Destination Wedding
View from resort lobby at Secrets Vallarta Bay, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
We got married at Secrets Vallarta Bay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 5.31.21, and when I tell you it was STUNNING — I mean it.
A destination wedding was absolutely perfect for us. I didn’t want our wedding day to feel like another PR event. I wanted to actually spend the day with Mike, not take photos for two hours, and then sit by each other while we eat, and call it our wedding day. I often hear from people that they wish they would have done a destination wedding, for those exact reasons. I hear of all the stress and anxiety leading up to “the big day,” and I’m here to tell you that I absolutely did not experience that, whatsoever. I’ve had several people ask me about how we planned it, and I throught typing it all out might be helpful to someone else as well!
The Travel & Venue
I started by contacting a local travel agent, with experience in a large group traveling to Mexico, specifically. Our agent is now retired, so I can’t make a suggestion, but a quick google search will work! We used a travel agent because I did not want to be responsible for arranging for 40 people to travel to Mexico, from all over the country. She handled all payments, bookings, and our transportation to/from the airport to the resort. We had some last minute travel needs for our friends that missed the flight, and she totally saved us! We also had some friends run into their connecting flight home getting canceled, which she figured out as well. Definitely worth the $20 per person added to your trip price!
Prior to reaching out to our agent, my husband and I decided what we wanted to have included at the resort, so I’ll list those items here!
Adults only, all inclusive resort with availability for 25 families, during our specific dates
Price was around $1500 per person for 5 days
Golf on the resort, or nearby
Close to the airport
West side of Mexico (I just like the weather better on the West side. If you prefer crystal blue water, I’d go for East side; just know it will likely rain a little each day.)
Our agent got to work, and sent us back a list of roughly seven options. I’d like to mention that not a single resort met every request, so we had to prioritize what what most important to us! Those priorities ended up being price, availability during our dates, all inclusive, and no kids. We narrowed it down to a list of two, and landed on Secrets Vallarta Bay.
Why? Secrets just had a vibe I thought was super boujie and relaxing. The resort looked incredibly clean, and my travel agent had already been there personally, and agreed to my comments. The staff was trustworthy, reliable, and incredibly kind. No one tried to upsell us at the resort, and I felt super safe the entire time. And can we talk about the spa at Secrets Vallarta Bay? I had a massage, a facial, and they have this amazing ‘water journey” with 7 different steps you can take alone, with your partner, or a group. It was some of our guests’ favorite part of the trip (besides the wedding, I hope — can’t be sure 🤣)
Wedding reception area at the resort (raised from the beach/pool area, with the hotel rooms wrapped around it)
The Planning & Wedding
My favorite part was our complimentary wedding coordinator, Patricia. We connected via WhatsApp, and she helped me every step of the way! We got engaged July 4th, and the wedding was May 31st the following year, so we only had 10 months to plan a wedding in another country, for my very specific vision. I didn’t want a traditional sit down dinner, cake cutting, or beachside wedding, so I had to do an a la carte wedding. It was really hard for the wedding planner and all the vendors to understand that I did not want one of their traditional packages. I even tried communicating this to them in Spanish, and it was till a big hassle. My suggestion is that if you’re going the a la carte route, is that you make a spreadsheet with formulas for total costs, to break down each item you’d like. Also keep track of your payments made, amounts, and dates in that same spreadsheet. I also suggest keeping screenshots of your bank statements when the payments were made! We had an issues with the resort accountant claiming we owed them $2500, two hours before the ceremony 😵💫 which was incredibly stressful while getting my hair/makeup done.
Ihere are all the items I chose a la carte! Imitation is the greatest form of flattery their is, and I’m sharing all of this to help! If you copy/paste to your big day? Awesome! I won’t share prices just because they may have changed, and I don’t want anyone to be upset if they now differ.
Raised wedding venue, off the beach
Patio lights
White linen curtains
Alter floral arrangements (totally worth it, look at those bad boys)
Table for wedding officiant
White chairs
LED dance floor (12x12 - this was the perfect size for our 40 guests)
Private DJ playing a playlist we built in Spotify (DJ package comes with lights, equipment, etc.)
5 heavy appetizers/canapes that were served throughout the cocktail hour post wedding
Private bar w/ 2 staff (alcohol was all inclusive)
We ended up adding giant patio umbrellas for our guests an hour before the wedding due to the heat/sun
The Details
I bought my dress at Marie & Marie bridal in Sioux Falls, SD. I told them I didn’t want to spend more than $1500, and they brought me to an area that had about 20 dresses to choose from. I ended up spending $1700 due to needing two inches of length added to my dress. I got it tailored to fit perfectly by I Do Alterations out of Canton, SD. I got my veil on Amazon for $17 and my hair barrette linked here. My sister, Erin Park, is amazing at wedding hair and makeup, and she generously gifted those services to me as a wedding gift! Our bridal party did their own hair/makeup and helped each other out if needed. I really didn’t care how they did their hair/makeup, as long as they were comfortable and felt beautiful! Our resort had options for HMUA, but I wouldn’t have been able to do a trial run, and didn’t want to mess with that. Same thing with photography — they had several options, but the look I wanted wasn’t something available. We ended up paying for our photographer from South Dakota to come with us! Mychelle Kaye Photography came for three days and brought her boyfriend along as well. We paid for her trip, and invited her to bring her boyfriend at her own cost if she wished. We’re so thankful they could come! Lastly, and this is a strange one, I made my own bouquet as well as my MOH’s 🤣 They’re fake flowers I got from a bridal thrift store in Sioux Falls, and the center flower is from Etsy (it’s called a king protea). I have a reel on my Instagram showing how I made it, and then I just traveled with it in a large bag on the plane!
The People
We’re so glad we chose to do a destination wedding! I don’t think we’ll ever be able to go on a child-free trip like this again with all our friends/families. It as so special to be able to spend quality time together for so many days. We of course as so grateful our guests paid to come, and we know that it isn’t something everyone can pull of. If it can work for you and your loved ones, I highly suggest going this route! Not everyone got to come due to scheduling or childcare needs/family planning, but we are still talking about the best party ever. Which is really saying something considering I was stone sober 💀 Also — turns out attending a destination wedding is a great way to make a baby! We have SEVERAL Zerr wedding babies that were born. In the end, it’s the PEOPLE that make the wedding, and we couldn’t be luckier.
Our cutie wedding party
