Here’s wishing Andrea and Andrew a special congratulations on their recent wedding at the Moon Palace Resort in the Riviera Maya!
About Andrea and Andrew
Occupations:  Andrea is a fundraiser. Andrew is a dental sales representative.
How they met:  We first met through work in 2007 when Andrea was working with the UBC Faculty of Dentistry and Andrew had just started working as a sales representative with a major dental manufacturer, A-dec. It wasn’t until 2010, that Andrew finally got up the courage to call Andrea and invite her for a round of golf. Always up for a good game, she graciously accepted. And she is really glad that she did!
What attracted Andrew to Andrea:  Andrea’s beauty was the first thing that attracted him. When he found out that she played golf, loved to travel and drank Scotch, Andrew was hooked! Golf and travel have been pillars in our relationship ever since.
What attracted Andrea to Andrew:  He is a real gentleman, always gracious and opening doors and taking care of others. And seeing Andrew as a father to Austin really made me fall in love with him.
What was the best advice you received as a couple? We have had several great mentors and coaches in our lives and the advice that almost all of them have given is find a way to bring out the best in each other, and “don’t go to bed angry.”
Engagement story:  August 3, 2014 during the summer holidays with family and friends at Predator Ridge, Andrew was kindly tending the flag on the 18th green as Andrea finished her round with the girls. As she putted out, Andrew reached down to pick up the ball from the cup. When he handed it back to Andrea she knew it wasn’t her ball. At first she was confused, as any real golfer would be, that the ball he was handing her was not hers. Suddenly she realized that it was a jewelry box in the shape of a golf ball with a perfect Hearts & Arrows diamond ring!

“I have thought of this a 100 different times, in a 100 different places in a 100 different ways. I can think of no better place than right here, right now in front of our family & friends.”

Andrew got down on one knee and said “Andrea Wink, will you marry me? Us?” he added gesturing to Austin who was at the side of the green capturing the entire moment on camera.

Through tears of joy Andrea said “Yes!”

