Mexico Destination Wedding – Heather & Matt

June 21, 2017

Last month, Heather and Matt had a beautiful destination wedding at the Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa in Mexico. They had a gorgeous and sunny day for their Beach-Chic wedding – from gorgeous details to an emotional first look and one of my happiest couples ever, a highly personal ceremony to dancing all night under the stars on the beach, this destination wedding had it all! Last week I shared their trash the dress session and this week I am so excited to share their full wedding day recap of their destination wedding!

Heather and Matt were engaged Memorial Day weekend in 2015. Originally they had a long weekend in Virginia Beach planned for the holiday weekend, but Matt had hurt his back at work so a long trip wasn’t possible for him, still he promised a special weekend regardless. Matt planned a date night at Denville’s Uptown Art, which was a paint gallery. Heather was already impressed by the date and as the night went on, they shared wine and snacks and had a blast on their date. Towards the evening’s end, the guests all went onstage with their finished masterpieces to snap a photo for the Denville’s Facebook page. Matt sneakily switched out his painting with a canvas that said, “Will You Marry Me?”, through the nerves Matt mistakenly held this crucial question upside down! As the hosts of the night desperately tried to get Matt to hold his canvas right side up, Heather noticed what was going on just at that perfect time. She had no idea that”something special” would end up being a ring! <3

I started the day with Heather and her bridesmaids, I loved photographing all of Heather’s perfectly thought out details from her pretty Enzoani wedding gown to her “something borrowed” veil borrowed from her sister and Matron of Honor, Brittany’s own wedding day. I split my time the morning of their wedding going from the ladies to the men while they were at the salon.

What was the hardest part of wedding planning? What was the easiest?

From Heather: Hardest – Deciding to go with a non-traditional destination wedding knowing we would be missing some of our closest friends and family members. Easiest – Marrying my best friend.

What is your favorite memory from your wedding day?

“Seeing each other for the first time on our wedding day and our first dance. The ceremony can be nerve wracking and emotional. Our first dance, we got to enjoy ourselves and be in the moment, just the two of us.”

As their photographer, my favorite part of Heather and Matt’s wedding day was their ceremony. Their officiant was Heather’s younger sister (and Maid of Honor) Ashley’s boyfriend, Neal and he did such a good job coming up with the sweetest words to say. Heather and Matt also wrote their own vows and I had a hard time hiding my tears behind my camera!

Any advice for future couple’s planning?

“Although money, everyone’s opinions, and coordinating details can be stressful; focus on the real reason you are celebrating. Cherish writing your vows, enjoy picking out music, and appreciate every family member and friend that is able to attend.”

Now that they’re no longer planning a destination wedding in Mexico, they plan on looking for a house to buy next and traveling. A puppy and kids may be in the near future as well! Congratulations to Heather and Matt on your beautiful Mexico wedding, I am so excited to share these images!

xoxo