LifestyleWedding Guide

WEDDINGS: Stylist Abraham Lozano, Makeup Artist Ivan Aguilar are Beautifully Matched

They may have been designed for each other, but their love is not just cosmetic.  

By Henry V. Thiel

Abraham Lozano and Ivan Aguilar met the modern way, via a dating website in October 2012. Lozano says he quickly realized they were compatible “because all we talked about was food and shopping, and because I couldn’t think about anything else but him.”

Both men were born in Mexico and raised in Houston. Lozano, 33, is a well-known stylist who discovered his passion for hair and skin while studying business administration in college. Following his heart, he enrolled in cosmetology school. He found happiness and a new career, and has become known for his chic and modern hair designs.

Aguilar, 29, began his career in his late teens after discovering his ability to enhance women’s beauty by doing makeup for friends. Today, he is a veritable celebrity in the Latino community—an in-demand makeup artist known for his contouring and corrective
services. His live videos with makeup tips
and trends are seen in most Latin American countries.

As a styling team, Lozano and Aguilar have worked with a multitude of celebrities, including Ms. Universe Alicia Machado, Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, and former professional wrestler Summer Rae. Together, they own Makeup by Diego, a studio in Houston’s EaDo district.

Both Lozano and Aguilar enjoy doing romantic things such as getting surprise tickets to a Pink Martini concert, followed by a dinner for two.

“But the most romantic thing ever,” Lozano says, “was when Ivan proposed to me on Christmas Eve, just three months after we met, with a beautiful diamond ring while we were sitting in his car in a parking lot.”

Lozano’s immediate answer was “yes.” Then and there, they pledged to build a life together, vowing that despite any differences, they would never let each other go.

“We didn’t just fall in love with each other,” Aguilar says. “We walked into love with each other. We chose each step along the way and are proud to show the world that ‘love is love,’ and that everyone is free to choose who you love.”

They were married by judge Fredericka Phillips in her downtown courtroom in July 2017. They spent the next five months planning an intimate wedding reception for their family and friends at Hotel Zaza. Their goal was to make sure the event reflected their personalities.

They chose the 11th-floor ballroom for its amazing views of downtown Houston, and decorated each table with centerpieces overflowing with hundreds of roses from the Mansion of the Flowers.

While the grooms dressed, guests were served champagne cocktails that had been created especially for the evening, while a live saxophonist played smooth jazz in the background.

Aguilar says an unforgettable moment came seconds before the couple entered the reception. “To calm our nerves, we chugged a few shots of straight whiskey. Instead of feeling relaxed, we both wanted to throw up,” he says.

When Lozano and Aguilar walked in, dressed in pink tuxedos, they were greeted with a standing ovation, cheers, and applause. As they walked to the dance floor, a magical cloud of dry-ice fog enveloped them as they began their first dance to Beyoncé’s “At Last.”

“It was all very emotional,” Aguilar says. “I couldn’t hold back my tears. I cried like a baby.”

Their mothers soon joined them on the dance floor for “Me Cambiaste la Vida” by Rio Roma.

Guests were served a three-course dinner featuring green pozole soup, braised short ribs accompanied by grilled asparagus and au gratin potatoes, and a four-tiered cake with layers of walnut, vanilla, coconut, and strawberry, all decorated with sugar flowers.

Between bites and sips, the guests hit the dance floor as the DJ played their favorite salsa, cumbia, and ’90s pop music. They all danced the traditional sea-snake dance, or “Vibora de la Mar.”

For the evening’s finale, the couple arranged for a 30-minute drag show featuring Latino impersonators. “Drag is part of our culture,” Aguilar says, “and our guests loved the singing, dancing, and every shake and shimmy.”

“The evening was intense,” Lozano adds, “but we were so happy at the same time because it was our night.”

The couple currently resides in a cozy EaDo townhome, and will honeymoon this month in their favorite “foodie capital,” New York City.

This article appears in the January 2018 edition of OutSmart magazine.

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Henry Thiel

Henry V. Thiel is a principal with The Epicurean Publicist, a boutique public relations company which works exclusively with chefs and restauranteurs. He loves weddings.
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