How did you meet?
We met at work! John was an account manager at the company where I was hired as a recruiter. I was placed on his team, and after spending day after day together, we knew we were more than just coworkers.
What made you decide to have a Destination Wedding?
We went back and forth for a while on where to have our wedding. Should we have it in his home state of Connecticut? My home state of West Virginia? After thinking about it for a while, we decided on Mexico. We’d recently gone to Tulum together, and had the most wonderful time together. So, we figured, why not bring all our loved ones with us to a place that brought us closer together and where we fell even more in love? And that was that!
Once the planning started, was there anything that surprised you?
One thing that surprised me about planning a destination wedding was how easily our team understood our vision. From the actual planning aspect to the environment we wanted in a resort, we felt completely understood. We assumed not meeting our planning team in person would make it difficult for them to get a feel for us as a couple, but that was not the case at all. The entire trip came together perfectly without even visiting first. Another thing that surprised us was payment for vendors. We’d never done an international wire transfer before… now we’re professionals.
Was there a thing or two you splurged on that you are now happy you did?
Photo/video and flowers! We had a very specific vibe that we were going for with our photos — very romantic, candid, not posed. Our planner helped us find the absolute perfect photo/video team, and even though we’ve only gotten sneak peaks so far, we are completely in love with the way they turned out. The flowers were extremely important to me. I love flowers and plants of all kinds, and I knew exactly what I wanted, but I wasn’t sure it would translate well to the vendor. When we pulled up to the venue, I was blown away. The flowers truly transformed the beach into a tropical oasis (even more so than it already was somehow) colorful oasis. I could cry just thinking about them, even now. The magic that was created through the floral set up was worth every single penny and then some.
Where there any funny/quirky moments that you will never forget?
So, our dog is our child. I got Charlie when I was still in college, and he has been with me through all of the major moments in my adult life. He obviously could not be with us in Mexico, and that is something that was very upsetting to me. He is such a huge part of our lives, and his absence was felt throughout the week leading up to our wedding. Day of, after the ceremony, we’re taking family pictures and my older brother is nowhere to be found. I found this slightly irritating, but my mother looked at me and said “don’t be mad at him.. trust me”. I thought that was strange, but he returned shortly after, and we were able to finish up our pictures. The reception started, we’re all having the time of our lives on the dance floor, and the DJ requests my presence in the middle of the floor. A Drake song starts playing and all of my bridesmaids come out holding up MASSIVE cardboard cutouts of my sweet Charlie’s face. It was amazing. Turns out, during pictures, my brother realized he left the cutouts at the hotel. He took our wedding planner’s car, drove back to the resort, got the heads and came back. I guess she took her house key off “in case he didn’t make it back”. It was the most random, and also most appreciated, moment at our wedding.
Any advise for a future destination wedding couple?
Find a good team!! Get a good wedding planner that knows the area and understands your vision, and a travel agent that will help you and your guests have the most seamless travel experience (shoutout Lori — you are the absolute best!!)
