Mexico Weddings

If I could snap my fingers and be anywhere in the world right now, it would have to be sitting front and center at this gorgeous fête on the beaches of Playa del Carmen. Amber Events knows how to whip up an insanely good looking beach party and this wedding is a prime example. Beautiful details at every turn, flowers by Canteiro that can render a wedding blogger darn right speechless (well almost) and images by Elizabeth Medina Photography that will have you spending the rest of the day in the full gallery.

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From Amber Events… Mark, a tech entrepreneur, and Jessica, creator of the popular silhouPETte, a line of custom jewelry featuring dog and cat silhouettes, wanted the best of an intimate destination wedding with their nearest and dearest, as well as a swanky party with all of the people that they loved — so they decided to have both! They brought me on as their planner for both events five months before their destination wedding in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and their reception in Los Angeles, and we created two separate but stunning events within three days of each other.

For their Mexico wedding, they brought just 30 friends and family to the contemporary Rosewood Mayakoba over President’s Day weekend and hosted a four-day vacation complete with karaoke nights and soccer games on the beach, an adventure day at Xplor and a formal dinner at Cenacolo in Playa del Carmen. The wedding ceremony was held on the boat dock at the Rosewood Mayakoba and Jessica, wearing a Rivini dress, made her entrance with her maids on a boat. Their good friend Joe officiated their ceremony. The guests were surprised with a mariachi group playing for the recessional and the cocktail hour on the beach. For the reception, guests left their shoes at the shoe valet and proceeded down the fire-lit path to the reception. Their seating assignments were attached to vintage sea glass bottles on a table set with family photos. They dined on Mayan cuisine at rustic wooden tables with bistro lights strung overhead.

Wedding Photography: Elizabeth Medina Photography / Wedding Venue: Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico / Wedding Planning + Design: Amber Events / Floral Design: Canteiro / Wedding Cinematography: Loyd Calomay Films / Wedding Stationery + Calligraphy: Copper Willow Paper Studio / Adventure Day: Xplor / Formal Dinner: Cenacolo / Transportation, Lighting + Rentals: Mayan Hospitality Services / Ceremony Music: Arpason / DJ: Doremixx Audio Visual & Professional DJ’s / Wedding Dress: Rivini / Bride’s Shoes: Ralph Lauren + Prada / Bride’s Earrings: Antiques via Neil Lane / Bride’s Ring: A Family Heirloom / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent / Bridesmaids’ Cuff Bracelets: Etsy / Charm Necklaces for Maids of Honor: silhouPETte / Groom’s Attire: John Varvatos / Groomsmen’s Attire: John Varvatos / Groomsmen’s Ties: Handmade by the Bride’s Mother, Yori

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

These lovely Playa del Carmen nuptials by Megan Thompson Photography have all of the right ingredients for a destination wedding done oh so right.  Bright pops of color, a breathtaking beachside ceremony and, most importantly, a bride and groom having the time of their lives.  Add to that equation some crazy awesome DIY projects, including a ceremony arch like no other, and you’ve got yourself a pretty incredible day.  I only wish I could have gone, too.  All planned by Erica Bressan of Weddings in Playa, it’s one gorgeous detail after another.  See it all here!

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From the Bride… Travis and I met on a hot spring day on the week we graduated from college. He walked into the restaurant that I had been working at and applied for a serving job. After sharing stories and discussing our histories, we realized that we had spent four years socializing in similar circles and going to the same parties. Our relationship moved fast but marriage came slowly. We never felt in a hurry to get married. We were together for more than seven years before getting engaged. We had carried each other through some tough times: Travis lost his grandma, I lost my father, and we lost our doggie. We also celebrated the good: we moved to a new city, bought a new house together, and started our careers.

When I started planning our wedding, I labored over coming up with an overall theme that represented our past, present, and future. Decisions are not my strong point and I couldn’t think of just one thing that would encompass our relationship. It took months of pouring over the pages of Style Me Pretty before I figured out that we didn’t have to create a theme based on our favorite objects or hobbies and our theme could simply be “us.” We created a “B & T” logo and Travis designed our own Mexican skulls (Calaveras). In order to accomplish a wedding that was about “us,” we knew we had to tie-the-knot on neutral ground. We had just traveled to Playa del Carmen, Mexico to see one of my best friends get married and we both fell in love with the city. My aunt was getting married there over the summer and I knew it would be the perfect trip to plan. Planning a wedding in Mexico was refreshing. My wedding planner Erica Bressan was quick to teach me the rules- drink, eat, and then, dance in the water. I met with Erica six months before the wedding. In one trip, we picked a venue and we discussed our vision for the wedding. I was on a budget but we didn’t want to sacrifice the food, drink, or location.

