Sydney Watters Wore a Dress of Her Mother’s Design for Her Flower-Filled Wedding in Mexico City
Sydney Watters had a feeling on her first date with Nick Rohleder that he was “the One.” Back when they first crossed paths at a mutual friend’s engagement party in March 2021, they hit it off but were living in different cities at the time.
A few weeks later, Nick asked Sydney—whose mother is the founder and designer behind the bridal brand Watters—if she wanted to grab cocktails at one of her favorite spots, Lounge 31 in Highland Park Village, while he was visiting Dallas for work. They were coincidentally seated next to one of Sydney’s closest friends—and eventual bridesmaid—who eavesdropped and then gave her stamp of approval.
“It was my friend’s enthusiasm that really gave me the confidence to ask him out on a second date,” Sydney admits. “His response was to invite me to an upcoming wedding.” The two have been together ever since, first doing long distance and visiting back and forth while he was finishing school at UPenn in Philadelphia but never going longer than two weeks without seeing each other. Nick finally moved to Dallas in 2022, and the couple combined their belongings and furniture—and, most importantly, their three dogs—to settle down in a quaint neighborhood in the city.
In February 2023, Nick accompanied Sydney to a fabric show in Paris. They stayed at one of her favorite places, Hotel Costes, and Nick used the opportunity to plan the proposal of her dreams. “He even had a photographer that I have worked on numerous photoshoots with fly in to shoot the occasion,” Sydney remembers. “Nick disguised the proposal by suggesting we go to a new spot to grab cocktails one evening.” Once there, Nick asked Sydney to marry him at a quiet spot overlooking the Eiffel Tower. After sharing a private moment over cocktails, they joined their family for dinner at Costes and then met up with friends who had traveled to Paris to celebrate the occasion.
After the proposal, Sydney took the opportunity to find the perfect lace for her wedding dress at the Première Vision fabric show, a convention in New York City that showcases the top lace makers in the world and that she typically attends for work. She eventually settled on a design by Solstisse Lyon, a producer that has made fabrics for iconic wedding dresses worn by Grace Kelly, Kate Middleton, Lily Collins, and more—and, from there, the overall aesthetic was set and the wheels were in motion.
“It wasn’t even close—as soon as I saw the lace, the Watters team and I immediately got started on designing my look,” Sydney says. “I always joke that I’ve tried on more wedding gowns than anyone else in the world as I try on most samples during the design process, and I was sure to include all of the elements I had always dreamed of. Now that it was my turn to be the bride, I knew exactly what she wanted.”
The dream elements included a classic high neckline, custom beading hand done by expert artists in India, dozens of lace-covered buttons, a dramatic power shoulder, knuckle grazing sleeves for a touch of casualness, and a custom Spanish net veil to match made by long time friend and veil designer, Toni Federici. “I’ve always loved the drama of net over tulle,” Sydney shares.
For accessories, the team at Of Rare Origin created pieces for the bride’s earrings, bridesmaids’ earrings, the mother of the bride’s statement ring, the officiant’s earrings, the groom’s boutonniere and cufflinks, and the father of the bride’s boutonniere. The pieces were all from the Aviary collection, which tied into the fact that the bride’s family has always referred to themselves as the “three little birds.” Sydney incorporated green in lieu of something blue with bright Amina Muaddi heels, and then an Olympia Le-Tan spicy margarita book clutch as the finishing touch.
Sydney and Nick got married on January 20, 2024, in Mexico City at General Prim, a mansion in the heart of the city’s Colonia Juárez district. Having worked with wedding industry professionals throughout her entire career, Sydney was in a unique position when it came to selecting which vendors to entrust with her vision. Longtime friends and travel experts Renee and Pamela Strauss of Wedaways are the ones who suggested Mexico City—and, after their first trip to visit the venue, they fell in love.
The couple chose Julian Leaver Events, a Dallas-based team, to produce the wedding weekend, which kicked off with a rehearsal dinner and welcome party hosted at Casino Español. Cabo-based Pina Cate led the florals and design throughout the weekend, alongside decor expert Vicente Paniagua Coeto. In the lead-up to the wedding, Sydney and Nick visited Mexico City multiple times to help with the planning, but, upon arriving at the venue for the wedding weekend, Sydney couldn’t believe the transformation it had undergone. “The flowers and rentals brought it to life,” she says. “It was a surreal feeling.”
Switching up tradition a bit, Sydney and Nick opted not to have “sides” for the bride and groom’s family and friends. Instead, the bride wanted her family to sit opposite of her, so they could see each other’s faces during the ceremony. Maria Prince, a lifelong family friend and EVP of Watters Maria Prince, officiated the brief service. “I finally felt at ease once I made it down the aisle,” Sydney remembers, “and like Nick, Maria, and me were the only people in the room.” The bride and groom recited vows they’d written themselves and then exchanged Spinelli Kilcollin rings. As the ceremony concluded, there was a petal toss to “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer and a brief pause for that whimsical wedding “exit photo.”
Post-ceremony, the bride and groom finished up a few more portraits and family pictures. From there, they were able to enjoy a cocktail together and have dinner alone to recap the day and enjoy a quiet moment together. Next, they made their grand entrance for their first dance to “I Melt With You” by Modern English, which also happened to be the bride’s parent’s first dance song.
The father of the bride then gave a speech that brought many guests to tears, before the bride, the best man, a family member of the bride, and a longtime friend of the couple celebrated their joint birthdays on the dance floor with sparklers and cupcakes.. Afterwards, the dancing got lively, and slippers came out for all the guests. Eventually, the last song by the band marked the end of the reception and the beginning of the after-party.
Almost all the guests attended the late-night after-party in the room where the ceremony had taken place, which had been reconfigured with a DJ booth and a dance floor, then lit up with lasers and haze. There was also a food market and lounge area designed by Pina and Vicente, set up for late-night snacks such as tacos al pastor and quesadillas. For this portion of the evening, Sydney changed into a long-sleeve corseted mini—again, of her own design—with an exaggerated dome skirt beaded to the brim. “I wanted to look like a lampshade from a whimsical movie, and the dress delivered,” she notes. The final touch? Changing into a pair of Celine sneakers so that she could dance the night away.
Photo: Sarah Falugo1/72Savory starters being distributed to the bridal party at Blanco Castellar in the Polanco neighborhood. We had visited several times during the process of wedding planning and were thrilled that my maid of honor decided to host the bridal party here to kick off the wedding weekend.
Photo: Sarah Falugo2/72The rehearsal dinner took place in a building constructed in the early 20th century, the Casino Español.
Photo: Sarah Falugo3/72Casino Español is located in the historical center of Mexico City, where many buildings have grand façades, so our guests were able to see more parts of this expansive city.
Photo: Sarah Falugo4/72For the welcome event, Nicholaus wore a Zegna tuxedo. He opted for an ivory jacket to go with the James Bond theme we were trying to allude to throughout the night. I loved how he wore velvet Christian Louboutin loafers to tie in the luxe details of the night, as well as match the bows on my dress and velvet heels.
