Who says you can’t get married at your favorite coffee shop? Mariana Santana and Jesse Smith did just that when they tied the knot on September 25, 2021, at Comeback Coffee in Memphis. Love had long been brewing for the couple, who met as students at Mississippi State University in 2015. Both were studying biomedical engineering and became fast friends after their roommates started dating each other.
From the start, they were a perfect blend, sharing the same circle of friends and similar interests. “We are both nerdy and like to laugh a lot together,” Mariana says. “We’re also big fans of scary movies — and none of our friends like them — so we bonded over that.” The couple started dating right before graduation and were soon tested by a long-distance relationship when Jesse moved to England for a year to work on his master’s degree in public health. The absence only strengthened their bond. “By the time he came home, I knew I wanted to be with him forever,” Mariana says.
The reunited couple moved in together in Memphis, expecting an adjustment period that never came. “The fact that we went from different continents to living together in the same house, and our relationship stayed just as strong, confirmed that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Jesse says.
Introducing the newlyweds! Mariana and Jesse tied the knot on September 25, 2021, at Comeback Coffee in Memphis.
For their February 2021 engagement, Jesse planned a special weekend in Starkville, where he proposed outside the campus chapel with a vintage ring from Mariana’s father. To Mariana’s surprise, her siblings were also there. Afterward, the couple celebrated with family and friends before returning to Memphis to dive into wedding planning.
“I had this grand idea I was going to do everything myself, but I got so overwhelmed that I spent a month and a half of our engagement doing nothing,” Mariana says. That’s when a friend connected her with wedding planner Ellie Durbin of The Aisle Assistant, who helped the couple flesh out their vision for an earthy wedding with a cozy, moody vibe. With jobs at St. Jude, Mariana and Jesse wanted to be mindful of COVID procedures and protocols, so they settled on a small, intimate wedding with plans to hold a larger reception later for their wider circle of family and friends.
“One of the biggest challenges was narrowing people down to invite,” Jesse says. “We wanted everyone to be there but didn’t feel comfortable having that large of a wedding during the pandemic. We ended up just having 20 guests who were mostly immediate family members.”
The limited size turned out to be a blessing. “It freed us up to make our wedding completely about us,” Mariana says. “We had fun picking out cocktails to serve, choosing a menu, doing the tastings, and just making it all unique to us. If our wedding had been larger, we might not have had the budget or resources to do that on the same scale.”
They found a perfectly sized venue at Comeback Coffee, a downtown Memphis coffee shop the couple frequented, which hosts weddings and events in its historic North Main building and courtyard. “It was nice to be able to use that opportunity to support a small business in Memphis,” Jesse says.
Comeback Coffee was the perfect size for a small, intimate wedding of 20 guests.
For the decor, they picked warm neutrals like sage and burnt orange accented with copper and other pops of color. Their florist, Everbloom Designs, worked that palette into loose bouquets and arrangements filled with fall blooms, eucalyptus, and other greenery. “They stole the show with the flowers because they were absolutely gorgeous,” Mariana says.
The couple chose an earthy mix of greens and oranges for their decor.
Accents of copper added a pop of metallic embellishment.
Mariana’s bouquet from Everbloom Designs reflected the warm neutrals she chose for her color palette.
Jesse and his groomsmen looked dapper in navy suits and sage ties.
When it came to dress shopping, Mariana knew she didn’t want anything big or poofy. She found a satin A-line gown with a plunging neckline and an embellished waist that suited her minimalist style.
“I just felt pretty and comfortable in it,” she says. “It was something elegant I knew I would love 20 years from now when looking at wedding photos.”
She hadn’t considered a veil, but after trying on a few styles, she fell in love with a lace-edged cathedral veil that added a touch of formality to the ensemble. She felt strongly about letting her bridesmaids select their own dresses. “I gave them a color scheme, but I left it up to them,” she says. “I wanted them to pick something they would feel gorgeous and comfortable in. It worked out well!”
The bride chose an elegant satin A-line dress with a cathedral veil she knew she would love 20 years from now.
Mariana encouraged her bridesmaids to select their dresses.
One of the bittersweet parts of the day for Mariana was missing her grandmother, who had recently passed away. She kept her close by having a piece of her apron stitched into the interior of her dress. She also wore her grandmother’s ring as both her “something borrowed” and her wedding band. In a nod to their loved ones, the couple decorated the shelves inside Comeback Coffee with a nostalgic collage that included photos of themselves with their parents, grandparents, and other family members.
