having to travel multiple times to Miami for meetings (but travelling to Miami in the winter from New York isn’t so bad!).

Where did you spend your honeymoon? Because we had a destination wedding, we did a mini-moon and stayed in Miami for another 5 days after the wedding. This past fall, we went to Barcelona.

Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey? We have a lot of advice for those willing to listen! We highly recommend hiring a planner. If you can get someone with a design eye who can also talk budgeting, that’s ideal. Also, this is your time to express who you are, so be unique and let your individuality shine as much as possible. And most importantly, enjoy it because it will be the best day of your life.