Ever since this bride was a little girl, Lillian knew she would one day wed on the beach with her toes in the sand. Although she never had a specific location in mind, choosing the Riviera Maya was an easy decision, as she had frequently visited family in Mexico throughout her life. And what a perfect setting Barceló Maya Caribe proved to be from the piercing blue water for the ceremony backdrop to the lush tropical foliage throughout the grounds. A vibrant color scheme, a simple lace bridal gown, a casual atmosphere where shoes were optional are just a few details you’ll find in this gallery captured by Karissa Russ & Co.

From Karissa Russ & Co….This couple was joined by friends and family from different parts of the country to celebrate their wedding day. We started in the spa, ceremony on the beach with a beautiful ocean views and clear waters! We had a cocktail hour on the beach and gave the guests a break to join the reception inside the beautiful mayan architecture the venue had to offer. You have to see the tequila train!

Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
I wanted something light weight and simple for the beach. I ended up choosing a dress online by Cocomelody. I schedule an appointment and drove to their store in california. After seeing all the other beautiful dresses, I decided on a different dress. I realized a deep V neck suited me better and the dress I found had 2 layers. 1 sheer lace layer with small rhinestones/long train, and the second layer underneath was a very simply backless champagne satin dress. I fell in love with the satin dress underneath and realized I could wear the lace during the ceremony and then remove it to have a different look during reception. I wore gold jewelry with an accent hair piece and no shoes during the ceremony then slipped on sparkly gold sandals for the reception. I chose my wedding look by finding the most “heat-resisting “ fabric and then finding it in ivory. I wore a classy, offwhite, linen 3-piece suit. It fit like a glove. My shoes were extremely comfy wingtip styled oxfords. I purchased a pair of gold trimmed Raybans to complete the look and wore a crisp white button up shirt with the suit.

Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
Wedding decor was very hard for me. Making sure we had a beautiful beach, plenty of food/drink and great entertainment was a lot more important to me. So I kept the decor pretty simple. Pinterest was a lifesaver! Alsl my hotel wedding planner had tons of ideas since getting married on the beach is pretty common for destination weddings. The ceremony had a gazebo in front of the water with draped sheer fabric and two floral arrangements on either side. These arrangements were later taken off to be used for our bride/groom center table. Rose petals were tossed down the aisle and each guest char had peach colored fabric tied onto it nicely. I had brought a small hand blown glass bowl for our rings which had broken during travel so we used a small pillow last minute. The reception tables had small glass jars with fresh flowers, custom dinner menus with table numbers, all sitting on white linen with peach table runners. We also had a candy bar and a small kids table with toys. My husband chose to bring our own cake toppers which were Mario and Peach figures. They sat on a bed of roses laid on the cake.

Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
Wedding decor was very hard for me. Making sure we had a beautiful beach, plenty of food/drink and great entertainment was a lot more important to me. So I kept the decor pretty simple. Pinterest was a lifesaver! Alsl my hotel wedding planner had tons of ideas since getting married on the beach is pretty common for destination weddings. The ceremony had a gazebo in front of the water with draped sheer fabric and two floral arrangements on either side. These arrangements were later taken off to be used for our bride/groom center table. Rose petals were tossed down the aisle and each guest char had peach colored fabric tied onto it nicely. I had brought a small hand blown glass bowl for our rings which had broken during travel so we used a small pillow last minute. The reception tables had small glass jars with fresh flowers, custom dinner menus with table numbers, all sitting on white linen with peach table runners. We also had a candy bar and a small kids table with toys. My husband chose to bring our own cake toppers which were Mario and Peach figures. They sat on a bed of roses laid on the cake.

What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
The florals were chosen and gifted to us by aunt. She had the arrangements made and even brought them all to the wedding! I had a bouquet gifted to me by the hotel and another one made to throw during reception. Fresh rose petals were spread throughout the tables, entrance, and even the cake. All the arrangements had orange roses and sunflowers mixed with yellow and green accent flowers. Sunflowers are Ivan’s favorite so those were his request 🙂 I just wanted them to be more spring inspired than summer which turned out great.

Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
We added a small cocktail hour after the ceremony and before the reception. This was the best decision ever!! Everyone was a little hot and sweaty from sitting out in the sun during the ceremony so having some cold cocktails and fingers foods was a good break before the real dinner party. We chose to have a live saxophone player during this time which everyone loved! Ivan made a playlist of his favorite 80’s songs for the saxophonist to cover. During this time we took pictures, had a small bite to eat and just enojoyed our friends/family. We were surprised to find out two of my cousins had prepared to sing during the cocktail hour. They sang one of Ivan and I’s favorite songs while we danced alone in front of everyone. Another very special moment was during the reception. My 11 y/o niece Olivia and 18 y/o brother in law Yobaldo also surprised us by singing a duet. They sang The Perfect Duet by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé.

Event Venue: Barceló Maya Caribe / Photographer: Karissa Russ & Co. / Travel Agent: Moon Beach Travel / Dress Store: Cocomelody