We might have the best jobs ever here at Style Me Pretty. Who else gets to be a part of some of the most heartwarming, magical, beautiful moments in people’s lives every single day? I love sharing gorgeous photographs but there is just something so special about getting to experience a wedding day through film. We not only get to see all the romantic details of this Riviera Maya wedding from Percy Sales Events but San Jose Filmmakers captured every sweet, heart-string-tugging moment as well for our viewing pleasure!
From Percy Sales Events… This wedding was a great adventure. As soon as Racquel got engaged, she immediately called me at Percy Sales Events, and said, “I want a destination wedding, and I want you to plan it!” Destination wedding are so fun, and it takes a lot of thought to make sure that the location fits the needs of the couple and also stays within their budget. After talking about different locations — Europe, Philippines, the Caribbean and Hawaii — Racquel and Lynn honed in on the ever-tropical Riviera Maya, Mexico.
Their wedding reflected who they are as a couple, and the articulate, beautiful newswoman and the budding chef made their wedding unique and enjoyable for all. Their ceremony took place at St. Francis of Assisi Chapel at Xcaret, which overlooks the Caribbean Ocean. It integrated Racquel’s Filipino heritage while infusing Lynn’s Puerto Rican and Chinese background. Their reception took place at La Isla at Xcaret, an underground open air cave, a unique location that really played into regions Mayan roots. Racquel and Lynn offered their guests a top-notch culinary meal that they crafted with the chef at Xcaret. They surprised their guests with a Mayan stage show, a perfect touch during dinner. They danced and they celebrated until midnight in the tropical weather of the Riviera Maya. Guests walked away with blown glass hearts picked from a wrought iron tree that read, “Take A Piece of Our Hearts – Racquel + Lynn 09.27.11.”
The day after the celebration, Racquel and Lynn did a trash the dress session with San Jose Filmmakers and San Jose Photography at some local cenotes in Riviera Maya, Mexico. They swam in their wedding attire in some of the region’s most beautiful rain forests and in ancient wells that made for beautiful. This video captures a glimpse to their beautiful day.
Wedding Cinematography: San Jose Filmmakers / Ceremony: St. Francis of Assisi Chapel at Xcaret in Riviera Maya, Cancun, Mexico / Reception: La Isla at Xcaret in Riviera Maya, Cancun, Mexico / Wedding Photography: San Jose Photography / Wedding Design + Planning: Percy Sales of Percy Sales Events / Floral Design, Centerpieces + Rentals: Planner 1 Events / Local Coordination: Graciela Carmona Rivera + Gabriela Rodarte Medrano / Wedding Cake: Dolcet Cakes / Wedding Invitations: Jocelyn the Paper Stylist / Accommodations: Occidental Grand Xcaret / Wedding Dress: Studio 1 (Bought During a Brides Against Breast Cancer Event in Syracuse, New York) / Hair + Makeup: The Spa at Occidental Grand Xcaret
I don’t think there is a single image from this entire Mexico wedding by Christina Szczupak Photography that isn’t completely and utterly stunning. Of course, I imagine that when you have a couple as breathtakingly gorgeous as these two it’s pretty impossible to get a bad shot. Plus their simple and sweet wedding is so perfectly suited for the stunning Playa del Carmen setting. See it all in the full gallery!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From Christina of Christina Szczupak Photography… Erica and Syed wed in the beautiful location of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. They did a fantastic job of creating a simple and casual, yet beautiful wedding for all of their friends and family who flew in from Michigan. They added a lot of personal, non-traditional touches, which made their blend of cultures seamless.
From the Bride… We didn’t have a wedding party, so we had the girls hand me each a flower once I walked down the aisle. My mom tied a ribbon around all the flowers last to make up my bouquet. Syed always wears a Detroit hat and wanted to at the wedding, but instead we had all of his friends surprise him by putting on their hats as he walked down the aisle. We then had a reading be one of our favorite books, Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. We didn’t want to do any formal parent dances or a couples dance, so instead we started the wedding with professional dancers to get everyone in the mood. We had guests from a variety of different backgrounds, so we focused on providing a variety of fun activities, such as a photo booth, cigar roller, music videos projected above the dance floor and professional dancers, that could appeal to everyone.
Wedding Photography: Christina Szczupak Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Kool Beach Club in Playa del Carmen, Mexico / Wedding Planning: Erica Bressen of Weddings in Playa / Wedding Dress: Robert Bullock / Bride’s Shoes + Clutch Purse: Nine West / Hair: Doranna de Bortoli / Groom’s Suit: Apartment Number 9
I have to say, this is not helping my thirst for a tropical vacation. A little sun and relaxation south of the boarder would be complete heaven for this blogger. But the next best thing would have to be delving into the images of a seaside Los Barilles wedding shot by Rebecca Gosselin Photography. Bright, tropical flower-infused festivities that are sure to have you checking kayak lickity split for a ticket to paradise. See it all here.
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… My husband and I fell in love traveling to Mexico, so it was only fitting that we get married there. Non-traditionalists, we originally planned to have a small ceremony on the beach with just our parents and us. We quickly realized that we could not celebrate such a meaningful time without our best friends and close family members. With a strict budget of $10,000, we were able to put together a truly magical day that extended into a week-long celebration with all of our closest loved ones. For DIY inspiration, I frequented Style Me Pretty to get ideas for a rustic, bohemian, beach wedding blend. I knew succulents were a must and loved the combination of green cymbidium orchids and wood boxes. I bought yards of burlap to cut into squares for under the centerpieces and super glued burlap ribbon to make napkin rings. I also used the ribbon to tie around mason jars with candles inside (my in-laws, who drove instead of flying, were able to transport most of the materials). The favors were handmade natural soaps that were ordered from Desert Soaps, where they make incredible natural products using ingredients all grown from their nine-acre ranch in southern Baja.
Planning a destination wedding without a wedding planner required lots and lots of e-mails regarding travel and lodging arrangements for guests as well as communication with local vendors. After months of planning, at some point before we arrived in Los Barilles, I realized I had to let everything go and trust that it was all going to work out. The day of the wedding I had my small army of ladies running around setting up tables, decorations and making sure all the details were put in place, which was such a great help and allowed me to completely enjoy the day. As we were rushing to get the ceremony started before the sunset, we realized that there was no ceremony music because the mariachi band was running late. Just as we were about to walk down the aisle to a random selection from the DJ, the mariachi band walked in the hotel and began playing. It was perfect timing and such a fun entrance that set the tone for the rest of the evening!
My dream has always been to have incredible sunset pictures from my wedding, but because we were getting married on the Sea of Cortez, our only option was a sunrise photo shoot. When I mentioned this to the dedicated and professional photographers of Rebbeca Gosselin Photography, they were completely game. They did a fabulous job capturing every lovely moment including the sunRISE photo shoot at 5 a.m. the morning after the wedding!
Wedding Photography: Rebecca Gosselin Photography / Wedding Venue: Hotel Palmas de Cortez in Los Barriles, Mexico / Floral Design: Cabo Flowers / Event Design: The Bride + Her Friends & Family / Event Planning: The Bride / Music: Mariachi Baja Sur / Favors: Desert Soaps / Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero / Shoes: Marc Fisher / Hair + Makeup: Sandy of Salon de Cortez at Hotel Palmas de Cortez
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