The day I’ve been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl. . .I finally tied the knot on 2.2.22 surrounded by my most favorite people in Mexico! If you know me you know my wedding couldn’t be just another ordinary wedding.
As a wedding planner, I knew my wedding would feel like work if I got married at a venue in Minnesota so Brad and I started brainstorming. While enjoying the sun in Jamaica for Brads birthday trip last year, we came up with the idea to get married at a resort! We loved the all inclusive aspect and the ease that would give us and our guests. We had heard so many great things about The Grand at Moon Palace and knew this was the place during our first visit. I have always felt so alive and my absolute happiest at the ocean and Brad’s always down for my wild ideas, so beach it was!
Keep reading to hear my favorite moments, lessons learned and the advice I have for you during your wedding planning journey!
My favorite part was…
Having an extended wedding day! We didn’t have to jam seeing and chatting with everyone in just a mere 12 hours! Instead we had a four day affair where we could go to dinner with 10+ people, hang out at the pool during the day, and have those quality conversations, catching up with each other instead of the rush to say hi/bye to everyone!
I’m so glad I…
Decided to host the welcome party!!! It was HUGE to have this party to greet everyone and thank them for coming. It was also a good opportunity for our guests to get to know each other. This took off SO much pressure for the day of so we instead were able to sit back, relax and enjoy our day without feeling guilty to go chat with everyone. We wanted our day to be just that, about us!
Brad and I are also very glad we planned a day of fun activities with our bridal party! Brad took his guys golfing while I took my girls on a yacht for a half day! When else will you have all of your friends, from every stage of life, come together at one time? It is such a special time and definitely something to take advantage of when you have the opportunity!
The most difficult part was…
Hands down, the booking process. Planning from 3,000 miles away is not ideal when it comes to booking lodging + travel accommodations for 100+ people. It was a full time job confirming, reconfirming and confirming AGAIN to ensure everything was correct and there were no hiccups when my guests began arriving. I wanted this to be as stress free as possible for everyone, especially being it was an international trip and the first time out of the country for some of our guests!
For your own sanity, this is definitely something you will want assistance with, and White Loon/Elope West is happy to help be your guide!
I wish I would have…
Arrived a few days earlier than my guests! I arrived on the Sunday prior to my Wednesday wedding, which is when a lot of other guests were arriving. As much FUN as it was traveling with 20 others on our flight down, I found myself in planning meetings and organizing all the last minute details instead of being able to have fun at the pool with everyone! If I were to do it again, I would arrive early to set things up so that once guests started to arrive, I could be the host I wanted to be and just ENJOY!
Don’t forget to…
Have your bridesmaid/parents/vendor thanks you’s written ahead of time! I had my vendor thank you notes + tips prepared prior to leaving for Mexico and it was such a relief once there, to just start handing those out and not rushing putting those together. You want to make sure you take the time to write a heartfelt note and not be scrambling last minute.
Take it from me…
Slow down and take it all in– you’ll never have those moments again! Make SURE to take time for you both, just the two of you! As tempting as it is to go chat with everyone you haven’t seen in awhile, this is a day for you both, celebrating your love and commitment. Even if it’s just 5 minutes after the ceremony to have a glass of champagne together, it allows you to take a seat and soak in the day.
Special thank you to my partner in crime Trisha of Xsperience Photography for traveling with me and capturing these epic moments!