We did our best to finish all of the decorations before we traveled to Mexico. We planned the décor based on how the items would pack. We brought the paper flowers, table numbers, programs, banners, and LOTS of ribbons. We split up the items and enlisted our family members to pack a share of wedding décor so we wouldn’t have to pay a big luggage fee. We arrived to Playa five days before the wedding. On the first day, Erica took us to a Wal-Mart, Office Depot, and paint store. We were able to get everything we needed to make the alter. We bought vases at Wal-Mart and used loose-stemmed flowers for the tables. We purchased mini tequila bottles for the favors, which were a big hit. To save money, we skipped hiring a DJ (luckily the venue had wireless internet so my “DJ” friends were still able to play requests). We chose a somewhat isolated venue that allowed us to get married on the beach without charging us extra to close it down. Erica bartered to get deals on various items- like the wine and flowers.

Thanks to our friends and family, we had the perfect weekend- I wish I could do it all over again, again, and again!

Wedding Photography: Megan Thompson Photography / Wedding Planning: Erica Bressan at Weddings in Playa / Wedding Invitations: Paper Boat Studios / Guestbook: All Along Press / Rubber Stamps, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Programs: Artful Illusions / Save-the-dates + Tote Bags: The Curtain Factory / Venue: Blucacao Beach Club / Rings: Adam Foster Jewelry / Condo Rentals: Maya Villa Condos

Well … now we’re moving on to the day after Kevin and Jennifer’s very romantic beach wedding at Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Mind you, it’s January … gotta’ LOVE Mexican winters!

If you’re just joining us, and you haven’t seen their actual wedding day … you have to take a look … start {here}, then {here} and then {here}. The awesome location, naturally saturated colors, the elegance and intensity of Angela’s photos … well, you just need to see it all!

Jennifer and Kevin’s closest friends and family … along with the amazing Angela Talley … joined them for their destination wedding. And when the next day dawned, the newlyweds were ready to crank it up a notch!

The perfect time for a photo shoot! What’s a little sand on your dress …

You gotta’ admit … it does look SO fun!

Pretty darned sexy …

Congratulations Kevin & Jennifer! SUCH a beautiful wedding!

And Angela … oh my gosh! As always, your photos have blown us away. Thanks SO much for sharing today’s wedding with us.

Angela Talley is based out of Indianapolis, but spends much of her time in Nashville … and will travel pretty much anywhere your little heart desires! She specializes in Wedding and Lifestyle Photography, Music Industry Portraits, Family & Child Portraits, as well as Editorial Photography. Angela’s website is filled with gorgeous examples of her work. If you want to see another of her weddings that was a little closer to home, and filled with hundreds of twinkling votives, check out her blog for Megan & Ryan’s Indianapolis wedding! And for all you Indiana Pacer’s fans … scroll down a little further and take a look at some of Dionna and Danny Granger’s wedding photos on her blog!

PS… Those gorgeous little girls in Jen & Kevin’s wedding are Angela’s! And her husband, Chris was second-shooter for this wedding. Must have been a fun wedding for her to shoot.

No feature about Little Black Book photographer Angela Talley would be complete without a few of her especially luminous photographs of the little ones …

Jennifer and Kevin’s wedding at Playa Del Carmen in JANUARY was just an amazing day all-around.

But the fun had just begun …

Jennifer and Kevin were married at Playa Del Carmen in January. What a fabulous place for a winter wedding!

Angela has this instinctive sense of romance, spirit and finesse … all rolled up into one incredible photographer!

More of Jen and Kevin’s wedding to come …

Imagine you are standing next to the love of your life with your nearest and dearest just a stone’s throw away.  Imagine you are standing on a tropical beach, ready to burst with anticipation because you are about to marry him. The sky is threatening rain, but for some glorious reason, you could care less …

That’s where the story begins …

Angela Talley, one of Style Me Pretty’s sensational Little Black Book photographers captured Jennifer and Kevin’s wedding day with her distinctive style and unrivaled quality. We have tons of the most incredible images from the day coming right up … so stay tuned!