Mexico Wedding by Elizabeth Lloyd

Get ready for a virtual vacation by way of this stylish couple’s swoon-worthy seaside soiree! It’s destination perfection, and this post is like an all expenses paid trip to the destination wedding of your dreams thanks to the picture perfect images captured by Elizabeth Lloyd. They are just.that.good. Each image is filled with the most subtle yet stunning, perfect-for-Mexico details crafted by the Bride and her talented planner Mishka of Mishka Designs. And I must say, this Bride sure knows how to accessorize! From her show stopping necklace to her stunning belt to her handsome new hubby and cute as can be daughter, it’s all what destination dreams are made of! See it all here!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… When Chris and I got engaged, we sat down with a bottle of wine and asked each other what we wanted our wedding day to feel like. We decided that we wanted it to feel comfortable, stress free, low-key, casual and FUN with fantastic food. Chris wanted a more traditional wedding, and I wanted a simple city hall ceremony, so as a compromise, we decided on a destination wedding in Mexico. (Mostly because the food is so yummy down there.) During the planning process I routinely looked back at those answers to help ground me, as the “wedding machine” can easily invoke chaos. The whole design process began for me with our wedding invitations. I wanted something different that also spoke of the kind of wedding we were going to have. I became frustrated when I couldn’t find anything for sale in our budget that represented our wackiness and my sense of design, so I made them myself. Using Chris’ dad as the photographer and my friend Julian’s screen-printing skills, I came up with a fun spoof on Frieda and Diego’s famous wedding portrait. I created an illustration of a sacred heart that is so iconic of Mexican folk art and branded it all over the invitation in black and gold.

Once we decided on a location — a stunning villa called Hacienda Camino del Mar in the quaint town of Bucerias on the Puerto Vallarta side of Mexico — we booked the marvelous wedding planner Mishka of “Mishka Designs” run by her and her handy husband who builds absolutely everything for each and every wedding they do. We based the whole design around Mexican craftwork, bright colors and gold as well as a nod to Disney — we both have 3-year-old daughters and are constantly watching princess movies.

The ceremony was a simple beach wedding held under a beautiful chuppah built by Mishka’s husband that was flanked by stunning white papel picado banners. There were handmade wooden fans placed on every chair to mirror the heart illustration from our invitation design. Bubbles were blown as we exited the ceremony, which created a fun whimsical atmosphere, and my daughter liked them too. It was like a dream being on the beach at sunset with the surf crashing next to us. The reception was held on the roof of the villa. From the mishmash of design references I gave to Mishka, she created a stunning vintage/bistro/outdoor soiree. We had a buffet dinner of upscale Mexican street food that was yummy beyond belief and everyone danced their butts off. After the dancing, Mishka moved everyone downstairs to the pool where a surprise act of fire dancers was waiting. It was absolutely magical. The whole wedding was perfectly personalized to us from the bird and banner plaques my bridesmaids carried down the isle to the hand painted photo booth at the reception, and the little butterfly bouquet my daughter carried down the aisle. At every turn there was a surprise. Little did I know when I booked Mishka as our planner that Mishka and I would turn out to be design soul mates! I had several of my guests ask if I had shipped or brought all of the personal touches with me because it looked so much like what I would do myself, they were all surprised to find out that Mishka had created everything. The entire day was exactly what I had envisioned and hoped for! Chris and I are so happy and grateful to everyone who helped us create our special day — thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Wedding Photography: Elizabeth Lloyd / Wedding Venue: Hacienda Camino del Mar in Bucerias, Mexico / Wedding Design + Coordination: Mishka Designs / Catering: Andres of ByB / DJ: Los Hombres del Negro / Flamenco Guitarists: Latcho & Andrea / Officiant: Tamara Bradley de Morales of Chic Concepts / Wedding Cake: Memo of Charme / Wedding Dresses + Belt: BCBG Max Azria / Phoenix Necklace + Bridesmaids’ Earrings: Larissa Sodum, Friend of the Bride / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Winners, Mendocino + Honey