Rosma Gutierrez met David Nuzzo while they were both students at the same Illinois college. A casual friendship developed, but nothing more. Fifteen years later, Rosma found an old letter he had written her during a summer break in 1995. She Googled him, and they reconnected via Facebook. Emails turned into long phone calls, which then turned into visits. By the time David proposed, in January 2011, their one-time friendship had bloomed into a full-fledged romance.

Nearly one year later, Rosma, a deputy design director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and her beau, a benefits consultant, tied the knot in the bride's native Bolivia.

Rosma's coworkers, Alix Sorrell and Annemieke Beemster Leverenz, helped design the invitations, which were based on photos of Bolivian churches taken by the bride. Architectural motifs and a palette of deep tangerine, chalky dark blue, and white were also incorporated. The letterpressed suite was accented with custom rubber stamps from Village Impressions applied using a clear stamp mount from the Martha Stewart Crafts collection. The response card, a map of area highlights, and a translation insert of common phrases rounded out the suite.

Fresh juices and tropical fruit punch were served in the courtyard of Hotel Chiquitos before the ceremony to accommodate the Cathedral’s once-daily Mass schedule. Guests also nibbled on mango ceviche, tomato-basil quiche, and house-cured salami. The lush setting and bold orange and yellow linens and flowers (arranged by the bride and her mom) started off the festivities in vivid style.

"If I had had my way, we would have had an afternoon ceremony, followed by cocktail hour and the reception," Rosma said. "But we had to adjust our plans accordingly and it all worked out in the end. And it gave us an excuse for an outfit change!"

For the formal ceremony, Rosma worked with Keny Gutierrez to create a custom gown influenced by both modern dress details and old gowns from the early 20th century. She also sourced rough-cut diamond beads from Beacab Gems and white gold from Rio Grande jewelry supply, and then brought them to jeweler Milton Mendoza in Bolivia to turn them into bespoke earrings. 

David donned a Hugo Boss suit, Brooks Brothers shirt, Valentino tie, To Boot New York shoes. Manop Rachote shagreen cuff links and a linen pocket square from Saks Fifth Avenue made up the groom's accessories.

As a child, Rosma had visited many of the area's Mission-style churches and when she returned as an adult, she was elated to find that most of them had been restored. She chose one of them, the Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Inmaculada Concepcion, for their Catholic service. 

Due to inclement weather, Sam and Gertie Photography took pictures of the couple, here, outside of the church's entrance as they waited for the ceremony to begin. 

The artwork on the church’s façade, informed the stationery design as well as the wedding favors, which were hand-carved wooden angels.

The 7:30 p.m. nuptials included 18th-century-style music performed by the Mission Orchestra and Choir. The bilingual ceremony was conducted primarily in Spanish, with English translations, so all of their 50 guests could follow along.

Rosma and David exchanged bands from Doyle and Doyle. Hers, a 1920s Art Deco platinum-and-diamond band, paired perfectly with her antique filigree-accented platinum engagement ring. David’s platinum band was edged with milligrain details.

The bride’s nieces wore coordinating dresses made by Tete de Mercado, a longtime family friend from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The inspiration for their outfits? Lanvin children's dresses from the 1920s. Fabric flowers by Keny Gutierrez's Atelier and white sandals perfectly accessorized their sweet looks.

Rosma stamped the orange linen-covered sketch book with the same rubber stamps used on the stationery suite.

Wooden cherub favors were set upon each guest’s plate. Carved by local artisan Sebastian Espinoza in the Baroque mestizo style, the small tokens were painted by his wife Coty in the day's color scheme. "Each one was painted a little differently to emphasize their uniqueness, just like our love ones who took them home," said Rosma. The couple's initials and wedding date was stamped on the backs.

In the dining room of Hotel Chiquitos, guests dined on pork tenderloin medallions with Dijon sauce, caramelized sweet potato mash, tomato confit, and julienned vegetables. White-tissue pom-poms hung overhead, while tables were garnished with simple votives.

To embellish a wall near the dance floor, the bride tweaked an idea she'd seen in the Summer 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. Instead of using floral garlands, she opted for tissue-paper blooms that wouldn’t wilt.

A square-tiered coconut cake was piped and decorated with leaves and diamond appliques to mimic the church’s façade. Dalcy Flores and her daughter Katherine Moreno created the one-of-a-kind confection, which was made to withstand the heat and trip from Santa Cruz. They presented the couple with a surprise gift of a cake knife right before the newlyweds sliced into it. Rosma and David surrounded their cake with a buffet of sweets, including cookies in the shapes of their initials.

Going for a mostly white-on-white look, the buffet of sweets included cookies, mini cakes, choux, and pineapple upside-down cake. Small white boxes, rubber-stamped with the date, let guests take some of goodies to go.

Photography: Sam and Gertie Photography

Location: Hotel Chiquitos

Stationery design: Alix Sorrell and Annemieke Beemster Leverenz

Invitation letterpressing: Studio On Fire

Rentals: D'Etiqueta Rental

Band: Ley C-K

Cake: Dalcy Flores Fina Pasteleria

Makeup lessons: Sonia Roselli Makeup Studio

Engagement ring and wedding bands: Doyle & Doyle

Rubber stamps: Village Impressions

Stamp pads: The Ink Pad

Custom postage: Stamps.com

Envelopes, paper, and guestbook: Paper Presentation