When Ana and Nicholas Starkel first met, they were technically opponents. “We met in high school in Texas, when our schools were football rivals,” Ana explains. He was the quarterback for his team, she a cheerleader for hers. Nick would go on to play college football, while she started her wedding photography business, but they reconnected seven years later in Hawai’i and began dating.
Nick chose their favorite beach on Oahu’s North Shore to propose. “He had arranged a sunset photoshoot with a photographer friend, and I thought we were simply helping her build her portfolio,” Ana says. Instead, during the shoot, he surprised her with a sunset proposal. “All of our friends were watching from a distance, and we celebrated with a bonfire on the beach after the sun went down,” she says, adding that it was intimate, completely unexpected, and perfect.
Their wedding was held in June 2026 at Paradero Todos Santos in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Planning all the way from Hawai’i was a bit of an “adventure”, but their planner Michelle Muñoz made the experience seamless and enjoyable. “Looking back, the planning process is filled with some of our fondest memories,” Ana says.
Ana is Spanish and always knew that when she got married, it would be in a dress by a Spanish designer. “Since I was a little girl, my mom had promised me that we would go to Spain together to find my wedding dress,” she says, “so as soon as I got engaged, we began planning the trip.”
They flew from Hawai’i to Madrid in search of something classical, elegant, and timeless. “I’ve never been drawn to anything too flashy,” she says. When they arrived, she headed for Madrid-based designer Claudia Llagostera’s atelier. “She had a rack of beautiful gowns, but one immediately stood out to me. It felt right from the moment I saw it.”
She opted for minimal jewelry—her engagement ring, mother-in-law’s diamond earrings, and her mother’s gold wedding band worn on her pinky finger. There was also a special connection in what Nick wore. “His wedding band was the original band my dad wore when he married my mom,” Ana shares.
Ana followed a similar script for her beauty look. “I did my own makeup in my room while all of my bridesmaids got ready alongside me,” she says. The process was sweet and nostalgic. “It felt like we were kids again getting ready for prom. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
For the wedding party, it was important to the couple that everyone feel like themselves, so the bridesmaids and groomsmen chose their own gowns and suits in various colors. “I loved that everyone brought their own personality and style to the day while still feeling like part of the celebration,” Ana says.
Despite there being nearly 200 guests in attendance, Ana and Nick reflect on the experience as feeling incredibly intimate. “We’re very intentional about the people we surround ourselves with, and every person there was a close friend or family member,” she says.