Playa Del Carmen Wedding from Elizabeth Medina Photography
This is why I love, love, love SMP Destination. On any given day, we can be celebrating side by side with a darling duo upon a mountaintop, soaking in a breathtaking European locale or, like today, smiling happily with two sweeties as they say "I do" in paradise. Two sweeties, actually, who whisked away their family and friends to the Grand Velas Resort for a weekend of fun in the sun and happily ever after. It's vibrant hues meets stunning ocean views meets an entire gallery of lovely captured by Elizabeth Medina Photography. Join me there for all of the pretty.
From the bride... My husband Neal and I were destined for a destination wedding. Neal is a pilot for United Airlines and flies a small plane for fun on the weekends. One of our favorite things to do together is to take spontaneous weekend trips to the beach. In fact, that’s how we actually met. Neal was flying a group of my friends on a six seat Bonanza airplane from the East Hampton to Rhode Island for the day. I joined the group at the last minute, never suspecting that I would meet my husband on the spontaneous trip. Neal and I had been dating a year when we took another last minute trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico to escape the East Coast winter. We stayed Grand Velas Resort and fell in love with the location. As we laid by the beautiful pool overlooking the ocean I said to Neal “ We need to figure out a way to get all of our family and friends here to enjoy this amazing place with us”. Little did I know he was proposing to me two months later and our wedding planning began.
The Grand Velas was the natural choice for our wedding. Late January was the perfect time for our family and friends to escape the Midwest and East Coast winter. 150 guests hoped on planes from New York, Michigan, Chicago, California and even Australia to celebrate our wedding at the beautiful beach resort. We were inspired by the spectacular surroundings of the beach location. We decided to keep the wedding simple and elegant to compliment the scenery. The wedding colors, fuchsia, purple/blue and sunny yellow, were inspired by the resort’s pink bougainvillea, blue ocean view and sunshine overhead. The ceremony was held on the beach which we kept simple with rustic chairs, grass mats and a white hoopa framed with fuchsia flowers. The bridesmaids wore fuchsia dresses by Amsale. The groom and groomsman wore Hugo Boss navy suits and fuchsia ties. My dress by Reem Acra was the first dress I tried on. It was it was light and airy, perfect for the beach ceremony but also beautifully elaborate with intricate beading up close.
Neal and I are very close to our niece and nephews and it was important that everything aspect our wedding to be child-friendly. Our nephews Jack and Max, 2 and 3 years old, wore navy blazers, striped bow ties and white Converse shoes. Alexa, the flower girl, 5-years-old wore a little white dress and a flower wreath in her hair. We included little gifts at for all the children at their table place setting with stickers and color books. The reception was held along the pool at the Grand Velas. Maria Elena Glacia, our planner did a beautiful job perfecting every detail. Square tables, all white lines and chairs were the perfect setting for the bright monochromatic flower arrangements in blue/purple, pink and yellow.
Greenwich Letter Press designed our invitations with a beautiful Mexican tile print. We incorporated this motif into the table numbers hand-painted by LuckiiArts and menus by Laura Hooper calligraphy, who we found on Etsy. The Mexican tiles were used on many other wedding details including chocolate tiles on the cake! White paper lanterns framed the palm trees and floated in the pool. The full moon and cloudless sky was the perfect last touch for magical night. Elizabeth Media, our photographer captured the simple elegance and most importantly the happiness of our wedding with absolute perfection.
Photography: Elizabeth Medina Photography | Ceremony + Reception Location: Grand Velas Resort, Riviera Maya | Event Planning: Maria Elena Galicia of Playa Wedding | Floral Design: Roberto Galan, Agromexpress | Cinematography: PlayaWeddings | Invitations: Greenwich Letterpress | Table Numbers: LuckiiArts | Menus: Laura Hooper Caligraphy | Hair + Makeup: Styling Trio Riviera Maya | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bride's Dress: Reem Acra | Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale | Groom + Groomsman Suits: Hugo Boss
The Grand Velas was the natural choice for our wedding. Late January was the perfect time for our family and friends to escape the Midwest and East Coast winter. 150 guests hoped on planes from New York, Michigan, Chicago, California and even Australia to celebrate our wedding at the beautiful beach resort. We were inspired by the spectacular surroundings of the beach location. We decided to keep the wedding simple and elegant to compliment the scenery. The wedding colors, fuchsia, purple/blue and sunny yellow, were inspired by the resort’s pink bougainvillea, blue ocean view and sunshine overhead. The ceremony was held on the beach which we kept simple with rustic chairs, grass mats and a white hoopa framed with fuchsia flowers. The bridesmaids wore fuchsia dresses by Amsale. The groom and groomsman wore Hugo Boss navy suits and fuchsia ties. My dress by Reem Acra was the first dress I tried on. It was it was light and airy, perfect for the beach ceremony but also beautifully elaborate with intricate beading up close.
Neal and I are very close to our niece and nephews and it was important that everything aspect our wedding to be child-friendly. Our nephews Jack and Max, 2 and 3 years old, wore navy blazers, striped bow ties and white Converse shoes. Alexa, the flower girl, 5-years-old wore a little white dress and a flower wreath in her hair. We included little gifts at for all the children at their table place setting with stickers and color books. The reception was held along the pool at the Grand Velas. Maria Elena Glacia, our planner did a beautiful job perfecting every detail. Square tables, all white lines and chairs were the perfect setting for the bright monochromatic flower arrangements in blue/purple, pink and yellow.
Greenwich Letter Press designed our invitations with a beautiful Mexican tile print. We incorporated this motif into the table numbers hand-painted by LuckiiArts and menus by Laura Hooper calligraphy, who we found on Etsy. The Mexican tiles were used on many other wedding details including chocolate tiles on the cake! White paper lanterns framed the palm trees and floated in the pool. The full moon and cloudless sky was the perfect last touch for magical night. Elizabeth Media, our photographer captured the simple elegance and most importantly the happiness of our wedding with absolute perfection.
Photography: Elizabeth Medina Photography | Ceremony + Reception Location: Grand Velas Resort, Riviera Maya | Event Planning: Maria Elena Galicia of Playa Wedding | Floral Design: Roberto Galan, Agromexpress | Cinematography: PlayaWeddings | Invitations: Greenwich Letterpress | Table Numbers: LuckiiArts | Menus: Laura Hooper Caligraphy | Hair + Makeup: Styling Trio Riviera Maya | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bride's Dress: Reem Acra | Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale | Groom + Groomsman Suits: Hugo Boss