An Idyllic Mallorca Wedding and an Electric Dance Party

When physician Katlyn agreed to see an art installation that her engineer boyfriend Raj built for Burning Man in August 2018, she didn’t anticipate it would end with a proposal. But, after three years of dating, Raj paid a stealth, special tribute to their love story with a light show. “It was a weird, romantic data visualization,” Katlyn recalls. “The installation lit up with a matrix of LEDs, where each [light] represented a day we had spent together, and each color represented what we had done that day. He proposed right after the show ended.” 

It was that same mix of romantic and artful that the couple wanted to implement in their October 16, 2021 wedding. “During the day, we wanted simple and elegant décor that let the architecture of the venue stand out,” the bride shares. “At night, we wanted to transform the place into a circus-like atmosphere, with whimsical light displays and psychedelic projection mappings.” 

As luck would have it, La Fortaleza in Puerto de Pollença, Mallorca would provide the perfect backdrop for their day-to-night soiree. “[It has] six unique areas that blend into each other at different elevations,” Katlyn shares. “As we walked the grounds, we got excited about how our wedding day could progress. Surprises could unfold at every corner!” 

Though La Fortaleza provided the architectural accolades they were looking for—and a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean, no less—planning a destination wedding from afar is an admittedly tall order. To help, the couple enlisted Judith Jurado Colome of Mille Papillons to spearhead the planning process. “Judith was extremely organized, and Raj enjoyed thinking through all the details,” Katlyn shares. “Our visions aligned and it was amazing to see how everything came together.”

Artful by day, and electric by night, Katlyn and Raj’s special day was everything the couple had envisioned. Read on for an intimate look at their day, planned by Mille Papillons and photographed by Pablo Laguia.

“We were stunned by the beauty of La Fortaleza,” the couple says of their wedding venue. “We loved the stone arches that, despite their grandeur, felt lightweight in how they beautifully framed the mountains and Mediterranean. The venue had a sense of quiet humility to it.”

The groom looked dapper in a black Tom Ford tuxedo as well as a few sentimental accessories. “[I wore] a new watch that my brother had just bought me as a wedding gift,” Raj says. “I was also wearing special buttons that to me resembled the ocean, but they were subtle.” A spritz of Jo Malone’s Wood Sage and Sea Salt as well as a pair of Margiela sunglasses, which he loves to wear on autumn days, and Raj was wedding-ready.

Meanwhile, the bride stunned in a fitted gown from Stephen Yearick, complete with a high neckline and beaded details. “I felt ridiculous in most dresses and didn’t see myself wearing a traditional wedding dress,” Katlyn shares. “But this gown was special; I loved the high neck and the way the crystals shimmered in the light.” 

She paired the look with “natural” hair and makeup by Rebecca Spendlove. “I wore a pair of diamond earrings gifted from my husband’s parents and a pair of shoes my mother gave me,” Katlyn adds.

Before she walked down the aisle, Katlyn snuggled up with her two nieces, who happily played the roles of flower girl and ring bearer. Without intentionally coordinating their outfits, they both sported silver tulle dresses with pink accents. 

To highlight the beauty of the venue’s architecture, the couple employed transparent Louis XIV chairs and a mirrored aisle that reflected the stone. Meanwhile, florist Francis Garcia supported the terracotta and white petals with hidden columns and transparent stands—creating the illusion of floating blooms. 

“I had imagined this in my mind for over two years and it had sort of stayed there, stagnant in dreams throughout the pandemic,” Raj shares. “To see it come to fruition gave me immense joy; a true beginning of something new.”

The bride and her father walked down the aisle to Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy.” “Walking out on the aisle felt like drifting through a cloud,” Katlyn recalls. “It was so serene.” 

The couple gave their ceremony a sentimental spin with personalized vows. “We each described where we were and how we felt during key moments in our relationship; Raj recounted one that took place next to a pile of trash at sunrise,” Katlyn laughs. “We didn’t share them with each other beforehand, [so] it was special to hear them for the first time during the ceremony.”

Once they swapped vows and a matrimonial kiss, the newlyweds walked down the aisle to “Simply the Best” by Tina Turner.

During the cocktail portion, guests enjoyed potatoes served on a shovel and “truffled” soil. If partygoers were thirsty, they could sip on a truffled negroni or cardamon margarita, courtesy of Brass Club.

To set “a relaxed mood,” the couple hired a local singer, percussionist, and pianist to perform a handful of covers. “The cocktail hour took place on a green expanse uncovered by walking through a little tunnel that connected it to the ceremony area,” Katlyn shares. “The vibes [there] were easy and fun!” 

According to the couple, the cocktail portion was actually two hours long, giving them plenty of opportunity to snap some portraits.

When it came to selecting a photographer, Pablo Laguia was the obvious choice because his portfolio “expertly captured character and moment.”

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but A&Y Videography provided extra context with footage from the day’s biggest and smallest moments. “We [loved] how they captured the ‘feel’ of an event through an edited five-minute video, as opposed to hours of footage,” Katlyn adds. 

For the dinner portion of the wedding, Katlyn and Raj wanted a “convivial, warm setup.” To help make that vision a reality, the couple sprinkled intimate, candlelit seating arrangements throughout their venue, offering the perfect place to get some alone time or take in the sweeping views.

Dinner had a soft-yet-modern ambiance, thanks to an assortment of wispy flowers, ample candlelight, and a translucent seating chart. Warm, slightly autumnal colors like terracotta, peach, and cream added a romantic touch to the fall evening. “We wanted to lift the venue romantically, but not overwhelm it,” the bride explains. 

Speaking of those chilly autumnal nights, guests could stay warm by snuggling up with a complimentary blanket.

After the couple grabbed a sneak peek of their seating area, the entire party enjoyed a delicious dinner by Jardín Catering. According to the couple, the cherry gazpacho with fennel was an instant crowd-pleaser.

Once supper was served, the couple wanted to “turn things upside down” with a full-blown dance party. Guests moved to another area of the venue, which boasted a mezcal bar, florals dangling from the ceiling, and a photo booth area that featured their pug, Boba. “​​We made a large LED sign of her pug face,” Katlyn adds.  “She couldn’t make it to the wedding so we thought it would be nice to have her here, in spirit, this way.”

There was no shortage of excellent music during the celebration’s party portion. “We had an unconventional first dance to the Travelers’ remix of ‘All Night Long’ by Lionel Richie,” the couple shares. “The intro started with Katlyn dancing with her father, followed by a choregraphed house dance with Raj. During the final chorus, our friends joined us for a sort of flash mob dance sequence. The wheels were falling off by then, but it was a great way to start the party.”

Later, three DJs—including the groom—took the stage with their own set lists. “[It] gave me an opportunity to push the energy I was feeling into the party,” Raj shares. “I loved watching not only friends but also my parents and relatives getting into everything!”

With a day full of their favorite things, Raj and Katlyn’s wedding had the perfect mix of traditional and unconventional elements. Their secret? Prioritizing their shared needs and vision. Or, as the couple puts, “Have fun.”