It’s fascinating how this lovely beach wedding in Cancun was a perfect mixture of laid-back and elegance. Like during the ceremony, if you look at one side you would see the groom and his groomsmen sporting very casual outfits then if you look over at the other, you’ll find the bride and her entourage wearing an elegant gown and fuchsia cocktail dresses. Add this up to how the sun was shining down on them accordingly. It looked like it wasn’t too hot for the guests to be uncomfortable but it was bright enough that it was a perfect day for a wedding. Congratulations Rachel and Gary!
Here is what our bride has to share with us…
How did he propose?
Gary and I had been together for almost nine years when he proposed. We had overcome five years of long distance while he played professional hockey and finally began to talk about marriage. We got engaged August 24th and it was the most exciting moment of my life. I knew it had to be happening soon because let’s face it- it had been almost nine years! As the summer was coming to a close, and Gary working nights, he had one more night off so I thought this has to be it! My parents invited us for a barbeque and I tried to decline for fear of ruining what I thought could be “the night” but Gary accepted the invitation and as disappointed I was, we went. We were getting ready to go and as I checked his pockets (no box) I started to get mad inside. I was thinking this was never going to happen! I let it go by the time we got to my parents and we were enjoying a glass of wine while supper was cooking when he took my hand. In front of my family in their kitchen, he got down on one knee and proposed. I was blown away. This moment was made equally as special because he chose to let my family in on my big surprise. My dad has been battling advanced prostate cancer for the past five years and his condition was beginning to progress quickly. Gary and I knew the likelihood of my dad being able to walk me down the aisle if we waited the year was slim.
Tell us about your wedding day
We decided to have a March wedding and the only way to it within six months was to do a destination wedding. We signed on to Destinationweddings.com and were assigned a wedding specialist named Susan. She researched resorts for us in various parts of Mexico based on our price point and criteria as well as flight packages for our selected dates. After much discussion we decided on the Barcelo Tucancun Beach Resort in Cancun, Mexico over spring break and it was fabulous!
The resort was absolutely breathtaking; the beach stretched for miles, the sun was gorgeous. The wedding day was magical and everything went so smoothly. The flowers were freshly delivered, the food was tastefully prepared and the service was phenomenal. I’ll never forget dancing for hours outside under the beautiful lighting and hearing the waves of the ocean.
There were many ups and downs with the wedding process but in the end we had 45 of our closest family and friends there to spend a week with us in Cancun and be a part of our special day. The intimate ceremony was on the terrace overlooking the ocean and the sun was shining. The beautiful thing about a destination wedding is that it can be as stress-free as you make it not to mention as cost effective as you need. The onsite coordinator does everything for you so that you and your guests can enjoy the day. Via email, we were given choices of food menu, hors d’oeuvres, linen, flowers ect. Many items were included in a package, and the rest we added on a la carte. It was so easy! We decided to look for a photographer locally and bring him/her to Mexico with us, which was probably our best decision. Taliah Leigh Photography documented our entire wedding week and the photos couldn’t have been better. I couldn’t have imagined a better day- it was truly a dream.
I loved waking up each morning and seeing family and friends at breakfast, at the beach or around the pool deck. We spent time with family who flew in from across Canada and had a nice time reconnecting. This was my last, most memorable vacation with my family.
Vendors
Photographer: Taliah Leigh Photography