A Modern Summer Wedding at Hacienda Na Xamena Ibiza

It wasn’t long after Vartan, a native Angeleno, had moved to New York City that he met Jaime at a local gym. It was his first day at his new job in downtown New York, just a few skips from the towering One World Trade building. He walked passed Jaime at the nearby Equinox and decided to give the in-person, very-not-2018-kind-of-way-to-meet a go and say hello. That’s all they needed. Two and a half years later, they celebrated Jaime’s birthday at the Beekman Hotel’s rooftop restaurant, Temple Court, where Vartan surprised him and a close group of friends with a cake — but not just a birthday cake. The cake read, “Jaime, Will You Marry Me?” The next day, they were off to Mexico City to celebrate their engagement. When it came to wedding planning, they toured venues in New York’s Soho and Williamsburg, but craved a more intimate experience set amongst nature, with plenty of sunshine and, preferably, the ocean. Through a lucky online search for destination wedding resorts, they were paired with the five-star spa haven Hacienda Na Xamena in Ibiza, Spain. Much like their relationship, it was love at first sight. The picturesque venue, set atop a cliff overlooking the Balearic sea quite literally took their breath away. Palm trees, boundless yet curated nature, and the essence of an endless summer symbolized everything they loved. Spain held a special place in both their hearts with Jaime having studied abroad in Madrid while in college. Two months after their engagement, they picked their wedding venue and date — June 10, 2023. The wedding consisted of forty of their closest friends and family who travelled from London, Los Angeles and New York City to celebrate their marriage. Four days of events filled up their guests’ itineraries, from flamenco performances at the welcome reception to a Formentera-bound private ferry where they dipped into the crystal waters of the Mediterranean. The wedding itself was pure magic, filled with an incredible amount of love and laughter, tears of joy (with not a dry eye during the ceremony and speeches), tons of sweaty dancing, and the hacienda’s world-renowned hospitality and gourmet food. Every married couple Jaime and Vartan consulted with shared the same advice when it came to wedding planning: “Hope for the best but plan for surprises. Expect that not all things will go your way, but focus on what’s truly important — your marriage.” They were lucky. All things went their way and they captured the photos to prove it.