Merry Christmas from Sayulita, Chicos y Chicettes!

xo, SDW

Happy 3-year Anniversary to Beth & Josh of Portland!  Beth & Josh had a beautiful sunset beach wedding in San Pancho (love that beach for ceremonies… so expansive and flat and gorgeous).  The sun actually hit the horizon just as they had their first kiss as husband and wife – too perfect.  Cocktails, Dinner, and Dancing followed at the incomparable Mar Plata Restaurant (could there be a more beautiful setting??).  Beth’s wonderful parents, Neil & Karen, own a lovely house in San Pancho and hosted everyone for brunch the next day, catered by Don Pedro’s.  Images from Cathie Ferguson Photography, assisted by Jillian Mitchell.

love this shot with the waves crashing behind the ceremony

the Bride's lush red bouquet

Mar Plata - so gorgeous

dancing and cake!

This year has been extra special for Beth & Josh as they welcomed their baby girl into their lives this summer.  Many congrats and happy wishes to your beautiful family!!

xo, Andrea & Gabbi

Filed under: anniversaries, weddings Tagged: Mexico Destination Wedding, Sayulita Wedding ]]> http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/feliz-aniversario-beth-josh/feed/ 0 sayulitadreamweddings beth+josh_1_resize beth+josh_6b beth+josh_6a Beth&Josh-651_lo beth+josh_9 http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/feliz-aniversario-monique-steve/ http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/feliz-aniversario-monique-steve/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:06:23 +0000 Sayulita Dream Weddings http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/?p=257 Continue reading »

A Super Happy 1-year Anniversary to Monique & Steve of Chicago!!  Monique & Steve are a lovely, made-for-each-other couple who had the most gorgeous wedding at Villa del Oso last year (actually a year and a day ago, but my modem was out this weekend and I couldn’t get this up yesterday…).  So many beautiful details: ultra-lush orange flowers, a beautifully understated and ethereal ceremony backdrop, hand-painted Mexican tile table numbers, rooftop cocktails, and a festive sparkler send-off to name a few.  These two were so fun and such a joy to work with.  I have the fondest memories of this wedding and how great the night was.  I know you two have had an amazing and blissful year together as Newlyweds, and I wish you countless years ahead of continued joy and love in your marriage!!!!

beautiful tablescape with hand-painted motif carried over from save-the-dates

a perfect dinner setting : easily my favorite lighting design from all of our weddings

the custom cake topper is a nod to how they met - running

Monique, cracking open the "bride" piñata at the rehearsal fiesta

Dia Rao & Patrick Haynes were the Photography team behind these lovely images.

xo, Andrea & Gabbi

Filed under: anniversaries, weddings Tagged: Mexico Destination Wedding, Sayulita Wedding ]]>

name those indie-rock stars!

photos ©Sayulita Dream Weddings, 2011

Can’t wait to see Jill Mitchell’s images of this super fun event!!

I am anxiously awaiting photos from our November weddings with Dia + Patrick and Christine + Adam. Both were gorgeous, super-fun events with very different themes and feels, each equally amazing because of the great people involved: brides, grooms, and guests included. A unified element at both were sky/fire lanterns, which we lit at each reception and as part of both ceremonies. This was my first experience with these and I was excited and a little nervous about the logistics (How will we light 40-odd lanterns at once? Or, more troublesome: will they blow the wrong way and set the Palapa on fire???), but they were actually pretty foolproof and absolutely magical. The shared, interactive experience of sending that many beautiful glowing lanterns into the sky at once is utterly ethereal and goose-bump-inducing. We encouraged guests to make a wish as they sent their lanterns up into the night sky. Set to a soundtrack of Edith Piaf… total perfection, and so much more moving than fireworks. I can’t wait to get some more to set off with my family – New Year’s Eve maybe?

photo by Lauren Franz; Dia + Patrick's 11/11/11 wedding

photo by SDW; Christine + Adam's Ceremony Wish Lantern

We got to work with 3 kick-**s Photographers this month, Ed Fladung, Jillian Mitchell, and Adam Wiseman, so we are highly anticipating the awesomeness that is sure to be coming forth and will be shared here post-haste!

Testament to November’s popularity as a wedding month, Sayulita hosted several other wedding groups throughout the month, and we looked back on 6 wonderful SDW anniversaries on this blog. Hard as it is ‘fess up, I am not perfect and I did miss a few of our past November weddings, so in wrap up for the month, I would like to extend very Happy (Belated) Anniversary Wishes to:

Susan + Renzo of Telluride, CO | November 4, 2006

Falene + Erin of Ketchikan, AK | November 9, 2006

Meredith + Brian of Austin, TX | November 21, 2009

Monica + John of Denver, CO | November 24, 2007

Kristen + Jason of Seattle, WA | November 28, 2008

Counting this year, that makes 14 November weddings in 6 years!

