This is the eighth in a series of blog posts about those little things that make a wedding special to the couple. It is called Five Things I Loved About My Wedding. This series is intended to provide some inspiration for couples who are currently planning their wedding. Many couples have a big vision of what they want on the day, but this series is about the details. Most of the weddings discussed in this series will have taken place in Central Park, but some weddings from other locations will be featured. This wedding took place on a beach, which I think is what a lot of people think of when someone says “destination wedding”. Becca married Steve on a beach in the Riveria Maya in Mexico in July of last year. Becca blogs at The Married Cat Lady, but dog lovers like myself will be happy to hear that she has a canine companion, too. She mentions issues that affect any destination wedding, since getting married away from home often results in a small and intimate wedding (yay!) but also means that some loved ones cannot attend (boo!), and she had a great idea on how to honor those who are no longer with us.
The Beach
One of the perks of a tropical destination wedding is, of course, the beach! Both our ceremony and reception took place on the beach in Riveria Maya, Mexico. I was nervous that it was going to be swelteringly hot because it seemed that way pretty much every other moment we were not in air conditioning—whose idea was it to get married in Mexico IN JULY?! Oh, that’s right, it was mine… I didn’t want our guests to be uncomfortable in the heat, but luckily we were right on the water, and we had a lovely breeze that kept us cool and comfortable.
Although our ceremony and reception were private, we were out on the beach where the rest of the guests at the resort could see what was going on. As I walked down the aisle, everything was roped off, and people were gathered on either side, watching and taking pictures. We had an audience for the entire thing! But the best was after the ceremony: a teenage girl was casually following behind us, trying to snap a photo of me. I stopped and told her I’d pose for her, so she could get a better picture—I felt like a celebrity!
Finally, and most obviously, it was beautiful. The water, the sand, the sky—everything was perfect.
Wish You Were Here Table
Two years ago, my husband’s mom lost a ten-year battle with cancer. There were a number of things we included in our wedding to honor her, but one of the most special was our Wish You Were Here Table. On this table, we had pictures of my late mother-in-law and other loved ones who left us too soon. My photographer got a poignant shot of the table against the dance floor, which was both beautiful and sad. We wanted to be sure to include and honor the memories of people who meant so much to us.
Bridesmaid-on-a-Stick
One of my bridesmaids was eight months pregnant at the time of our wedding and couldn’t come to Mexico. So, I decided to bring her in the form of bridesmaid-on-a-stick.
My bridesmaid-on-a-stick was part of everything on the big day: she was in photos, sat at the head table, drank champagne, and danced the night away! It was a goofy and fun way for her part of the day, even from three thousand miles away.
Intimacy
You know when you go to a wedding, and the bride and groom come over to your table to make small talk for 2-3 minutes, then they move on to the next table to do the same thing? I didn’t have to do that. (Thank God. I hate small talk.) With forty-five guests at our wedding, we were able to celebrate with everyone in a more laid-back way—my husband and I even had a couple minutes to ourselves, standing by the water, soaking it all in.
Every single person there was part of our wedding day in a big way. One of my favorite photos from the wedding is everybody together on the beach, cheering. Every time I look at it, I’m reminded of being surrounded by some of my very favorite people in the world, celebrating love.
Legal Wedding
There are a lot of hoops to jump through to get married in Mexico; as a result, we decided to legally get married back home first. We had a small, intimate wedding the week before our wedding in Mexico. Although we don’t recognize this as our anniversary, it’s an aspect of our marriage that holds a special place in my heart. I wore my mom’s wedding dress, we were married in church (something my husband’s mom definitely would have wanted), and we took photos outside the place we met.
Plus, how lucky am I that I got to marry this man twice!
All the wedding photos were taken by Natali with Adventure Photos.
Go and read Becca’s blog The Married Cat Lady, follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook.
If all this has got you fired up for a destination wedding, but the beach won’t work for you, then consider a Central Park wedding! Visit our website, or “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest where you will find lots of lovely photos and many more inspiring stories of real weddings.
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