CNN’s Boris Sanchez marries Lily Hoover at Miami wedding (Exclusive)

Boris Sanchez has his own news to report.

The CNN anchor, 40, wed Lily Hoover on Sunday, January 18, at the Edition Miami Beach in Florida, surrounded by 135 loved ones, including some of Sanchez’s network pals.

Lily, 31, told PEOPLE that she and Boris have a special connection to the luxurious oceanfront venue. “We spent part of our first date at the Edition Bar in New York City and then visited the Miami store together soon after. We spent many weekends there and made memories there,” she said, adding, “It feels like a second home.”

In honor of Boris’ Cuban heritage, the couple chose a 1950s Havana theme to set the tone for their wedding decor. They emphasized tropical accents and flowers, as well as a “bold” color palette that mixed white and gold.

The bride had originally envisioned a smaller, more intimate ceremony, but Boris convinced her to reconsider. “We’ve been fortunate to gather a wide and very eclectic group of friends from all over the world,” he tells PEOPLE. “I insisted that the only time they were all in the same room was at a wedding or a funeral.”

Lily admitted that the planning process was a bit “stressful” and “overwhelming” at times, but Boris described it as “easy” and later joked that the bride “had to gently point out how much work it really takes to make it all happen”.

“I didn’t know there were so many colors. I learned all sorts of new concepts, like ‘tablescapes’ and ‘plate chargers,'” he said, before praising Lily’s efforts. “Lily is relentless in organizing and executing. She is the true MVP.”

The wedding celebrations began on Thursday, January 15th with a private room service date night for Boris and Lily. The next night, the couple gathered for dinner with just their families at Joe’s Stone Crab. On Saturday, January 17th, they hosted a brunch bridal party at Edition’s pool cabana, followed by a rehearsal dinner and welcome party at Amara in Paraiso later that evening.

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On her big day, Lily walked down the aisle in a Jenny Yu dress, which she described as “timeless and elegant” after explaining the unexpected “drama” that led her to choose the dress. She says she first ordered the dress over a year ago, but realized just two months before the wedding that it wasn’t working.

“After a moment of panic, I ran to[Anthropologie’s]BHLDN and asked to see everything that could be shipped within eight weeks. That’s when I fell in love with the Jenny Yoo dress, which I felt was even more perfect than the original,” recalls Huber, who chose another dress by the designer for her second look.

Boris, who joined CNN in 2015 and is now a co-anchor on CNN News Central, wore a custom Ralph Lauren Purple Label tuxedo, which he said was “the flashiest outfit I’ve ever owned.” He planned to change into a second tuxedo later that night and jump into the hotel pool for the last time.

Lily made her way to the altar as the Bridgerton instrumental version of Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” played. “If you know, you know,” she says of the song selection. The couple exchanged personal vows in a small notebook they bought for each other in Paris. Boris’ childhood friend Edward Sanchez presided over the ceremony in both English and Spanish.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids and we used to try to sell each other pirated video games,” Boris told PEOPLE. “He’s also very close to my family because we grew up down the road. He’s the funniest person I know.”

In a sentimental detail, the ring bearer, Mateo, the groom’s nephew, carried their wedding rings on a pillow made from a linen set handmade by Boris’s grandmother, one of the only things the family took with them when they left Cuba.

Meanwhile, Lily paid tribute to her father, who passed away several years ago, by setting up a memorial table with photos of him and other deceased loved ones. “It reminded me that he was there mentally,” she says.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom and their guests enjoyed an assorted dinner featuring two entrees: rosemary-roasted chicken breast and seared red snapper. Boris and Lily chose a three-layer vanilla wedding cake with a guava and cream cheese filling reminiscent of their favorite Cuban pastries. For dinner, Cuban sandwiches and beef and pork empanadas were served.

The bride and groom had their first dance to Cautious Clay’s “Cold War,” a song they recalled from their first date at a museum event in Washington, D.C. The reception music began with a Cuban trio that blended classic salsa, bolero, and mambo.

Looking back on the wedding weekend, Lily said it was a “dream come true”, especially with all of her and Boris’s family and friends in attendance.

She and the journalist first met on a dating app in 2022 and “immediately clicked for sushi and sake” on their first date. At the time, Lily was living in New York City, while Boris lived in Washington, D.C., so they began a long-distance relationship that included almost weekly trips back and forth. “It didn’t take long for the distance to feel unnecessary, and she moved to Washington DC in early 2023,” says Boris.

The newscaster posed the question in August 2024 while vacationing in Xpuha, Mexico, but the original proposal plan “completely fell apart”. He planned to ask Lily to marry him while enjoying a private moonlit dinner on the roof of his hotel suite overlooking the ocean, but Lily became unwell and went to bed early.

“In the end, I was up next to her until about 4am, lying sleepless with the ring next to me, waiting for the right moment. When she finally opened her eyes, I told her that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and she said ‘yes’,” Boris recalls.

Sharing what he loves most about his current wife, he told PEOPLE that Lily is “playful” and makes her laugh a lot. “We’ve developed a kind of telepathy, like a secret, unspoken language, so often it’s not words, it’s just looks,” he says of their connection. “We’re both a little reserved around strangers, but when we’re together I feel like I can be completely myself. Even when I’m under any kind of stress, everything feels lighter when I’m around her.”

Lily describes Boris as her “best friend” and praises him for being “smart, driven and passionate” and inspiring her to be the “best version” of herself. “We love everything we do together, from going on great vacations to watching the (Miami) Dolphins on the couch cuddling our dog Harley,” she told PEOPLE, adding, “I love how we love each other.”

Now that they are married, they are looking forward to their next chapter together as a couple.

“Marriage is the most important step in building our family. We are now intertwining our common passions, values ​​and ambitions to build something bigger. A bond of complete trust, which not only makes us stronger as individuals, but becomes the core of our family.”

Additional credits:

Florist: Event Bliss
Videographer: Cody Paul Films
DJ: DJ Gary (Grangertainment)
Ring: David Yuman