¡Feliz Aniversario Patti + Chris!

Tags

Mexico Destination Wedding, Mexico Wedding Inspiration, Sayulita Wedding

Happy First Anniversary to Patti & Chris!  This super sweet couple from Chicago had a beautiful and intimate wedding at Casa Ilusion on Sayulita’s north end beach.  I love looking back at these photos – they are dripping with love and affection between the happy couple.  Adding to the glow of the lovely Bride, and the depth of those looks between new husband and wife, is the fact that they were expecting their first child at the time of the wedding.  I can just feel it in these photos, the excitement and love around a new family forming, knowing that their baby would be born in August – and with their baby in their arms today, they have even more to celebrate this anniversary.

The wedding was a family affair, with Patti’s Uncle Bud acting as the wedding Officiate, and friends of the family providing the pre-ceremony piano and song, as well as the beautiful calligraphy on the guest book and the hand-lettered apple place cards.  Patti & Chris wanted a delicious and authentic Mexican dinner from their favorite Sayulita restaurant, Sayulita Café.  Miguel and his team served up their signature chiles rellenos along with chicken mole, cactus salad, and yummy guacamole.   Tamale Diva Adriana Basail prepared mini-versions of her scrumptious gourmet mayan pork and spinach pine nut tamales for cocktail hour canapés.  Dessert was assorted cakes from Anna, the Sayulita “Cake Lady.”  The flowers were beautifully done by Mireya of Flor Mimo, with hair & makeup by Karina of Raphaella Salon.

Patti wanted to host a special luncheon for her girlfriends and Bridesmaids the day before the wedding, so we organized a spa party where guests each chose three services from stations offering massage, facials, and mani-pedis.  Sayulita Sushi catered the luncheon with a delicious array of sushi, and ladies sipped on sparkling wine while getting pampered and checking out the ocean view.

Elizabeth Lloyd Photography did an amazing job capturing the beauty of the wedding and the pure love flowing between Patti & Chris and their baby on the way.

All photos ©2012, Elizabeth Lloyd Photography.

Happy Anniversary to Patti, Chris, and baby Erik!!

xo, SDW

Photos of the Day

Reblogged from Compass & Camera:

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Today I took oodles of pictures at THE MALL. It's not just any mall -- it's Marina Bay Sands so you can assume anything worth photographing is going to be big, beautiful and way over the top. Or under the top, as is the case with these Chinese New Year decorations. Lanterns, flowers and big swaths of fabric are hanging from the arched steel and glass ceiling, creating fun photographic compositions.

Read more… 50 more words

Sharing some big and beautiful inspiration from the lovely Compass & Camera Blog via Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Mall. Love those fabric sweeps and that massive, gorgeous pomander! Thanks for sharing so much beauty, Kelly!!

¡Feliz Aniversario Heather + Noelle!

Happy 1-year Anniversary to Heather and Noelle of Bellingham, Washington!  Heather and Noelle had a beautiful, spiritual, intimate wedding at the lovely Casa Vela.  The wedding ceremony, officiated by their Pastor from Bellingham, was held on the north end beach, and guests were shuttled up to the house afterwards for cocktails, dinner, and dancing.

All week it threatened to rain, so we opted for a tent to cover the ceremony, and held our breath that the garden dinner setting didn’t get rained out.  In the end the rain held out, and we were treated to a magnificent sunset at the end of what was a nail-bitingly cloudy (but mercifully dry) day.

The casual gourmet dinner was a feast of local Sayulita culinary delights, many from our Mercado del Pueblo, starting with Adriana’s gourmet tamales of spinach/pine nut and portobello/red pepper, followed by the always delectable steak, fish, and veggie tacos of Tacos on the Street.  Dessert was gold-flecked chocolate cupcakes from Sandrita, and for favors, guests were treated to take-away bags (though many were gnoshed on the spot) of Debbie’s hand-made chocolate chili truffles.  Yum.

Lovely flower design by Mireya of Flor Mimo, Bridal Styling by Kori Walker, Ceremony sound by Sayulita Musica, music by Los Frixoleros and DJ Veckmann.  Heather and Noelle’s friend Berg captured their week beautifully in photos.  Here are my favorites:

  All photos ©2012 by Berglind Hafsteinsdottir Photography.

Happy Anniversary, Chicas!  Looking forward to your upcoming visit!!

xo, SDW

¡Feliz Aniversario Kate + Matt!

