A Match Made in Paradise

VIE_Magazine_MAY22_article_San_Juan_Wedding_HERO-min

Mr. and Mrs. San Juan

By Jordan Staggs | Photography by Nicola Harger, Someplace Wild

The white-sand beaches located along the Gulf of Mexico’s Emerald Coast in Northwest Florida are made for romance, with the breeze fluttering through the sea oats and the sound of birds calling overhead as the waves wash ashore. Grayton Beach, the eclectic community known for its 1960s art-and-soul vibes, sprawling live oaks, and the famous Red Bar, is a paradise on the Gulf. This is where a casual birthday bonfire set the scene for the beginning of a love story written in beach sand.

The first meeting of Julia Kate Mace and Eddie San Juan at the bonfire was brief, but as fate would have it, the pair ran into each other again on Grayton Beach not long after that. “Shortly after those informal gatherings, Eddie approached one of my friends to see if I might like to go on a date with him, and I said yes,” Julia Kate recalls.

They started their first date at Pescado, a rooftop restaurant and bar in picturesque Rosemary Beach, where they enjoyed cocktails with a view. As Julia Kate says, they immediately hit it off. Little did she know that Eddie had also made a reservation at the nearby Restaurant Paradis in the event they were not ready to end the evening after drinks. “I was not planning on dinner, and I liked the fact that Eddie took the initiative to pre-plan and reserve a table even though I had just agreed to a drink.”

Eddie says it was pretty soon after the pair started dating in the summer of 2019 when he realized that Julia Kate was the one. “What had me from the beginning was that I could tell she was such a good person, and our sense of humor just lined up so well,” he shares. “The actual moment was probably when we were watching the stars on her back porch in Grayton Beach, and it just felt so natural. That’s when I knew.”

After they became engaged in February of 2021 during a weekend getaway to New Orleans, it was pretty clear the Crescent City would play backdrop to their nuptials, as well. “An adventure to NOLA together was one of our first trips together,” Julia Kate says. “We had decided to break away from our normal routine and escape to the magical city, where we were surrounded by really good food, enticing culture, and historical architecture, which we both gravitate toward. We also enjoy photography and had a blast just visiting interesting spots and capturing special moments. When I think of New Orleans, I think of that first trip, falling in love, and the place where Eddie later proposed to me. When it came time to discuss potential wedding locations, this was the city that made us giddy.”

The couple planned the wedding themselves with the help of a dear friend. Julia Kate took the lead, with her art background and career in marketing and events in the beautiful coastal town of Alys Beach, Florida, serving her well. “Eddie was such a trooper during the process,” she laughs. “He always responded to questions with, ‘The most important thing to me is marrying you.’”

Still, each creative detail was undeniably personal and perfectly curated for both the bride and groom. “I envisioned bold pops of color, major creative elements, unique designs, and pure fun,” says Julia Kate. “One thing that was entertaining to plan together was practicing our wedding dance in our living room. We pulled choreography from YouTube and would gradually learn and add to the dance leading up to our big day.”

As Eddie is the production manager at his family’s fourth-generation architectural moulding, millwork, and cabinetry firm, E. F. San Juan, the couple’s careers and lives revolve heavily around beautiful architecture and spaces, which also played a central role in the wedding plans.

“To be able to wed and celebrate our special weekend in some of the most beautiful, historic places and spaces of New Orleans made sense,” Julia Kate explains. They chose the New Orleans Museum of Art as the venue for a gorgeous rehearsal dinner among a collection of incredible French and American art. Their “I dos” took place on January 8, 2022, in front of around 150 friends and family at the eclectic Hotel Peter and Paul, housed in a former church and school dating from 1860. A traditional New Orleans second-line celebration followed. The newly minted San Juans and their wedding party then met their guests to dance the night away at Race + Religious, a beautiful wedding and events venue housed in a historical courtyard compound in the Lower Garden District.

At the end of the day, the most important thing for the weekend was being centered on our marriage, holy and reverent, and surrounded by our friends and family who love supporting us

“We wanted our wedding day to be magical and in the moment, just like the city itself,” Julia Kate says. “At the end of the day, the most important thing for the weekend was being centered on our marriage, holy and reverent, and surrounded by our friends and family who love supporting us.”

One special detail that provided a perfect snapshot of the celebration was a custom poetry piece created by New Orleans artist Cubs. The artist wrote and painted the “poetrait” during the rehearsal and reception, channeling that “in the moment” feeling that the bride and groom love as Cubs was inspired by what he heard and saw during their special moments. He said of the piece, titled Love Letters Written in Beach Sand, “I wondered if the title would throw off the meaning of why these words felt appropriate. The waves wash away the words, I thought. Then, I realized, love has the understanding and commitment to rewrite the words over and over. After each wave wanders ashore. After every tide change. So here’s to a love that withstands the rhythms of the ocean.”