The very first night Naseem Cox and Daniel Scaglione met ended with a kiss. “I was living in Dallas and had decided to come to New York to visit a friend,” Naseem, the senior brand marketing manager for Supergoop, recalls of the first time she met Dan, vice president of sales for a financial technology company. “We had a great time that weekend hanging out.” And yet, it took six years for the two to officially start dating. “I had just moved to New York City and ran into him at a friend’s birthday party,” she remembers. “The next week he asked me out on a date. He made moving to a big city so easy.”
A year and a half later, Naseem, had made plans to join one of her girlfriends for a summer sunset sail after work. Once she got on the boat, she noticed Dan was below deck. “I asked him what he was doing on the boat since I knew he had other plans that night,” she says. “At that moment, he dropped to one knee and asked me to be his wife.”
For their wedding, the couple both agreed they wanted something small and for it to take place at a tropical destination. “We wanted everyone to treat the wedding as a mini vacation,” Naseem explains. Unlike most couples, who make sure to study every potential venue meticulously, Naseem and Dan decided to book their venue in Tulum on a whim without ever having visited the Mexican vacation spot prior to the big day. “When we arrived we were blown away by everything Tulum had to offer: beautiful beaches, wonderful food and drinks, and the perfect beach vibe.”
While choosing the location was a breeze, finding the perfect dress was a little more difficult. “I probably tried on close to 100 wedding gowns,” she says. “After months of searching I was starting to get a little discouraged because I didn’t have that moment that everyone talks about when you find the dress.” She finally had that aha moment at Rue de Seine trunk show at Lovely Bride. “The collection was perfectly suited for a beach-themed wedding with lightweight fabrics and beautiful netted embroidery that was inspired by her travels to Bali.” Naseem paired her dress with Oscar de la Renta ivory tassel earrings and loose, laid-back waves, which fit perfectly with the beachy surroundings.
The day of the wedding started off with a small ceremony at Casa Violeta, a boutique hotel where the bride and groom and their family were staying. The bride walked down the aisle to Bon Iver’s “Holocene,” played by two local guitarists, and Dan’s brother, Chris, officiated the ceremony. Once the couple were declared husband and wife, guests headed to Gitano, a restaurant known for its gypsy disco vibe. There, everyone sipped Mezcal cocktails and mini taco appetizers, later followed by a menu full of local staples, including chicken with sweet corn and salsa verde, and fish filet with fava beans and black rice. “I decided not to have a wedding cake because honestly I never really like the cake at weddings,” Naseem adds. Guests were treated to guava cheesecake and chocolate cake instead.
After dinner, the couple danced for the first time as husband and wife to Ariel Pink’s “Baby” and guests later joined them on the dance floor to music by DJ Will Rhoten. “Dan and I both agreed that our wedding would be a success if everyone was on the dance floor,” she remembers. “Thankfully Will didn’t let us down!”