Looking ahead, December is all about planning for Winter/Spring weddings (next up: Jessica + Chad from Boise, ID!), celebrating the Holidays with Family & Friends, and of course parties – lots of fun parties, none of which I am responsible for organizing!

xo, SDW

Filed under: anniversaries, partners, weddings Tagged: Mexico Destination Wedding, Sayulita Wedding ]]> http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/adios-november/feed/ 0 sayulitadreamweddings 335323_2398882245018_1039860022_32369722_854224936_o christine+adam - 2143 http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/dream-team/ http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/dream-team/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:54:00 +0000 Sayulita Dream Weddings http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/?p=239 Continue reading »

photo ©Dia Rao

I just have to give a huge shout-out and thanks to my amazing team, without whom I simply would be at an absolute loss when it comes to actually executing all of these beautiful wedding visions and plans that have been in the works for months as ideas and are suddenly transformed into the reality of the event space.  Sheryl & Juhelle – you are both truly amazing, able to go the distance from 9 in the morning to 1 the next morning – a rare and beautiful thing – always with smiles on your faces and often with blisters on your thumbs (cursed parasol labels!).  I am so grateful to have you both, and that you seem to genuinely enjoy working these crazy gigs.  Rocio – so great to have you on the team helping us with the mammoth task of setting up so many lovely details at Dia + Patrick’s wedding.  And most of all, I am grateful for my partner, my love, my best friend, my husband, who puts up with my crazy-ness and impatience when I get too stressed out, who keeps our house in order and our son happy when I am a blur in and out the door, who believes in me and is always by my side, wherever he is… and who is a lot of fun to work a wedding with, because we love celebrating love, and we work well together.  Gabbi, thank you.  Without you I am nothing, and none of this would be.

xo, SDW

Filed under: love, partners ]]>

I love this photo of them at their sweetheart table during the reception dinner.

Happy Anniversary!  xo, Andrea + Gabbi

Filed under: anniversaries, weddings Tagged: Mexico Destination Wedding, Sayulita Wedding ]]> http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/feliz-aniversario-lyndsey-eric/feed/ 0 sayulitadreamweddings lyndsey + eric http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/feliz-aniversario-laura-devin/ http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/feliz-aniversario-laura-devin/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:23:26 +0000 Sayulita Dream Weddings http://sayulitadreamweddings.wordpress.com/?p=216 Continue reading »

Happy 1-year Anniversary to the lovely Laura & Devin from Calgary!  Laura and Devin hold an extra special place in our hearts, as they are wonderful, loving, funny, amazing people, and they also happen to have a beautiful son who is 1 month older than our boy.  From the first time they met, Maximo & Oscar were fast friends, and we feel the same way about Laura & Devin.  Their celebration was so beautiful – incorporating family, music, and so much joy.  All 50+ of their guests spent a full week in Sayulita, and each and every one of them turned out for the community service day, volunteering at our local schools and bringing school supplies from Canada. In one of the sweetest personal touches I have seen, Laura & Devin wrote each guest a personalized letter – which doubled as place cards at the tables – thanking them for traveling to the wedding fesitivies and for their involvement in Laura, Devin & Oscar’s lives.

Sayulita’s own fabulous “Los Tikkilyches” laid down the sound track for the evening, rocking sweet dance sets and playing all of the couple’s special requests for first dances, sing-a-longs, and more.  Laura, a classically trained pianist, even surprised Devin with a serenade during dinner.

I love this ceremony shot - such a nice perspective shift...

Beautiful table-scapes with keepsake glass stars and vibrant crepe-paper flowers

Beauty & Love, in front of Sayulita's most photographed wall...

The Welcome Fiesta, at Las Hamacas

Since their wedding, Laura, Devin & Oscar have come back to visit us once, and have welcomed their second beautiful son, Henry, into the world this fall.  We are so happy to know you and to call you our friends – here’s to many more visits and memories together, and to a lifetime of familial bliss!!!

Now, off to the Brisa Mar Palapa for Christine & Adam of Chicago’s wedding – 1 year to the day since we last set up at the Palapa for Laura & Devin.  A serendipitous date for sure!

xo, Andrea, Gabbi & Maximo

Photos ©Tamara McGill, 2011

Filed under: anniversaries, weddings ]]>

Happy 3-year Anniversary to Julie & Andrew of San Francisco!  Julie & Andrew had a lovely wedding at the Brisa Mar Palapa, photographed by Dia & Patrick of Dia Rao Photography, who celebrated their Sayulita wedding with us just this past Friday on 11.11.11.  So big thanks to Julie and Andrew for introducing us to Dia & Patrick, who are not only fabulous photography partners and clients, but sure to be great friends for years to come!

