Alejandro Gomez Monteverde is blessed with a director's eye (his first feature film, Bella, just wrapped), so it's no surprise that when he married his leading lady, Ali Landry (of TV's Eve), the event had a certain cinematic flair. Besides salsa, merengue and folk dancing, the April 8 wedding included a carriage procession with 140 tequila-sipping guests, mariachi band, life-size puppets-even a burro. "San Miguel de Allende has a celebration for everything," Landry, 33, says of the quaint colonial town where she and Monteverde tied the knot. "I wanted to incorporate as many traditions as I could."
That festive spirit ran throughout the courtship of the couple, who met in a theology class two years ago. In May 2005, when Monteverde, 29, proposed to Landry while they were visiting his native Mexico, he wore a mariachi costume and presented her with a ring that featured a 2-carat round-cut diamond.
For the reception, at a private estate near the Roman Catholic church in which the ceremony was held, local caterer Don Pastel prepared chile en nogada and grilled steak and shrimp. After dinner and dancing, the Brazilian bongo players drew the newlyweds and their guests outdoors for fireworks and chocolate cake. Says Monteverde of the celebration, which lasted until 4:30 A.M., "There was never a quiet moment."