The travel bug bit these two sweeties a long, long time ago, so when it came time to plan their Big Day, a destination wedding was a total must. Their locale of choice? Secrets The Vine Cancun, a sweet little piece of paradise perfect for saying “I do” seaside, dining under the stars and dipping in the pool post-nuptials (it happened). See every fun-filled moment captured by Melissa Mercado in THE VAULT.
From the Bride… I’d never been to the Caribbean until I met my fiancé Matt six years ago and only after a few months of dating, he took me to Cancun for my first time and we had so much fun together. Ever since then, we’ve been traveling all over the Caribbean! He is my favorite vacation partner and we’ve been to Bermuda, the Florida Keys, St Martin, St Barths, Jamaica, Cancun, Riviera Maya and Aruba. I’m happiest when we can both be fun and silly and that is why we like to travel because our lives in New York City can become pretty stressful!
He proposed at a rooftop bar in the Meatpacking district of NYC where we first met. We love going out to nice dinners and enjoying delicious food and wine. We also love staying in and watching movie after movie. We decided to get married in Cancun because we have friends and family that live all over the world and they might as well travel to somewhere warm and fun so we can all be on vacation together! Never in our lives will we have everyone we love on vacation with us so we are very excited!
If I were to describe our style, I would say we are classy and elegant but can have a lot of fun and get crazy! Our families are very traditional but we stayed true to our personalities and decided to have a destination wedding. It is very important to us that we have beautiful pictures to capture the memories. We love taking pictures when we go on vacations and we make photo books for each trip we take.
We are getting married at Secrets the Vine and we are planning to have the ceremony on a terrace overlooking the lagoon and the reception by the pool.
From Melissa Mercado Photography… I couldn’t have been more excited to meet Matt + Clara before their wedding day. It’s not always easy to do with destination couples, because of schedules and resort restrictions. But Matt + Clara decided to start their vacation with a Catamaran Tour around Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) just north of Cancun. The day was amazing with the backdrop of the Turquoise waters. Everyone mingled and got to catch up, enjoy a few adult beverages and really just get into their vacation. The group definitely knows how to have a great time and were easily comfortable in front of the camera!
By the time we got to the wedding day, my job was easy – document the moments as they happened and help keep everyone plugged into the moment. Clara had all kinds of great ideas of what she want covered and was helped by a great group of girls that helped her be not only prepared, but relaxed and enjoy her day.
I think the only thing we had working against us on this otherwise perfect day, was just the sheer heat of an August wedding in the Caribbean. Everyone took it in stride though, we adjusted our portrait time to not let anyone get to uncomfortable and by the end of the night, all cares were thrown to the wind and everyone ended up in the pool.
Photography: Melissa Mercado Photography | Floral Design: Secrets The Vine | Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Hair + Makeup: Secrets The Vine | Venue: Secrets The Vine