"Turtle-y in Love" - Sanam and Sean's Wedding in Riviera Maya
Undeniable chemistry makes for undeniable love
Every so often, we are approached by a couple that is so deeply in love that it comes across in every form of communication - we knew right from the start that these two had a special chemistry and we had a blast getting to know them! We are positive you will love their destination wedding perspectives!
Author - Sanam, Bride
Friends for life
We met at a friend's party when we were at school at the University of Central Florida, and pretty much instantly became inseparable best friends! We remained best friends for about 11 years before we started dating, and dated just shy of 2 years before getting engaged.
The proposal
I knew the proposal was coming as we had gone ring shopping together, and all the signs were there. Every single trip we took, I thought he was going to pop the question... at one point I even bought ring pops and was about to propose myself! Eventually, over Memorial Day 2018, we took a trip to Mexico. We were getting ready to go to dinner, and he started off in the opposite direction of the restaurant towards the boardwalk. I was confused, and asked why he was going to the beach, and I heard him say "There's turtles on the beach!" -- apparently, my brain likes to hear what it wants to hear, because he never said that, and there were no turtles on the beach, but there was a shiny ring! "There's turtles on the beach" has now become one of our jokes, and we incorporated turtles subtly throughout the wedding. Even naming one of our signature drinks "Turtle-y in love"
Getting the planning started
We started planning for our wedding the following day after the proposal! Just kidding… It was probably around a month or two later. I wanted some time to enjoy the bliss of being newly engaged and share it with our friends and family.
We love to travel, so the thought of a destination wedding, and a vacation with all our friends seemed ideal; not to mention the insane cost savings! Getting engaged in Cancun, we thought it would be perfect to come back and host our friends in paradise. El Dorado Royale and Generations Riviera Maya was the perfect resort for us given the number of guests we had, plus they had amazing deals, and the food was to die for.
Piecing the parts together
Shaadi Destinations is the true subject matter experts when it comes to hosting Indian weddings in Mexico. The deals, the connections, the advice they offer are bar none. In addition, their responsiveness, friendliness, and warm-and-fuzziness made it an easy decision for us.
I thought I would have to spend HOURS researching venues, vendors, menu recommendations, etc etc -- and all I had to do was fire off a few emails to the Shaadi Destinations team. I'm telling you, they made it too easy. Like, bride's dream come true, easy. I'm one that asks a zillion questions, and they never once flinched.
For the planning component, we brought on The Soiree Co Weddings from Florida! We've known Annie for many years. We met with her initially to plan our wedding, and she took that initial meeting and ran with it. She understood our vision, the feeling we wanted to evoke throughout the entire weekend, and executed it beautifully. She worked with existing vendors in her repertoire, and new vendors that were local to Mexico and made them come together seamlessly. If there were any issues throughout the events, we had no idea. Annie and her team were incredibly organized, made sure vendors understood the vision, and adhered to the timelines. She made everything seem like pure magic.
Of course we also had to have a hashtag for the festivities! It was #whitakerdowntheaisle - Sean went by "Whit" (last name Whitaker) throughout college, so I came up with Whit-take-her-down-the-aisle! Sometimes I'm clever, sometimes.
3 tips for a dreamy destination wedding
We have come up with our top 3 tips for future Shaadi Destinations couples getting married in paradise we wanted to share!
Tip One - Trust the pros! I am naturally a control freak, and wanted to do it all--the pros know what they're doing, and have been doing it for a long time.
Tip Two - Make sure your venue can handle your guests (whether it be adults, kids, number of people); if your reception is at the adults only part of the resort, make sure that kids can attend for the evening if they are a part of your guest list.
Tip Three - Visit in person and request meetings with vendors and a tasting; if you have a planner, bring them too. This part was crucial for us to not feel overwhelmed as our planner was able to navigate through all of the information... while we enjoyed the food. Yum!
A quick breather before the big weekend!
My favorite memory from our wedding week other than our events was definitely the candlelit beach dinner we had on the night before the events started. It was calming to be able to spend time with my soon-to-be husband and calm the wedding jitters. Another would be, during a free evening between events, we went to Fuentes with several of our family and friends, and we danced to "Sweet Caroline" in front by the stage while all of our friends sang along with us!
Scouting the secret spots was key
We loved our photographer and I would definitely say it was one of those things we splurged on and have no regrets! They studied the property prior to the events, and found all sorts of hidden spots to photograph us in.
Couldn’t do it without you
We would hire our vendors again and again! All of them! Honestly, I do not have anything negative to say about any of our vendors. Every single event had a different vision, this team nailed everything we threw at them and adapted no matter how many curve balls we threw.
When we first set off to plan a destination wedding, Google was our best friend. First up, Shaadi Destinations. I reached out, had a couple of questions...but ultimately I thought, why do I need a travel agent? Can’t I just call the resort myself? I travel all the time and book my own travel—surely, this can’t be THAT different, right? WRONG.
Their wealth of knowledge, speed of responses, and above and beyond level of service made us SO happy that we chose to let them handle the travel and transportation portion of our wedding. The perks they have compare to none other. Everything was smooth, service was unbelievable and all of the uncles and aunties are still talking about how great they were at answering all of their questions. Non travel questions? They have that covered too. You’re stressed the week before or day of? They’re there for you. Milan and Shree are truly people that we would want to be friends with. We can not recommend them enough, and are looking forward to working with them to plan our return to paradise for our anniversary with all of our friends!
Honeymoon Vibin
We went to Japan (Tokyo & Kyoto) and Bora Bora for our honeymoon! Japan had an amazing food scene (sushi for days!), the culture is amazing, and the architecture is surreal. We got to experience a traditional ryokan in Kyoto which was a very memorable experience, and those bullet trains are no joke!
Next, was Bora Bora -- WOW. From the moment we landed, I kept joking that we were actually on Lost and this place didn't exist. The pictures you see daily really do not do it justice. We stayed at the St. Regis Bora Bora and it was truly the ultimate in fun, luxury and relaxation. We snorkeled under our overwater bungalow, saw turtles splashing in the sea (this time, there were actually turtles!), sipped some delicious cocktails, ate some fantastic Tahitian food, and had not a single worry in the world. The trip was the perfect combination of city hustle & bustle, and beachside chill... which describes us pretty well. (Editor’s Note: We LOVE setting up our clients with the luxury honeymoon of their dreams - from Bora Bora to the Maldives to Hawaii, we make our clients feel loved no matter where they want to celebrate the start of their lives together!)
Our list of vendors:
Destination Wedding Agency - Shaadi Destinations (Website - Instagram - Email)
Wedding Planner - The Soiree Co Weddings (Website - Instagram - Email)
Photographer / Videographer - Castaldo Studio (Website - Instagram - Email)
DJ and Lighting - Jacob Co Creative (Website - Instagram - Email)
Special thanks to Castaldo Studio for these fabulous pictures! Contact Castaldo for your destination photography needs.
Shaadi Destinations is the premier, award winning, modern-day destination wedding travel agency for South Asian couples seeking a streamlined process, incredible experiences, and a party friends and family will never forget! We save our couples thousands of dollars while throwing them the wedding festivities dreams are made of.
We live and breathe destination weddings - with just one consultation, you will be light years ahead in your destination wedding planning process. In less than one week, Shaadi Destinations will find you the most perfect resort that meets your needs, your budget, and your desires. With our vendor relationships and pre-negotiated exclusive perks at resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean, we are confident we can find exactly what you are looking for. You'll find we have the best rates, best incentives, and best booking experience.