I’m stoked to kick off another round of anniversary posts with the lovely Kate and Matt of Toronto, who are celebrating their 1 year anniversary today!  Kate + Matt are two beautiful people, madly in love.  When Kate wrote me, she described Matt as her dream guy – a gorgeous tattooed rock star.  They wanted a fun, rock ‘n’ roll wedding that would be a kick-ass party for their best friends, most of whom were musicians or singers.  We set up a stage and hired Sayulita’s awesome Los Tikkilyches to be the host band for this music-oriented reception.  The first dance song was performed by close family, the Groom’s band played a set, and the Groom sang and played a song that he wrote for his Bride – a very special and tearful moment for all.  Los Tikkilyches kept the crowd rockin’ and dancing into the night.

The awesome Jillian Mitchell was the magic behind the lens.  Gloria of Concepto Floral designed the flowers, and the girls got beautified in the skillful hands of Kori Walker (Kolor by Kori) and Karina Perez (Raphaella Salon)

All photos ©Jillian Mitchell Photography, 2012

Happy Anniversary Kate + Matt!

xo, SDW

Introducing SDW’s Tiniest New Team Member

We are so thrilled to welcome our new baby girl, Druscilla Noche Luna Villarrubia, into our world!  Druscilla was born at home, on the afternoon of October 4, 2012, weighing 6 lbs, 7 oz, 20 inches long.  Everyone is happy and healthy; resting, bonding, and basking in love.

xo, SDW

Travis + Brooke’s Rockin’ Save-The-Date Video

Travis + Brooke from Denver are working with us for their April 2013 wedding at the Brisa Mar Palapa in Sayulita.  I’m loving their super fun save-the-date video that just went out to guests via their wedding website.  Check it:

This is sure to be a fun event – can’t wait!

xo, SDW

Jessica + Chad’s Playa Carricitos Wedding

Tags

Mexico Destination Wedding, Sayulita Wedding

When Jessica first contacted me about planning her wedding to Chad, she introduced them as a couple that had fallen in love with Sayulita years ago, and went on to describe their ideal as follows:

We love the idea of having a really earthy wedding on Playa Carricitos at sunset and then heading to a fabulous party somewhere.

Carricitos is a secluded beach south of the main beach and Playa los Muertos, accessed only by private property or jungle trails (on foot).  Fortunately, I had the perfect venue for them – where they could have their earthy ceremony and their fabulous party in one beautiful location.  We had thrown a small rehearsal dinner at this private home years ago and the owners approached us about offering it up as a wedding venue to the right clients.  I hadn’t found the right clients until Jessica & Chad found us, and from there, everything just flowed.

An easy-going, outdoorsy couple from Boise, Idaho, Jessica & Chad’s wedding was beautiful and richly textured without being fussy or stuffy.  Their fun, laid-back personalities came through in every detail and moment of the wedding events, and they were super easy and fun to work with.  Jessica brought down the gorgeous tapestries that served as the table linens, and the intimate group of 40 guests were treated to Mexican shot glass favors, great bottles of sipping tequila on each table, Mexican wedding cookie takeaways, and fresh made churros and cinnamon hot chocolate for dessert.  Suburbans shuttled guests safely to and from Sayulita to the private hideaway in the jungle, where they danced the night away on a sandy dancefloor on the beach.

Congratulations, Jessica & Chad!

Photos by Rene Vorhees, Sheryl Orr, and Sayulita Dream Weddings, ©2012

xo, SDW

¡Feliz Aniversario Carlos + Kristen!

Tags

Mexico Destination Wedding, Sayulita Wedding

Happy First Anniversary to the adorable Carlos + Kristen of Seattle!  Carlos & Kristen had a very sweet and intimate wedding at the gorgeous Casa Vela.  They kept the focus on the love and the fun, opting for simple but delicious fare of fresh fish tacos, fresh fruit & ceviche appetizers, and a bar run by local cantinero Christian Rodriguez of El Tigre, whom the couple had connected with on a previous visit to Sayulita.  They called upon their talented group of friends and family to officiate, photograph, and DJ the wedding.  We set up a lovely dinner in the lower garden, and used the main level of the casa, brilliantly decorated with bold Mexican folk art, as the setting for the ceremony (with a breathtaking ocean vista as the backdrop), cocktail hour, and post-dinner dancing. Pie in the Sky provided the cake (the delivery guys actually walked it all the way up the steep hill to ensure its safe arrival), and Kristen’s Aunt hand-made the adorable felted cake topper and mini-cake bunting.  At the end of the night, everyone was in the pool, including the bartender.

