Inside Alan Faena and Grace Goldsmith’s Theatrical Four-Day Wedding in Buenos Aires

Alan wore a custom outfit by designer Katharine Grace, including a jacket embroidered with a blazing heart symbol with their initials—”AG”—and a shirt with pearl buttons to match Grace’s pearl necklace. The pants included a motif of a Cupid’s arrow, while his top had included feather from a bird native to Punta del Este.

Alan—who is credited with creating “neighborhoods” around his hotels that often include aesthetically-cohesive theaters, bazaars, and even concert spaces—did all the planning. He envisioned their nuptials as an opera, complete with dramatic cues and ethereal set design: adorning the temple’s arches with green flowers, and scenting the halls with palo santo. (There was an organist, a guitarist, and a full choir for music.) Before Grace walked down the mirrored aisle, the temple went dark—and then lit up as she took her first step. The final act was an emotional ring exchange under the chuppah, before the couple departed in a 1950s vintage car. “I produced for the love of my life, an opera of love,” Alan says. “And she was the muse of every act.”

Later that evening, the couple threw a raucous party at the Faena Hotel Buenos Aires, where they lined the hotel’s cathedral with red roses—a nod to the garden where they got engaged—and projected their “AG” initials on the wall. A “Love Is All” neon sign illuminated the pool, while an eight-foot cake doubled as decoration. “Alan lifted me onto the platform of the cake so I could reach the top to cut the first piece,” Grace says. Meanwhile, their custom “AG” logo was printed on napkins, ice cubes, and even performer’s outfits. (Of which there was a lot: Alan and Grace organized multiple theatrical acts, including an exotic dancers, a cabaret performance, and a live band.) The hora, meanwhile, lasted for a full 45 minutes.

A crescendo hit when Alan gave a passionate toast to his bride: “I want to tell you that my great love has arrived—this angel, with a beautiful heart, who gives all and takes nothing,” he said.

Grace changed into a custom Paco Rabbane dress for the festivities. She and Alan worked with Julien Dossena at his atelier to make a gold metal chain link look that color-coordinated with Alan’s jacket, and, in Alan’s words, embodied “flecha del amor”‘ (or, the spirit of cupid.) “The movement in the neckline was meant to symbolize the movement, growth, and evolution of our love each day,” says Grace. She accessorized with a white white veil on a headband, inspired by Ginger in Martin Scorsese’s Casino, while Alan donned a red cape for the occasion.

On Sunday, they hosted a traditional asado by Francis Mallmann, the renowned chef behind the acclaimed Los Fuegos restaurant at the Faena in Miami Beach. They decorated the patio with lemon trees, rosemary, and fresh flowers as Mallman served Argentianian dishes cooked over an open flame over the course of a six-hour lunch. “He is a true friend of life for Alan,” Grace says of Mallman, “A meal by him was the perfect closing and farewell to all that traveled long and far to be with us.”

Reflecting on it now, the couple is happy they threw a wedding that they feel celebrated not just their love, but the idea of love in general. “Like today and every day, I feel to lucky to have received this beautiful blessing,” Grace says.