A Modern Couture-Inspired Same-Sex Wedding At W South Beach in Miami, Florida

Kevin and Buck met in Chicago in the summer of 2010. They lived in the same neighborhood so they saw each other often at the gym, in the local diners and coffee shops. Buck decided a great way to get to know Kevin would be to hire him as a personal trainer. After six sessions, Kevin fired Buck as a client, but they went on their first date together. 

Kevin thought Buck was good looking, warm and thoughtful. “For me, there was a lot of electricity when I was around Buck,” he remarks. Shortly after they met, Buck wrote his mom to tell her about the new guy he was dating. He could not stop talking about how sweet he was. “It didn’t take long to realize that one of Kevin’s greatest strengths is his capacity to love,” says Buck.

The proposal came two and a half years after they met. They were attending a wedding and were still hungry after the reception, so they went to a local restaurant. There, they talked about what it would be like at their wedding and Buck asked, “Well, when will that be?” and Kevin replied, “Whenever we want it to be!” So they set a date and started planning. 

They decided on Miami as Kevin was from Florida and his family would be able to get there easily. They chose late spring because the weather is rather predictable and it worked with their schedules. 

They looked at many venues with their wedding planner, Kasey Davenport, but the W South Beach stood out because it had an outdoor area that was adjacent to the beach. In addition, their contact at the W was so accommodating that it felt like the perfect choice.

The wedding day was beautiful. Getting through their vows was tough because they wrote their own personal messages to each other, and there were abundant tears. 

Kevin and Buck wanted their reception to be elegant and sophisticated while still being understated and relaxed—much like a fabulous dinner party for their fifty guests. It was important that everyone feel comfortable, enjoy a delicious meal and have fun. The modern, masculine ballroom at the W was the perfect space for their dance party. 

At the end of the evening, Kevin felt complete. It was everything he could have imagined and more. “It was truly the best day of my life,” he says. He got up the next morning and went out to the garden where they had held their ceremony and just thanked the universe for such a wonderful gift, while shedding tears of gratitude. 

The memory of their wedding became even more special when shortly thereafter, Buck’s mother passed away from ovarian cancer. When Buck came out as a teenager, a therapist had mistakenly predicted that Buck’s mother would never see her son get married. Knowing how much their union meant to her and being able to share in such a beautiful experience is something they both hold close to their hearts.

A honeymoon to Paris, Provence and Cannes is planned for April of 2015.