Photos ©Kyle Johnson, 2011

¡Felicidades Kristen + Carlos!

xo, SDW

¡Feliz Aniversario Krissy + Mike!

Tags

Love, Mexico Destination Wedding, Sayulita Wedding

I have a visual feast (another Evrim Icoz stunner) of an anniversary post for you today, as Krissy & Mike of Colorado celebrate 2 years of wedded bliss.  Another couple very dear to my (our) heart(s), they were so amazing to work with and had such a fun, truly heartfelt and original wedding full of love, family, friends, and a million little details that brought it all together in one stunning package, as beautifully documented by the ever-talented Evrim Icoz Photography.  Memorable moments from the week included a bluegrass jam session by Mike “Banjo” Fritz and his pals around the bonfire at the La Terrazola welcome party, and the highly anticipated arrival to town of the couples’ friend Harry, who actually rode his bicycle all the way from Colorado to Sayulita.  By himself.  To raise money for cancer.  Awesome.

Krissy & Mike’s Brisa Mar Palapa wedding was bursting with brilliant Mexican color, from the hand-sewn day-of-the-dead patterned napkins that each guest received as a favor, to maracas, to tequila bottles naming each table, to our favorite kids’ play area ever, to the photo wall, and on and on and on.  Their Moms chipped in on the DIY front, with Mike’s artist mom painting 2 large canvases that they rolled up and shipped to Mexico where we had them re-stretched for hanging in the Palapa entryway.  Krissy’s mom hand-sewed pillows echo-ing the theme of the paintings, “All You Need Is Love.”  Krissy sourced Etsy for tons of adorable details like a mini ”All You Need Is Love” banner to drape across the front of the cake table, and the cute wooden cake topper complete with the couples’ beloved pup.

I’ll let the plethora of gorgeous images (sorry, it was hard to narrow it down – too much beauty to share!) speak for themselves, and you can also check out Evrim’s original blog post here.  All photos ©Evrim Icoz Photography, 2010.  Flowers by Gloria Rodriguez of Concepto Floral; Cakes by Naef Cuisine; Bridal Styling by Funky Diva Hair Design; Catering, Bar & Venue by Don Pedro’s.

Beautiful Bride, Beautiful Bay

Setting up the Group Shot

Dream Team!

Buenas Noches, Sayulita

Happy Anniversary Krissy + Mike!!  Hope to see you in Sayulita again soon!

xo, Andrea, Gabbi & Maximo

¡Feliz Aniversario (belated…from May 19) Joel + Mercan!

Evrim Icoz’s award-winning photo of J+M – and still the header for his blog!

Wow – I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since Joel & Mercan’s amazing wedding at the incomparable Rancho Huracan.  So many wonderful firsts came out of this wedding, and most importantly, beautiful friendships, with Joel & Mercan as well as with their awesome photographer Evrim Icoz, whom we have been fortunate enough to work with (and be photographed by) many more times through the years.  I still remember that first phone call with Joel – his baritone voice all business, asking me for my “elevator speech” about why we were right for the job.  We were so new at wedding planning I felt like it was one of those job interviews where you know you can pull it off if only given a chance, but you also know the hiring party is taking a risk that you can actually do what you say you can.  Well, I guess my elevator speech worked because they hired us, and I know we made good on our promise because we pulled it off and then some.

Joel & Mercan brought an intimate group of friends & family to Sayulita for their wedding – about 25, almost identical to our own wedding – with just parents and close friends in attendance.  They treated their guests to a Sayulita Fish Taco catered pool party (RIP, SFT – we miss you!) at their kick-ass villa; a rehearsal dinner at Calypso; and a gorgeous wedding ceremony and reception, with moon-lit rooftop dinner catered by Don Pedro’s, tres leches cake from Pie in the Sky, and the first ever wedding appearance of Sayulita’s now-famous “churreros,” Miguel & Gloria.

Joel & Mercan are one of the rare couples that actually follow-up on their vow to return to Sayulita every year, and we always look forward to their visits – for long ago they ceased to be clients and just became our friends, who we love catching up with and who it feels like we saw just yesterday.  So, when’s the next visit, kids?

Still one of my favorite images – and the back of our business cards!

each of the wedding guests received a special boutonniere

All photos ©Evrim Icoz Photography, 2007.  Check out even more of Evrim’s Joel + Mercan photos here.

xo, Andrea, Gabbi + Maximo