Chelsea Love Story: How the Ballroom Dancer Wooed the Businessman

Ernesto Palma (left) and Mark Rosati picked their wedding date, January 15, because it was exactly one year from the day they met.

"I knew the moment I saw Ernesto that I was in deep trouble," Mark says. "I had just moved back to New York from Chicago and I was recently single and not really looking for anything serious. Within five minutes of conversation with Ernesto, I felt that I had known him for years and would know him for years; in what capacity, I don't know. But I knew that he was the type of guy I could spend the rest of my life with: handsome, funny, smart, witty, a smart ass -- oh, and that ass! I've since grown to love him more than words. He's my everything."

Mark Joseph Rosati, 40, has worked as a general manager in the hospitality industry for the past 12 years. He is a New York native and attended St. Leo University. His mother, Catherine O'Connor, is from Limerick, Ireland, and his father, Bob Rosati, is a retired NYPD officer, born and raised in Brooklyn.

Ernesto Alonso Palma Camacho, 33, is a ballroom dance and Pilates instructor, choreographer, and runway coach. He is the winner of the 2014 World Same-Sex Ballroom Latin Dance Championship and is currently working on a documentary about competing, titled Hot to Trot. He grew up in Costa Rica and graduated from Liceo Roberto Brenes Mesen. He is the son of Iris Camacho, a schoolteacher, and Gerardo Palma, a retired accountant, who both reside in Costa Rica.

Mark and Ernesto currently live in Chelsea. They were married at the New York County courthouse in Manhattan. The civil ceremony was followed by a private reception with friends and family.

"The county clerk office was sort of a weird experience for me," Mark shares. "It was happening so fast. There were cameras from the [documentary], friends -- everything was a bit chaotic. Our [ticket] number called was, of course, 69. How appropriate."

"It made everyone present laugh a lot and they started to make jokes about it!" Ernesto says. "Plus, it looked like the perfect ticket when it came to the numerology: ticket C690, time of arrival 12:12, date 1/15/15."

"We hurried through the ceremony, all the while laughing and just having fun, and I had this moment after we said 'I do' that I just thought, wow, I love this guy so much," Mark says. "He's my best friend, lover, partner in crime, and now, my husband."

"I plan to spend the rest of my life making him fall in love with me every day," he adds. "Whew, I have my work cut out for me."

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