A Navy and White-Inspired Same-Sex Wedding at 310 Lakeside Restaurant in Orlando, Florida

One evening in an old bar, Walter Osorio was drinking a beer with some friends when Jesus Rodriguez walked in and brightened the room. “I remember asking my friends to invite him to our group,” Walter recalls. “He was funny and gentle, asking if my parents knew that I was in a place for adults. My heartbeat was running fast and I asked him if we could see each other again. He said yes! The next day, I rushed home from work to get ready to go out for the night. I honestly knew immediately that I couldn’t live without him in my life.”

After discovering Jesus was the owner of Raining Roses Productions Inc. – a floral and production design studio – Walter began assisting with installations over the weekend when he wasn’t working, so the two could spend extra time together. Jesus especially loved how his then-boyfriend actively supported his dreams.

In 2016, the couple originally planned to have a destination wedding in Mexico that year. Jesus’s family is from Mexico and Walter’s is from Peru, so it was a great fit. Their plans, however, were met with an unfortunate series of events. “Our schedules were complicated at work, and then Jesus’s mother passed away on Mother’s Day,” explains Walter. “And then Pulse happened. We decided to postpone our wedding until 2017 and moved the wedding to Orlando, our hometown. Because of these events, we decided life is too short; and we chose ‘Celebration of Life,’ ‘Cheers,’ and ‘Love,’ as our wedding themes.”

With the groom’s being “obsessed” with the hit Broadway show, Wicked, Jesus and Walter’s wedding experience began with the entire bachelor party seeing the musical from front row seats. Their wedding ceremony program was even modeled after the Wicked playbill. 

When the wedding day arrived, the grooms exchanged vows at The Abbey – a performance venue, where a simulated Broadway stage was created for the nuptials. Afterwards, guests were greeted by a mariachi band and a 1970s red trolley bus to transport them to the reception.

Once everyone arrived, a night filled with entertainment commenced. There was a DJ and drummer, a live drag show headlined by a former Broadway star, and a Brazilian dance troupe. “The evening was filed with so much love and support from my family, as both my parents attended the celebration and helped Jesus and I get ready for the big day,” Walter describes. “It was a blessing having their love and support on our wedding day.”

The day after, the newlyweds and their guests enjoyed a post-wedding brunch with live Latin music, flamenco guitars, and a Peruvian acoustic box with classic Spanish melodies. While everyone tucked into a feast of waffle sundaes and omelets, Jesus and Walter had one more surprise up their sleeve – a live soprano singer, performing hit songs from Wicked.