The Wedding Every 'Cool' Couple Needs to See
This crazy beautiful celebration from Mariel Hannah is like a breath of fresh air. From the sweetest ceremony we've ever seen (that even included a surprise kitten as a guest!), to the incredibly chic reception, this is one pretty little party that you'll want to partake in. Get in on the lovely via The Vault!
From Mariel Hannah...I had the pleasure of photographing Daane and Marisa's wedding in Tulum this past February. For die hard Twilight Fans, some may be familiar with Marisa Quinn as she is an actress and played a vampire role in the blockbuster films. They dreamt of a wedding celebration full of meaning with their closest family & friends, so they got just that.
From the Bride...MAGIC.
Pure. Absolute. Otherworldly…MAGIC.
Nothing else can describe the beauty of that day. Without a doubt, it was the most extraordinary day of our lives.
After having experienced the mystical power of the Mayan Riviera before, we knew we wanted to be married in a sacred space, and make it an all day affair. For the Mayans, cenotes were revered as one of the three entryways to the land of the Gods. For centuries, sacred rituals have taken place at the mouth of these waters - and on February 26th, 2016 - our very own sacred ritual was performed…and the magic alive the air was palpable.
A traditional Mayan musician graced us with ancient sounds played on hand-carved instruments…the mystical sound of the flute floated through the air as I walked down the aisle. A rehearsal had not been possible due to the sacredness of the site, so as I began to walk down the “aisle” - I realized for the first time that my 3 inch wedges weren’t gonna allow me to make it down in one piece. So after a few steps down the path, I stopped my dad, kicked of my shoes with a laugh, and proceeded down toward my groom with bare feet and my dress gently draping along the earth.
Time stood still, and I didn’t care about anything that wasn’t truly real. About two minutes into the ceremony, I tossed off my veil as well because I didn’t want anything obstructing my view of some of the most precious moments of my life. And the best part? It wasn’t even weird that I did that! It all just felt like it was exactly what was supposed to happen.
As the Shaman continued the ceremony, even the fish and the birds felt compelled to join in the moment. The fish gathered near his feet, the birds flew in resting on nearby branches… even a kitten found his way into the ceremony circle! As soon as I saw him approach and take a seat at the top of the cave, I whispered to Daane “mira! el gatito!!” (“look! a little cat!). I’m a total cat lady, so of course I was over the moon to have this particular unexpected guest join us!
Overall - it was simply magical. As our contribution to the otherwise traditional Mayan ceremony, Daane and I exchanged our own vows, pouring our hearts out to one another and promising to give the best of ourselves from that moment on.
Of course...in the real world, fairytale moments don’t come without their fair share of real-world hiccups. We had PLENTY go wrong that picture-perfect day. From the bride & groom being forgotten and left at the house while the entire wedding party was being shuttled to the ceremony, to being stranded AGAIN at the close of the ceremony when the keys to our car were accidentally taken and our wedding party was already 45 min away…to an unexpected rope swing obstructing our ceremony space and the Zika virus threatening to keep all our guests at home…we had MANY hurdles to overcome to get to our happily ever after. But when you’re riding high on love and the mystical powers of Tulum - ain’t nothin’ gonna ruin your day! With the help of our family and friends we sailed through every unexpected twist and turn with a laugh and a smile, and fell asleep that night to the sound of the waves crashing, asking ourselves how we ever got so lucky to live such a perfectly imperfect truly magical day.
From the Bride...MAGIC.
Pure. Absolute. Otherworldly…MAGIC.
Nothing else can describe the beauty of that day. Without a doubt, it was the most extraordinary day of our lives.
After having experienced the mystical power of the Mayan Riviera before, we knew we wanted to be married in a sacred space, and make it an all day affair. For the Mayans, cenotes were revered as one of the three entryways to the land of the Gods. For centuries, sacred rituals have taken place at the mouth of these waters - and on February 26th, 2016 - our very own sacred ritual was performed…and the magic alive the air was palpable.
A traditional Mayan musician graced us with ancient sounds played on hand-carved instruments…the mystical sound of the flute floated through the air as I walked down the aisle. A rehearsal had not been possible due to the sacredness of the site, so as I began to walk down the “aisle” - I realized for the first time that my 3 inch wedges weren’t gonna allow me to make it down in one piece. So after a few steps down the path, I stopped my dad, kicked of my shoes with a laugh, and proceeded down toward my groom with bare feet and my dress gently draping along the earth.
Time stood still, and I didn’t care about anything that wasn’t truly real. About two minutes into the ceremony, I tossed off my veil as well because I didn’t want anything obstructing my view of some of the most precious moments of my life. And the best part? It wasn’t even weird that I did that! It all just felt like it was exactly what was supposed to happen.
As the Shaman continued the ceremony, even the fish and the birds felt compelled to join in the moment. The fish gathered near his feet, the birds flew in resting on nearby branches… even a kitten found his way into the ceremony circle! As soon as I saw him approach and take a seat at the top of the cave, I whispered to Daane “mira! el gatito!!” (“look! a little cat!). I’m a total cat lady, so of course I was over the moon to have this particular unexpected guest join us!
Overall - it was simply magical. As our contribution to the otherwise traditional Mayan ceremony, Daane and I exchanged our own vows, pouring our hearts out to one another and promising to give the best of ourselves from that moment on.
Of course...in the real world, fairytale moments don’t come without their fair share of real-world hiccups. We had PLENTY go wrong that picture-perfect day. From the bride & groom being forgotten and left at the house while the entire wedding party was being shuttled to the ceremony, to being stranded AGAIN at the close of the ceremony when the keys to our car were accidentally taken and our wedding party was already 45 min away…to an unexpected rope swing obstructing our ceremony space and the Zika virus threatening to keep all our guests at home…we had MANY hurdles to overcome to get to our happily ever after. But when you’re riding high on love and the mystical powers of Tulum - ain’t nothin’ gonna ruin your day! With the help of our family and friends we sailed through every unexpected twist and turn with a laugh and a smile, and fell asleep that night to the sound of the waves crashing, asking ourselves how we ever got so lucky to live such a perfectly imperfect truly magical day.