Vows shared on sand at Sandos Playacar
GETTING READY
After 9 months of planning, cancelling, postponing to a year that we thought was going to be better, at a destination where we thought everything would be a lot easier, I am so relieved that it is over. As Oly and I boarded our plane to fly over the Tuesday before our Friday wedding in Playa Del Carmen, I felt a strange sense of calmness, thinking “whatever happens – will happen” even though flowers and decorations weren’t even decided (I tried to print things out days before our flight and long story short – it didn’t and wasn’t going to work). So by the time we arrived Sandos Playacar, there was a mix of anxiety, excitement, exhaustion, and acceptance/defeat mixed with frustration and relief. Many of my friends/family backed out (some last minute), none of our parents, friends from abroad, nor most of our bachelorette/bachelor party friends were going to be there considering COVID issues. Out of all challenges I try to wiggle through, problems there are the solve, the pandemic complications are never in my hands. I was just relieved that a few friends ran around to find horchata and somehow pass it to me days leading up to my wedding. I can’t tell if that was a craving, but every sip was a sweet sip of relief and comfort.
While some issues resumed with other problems and texts rolling in, guests frazzled trying to settle in, and signage/decorations still being figured out the night before our wedding, it was a roller coaster of emotions. I did my routine yoga the morning of, but was nauseous just sitting getting my makeup done hours before, watching O’s friends jog outside through a storm, covering their heads from the rain as we all listened to thunder and saw lightning flashes…. (out of all days, right?) According to the coordinator, there was no “change in plans” for outdoor/indoor wedding arrangements while I had always hoped to get married on the sand. Hearing that calm O was trying to repeatedly contact our services was making me feel frazzled. All I wanted was to get married on the sand with the ocean in the back.
THE VENUE
There are so many stories of how much money, sanity, and work goes into a wedding; it’s incredibly high pressured and a handful of things could go wrong with you trying to solve everything. Even though I did a makeup trial the day before and timed it, everyone was a bit confused up to the point of the ceremony; We were like half an hour delayed with my makeup taking longer this time and bridesmaids missing after Oly and I took some first look photos) but once I reminded my officiant AKA older brotherTony behind some bushes to add a spot for us to exchange rings, we walked down the aisle together and everything smoothly drifted.
THE CEREMONY
I was hands down embarrassed as shit from Tony being our officiant with a story I hoped to always forget, but once Oly made it through his emotional vow, I rockrolled Oly for my vow, and everything continued on full breeze.
FRIENDS + FAMILY
Special thanks to my wonderful photographer and friend, Mike who kept my head level and everything moving, calmly used his Spanish to better gauge my makeup and run through the whole schedule with me while fill in with other life updates and stories. A big reason for why I really felt at ease. Because hey, even if you’re trying to smile and you’re secretly tense, it will certainly show in all these photographs without any re-do’s – and confident, genuine smiles shine through photographs.
THE RECEPTION
I was pleasantly surprised, delighted, and proud of being able to just point to the reception (it was a pleasant 5 min walk down the sand)
I was so relieved that our guests passed around our fujifilm instax everywhere, because we got a TON of candid and sweet photos that we were able to enjoy.
PORTRAITS
A quick getaway for us two to embrace the sand and sky.
the RECEPTION CONT
It was a bit strange when people congratulated us 1 year later for coming together / getting married.. since we’ve been married for 1+ year. But hey, these are some weird ass times that only people in this era could really relate to.
DANCING TO THE END
A few months before our wedding, Oly and I signed up for ballroom dance classes as I thought it was going to be a great way for us to enjoy each other’s company, try to hone our dance skills in something we had 0 confidence in, build some fun teamwork that is wedding related + we could show our family/friends, and get some light physical exercise.
It was pretty easy hiding to not drink for the months proceeding my wedding and keeping the news at the down low as I was “trying to look my best” and after having our schedule even more thrown off from all Oly guys trying to say something about him, I eventually shared the news with everyone as a first glimpse about expecting and figured from everyone’s eyes I repeatedly had to pause and re-phrase how we were expecting a son next March.
All in all, it was and still is a bit weird to hear people say congrats (since it’s been 1+ year since we were legally married) but hey, civil wedding vs ceremonial wedding, weird pandemic times, we’re all in it together; it was relieving to just be able to hang out with our family and friends (again) and overseas – especially, that we were able to do it on sand as I had always somehow envisioned – with a photographer that I always wanted 😉 Many thanks again to my friend Villa Visuals for capturing our moments together, Sandos Playacar (Patricia!) for somehow making it all work, and our family and friends who flew all the way over, and/or supported us through all of it and continue to throughout our lives.
