A windswept wedding on the beaches of Riviera Maya

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What I would give to fly away to Mexico right now. But of course, with the world as it is, a virtual getaway via this gorgeous windswept Riviera Maya wedding will just have to do.

Jackie & Miguel knew they wanted a beach wedding from the start (right there with you, sister!) and Rivera Maya organically became the destination for their breezy, beautiful wedding weekend. Their venue Banyan Tree Mayakoba offered everything they were looking for: a sandy beach ceremony & lush tropical reception space.

There are so many details we adore from this wedding day – the boho styling, warm tones & absolute joy radiating from everyone’s faces. But one of the coolest portions we found from the day is how the reception area required a boat ride for arrival. The transition from ceremony to party allowed two completely different vibes, as though the celebration were taking place deep in a wild jungle.

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Our Love Story

Miguel and I met during our senior year at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in the spring of 2014. Both of us were taking Portuguese 101 as a fun and interesting addition to our final semester schedules. Due to sheer luck, we ended up being paired together for almost every class activity.

Somehow, throughout the course of the semester, our friendship turned into something more (I credit this development to him bringing me homemade breakfast sandwiches every morning). To this day, we both still have our own version of who made the first move (but we all know it was actually him).

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The Dress

For me, the gown search was easy but ultimately surprising. I had an idea of what I wanted in my head – something light, romantic and different (but still in the realm of “traditional”). Initially, I went shopping on my own. I wanted to see what the dresses looked like on me without any additional thoughts or opinions. Everyone has their own idea of what a wedding dress should look like, and I wanted to make sure I stayed true to what I wanted.

After trying on what felt like a hundred dresses, I started to see a pattern in what I liked. No matter what store I was in, I would gravitate towards dresses with open backs and floral overlays. Sometimes they were white; sometimes they were blush. I made follow-up appointments at three stores, knowing I would come back to visit with my mom in town.

I returned to my search with my mom at my side. On a whim, we decided to make a last-minute appointment at The White Magnolia Bridal Collection that just happened to be around the corner from our last stop. They carried a number of Blush by Hayley Paige dresses, a designer I had been eyeing for quite some time. I found the perfect dress in the Nessy Gown – a blush sheath with a white floral overlay. The dress was light, flowy and perfect for a beach wedding.

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My veil was a completely different story. Apparently, it was a windy day. The moment I hit the beach, my long veil took on a life of its own. By the time I made it down the aisle, it had taken out nearly everyone seated to my right. It even managed to firmly stick itself to my bouquet once I got up there. It just so happens that the flying veil made for some excellent pictures (thanks to our excellent photographers, who were able to catch it from all angles). Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

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The Destination

From the beginning, Miguel and I knew that we wanted to have a beach wedding. I’m not sure how or when we decided on Mexico, but at some point, it became the destination – the beautiful beaches in Riviera Maya were exactly what we were looking for and there was an abundance of direct flights to Cancun. It seemed like the perfect weekend wedding location.

Looking at the different venues in the area, we stumbled across Mayakoba. The pictures were magical and each of the four different resorts on the property had its own unique vibe. We decided to take a trip to the area to visit them all.

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The Venue

Planning a destination wedding from afar was easy (after finding the perfect planner). Patty was amazing to work with and made every part of the planning process a breeze. From the moment we arrived at Mayakoba, she was there to guide us through the different resorts, providing us with all the information we needed on each spot to make a decision. Although we loved them all, we ended up picking Banyan Tree Mayakoba as our venue. Between the serenity of the location, the absolute beauty of the property and the impeccable service, we were sold. The hotel is just jaw-droppingly gorgeous (the pictures do not do it justice).

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The Planning

Patty helped us immensely with not only the planning process but also with easing any concerns we had about the wedding. With family and friends coming from both the U.S. and Panama, she worked closely with us to coordinate travel schedules and plan accommodations. She even helped us plan a day trip to Tulum prior to the wedding.

Any and all wedding-related chaos we could throw at her, she skillfully handled with a calm attitude. We frequently worked with both her and our vendors to come up with ideas for color palette, florals, décor etc. Both my husband and I agree: we don’t know what we would have done without her!

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The Decor

Miguel and I always dreamed of having a beach wedding. With this and our destination in mind, we naturally gravitated toward styles that incorporated tropical and boho elements. Working closely with the different designers, we were able to take these natural moments and add a little bit of a modern touch. The end result felt organic and unique – exactly what we had been going for.

A lot of our style inspiration came directly from the talented designers we ended up working with. Early on in the process, we spent a good deal of time on Instagram and Pinterest brainstorming and looking for ideas. Lucky for us, the designers whose styles we loved the most ended up being the people we worked with on the day of our wedding! Knowing that we loved their work already made it easy to trust them with our big day.