High school sweethearts Alexandra and Xavier celebrated their 10th anniversary with a wedding in Mexico at Villa la Joya Playa del Carmen. Romantic and timeless, surrounded by the love of family and friends, this real wedding love story by the sea touched our hearts, ready to be inspired?
Interview with a destination wedding bride: Alexandra shares her experience and planning tips
Why choose Mexico for your destination wedding? What is your theme and dream decor? What is your inspiration for choosing Villa la Joya as your Playa del Carmen wedding venue? We really want to know and we ask all our couples to answer a few questions about their experience planning a wedding in Mexico.
Alexandra and Xavier were super lovely in every way and kindly agreed to a little question and answer. We loved their responses and so will you, helpful info, a romantic tale, and a wealth of pretty pictures.
Why did you choose Mexico for your destination wedding?:
We had vacationed in Mexico 3 years prior (2019) to celebrate our dating anniversary and absolutely loved it. From the weather, to the beaches, to the people, and the food we loved everything about it. When we began wedding planning we wanted to do something more unique as neither of our families or friends had been to a destination wedding and we also wanted to be able to spend more quality time with our guests. For these reasons, we decided to do a destination wedding and deciding on Mexico was a no-brainer. We wanted our family and friends to experience all the things we loved about Mexico.
What made you choose Villa La Joya Playa del Carmen for your wedding venue?:
Initially when looking for a wedding venue the most important thing we looked for was privacy. This is what led us to look into private venues as opposed to hotels. Then when we found Villa La Joya, we did a site visit as well, and it checked off all of our boxes. Absolutely stunning both outside and inside, overlooking the water, no outside vendor fees, and the nicest staff. We also did not want to be in the sand. Additionally, it was very convenient to be able to rent out the condo nearby to get ready.
Timeless elegance and romance and oh those fabulous florals
Tell us about your wedding theme/inspiration:
The inspiration was romantic yet timeless. Alexandra's favorite season is Fall because of the colors of the tree leaves. So we went with a muted fall colors inspiration for the florals.
Alexandra and Xavier turned the garden of Villa la Joya into their own personal paradise with the help of the best Playa del Carmen wedding vendors. The ceremony featured a gorgeous display of flowers by Luis Salas Floral Experience. The asymmetrical arch at the altar was magnificent. Bride and groom shared a magical kiss after tying the knot and walked down the aisle bedecked in petals
Cozy cocktail hour and unforgettable destination wedding reception
While the newlyweds posed for their wedding portraits with White Crown Photography, family and friends enjoyed champagne, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres. The cocktail hour seating area included welcoming white couches with splashes of blue and gold, the color theme a delightful contrast to the softness of the flowers.
Anything you would have done differently in planning your destination wedding day?:
The only thing we would have done differently is scheduled more time for family portraits on the inside of the villa. We got family portraits outside of the villa but the inside of the Villa is stunning so we wanted more pictures of it but forgot to mention it to our wedding planner.
Thanks, Alexandra, great tip! Scheduling your wedding shot list with your Playa del Carmen wedding photographers and planners is an important task to ensure you get all the photos you have in mind in the time you have available.
The lively reception included great food, as always Gourmet Soberanis catering in Playa del Carmen knocked it out of the park. We adored the sweetheart table, the floating florals in the pool, the chandeliers, the personalized dance floor, the fireworks, and the churros, the whole reception was a delight for the senses. All the details and decor were gorgeous but it was the unforgettable speeches that really made this a night to remember.
Do you have a favorite most/emotional or funniest moment of your wedding day?:
Other than getting married, our most emotional moments were during the speeches our family and friends made. Neither of us normally enjoys speeches because, to be quite frank, we tend to find them boring. But our friends and family poured their hearts out and we, as well as our guests, were a bucket of tears.
The funniest moment of our wedding was when our guests lifted Xavier into the air on a chair and then accidentally dropped him.
Destination wedding in Mexico: Advice from a real bride experience
Advice for other brides planning a wedding in Mexico?:
Do whatever is going to make you and your fiance the happiest. Only invite people who genuinely care and love you as individuals and support your relationship. You are not only going to be seeing them on your wedding day but be spending time with them at the hotel you choose to stay at. Therefore, you want to be able to enjoy their company. Secondly, get a good wedding planner. I definitely recommend Natalia from Weddings on the Beach.
The staff at Villa La Joya, shout out to Enrique, were the nicest people and made everything run so smoothly. Our guests were even complimenting on how great they were. We really enjoyed our wedding thanks to all of the staff at Villa La Joya and all of the amazing vendors. We'd like to thank everyone for all of their hard work and appreciate the genuine care they put into our wedding.
Thank you, mil gracias and wishes for a lifetime of joy together!
From all of us at Villa la Joya Playa del Carmen, we send our enormous appreciation to Alexandra and Xavier for choosing us as their wedding venue in Mexico. It was lovely to meet you and share your big day with your amazing family and friends. Your future is bright and full of joy together, we can see it by the way you gaze into each other’s eyes with so much love.
As always, we send our gratitude to the BEST wedding vendors in Playa del Carmen who brought the vision to life. Creative and professional, we enjoy working with you all so much, muchas gracias.
Feeling inspired and ready to start planning your own destination wedding in Mexico?
We are waiting to hear from you at Villa la Joya Playa del Carmen. Let’s brainstorm and vision board and bring your wedding dreams to life. Contact Villa la Joya today, no vendor fees, no other weddings on YOUR big day. ¡Viva el amor!
Planner: Weddings on the Beach | Photo and Video: White Crown Photography | Hair & Makeup: Salty Beauty | Travel specialist: Playa Bella Weddings & Travel | Florals: Luis Salas Floral Experience | Tables, Welcome sign, decor, etc.: Velvet Design | Dessert: Los Pockets | Minister: Santiago Carranza | Food: Gourmet Soberanis | Entertainment: Drums in Paradise | DJ/MC: LB Productions | DJ equipment rentals: DJ Tekiwa