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This Multi-Day Wedding in Cartagena Beautifully Combined The Newlyweds’ Colombian and Mexican Heritages

By Elle Cashin | Photography by 

Gideon Photography

|Planning by 

Amy Abbott Events

 

As a Nashville resident, Halston Abbott rarely goes to Broadway. “If you are a local, you only ever go to Broadway if you have friends in town or for a special occasion,” she says. But on one such occasion—June 25, 2021—making the trip to the touristy spot changed her life, because there she met Jhon Chaverra Mendoza. “I had friends visiting, and we decided to hit the town. Jhon was in Nashville to play in a soccer tournament that he had been recruited from Colombia to play in. That Friday night, Jhon and his friends decided to have a night out as well.”

On her way to the bar for a drink, her ears perked up when she heard a group of people speaking Spanish (Halston is from Cabo). “The first person I made eye contact with was Jhon,” she says. “We started talking right away, and he offered to buy me a drink. The day after meeting him, I sent a photo of us to my family group chat, stating that I would marry him.” 

Exactly one year and one day later—after six months of dating long distance and lots of travel between Colombia, Cabo, and Nashville—Jhon got down on one knee. “Without hesitation, I said yes,” Halston says. “Best ‘yes’ I have ever said.”

Halston’s mom is the founder of Amy Abbott Events, so the couple knew just where to turn when it came to wedding planning. But rather than host the wedding in the Abbotts’ hometown of Cabo, the couple knew right away they wanted to celebrate in Cartagena. “My mom quickly planned a trip for us to Cartagena with five of her teammates [including] my wedding coordinator, Payis Franssen,” Halston says.

They explored churches and venues and got a feel for aesthetics and vibe. “When we were taken to the Teatro de la Heredia, I was blown away—even from the outside—as it looked like a piece of art,” Halston says. “As we walked into the theatre, I immediately fell in love with it and knew it was the place. It was perfect.” There would be four days of events, and “I wanted each event to feel like Cartagena, but in a different way,” Halston adds. “The first night, we had the welcome party on the Wall of Cartagena at Baluarte San Francisco…For the rehearsal, we chose the Museo Histórico de La Inquisicion, a museum in the heart of the walled city.”

Halston always imagined herself walking down the aisle in what she describes as “a big puffy princess dress.” However, at Alexia’s Bridal, her sister suggested a sleek  Ines Di Santo dress. “When she first pulled it, I right away said, ‘No, that won’t look good on me,’” the bride recalls. “As soon as I tried it on, I looked at her and said, ‘This is the one.’” She styled it with a blue topaz and 18-karat gold necklace from Milenio Joyería,

On the day-of, Halston flew in Piel Canela from Cabo to give her a classic bun and natural beauty touchups. Bridesmaids complemented Halston in Cinq à Sept’s Drina dress in red, a nod to Cartagena.

On December 9, 2023, Halston walked down the aisle at Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandría—a historic church dating back to 1577—accompanied by both her parents. “The church itself is so beautiful that we did not have to add many decorations; all we added were lots of candles and a few floral displays by VivaFlor,” Halston says. The service was performed in English and Spanish for all to fully understand, and Colombian and Mexican traditions like el lazo and las arras were incorporated. “We also exchanged our own vows, which was very important to us, as usually in the Catholic church you are not able to customize your vows…There were so many emotions—all of them being pure happiness.”

Cocktail hour had its own venue. “After the ceremony, we did a short parade through town with amazing dancers, drums, and a lot of cheering,” Halston says. “We walked into Casa Maria for cocktail hour, an elegant French-inspired colonial home, where we had electric strings, handcrafted cocktails, Champagne, and an elegant, elevated, and comfortable vibe. When cocktail hour was over, we walked four houses down to the Teatro de la Heredia.”

There, the aesthetic was opulent and lush. “I chose all-white flowers, mirrored tables, and custom-made trees inside the round tables, so guests felt like they had a live centerpiece,” Halston shares. “As guests walked into the theatre, to the left was a ticket stand where they picked up their ticket and seating assignment; then they walked through an arch of flowers [into the reception].” 

Halston and Jhon were hidden behind a backdrop sipping Aperol Spritzes. “As soon as everyone was seated, we played a 30-second video of Jhon and me, then had a 10-second countdown.” The backdrop lifted, revealing the newlyweds, who launched into their first dance to “Te Esperaba” by Carlos Rivera. 

It immediately set the tone. “The dance floor was always full, no matter what was playing,” Halston says. “We hired a Colombian band called La Banda del 5 to surprise Jhon’s family and brought Alex DJ Cabo Events to take care of the rest of the entertainment. We did the hora loca—crazy hour—which includes dancers, party music, masks, and lots of flashing lights; I even got on a bicycle to pass shots around.”

The reception lasted until 2:30 a.m., and the nightclub after-party went for three more hours after that. But it didn’t end there. “For the final celebration, a pool day, we rented out a private island and a beach club called Makani Luxury,” Halston says. “It was almost as fun as the wedding itself, and one more day to connect with the family was the icing on the cake.”