Jasmine Tookes and Juan David Borrero met through their jobs in 2016. Juan works at Snapchat as a director of international markets, and the social media app was getting ready to launch a new feature called Group Stories. The company wanted to hire Jasmine and her friends to promote it. “We all happened to be in L.A. for a fashion show, so I went to lunch with Juan and a couple other Snapchat employees,” Jasmine remembers. “Following that lunch, Juan invited me to a birthday party that same night. There was a natural attraction to each other. We kept in touch since that night, and the rest is history.”
Once they began dating, Jasmine and Juan started taking a trip every year to celebrate their anniversary. Last year Juan used this upcoming trip as a Trojan horse of sorts and surprised Jasmine with a proposal. “On the morning of September 21, 2020, he told me to pack my bags because we were going somewhere,” recalls Jasmine. “Our first stop was a restaurant called Rose Café, where we met.”
From there, they got back in the car, and Juan blindfolded Jasmine until they pulled up to the airport. Forty minutes later, they landed in Utah and were transferred via helicopter to Amangiri. “Before going to the hotel, we landed in between rocks in the middle of nowhere and sat and had Champagne and a charcuterie board,” says Jasmine. “A photographer hired to capture the moment disguised herself as a hotel staff member, and she told us to check out the lookout point after we were finished with our Champagne. Once we walked up there, I looked down on the ground, and [written there was], ‘Will you marry me?’ I was in complete shock. It was the sweetest, most thoughtful proposal that I could have ever imagined.”
Jasmine and Juan celebrated their wedding in Quito, Ecuador, over Labor Day weekend, and despite the myriad of logistical problems the pandemic has caused when it comes to weddings, the planning process was surprisingly straightforward. “Luckily all panned out okay, as vaccines have been quickly distributed in Ecuador. I also have always dreamed of planning a wedding and secretly wished that I was an event planner,” Jasmine reveals. “I enjoyed it every step of the way!” She worked with Carolina Muzo, who is based in Ecuador, on everything from the creative to the logistics (everyone who attended was vaccinated and guests were tested twice throughout the weekend). “Carolina was such an angel and so on top of every detail,” notes Jasmine. Botania Flower Boutique and David Vasquez Design supplemented Carolina's work by creating stunning florals for both the ceremony and the reception that followed.
From the beginning, Jasmine knew she wanted to wear Zuhair Murad on her wedding day. “I wanted him to make my dress from the moment I walked in his first couture show,” she says. “I sent him my inspiration, and he drew up the most beautiful and timeless dress that I have ever seen.” The train was 15 feet long, and the overall look was quite dramatic, so Jasmine kept her jewelry simple, wearing only diamond earrings by Ritani and her engagement ring. Her shoes were custom white satin heels by Sarah Flint. For beauty, she worked with Leah Pike and Russian Nureev, who do her hair and makeup for almost every event she attends. Juan wore a double-breasted tuxedo by Armani. “We both wanted to be as classic and traditional as we could with our outfits,” says the bride.
Jasmine’s wedding party wore sage dresses by Amsale. “They were so kind to help with making all of my bridesmaids feel extra-special,” says Jasmine. They accessorized with jewelry by Jasmine’s dear friend Chari of By Chari.
On Saturday, the ceremony took place in a Catholic church in the heart of Quito. “In my opinion, Quito has some of the most beautiful churches in the world,” says Jasmine. “And the one that we chose is covered in gold—it almost makes it feel as if you are attending a royal wedding.” The bride’s sister, Chloe, served as flower girl, and Jasmine’s French bulldog, Roguey, walked the rings down the aisle.
Following the ceremony, guests gathered at a hacienda about 30 minutes outside of Quito, which served as the picturesque reception venue. “We designed it with Lorena from Fialo Eventi in Ecuador,” notes Jasmine. “She saw my vision right away. Imagine an enchanted garden with the most flowers you have ever seen. Everything was very romantic, candlelit—and with the most amazing violinist playing music. It sort of resembled a giant greenhouse, and there were flowers coming from the ceiling. It was as if each guest was sitting in their own garden while at their table.”
There were two big bars, a giant dance floor, and delicious food served up by top Ecuadorian chef Alejandro Chamorro. “He was once a chef at Noma in Denmark and is now a chef at Nuema in Ecuador—one of Latin America’s top 50 restaurants,” explains Jasmine. Several different bands were hired to play throughout the evening as well. “Ecuadorian weddings also have something called hora loca, aka ‘crazy hour,’ where you pick a few themes and dancers come out and really get the party going!” says Jasmine. “We chose three themes: Aladdin, angels, and festivals. During Aladdin, we passed fun Princess Jasmine, Aladdin, and Genie props around to guests, and then angel wings were given out later in the evening—and everyone went wild!” For this portion of the evening, Jasmine’s initial gown morphed into an after-party dress with the removal of the top skirt—making it perfect for dancing until the early morning.
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