A Platinum Wedding in Miami: Cristina and Jorge

Miami couple Cristina and Jorge planned a $320,000 Floribbean-themed wedding at the National Hotel on South Beach — complete with 14 kinds of flowers from around the world, a custom martini luge, fireworks, and an 8-tier wedding cake. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

Having a dream wedding often comes with a hefty price tag. Cristina, a 34-year-old office manager, and Jorge, a surgeon from Miami, knew everything about hefty price tags — they planned their Platinum Wedding on a budget of $320,000. In today's economy, that is the cost of a luxury condo in South Beach. Nonetheless, the Floribbean-themed wedding went on without a glitch, with meticulous execution.

Some of the major expenditures included a $10,000 wedding gown by Canadian designer Ravini, 14 kinds of flowers from all over the world arranged by floral designer Eduardo McCausland on a $35,000 budget, a custom martini luge and martinis ($3,500), a cigar roller ($650), an espresso bar ($1,200), an 8-tier square wedding cake ($7,000) placed on a custom plexiglass table filled with orchids and crystals, and dessert stations ($3,500) featuring flan, three kinds of mousse, cheesecake lollipops, and more. The wedding was featured on WeTv Network's Platinum Weddings original series.

PGM: In the press release the Floribbean feast was mentioned. Can you tell us what such a feast entails?

Cristina: We wanted to combine the tropical theme with something having to do with Florida. I also wanted to make it modern. It's a combination of Florida and Caribbean flavors in the food. We did a mango relish type concoction over it, and a lot of the appetizers as well. We wanted to enjoy the outdoors — the ceremony, cocktail hour, and the after party were all held outdoors.

PGM: What was the most challenging part of putting the wedding together?

Cristina: The most challenging part was getting everything together piece by piece, and just trusting that everything looks good once it's all done. You have to have a lot of faith with the planner for them to put it together.

PGM: In the end you had two wedding gowns. Tell us about that.

Cristina: When we went to get the wedding dress, I originally thought I was going to get something a bit glitzier, but I fell in love with a really simple dress. The main thing I wanted was that when I looked at the picture in 10 years, I wouldn't say, "What was I thinking?" I wanted something timeless.

PGM: Was this your dream wedding?

Cristina: Absolutely! Especially the fireworks — that was the best part.

PGM: You got married at the National Hotel, one of South Beach's landmark hotels. Whose decision was it to have the ceremony there?

Cristina: We chose the National Hotel for a couple of reasons. I definitely wanted something close to the water. I walked in and I loved it. It is a boutique hotel, not so commercialized. The pool is absolutely gorgeous. We also found out that there were a couple of items at the National that had to do with Cuba — the top of the hotel is a replica of a hotel in Cuba called the Nacional, and there is a compass by the pool that supposedly points toward Cuba. The Cuban heritage was really important for us. That sealed the deal.

PGM: What advice would you offer to a couple arranging a wedding of this extravagance?

Cristina: Definitely plan with plenty of time. I started planning about a year ahead and it was about perfect. Be patient and plan with plenty of time. Just make sure you get samples of everything, so that you know what you are getting the day of the wedding.

PGM: Was there a Platinum Honeymoon?

Cristina: Actually it was a "family moon," as I like to call it. My husband has two older daughters, 15 and 17, who were down for the wedding. I didn't want to leave them with their grandparents, so they ended up going on vacation with us. We went to Disney World with them. We had a great time. I wouldn't change it for the world.

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