Julie & Andrew went with a colorful, tropical palette, a perfect complement to the natural and neutral backdrop that is the Palapa.  I love these centerpieces with vibrant native blooms spilling out of a banana-tree stalk.  Julie worked in Marketing for Skyy Vodka in San Francisco, and her company sent over a few cases of Cabo Wabo Tequila for the wedding, which added to the centerpieces (and the festivities) nicely.

Naef Cuisine whipped up these incredible ice cream cakes, which we actually managed to transport, display (for a short time) and serve in the November heat without them melting all over the place.  This one was mint-chocolate-cookie with a caramelized meringue topping, and we also served a peanut-butter ice cream with chocolate cake and coffee glaze.  I think these might get my vote for yummiest dessert ever served at one of our weddings.

A lovely shot of the Palapa from Dia Rao.

Happy Anniversary Andrew & Julie!!!

xo, Andrea & Gabbi

Sayulita Wedding Season is officially in full effect and I’m excited to share our first event images of the season.  Rachel & Chris, from Houston and Calgary by way of Oahu and D.F. (that’s Mexico City for all you norteamericanos), contracted us to produce the supporting events for their wedding, which took place at Villa Amor, and was managed by V.A.’s in-house planner.  Rachel was referred to us by Monique, so we were off to a good start with that.  Rachel & Chris are a relaxed, laid-back, made-for-each-other couple who share a love of surfing, Hawaii, Mexico, and of course, one another.  I worked mostly with Rachel’s mom, Mary Ann, to plan their Hawaii-themed Rehearsal Fiesta at Don Pedro’s Restaurant on the beach.  They wanted to represent their love of the Islands and Hawaii’s significance in their early years as a couple.  Mary Ann brought down retro Hawaii posters that we hung up around the restaurant.  My lovely and indispensable assistant Sheryl created a perfect welcome sign to greet guests (a marriage of “aloha” and the Groom’s last name, Huk).  We set up a photo station using a pair of sweet vintage surfboards on loan from Quiverito up the street, with pareos, rashguards, and leis as props.  And to finish off the night, Rachel & Chris each got in a few good swings at the “Hula-Donkey” piñata – one of my favorite piñata creations yet.

The beautiful entrance station, featuring Sheryl's perfect welcome sign, and beautiful flowers from Flor Mimo.

Welcoming the Bride's Grandma to the Festivities

I just love this shot of the beers on ice.

Rachel + Chris posing with the vintage boards from Quiverito.

Guests lining up for yummy fish tacos and tacos al pastor.

Rachel having a go at the "Burra Hawaiana"

Beautiful wedding-day shot of Sayulita's Beach

Though I wasn’t involved in planning the actual wedding, I just have to share photos of these sweet details.  The cake topper, from Tamra Kohl of Claylindo, is too adorable, and I love the festive day-of-the-dead cake.

The day-after Beach Party for all of the guests, hosted by the Maid of Honor and Best Man and organized by us, was at Break Fast Cafe on the beach.  Octavia and crew did a fabulous job, setting a festive and relaxed scene with beach chairs clustered around tables of chips and salsa, a beach-boat-bar serving up margaritas, sangria and cold cervezas, and a grill churning out delicious skewers of steak, chicken, fish, shrimp, and veggies (I especially loved the addition of sliced plantains to the veggie mix).  It was a perfect way to wrap up the wedding festivities – the newlyweds and their friends even snuck in a surf in the middle of the party.

The Bride and Groom walking out for a surf break.

The wedding and events were photographed by the talented Adam Wiseman from Mexico City.  An Editorial & Documentary Photographer with a client roster boasting the likes of Rolling Stone, Conde Naste, National Geographic, Wallpaper, Paris Match, and the Wall Street Journal - to name a few – Adam knew Chris from D.F. and flew over to the coast to shoot the Rachel & Chris’s wedding events.  Lucky them – the images are beautiful and Adam is a great guy.  His website is definitely worth a look, and features some captivating images.  I especially love the galleries: d.f. p.m, not close enough, and la mancha urbana.  Some pretty heart-wrenching shots from Sept. 11 in NY as well.  I’d love to work with Adam on another wedding shoot – hopefully we can get him back to Sayulita for just the right lucky couple.

Congrats to Rachel and Chris on a beautiful wedding weekend and a lifetime of love ahead!

Yours truly (r) with the amazing Sheryl, my right-hand gal.

xo, SDW

all photos © Adam Wiseman Photography, 2011