Amy & Matthew chose the beautiful Hotel Xcaret in Playa del Carmen Mexico to say “I do!” This property is truly one of a kind, with so many gorgeous backdrops. One of our absolute favourites is the cave location they chose for their reception. We asked the lovely bride and groom to share a little bit more about their experience, along with some stunning photos from Alicia Furtado Photography.

1. What did you envision for your wedding being prior to planning?
I always envisioned a beautiful but simple wedding- we think its not about the fancy décor or extravagant centrepieces, its about the love and gathering of family and friends. So we wanted a small intimate wedding with our loved ones.

2. How and why did you settle on your particular destination and venue?
We wanted our guests to have the best experience at an all inclusive resort, as soon as we came across Hotel Xcaret we had our heart set on this resort! The all-fun-inclusive is a huge bonus- when we went to a different resort years ago, the parks were so much fun and we knew our guests would have a blast! And some of our guests have strict food allergies which they completely cater to! 

3. What was your color palette and your style vision?
I didn’t really have a color palette, i just saw some ideas on Pinterest and went with it.

4. What unique elements or DIY details did you include?
I really didn’t know what to do for ‘entertainment’ but I created some “how well do you know the bride/groom cards” for our guests to fill out- and it was so fun! We had some great laughs, and it was definitely a memorable moment.

5. What was your favorite moment?
My favourite moment of our wedding was all the memories we made! I am so glad all of our photos captured all the perfect moments and we will have everlasting photos to remind us of our dream wedding!  

6. What was your favorite wedding detail?
I have so many favourite wedding details! Everything exceeded my expectations when it came to our wedding- the scenery/location, our flowers and décor, the circle archway, the food, our photos…

7. Tell us about your bridal style and how your wedding day outfits came together?
On our 10 year ‘date-iversary’ we legally got married, I wore a simple dress for that and knew I would wear it as a ‘trash the dress’ photoshoot in mexico! I am so glad I did, the photos are absolutely stunning- we did get absolutely soaked from the waves crashing on us at sunset! I found my ‘dream’ dress which was a little over-budget but SO worth it!  It photographed so well, and was perfect for our destination wedding!

8. How did you pick the outfits for your wedding party?
My sister was my maid of honor, and her husband was the best man, unfortunately they live so far away from us; in a small town with no means of shopping- so it was difficult. We found an outfit for him and hoped to find one for my sister, and she ended up ordering one online- and it was a success!! It looked amazing on her!

9. Tell us about your flowers, your invitations your favors, your cake, etc.
My flowers were absolutely stunning! Inspired by a photo on pinterest, with a darker burgundy color that I knew would look amazing on the beach. My bouquet, centrepieces and the circle arch were absolutely stunning!! I was so happy that it turned out so well. My invitations and wedding favors, and cake topper came from different sellers on Etsy. I was so impressed with how everything turned out- I absolutely had the wedding of my dreams!

10. What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be?
ENJOY every moment!! It can be such a stressful time to plan your wedding, but it is so worth it! I couldn’t believe how fast the day went, I was getting ready – and then photos, ceremony, reception and danced the night away!
I wish I had a few moments that day with just my husband to take in the moment and reflect on how beautiful everything was.

11. Are there any other important details that tell the story of your wedding day?
After a year of planning our wedding – I couldn’t believe it was finally happening, everything was so surreal! I was so happy to have everyone with us to celebrate our special day. There was one moment I will cherish for the rest of my life – when my dad came to walk me down the aisle, and he saw me for the first time that day, all dolled up and beautiful, he cried! 

12. Tell us about your experience working with LUXE
I would not have been able to plan such a beautiful wedding without the help of the wonderful ladies at LUXE! They made my experience so literally stress-free and so easy! I just gave them the details and everything I wanted and they made it all come together!