Instead of a first look, they did a “first touch,” holding hands and exchanging letters without seeing each other. That made the moment Mariana walked down the aisle all the more special. The music for the late afternoon courtyard ceremony was especially meaningful. “We wanted it to have a unique feel,” Mariana says. “I” m culturally Mexican, so I wanted at least one song in Spanish.”
The couple incorporated their loved ones into their day with a nostalgic collage of family photos.
Mariana enjoyed time with her bridesmaids pre-ceremony, cozied up in matching loungewear sets.
Instead of a traditional first look, the couple did a “first touch.”
For her processional, she chose “Bloom” by The Paper Kites — a song she and Jesse listened to often while dating long-distance. Standing underneath a wooden flower arch that Mariana’s father built himself, the couple exchanged heartfelt vows. Afterward, they mingled with family and friends and enjoyed signature cocktails: a lavender lemonade with gin for the bride, an old-fashioned for the groom, and a tequila cocktail based on Mariana’s dad’s recipe. Guests noshed on hors d’oeuvres with an international flair, such as yam biscuits, brie bites, Arancini (Italian rice balls), and dates wrapped in kaffir lime leaves. Then, everyone moved inside for dinner and dancing, with a deejay booth in front of Comeback Coffee’s “Stay a While” sign.
The couple exchanged heartfelt vows in the courtyard underneath an arch built by Mariana’s dad.
For their first dance, Jesse and Mariana danced to “Would That I” by Hozier, another special song from their courtship days. Then they opened up the dance floor to various music, from salsa, merengue, and bachata to pop and hip-hop.
They decided early on to have a seated meal. “We’re big food people, so we knew we wanted to sit down with our families to eat and not feel rushed,” she says. The couple treated guests to a buffet-style spread that included curry shrimp and rice, polenta with spring vegetables, basil tabbouleh, butter chicken mac and cheese, and other delicacies.
“We love trying new things, so this was a good opportunity for us to have our family experience the foods we like,” the bride tells us.
The couple spent their cocktail hour mingling with family and friends …
… then danced to Hozier’s “Would That I” for their first dance.
Jesse and Mariana opted for a seated meal to spend more time with guests.
The meal included a buffet-style spread of international-themed foods from Paradox Catering & Consulting.
For dessert, guests enjoyed a coffee bar featuring a full menu of Comeback Coffee’s fall lattes, plus a dessert bar with cookies, brownies, mini cheesecakes, and macarons from Overton Square’s 17 Berkshire bakery. The newlyweds sliced into a two-tier cake featuring decadent layers of red velvet with cream cheese filling and lemon with cream cheese and raspberry filling.
Made by 17 Berkshire, the two-tier wedding cake included layers of red velvet with cream cheese filling and lemon with cream cheese and raspberry filling.
A dessert bar featured macarons from 17 Berkshire.
With the dancing in full swing, Jesse and Mariana stole away to the courtyard for some nighttime portraits and quiet time as husband and wife. “We brought our coffee with us, so we got to have this intimate coffee date in the middle of our reception,” she says. “It was nice to just relax together and talk for a second.”
They departed to well wishes underneath a sea of sparklers, but instead of leaving immediately, they ended up “hanging out outside the coffee shop and chit-chatting with everyone for a while,” Mariana says.
“Because it was such a small wedding, we got to spend time with everyone there,” Jesse adds. “We weren’t just flitting back and forth trying to make sure we spoke to everyone.”
Guests sent the newlyweds off underneath a sea of sparklers.
The couple honeymooned in Florida, visiting a Miami resort, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival in Orlando, and Universal Studios. They recently celebrated their first anniversary with a bash in Mariana’s hometown of Southaven, MS.
Her advice for brides-to-be? Don’t cave to the pressure of trying to please everyone! “It’s okay to be a little selfish and do exactly what you want to do,” she says. Reflecting on the day, “I loved the fact that it was low stress,” she says. “We didn’t have to worry about anything. We just showed up and enjoyed ourselves.”
Thank you so much, Mariana and Jesse, for recreating this special day for us. And thanks to Kate Anthony Photography for the fabulous photos.
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RESOURCES
Venue: Comeback Coffee
Photographer: Kate Anthony Photography
Wedding planner: Ellie Durbin, The Aisle Assistant
Bride’s gown: The Barefoot Bride
Hair & Makeup: Rosario Gonzalez at Rococo Hair Studio, Southaven, MS; Beauty by Lu
Groom’s formalwear: Jos. A. Bank
Invitations, programs, and menu cards: Minted
Flowers: Everbloom Designs
Catering: Paradox Catering & Consulting
Tables, chairs, and linens: Mahaffey Event & Tent Rentals
Entertainment: Dingo Entertainment
Cake: 17 Berkshire
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