The Wedding Day
Wedding date:  November 11, 2016 (Remembrance Day)
Number of guests:  55
Wedding colours:  White and gold.  It was a formal wedding with a black tie optional dress code.
Andrea’s most memorable moment: The entire day was filled with unforgettable moments with each other and our guests.  I do feel like time slowed down when we were arriving at the ceremony.  I will always remember looking into Andrew’s blue eyes.  I could see love in his heart and our entire future together with Austin and Ayden in that moment.  Magic.
Andrew’s most memorable moment:  There are so many to choose from! I would have to say, watching Andrea arrive in the horse drawn carriage and walk down aisle with her father. She was stunning! It was the classic princess moment and seeing her with her father was heartwarming.
Their advice to others:  Pay attention to the details in the planning stages, it will pay off on the day.
Favourite wedding detail:  The chandeliers and candle orbs hung in the trees around the reception area.  They were spectacular.
Most unexpected moment:  Everything was starting to add up for the wedding and we agreed to use an heirloom wedding band that Andrea had as the wedding ring for the ceremony.  But Andrew surprised Andrea with a diamond wedding band at the ceremony when he slipped it on her finger.  It was a real surprise.
Most romantic moment:   The first dance. Dancing with Andrea in front of all of our family and friends and not noticing anyone else other than her. Her beauty was breathtaking and the moment was magic. (Right up to the point when I missed a step and we laughed!)
Did you include any traditions in your wedding?  We lit a candle in memory of Andrew’s mother Betty who is no longer with us.  We had Andrew and his siblings each light a candle on the altar and then one for Betty.  It was a really sweet moment that had all the siblings in tears.  Betty was definitely with us!
Honeymoon:  We are planning a honeymoon in Paris in the fall.  While the destination wedding was a trip of a lifetime, we now really need a trip to ourselves!
The day in three words:  Romantic, elegant and epic.
Wedding Details
Ceremony location:  Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort.  The actual ceremony was in the Tucan Gazebo, a beautiful air conditioned gazebo overlooking the ocean.  The bride arrived in a horse and carriage and there was a long grand entrance for all of the bridal party to walk up to enter the ceremony.  The entrance was draped with white billowing fabric and large scale floral arrangements with roses and exotic flowers adorned either side of the altar.  A personalized runner with the bride & grooms name and rose petals scattered up the aisle help to create a more personal touch.
Reception location:  Grand Terrace. This is the far end of the resort property, so very private.  We had a lovely cocktail reception for our guests following the ceremony with cocktails and canapes.  Décor included cantilevered chandeliers to define the dinner and dancing space, tea lights suspended from the palm trees in glass orbs, lanterns in the pool plus romantic lights on all the tables.  We had white linen on all the tables with gold charges and gold Tiffany style chairs.  It was very formal and romantic.  After all the formalities, we danced the night away.  To end the day, we hosted a fabulous after party at the beach from 10pm to midnight!  We had white leather lounge furniture, tiki torches, a full bar, signature scotch tasting, a cigar roller and a midnight taco bar!  The DJ played on and everyone transitioned to the sand to continue dancing the night away.  It was the best wedding ever!  From formal black tie to partying on the beach.  We couldn’t have dreamed of a better day.
Why did you choose this location for your wedding?  We chose the Moon Palace property for two main reasons.  First the property is very large with essentially three hotels on one resort which allowed our guests a wide range of options from activities to dining.  We didn’t want our guests to feel as though they were on top of each other for the entire week.  We let people know where we would be each day and that gave them the option to join us, or do something on their own.  We wanted to be very respectful that it was their vacation too.  The second reason was the convenience of a 36-hole golf course located on the resort property.  Golf is a big part of our life and many of our guests.  We didn’t want out guests to have to leave the property to golf and many golfed every day! The resort is truly spectacular. The staff are outstanding and the food was really incredible. Everyone was impressed with the quality of food, service and attention to detail. A bonus is that the resort provides an outstanding credit system that can be used towards the spa and golf, as well as other shopping, excursions and activities. It is one of the best resort credits we have ever come across. Very easy to use and remaining credits are transferable to a future visit!
Andrea’s gown:  Paloma Blanca ball gown with a cathedral length train and Swarovski crystal cathedral length veil.  Purchased from Sposa Wedding World in New Westminister.  Their staff were amazing and really made the entire experience special.  Who says you can’t wear a ball gown at a destination wedding?  It was magical.
Andrea’s shoes: Ivory open toe pumps with crystal embellishments by Betsy Johnson
Andrew’s outfit: Sand (of Denmark) Tuxedo, Cole Haan patent tuxedo shoes, and Cufflinks from my best man.
Type of rings:  Andrew: Torque Black Cobalt.  Andrea: Ideal Cut Hearts and Arrows diamond from Canada
Jewellery:  Davie & Chiyo cuff (A wonderful Vancouver designer where everything is custom made).
Bridesmaid’s dresses:  Evening gowns in Sunset by Vera Wang.  Stunning colour for a destination wedding.
Groomsmen attire:  Traditional tuxedos
Wedding song: At Last by Etta James
Signature drink:  Champagne of course!
Favours: Silver diamond shaped boxes filled with milk & almond Hersey kisses on each place setting.
Music:  Personal mix
Flowers:  Mixed white roses
Photographer: Reine Mihtla
Hair: Moon Palace Spa
Makeup:  Moon Palace Spa
Catering:  Dinner served was a French theme.

Fun Stuff
Astrological signs: Andrew is a Leo and Andrea is a Virgo
What was old? Borrowed? Blue?  My maid of honour found an antique veil pin with blue stones that she loaned me for the wedding. We pinned it under my dress and it survived the entire day. Such a special present!
What was new?  Wedding dress and tuxedo of course!
What did you put in gift bags?  We gave each of our guests personalized Welcome Bags when they arrived that included some fun items like tequila and vanilla, personalized M&M’s along with some medicinal supplements (Advil, gum etc) to get everyone through the week.
Is there anything else that helps tell the story of the day?  Our original plan was to be married in November 2015.  They say that life is what happens when you are busy making plans to do something else. In our case, we were busy planning our wedding celebration when “life” literally happened.  Just as our deposit deadline approached for our guests, we found out that we were expecting an early blessing on our marriage!  A baby with a due date for October 2015.  Initially we experienced an overwhelming amount of emotion including “Shock & Awe”, but quickly moved into “Thrilled & Excited”!

We decided to postpone our wedding to 2016.  Our contacts at Luxe were unbelievably supportive and responsive. In the end, we moved our plan to 2016, but stayed with the same time and place. Plus an extra guest in attendance!

Tell us about your experience working with LUXE Destination Weddings:  We honestly feel that our wedding was truly a dream come true. From our first interactions, we were impressed with the level of service and the attention to detail we received for our wedding planning. We always felt that ours was top of mind and special. As two busy professionals, we did not have the time to coordinate directly with our resort to put together all of the details for our guests to enjoy an amazing week, plus the details of the wedding events. We did not want to have a standard wedding that the resort offers in their brochures. We wanted something very personal and very special. I would highly recommend using Luxe Destination Weddings. We only wish we could live it all over again!