Alexandra & Joshua

Alexandra and Joshua's day is a good example of a boho-chic wedding: elements of nature, some romance, and a lot of the couple's own character. Her dream was a destination wedding in Playa del Carmen, and she wrote to us in January 2019, "after reading several wonderful reviews, I decided to ask about Blue Venado for my wedding". Joshua said he did not know where to start. After a call with Mari, one of our coordinators, they sent an email: "We want a really relaxed, intimate and simple wedding, with no colour scheme in mind."

Alexandra got ready in the Blue Venado bridal suite with her maid of honour, her mother and her mother-in-law, while Joshua and the guests stayed at the Xcaret hotel. A pineapple margarita, some cold water, and a few minutes later everyone was seated. The sea behind them was framed by a tall triangular arch dressed with two flower arrangements, bold, warm reds against an earthy, neutral palette that sits well in this landscape.

Joshua and the wedding party came in, and Alexandra's parents walked her down the aisle to "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic". A family friend officiated: brief, charming, and very much theirs. After portraits along the water and in our wild spot, they joined the cocktail hour, the bar open, margaritas, mojitos and their own signature drinks going round.

Dinner was at one long U-shaped table down the middle of the palapa: boho matte place settings, rust napkins, pampas grass in vases, candles, rope lights and small arrangements in rust, orange and green. A three-course gourmet menu, caprese to start, then either a steak with black truffle and foie gras sauce or chicken scaloppine with mushroom risotto, chosen in advance, and a chocolate dessert with rum sauce.

Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey" brought them to the floor, and after the first dance everyone joined them. They wanted something Mexican in the evening, and a piñata did that for the children and the adults alike, though you should have seen people's faces when a churro cart arrived and started making them fresh.