been on a roller coaster.  When Mark yelled to Rachel as the coaster began its second lap, Rachel ignored him at first.  When she finally turned around, he bellowed, “Will you marry me?” Rachel was elated, although a bit miffed that the ride’s operator was unimpressed by yet another coaster proposal.

With her success as a model and his multinational real-estate development business, there was “always a lot going on,” said Rachel.  So, it wasn’t until five years post-proposal that the pair found a window of opportunity to host a getaway wedding in Mexico.  With a mere two months to plan, they were in for an even wilder ride.  This time, an entire town would be enthralled.

“We were so lucky.  We had all sorts of rules broken to accommodate our crazy mission,” said Rachel.  From wedding coordinator Michael Willms, who “pulled the impossible off,” to local guide Carlos Riveros, who “had a solution for everything,” remarkable people “went completely out of their way” to ensure a dream wedding, said Rachel.  Searching online for “remote,” Rachel discovered Casa Oriente in coastal Careyes, an estate that could accommodatethe 40 guests flown in on December 23, 2003, After Christmas in Careyes, a private charter flew everyone to the colonial city of Puebla.

During the rehearsal dinner, in the cellar of Las Bodegas, Rachel gave Mark a special gift: after searching for years for a symbol of her love, she had found an antique brass key a day earlier in the market.  Accepting this key to Rachel’s heart, “I bawled my eyes out,” Mark said.  Permission to marry in the local Church of Santo Domingo arrived the day before the wedding; antique, horse-drawn carriages paraded the party through barricaded, guarded streets to the church, where mass was celebrated in the Chapel of the Rosary.

Rachel, in a form-fitting Cantu & Castillo gown and French-lace veil, descended the staircase at Mesón Sacristia de la Compañia to meet her groom.   Thousands of town residents had gathered to witness the spectacle by the time the couple entered the hotel courtyard, where 2,000 candles gleamed, Quetzal dancers performed, traditionally costumed women served Damiana liqueur, and fireworks colored the sky.  A five-course meal was served in the atrium as 16 white-clad mariachis entertained; later, a second band transitioned from jazz to techno, keeping the party lively until 3 a.m.

The newlyweds then retired to the bridal suite, where Rachel dove impulsively onto the petal-strewn Louis XVIII bed.  Six dry-cleaning treatments were required to remove rose-stains from her gown.

Everyone returned to Careyes for an additional week, after which Mark and Rachel had Casa Oriente to themselves for a three-week honeymoon; they were so enamored of the location that they purchased a neighboring property.

Though the couple travels constantly between Mexico and other homes in New Zealand, L.A., and Switzerland, it’s a gentler ride now that they’re wedded.

“We pretty much live in each other’s pocket,” said Rachel.  He’s the axis of my globe.” Mark takes his brass key along wherever they roam.  Home, he said, is “wherever Rachel is.” 

Event Design: Michael Willms, Entertainment Design Events,
West Hollywood, CA. 

Serving Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, West LA, Brentwood, Malibu,
Hollywood, Simi Valley, Los Angeles and National/International Clientele