Sayulita Garden Wedding by Jillian Mitchell Photography

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March 17, 2011

We are having a Mexico Wedding kind of day. It must be the grip of Spring fever that has us New Englanders dreaming of sandy beaches and cocktails in the warm sun. Or maybe it's just that this dreamy garden wedding meets Mexico is out of this world GORGEOUS. Photographed by the lovely Jillian Mitchell with design and styling courtesy of Mishka Designs, this is a full on destination wedding extravaganza and you all are invited. See more of the day here.

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Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride... It was 4 years ago Thanksgiving that Kent and I met in Sayulita, Mexico. My best friend, Rachael, from growing up married Kent’s god brother. I had never heard of Sayulita before in my life and was excited to escape NYC over the holidays for a week of sun and fun with old friends. Little did I know that week would change my life so dramatically and wonderfully. Over the next few days we spent all our free time together swimming in the ocean, strolling on the beach, enjoying the local scene. Four years later we are headed back to the beautiful place where we first met. I couldn't think of a better place to fall in love.

Since picking the spot for the wedding was sorted the day we met, now it was time for me to work out how we were going to do it. Luckily Rachael put me in touch with the wedding planner she used four years prior for her nuptials – Kerry Moehler. Kerry was a pleasure to work with and helped us choose the perfect venue for the big day – Don Pedro’s Palapa at the south end of town. We looked at a few places, but knew the Palapa was right for us since it sits atop this hill overlooking the ocean with panoramic views of the coast and town. Next was trying to decide on a design for the space. Kerry had just finished doing a wedding at the Palapa and had worked with Mishka Designs to turn the space into something so amazing. I scoured all the pictures – which were featured in Travel and Leisure magazine a few months ago – and was blown away. I knew right then I had to get Mishka on board in order to create the perfect setting for our big day.

And then the heavy internet searching day in and day out began. I would scour wedding websites, blogs and other favorite lifestyle blogs to find pictures of event space design, flowers and other ideas that stood out to me. It came to be that the pictures I sent all had a similar theme that Mishka eventually coined as Vintage Garden Chic. Perfection! I love the feel of a cozy backyard party with lots of candles, white lights, old benches, comfy pillows, a space that feels familiar and comfortable with a shabby chic spin to it. Or as Mishka told me in an email – “I'm totally seeing spring and garden and light and airy and romantic.” The one thing I told Mishka we must have as part of the design were mason jars to put candles in. I bought a ton of blue vintage mason jars on EBAY and brought them down with me to Sayulita. Mishka really surprised me with her design for the dance floor – hand painted mason jars hanging from the Palapa ceiling with Candles inside. It was truly magical and super special!

I had told Mishka and Kerry that we wanted to create a loungey feel outside of the Palapa where guests could go to enjoy the views, chat and relax. Mishka went above and beyond and came up with her awesome photo booth set up and then Jillian, our amazing photographer, leveraged Mishka’s set-up to get some of the most awesomely funny photo booth shots of the night.

Choosing my wedding dress proved to be an easy task. I ended up buying the first dress I tried on here in Portland. It was everything I had ever wanted in a wedding gown – delicate, elegant and feminine. Monique Lhuillier really knows how to make a wedding dress and after a few alterations, my lace Miranda gown fit like a glove. I paired it with a champagne satin sash and petal pink Badgely Mishka heels. I thought the lace would work really well in Mexico.

Wedding Photographer: Jillian Mitchell Photography / Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier / Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Groom and Groomsmen Attire: Tommy Bahama / Bridesmaids Attire: J.Crew / Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Location: La Terrazola Restaurant, Sayulita, Mexico / Wedding Ceremony Location: Brisa del Mar Palapa, Sayulita, Mexico / Event Design: Mishka Designs / Wedding Coordinator: Kerry Moehler / Hair and Makeup: Kolor by Kori

Vendors

Event Planning: Kori Walker | Vendor: Badgley Mischka | Vendor: J.Crew | Venues: Tommy Bahama