REAL WEDDING

  • Photography By:

    DAVID WITTIG PHOTOGRAPHY

    JOEY GONZALEZ AND JONATHAN ROLLO

    NOVEMBER 11, 2011 IN MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

    Although their friends tried to set them up multiple times, it was their mutual passion for being health conscious that brought personal trainer Joey Gonzalez and chef Jonathan Rollo together. Co-owner of Barry’s Bootcamp, an international fitness chain, Joey ran into the owner of Greenleaf Gourmet Chop Shop during a class and it was “love at first sight.” 

    Admittedly “not the blind date type,” it wasn’t until they were a couple that the irony of their disinterest in their friends’ attempted fix-ups came out.

    “WAS THE PURE RAW EMOTION AND LOVE”

    While home has them in sunny, southern California, it was in the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah, while playing fetch withtheir dogs, that the couple got engaged and started planning their 11-11-11 wedding.


    Desiring a hot destination where their guests could relax, they decided on Miami Beach.

    The long weekend kicked off with Thursday’s rehearsal dinner on the roof of the Soho Beach House hotel. With a theme of “Havana Nights,” the celebration incorporated live music, a cigar roller and specialty drinks. An evening highlight was the slideshow, which the hotel allowed the couple to project on the south side of the building.

    Friday night’s ceremony was also at the South Beach hotel and “every word was written by us,” says Joey. For the processional, Jonathan entered with his parents and then Joey followed with his to a live rendition of “True Colors.” By the end, all 165 guests were standing up cheering and crying. Many of the couple’s parent’s friends even shared how they had deeply meaningful reactions to their first samesex experience. “They called themselves ‘changed for life,’” shares Joey, who says that the most beautiful thing about the wedding “was the pure raw emotion and love.”

    With a number of celebrity guests in attendance, think Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, the reception location was kept under wraps and everyone was secretly transported to The Villa by Barton G. When the group pulled up to the gates of the former Versace Mansion it set the tone for “one of the most incredible nights of our lives,” says Joey.

    After dinner their favorite L.A. DJ spun until the late night. On Saturday they hosted a daytime pool party back at the hotel followed by the final fiesta: a delicious seafood buffet and beach bonfire. 

    Like most secrets, the reception details came out on Page 6 of the “New York Post” while the couple was spending two weeks in India for their honeymoon, followed by one week in the Maldives. “It was the trip of a lifetime,” they share.


    WEDDING TALENT

    Ceremony Location: Soho Beach House, Miami Beach, FL; Reception Location and Caterer: The Villa By Barton G., Miami Beach, FL; Event Design: Barton G., Miami, FL; Photography: David Wittig Photography

    Grooms' Tuxedos: Gucci; Wedding Dress: Gucci

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