Sarah + Eric
(February 4, 2023 in Loreto, Mexico)
Welcome to the Ivory Blog, where we get to share all about our real brides and their gorgeous weddings! Today, we are absolutely thrilled to present the captivating wedding of our real bride, Sarah! This enchanting destination wedding celebration was full of brightness and joy. Read on to discover this bride’s process for wedding planning and her #1 tip for future brides! Join us as we immerse ourselves in the magic of Sarah's wedding day, a heartwarming celebration that will inspire you!
By our real bride, Sarah:
What was the vision for your wedding?
My Pinterest board was a large mixture of neutrals (white, beige, gray, and greenery), with a few wild cards thrown in. At first, I thought I wanted the typical white with greenery, a Modern Timeless Wedding. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that's not what I want to look back on in photos. I wanted pops of color to show the brightness and joy surrounding the day, with a few classic references of course, which is where the bridal party attire comes in! The variety of colors and types of florals in the table runners, bouquets, and ceremony pieces added the perfect splash of color I was looking for.
I chose black bridesmaid dresses because it is a color everyone will wear again, and I let the girls choose their own dresses - I think they did a great job! This way everyone would pick out a dress they would for sure wear again and be comfortable in for the entire night. For the guys, gray was about the only color I liked that would complement the girls wearing black haha so they didn't really have a choice!
The Villa Del Palmar Resort had a wedding planner that we used, she provided us with a list of vendors to choose from which had varying pricing and floral/decor options. The resort provided most of the wedding essentials, but flowers and tables were brought in from a flower shop in Los Cabos, Mexico.
How did it go day-of?
The day of the wedding was more than I could ever have imagined! We chose not to go the traditional route the night before the wedding, instead, we spent the night together. The wedding day was supposed to be about us, so we wanted to make the most of it. Neither of us enjoy being the center of attention or bearing our feelings to the world, so we chose to wake up the morning of the wedding and read our vows to each other in bed. This was hands down the most special moment of the entire day, laying there bearing our hearts out to one another, laughing, and crying. It set the rest of the day up for success because all I could think about was how excited I was to see Eric again and to officially become his wife. This probably also helped me not be a complete crying mess during the ceremony, instead, I was all smiles! Being with Eric in the morning and reading our vows to each other gave me such peace and eased all the anxiety regarding whether the day would go as planned or not. I also wanted to do this instead of a first look because I wanted to save the first look of "me in the dress" for walking down the aisle, that is something I've always dreamed of doing so this was a way to accomplish that without the anxiety surrounding not seeing each other all day.
If anything went wrong throughout the day I had no idea, most likely due to my wedding planner. I put all of my trust in her and boy did she pull through. I was living in bliss getting ready with my bridesmaids and mom, looking forward to seeing my future husband at the end of the aisle. All I had to do was be ready by a certain time and make sure I got to the car when I needed to.
We were married on the 17th hole of the TPC Danzante Bay Golf course which was so incredibly special, it overlooks the Sea of Cortez and its vibrant blue waters. There has only ever been one other wedding in that location. I can attribute this location to my Dad who put in a lot of effort to make our ceremony spot unique and special. It is surreal looking back at photos and reminiscing about the view and all of the people there supporting our new chapter in life.
Wrapped around my bouquet was a rosary that my grandmother gave me, she wasn't able to make the trip down to Mexico for our wedding, so it felt special to have that piece with me throughout the day, making it feel like she was with me blessing our marriage.
What is your #1 tip for future brides?
My best tip is to let the little things go! After all, isn't the wedding supposed to be about you and your future husband? Typically, I am a perfectionist and want things done just so, or better yet just let me do it so I know it's done right! But with my wedding, I was not that way. I found general concepts and color schemes I wanted and let my wedding planner go from there. That was hands down the best decision I made regarding our wedding. Because I did this, I wasn't stressed all week before the wedding and the day of hoping things were going to be exactly like I wanted them. This allowed me to enjoy being with friends and family in the days leading up to our wedding and also allowed me to enjoy the entire wedding. No one was going to know what I had in my head and how it compared to what was actually there anyways!
