---

Photographs by Dean Sanderson

February 15

Stephanie Sack and Marcus Peverill knew pretty early on they wanted to spend their lives together. Though the couple had first met years earlier when they both attended a wedding in the bride’ s hometown of Austin, neither remembers meeting the other. Flash forward to 2014, and the pair were set up by mutual friends in Washington, DC, where Stephanie lived and Marcus was visiting from Tajikistan, where he worked for the State Department.“He was leaving to go back that Saturday,” explains Stephanie. “So a couple days later he says, ‘ I would love to take you out on Friday’ but my parents were coming into town.” Half joking, Stephanie asked Marcus if he would like to spend their second date meeting her parents. To her surprise, he agreed, and the foursome spent the night getting to know one another. The couple’ s third date was spent in Istanbul, the halfway point between DC and Tajikistan. “I got to Turkey, and we had this great whirlwind romance … [It was] like, ‘ We’ re getting married, you’ re the one. I know it.’” Just a few months later, the pair did marry in Tulum, Mexico in front of close friends and family. “I did not want one of those weddings where I had to get ready all day,” explains the bride, who spent the morning swimming in the ocean with her guests. Clad in a Mikaella Bridal dress from Blush Bridal Lounge and a custom turquoise necklace from Rustic Grace Trading Company, Stephanie walked down the aisle while three friends sang an acapella version of “Multiplied” by Needtobreathe. After a 30-minute Christian ceremony and the exchanging of vows, the party, led by a Mariachi band, moved to the stunning reception site where guests feasted on, among other things, fresh seafood, ceviche and a guacamole bar. Together with their party, Stephanie and Marcus danced the night away before walking down the beach to a private hotel room.

---