Recently we were in Los Cabos celebrating Marianne & Alex’s wedding at one of our favourite wedding venues – Sunset Mona Lisa. We asked the lovely bride to share a little bit more about her wedding experience.

What did you envision for your wedding being prior to planning?

Alex and I knew we wanted to do a destination wedding from the very beginning. We both love to travel, and we wanted our wedding to reflect who we are as a couple. I really wanted to bring all the aspects of a wedding in Toronto would have but in a different setting. We envisioned having a wedding that our friends and family would still remember and talk about months later, and it to be memorable.

How and why did you settle on your particular destination and venue?

Alex and I instantly knew we wanted our wedding to be in Mexico. Prior to planning our destination wedding we had travelled to a few destinations. In the end the one that was always consistent, incredible, and memorable was always Mexico. Where things became difficult was deciding on a city. We already had areas in mind, but we were struggling to find the equally amazing venue to coincide with the resort. After all the searching, our planner with Luxe suggested Los Cabos, Alex and I were hesitant because that was an area of Mexico we have never been to. We knew Los Cabos was the destination once she introduced us to our wedding venue Sunset Mona Lisa. We fell in love instantly we knew that was the spot we would share our vows in front of all our friends and family.

What was your color palette and your style vision?

Picking our theme and color palette was the most difficult part for me. I think Tiffany our wedding planner and I changed our theme 20 times before we found the perfect one. I was struggling because there were so many beautiful wedding inspirations in WedLuxe Magazine and I kept second guessing myself. I happened to come across this wedding on Instagram that blew my mind away and I knew that was it! But anyone who knows me knows I need to be unique and different so I tried to think of how we can take elements of that wedding and make it unique. I remembered that Mandy Moore had recently got married and I saw the wedding pictures and I knew that Tiffany and I could incorporate them both. I wanted different shades of pink and peach hues, pampas grass in pink and beige. I wanted it to have elegant elements and romance. The chandeliers and candles filling the room really brought that vibe to life. I wanted our guests to walk in and feel enchanted like they were having dinner in an enchanted garden. I am so thrilled how it all turned out because it blew our vision out of the water.

What unique elements or DIY details did you include?

If you were to ask any of our guests what made our wedding unique hands down everyone would say our band. We flew our band from Toronto to Los Cabos because we hired them for our engagement party, and everyone talked about their performance weeks later. We knew we wanted them to perform at our wedding and we were thrilled when they agreed to take a week away from their lives to be apart of our future. They threw such a performance that employees at the venue and our vendors couldn’t believe how amazing they were. They were able to rally up 32 people and make the party seem like hundreds were there. As a family who enjoys to party and dance, I know our band really made our wedding shine.

Tell us about your bridal style and how your wedding day outfits came together?

Alex wanted to have a custom suit and wanted something bold and out there. We ended up meeting our tailor at the Bridal Show in Toronto and we decided to check out their location in Yorkville. We had such an amazing memorable experience they really took the time to help us find the perfect outfit. We were able to have our vision come alive and my husband looked like he walked out of GQ Magazine.

I struggled so hard with my bridal dress I had so many different styles in mind. I ended up purchasing 3 but only 2 of them were worn as I forgot one in Toronto. I think the one I ended up wearing on my wedding day was the perfect refection of me: sexy, elegant, but unique.

How did you pick the outfits for your wedding party?

For our wedding party we wanted to keep it classic and simple as we wanted to be the wow factor and centre of attention. We chose black suits for our groomsmen with a classic white shirt and pink tie to match the wedding palette. Our bridesmaid dresses were also very simple but paired well with the suits, everyone looked classic and elegant.

What was your favorite moment?

I asked my husband the same question and we both had the same answer. Our favourite moment was the first time we walked into the wedding venue and saw not only the incredible décor, but the scenery. We couldn’t believe our eyes it was like looking at a magazine picture.

What was your favorite wedding detail?

The sweetheart table was our favourite wedding detail. It was very much my personality and showed a lot of who I was as not only a bride but also a person. We felt like royalty, all eyes were on us. It was over the top and perfect.

Tell us about your flowers, your invitations your favors, your cake, etc.

We had custom T Shirts made for our wedding guests to wear at the airport as a favour they can remember forever. We also had matching hats, beach bags, and cups made for our guests. We wanted to give them practical things they can use on the trip. Since it was the first time that our families have ever gone on a trip all together, we really wanted it to be special and memorable.

What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be?

The one piece of advice I can give is no matter how much planning to ensure perfection, on the day of your wedding sometimes hiccups happen. Try not to dwell on them and just enjoy every moment because times flies on your wedding day and all you are left with are sweet memories. Last piece of advice bring your wedding planner on your trip, best decision I made!

Are there any other important details that tell the story of your wedding day?

The one detail I wouldn’t change is having a destination wedding. I think that it was such a special moment but also week with our friends and family that we may never get again. To be able to plan a trip for 30 something people is such an incredible thing. Going on a trip with your spouse is such a different experience than going with 30 something people. People are already asking when the next trip is because it was amazing. The planning is the works because our wedding has changed and touched everyone lives and we want to create more memories together.

Congratulations Marianne & Alex – we wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Hotel: Pueblo Bonito Sunset

Wedding Venue: Sunset Mona Lisa

Photography: Ave Sol

Décor: Main Event Cabo