It was mere coincidence that Juan Esteban, or Juanes A. had opened Facebook while bored in one of his MBA classes. “I mean, I don’t even open it to see whose birthday it is anymore,” he said laughing. Juanes A.’s classmate noticed Juan Esteban E’s., (also Juanes!) friend request, and based on how handsome he looked in the profile picture, encouraged Juanes A. to respond. Juanes E. was similarly compelled to write to Juan A. when a friend of his had asked if he knew of Juanes A. which he did but only in the context of his having a boyfriend. Juanes E.’s friend said “nope, he’s single” and Juanes E. sent what would turn out to be a husband request!

After a few messages, the two figured out that they were living in different cities—Juanes E. in Medellin and Juanes A. in Bogotá—which led Juan A. to say: “Damn. I was just about to hit on you!” Juan E., undeterred, kept the conversation going which led to days of continuous chats and video calls, until the two first met a month later in Bogotá. As Juanes E. said, “our first meeting was click, boom…” And before they knew it, the two were regularly traveling the 30-minute flight to visit each other, meeting each other’s family and friends.

“Everyone in my life knew I never wanted to live in Bogotá,” Juanes E. shared. But after a few short months of dating, Juanes E. made the move. “We both knew that long-distance wouldn’t work,” he continued. And despite initial plans to live in separate apartments, their bond deepened over the time it took Juanes E. to find a job in Bogotá, and the two decided to move in together… 6-months after meeting! And 4-months after that, the two locked down along with the rest of the world.

“To be with someone who you admire, respect, like and also have that person be caring and considerate, was a first for me,” Juanes A., shared. “I’d wake up to him having made breakfast, I experienced his incredible support throughout some professional opportunities, and we continued enjoying each other through the world’s biggest test of fire!” Throughout lockdown and over the course of the relationship, Juanes E. maintained a profound sense of openness and honesty. “I have always been one to table the hard questions or emotional topics people might be uncomfortable with: what we like or don’t like about each other, what we enjoy physically, what we need emotionally,” all of which led to the two forging a very deep connection during their early months together. But so too did Juanes A.’s passion for engaging in life and making their time together, locked down and otherwise, fun!

“I never thought Juanes (A) would be the one to propose! He’s not one for the little details and I already had rings designed and was planning on asking him. But, when I showed the designs for the ring to Juanes’s best friend, he asked me to wait and let myself be surprised!” Turns out Juanes A. was also well on his way to asking Juanes E. to marry him. But, after any number of occasions where popping the question would have been appropriate and romantic, Juanes E. started to wonder if he should go ahead with making the rings he’d designed. Again, their friend asked Juanes E. to sit tight.

Parachuting out of a plane seemed the ideal way to propose because, for Juanes A., it represented leaping into future, unburdened by the past, with someone up for a new adventure together. “This is how I felt when I came out to my parents and decided to live my life as my life,” Juanes A., said.

One thing is going for an afternoon of parachuting. It is quite another to arrange the logistics of proposing while parachuting. “For safety reasons, I couldn’t have anything in my hand or my pockets for the jump, so having the rings with me was out of the question,” Juanes A. explained. “But when we got to the jump site I ran into an old college friend who had just jumped and landed a while ago, so he was able to not only hold onto the rings, and be in the landing area for when we touched down.” And when it came down to popping the question, which he wanted to do just as they jumped, Juanes A. had to come up with a way to be heard over the sound of the plane. Thankfully their jump instructor agreed to Juanes A. having a piece of paper that read: “Will you say yes to us forever?” He held this up just as he blew Juanes E. a kiss and leapt from 11,000 feet into their future. “Without the nerves of my first jump and having finally asked, floating through the air was a feeling like none other,” Juanes A. said. Meanwhile, Juanes E. who had jumped after, was ready to just enjoy the experience of jumping but was so stunned by the proposal, he didn’t even respond or blow a kiss back and floated through the air simply eager to land, say yes, and set forward on their married adventure.

Once the two landed, Juanes A. presented the ring to Juanes E. and as he accepted the proposal everyone gathered at the jump site broke out into cheers. Proposing at 11,000 feet and accepting to the hurrahs of a crowd most certainly makes for a remarkable start to one’s future together.

Having set the bar with the engagement experience, it might seem silly to think that these two originally envisioned for their wedding a simple civil ceremony with close family followed by a long trip together. Before long their “The Greatest Showman” carnival-themed wedding for 200 guests came together! “What we really intended with a big wedding was to make a very special event for all those who helped us move forward in life and to thank them for their presence and support,” Juanes A. shared.

And they made good on this intent by starting the ceremony with a video featuring every single one of their guests establishing how they were connected with the couple. As the video screened, the Juanes could hear their friends and family cheering, growing more and more emotional, and coming together as the community that would launch the Juanes into married life. To further support them, each guest was invited to share a sentiment for the couple which they hung on the equivalent of a ‘wish tree’.

As we’ve learned, these two know how to make an entrance which they did at their wedding by being rowed across a lake to their awaiting mothers. The four walked down the aisle to meet their fathers and the two families, together, left Juan Esteban E. and Juan Esteban A. to participate in their ceremony which integrated elements of the four elements. For example, their sand ceremony symbolized how, once you combine sand, you’re not ever able to separate it. They represented fire in a candle ceremony where they and their respective families lit a candle as a symbol of the warmth and guidance. “To hear our parents speak—especially because they are of an older generation—with such emotion, acceptance, and honesty, made for a really powerful moment. People were so moved during the ceremony the planners had to get tissues for people! “Juanes E. explained. For Juanes A., looking to the sky was the best way to hold back tears and beg for mercy from so much love!

“We didn’t want for people to ever sit down at the reception,” Juanes E. explained. Thanks to their ‘Greatest Showman’ opening act, and their first dance set to Juan Luis Guerra’s merengue: ‘A Pedir Su Mano’, the party was in full swing from jump. “Hours later, people still hadn’t put down their bags or suit jackets. They just started dancing and never stopped!” Juanes E.’s father even took on a dance instructor to ready his moves for all the salsa, merengue and reguetón that played all night! And when guests finally made their way to their tables—with plates filled from various food stations—they were greeted by a place card with a note of gratitude personalized to each guest. Days after the event, guests called the Juanes to report how elated they all still were from a perfect experience.

On reflection a month later, the couple shared that “nothing fills the heart more than to be surrounded by people who went to such lengths to be with us and enjoy our wedding day as much as they did.” But it is without question that the Juanes filled the heart of each and every one of their guests with their lust for life, love, and saying ‘yes to us forever!’

Credits:

Wedding & Reception Venue: Llanogrande, Antioquia
Wedding Planners: Lica Creativa @licacreativa
Wedding Photographer: Mat Fotografía @matfotografia
Officiants: Juan Pablo Socarrás @juanpablosocarras & Lina Ortiz
Wardrobe: Juan Pablo Socarrás @juanpablosocarras