From the moment these Puerto Vallarta wedding photos landed in my inbox, I was bursting at the seams with excitement. I honestly could not wait to share them with you! Once you read this story, and see all the details in gorgeous shades of purple, you’ll understand how I feel.
Charlie and Miranda met at Vanderbilt University in 2005 and he proposed to her eight years later in Switzerland. Because they were engaged in Switzerland, live abroad, and are lucky enough to have traveled extensively, it was only fitting that they chose “World Travel” as their theme.
They creatively weaved this theme into every detail – from the seating cards, to the guest book and even their adorable cake topper. They did this while still paying homage to their own Latino roots with the use of cool Guayabera shirts for the men, Latin dancing, and more.
This is one destination wedding where not one single detail was overlooked. And the best part is that many of the details were DIY with the help of Miranda’s mom, sister and bridesmaids!
Seriously, this is hands down one of my all time favorite weddings! Before I leave you to drool over this album, I want to give a huge thanks to the incredibly talented NeriPhoto for sharing it with all of us. The gorgeous bride is here to share her inspiration and words of advice. Sit back and enjoy!
The bride on her sources of inspiration:
Lavender is Charlie’s favorite color and mine was purple growing up. So, we chose to use shades of purple (anything from lavender to eggplant) and light grey since it was a beach wedding. Our theme was “world travel” – we live abroad and are fortunate to have been to many, many places. For example, each table card was a different city from around the world that we’ve visited and our guestbook was a map of Mexico. Our cake topper and decor also echoed this theme with a map and suitcase.
Miranda shared this very special moment from their ceremony:
We chose to write our own vows. We did not share them with each other ahead of time. Somehow, one line from our vows ended up being almost 100% identical with very similar wording! It made us both laugh and our guests thought it was incredible.
Real Destination Wedding Advice from the Bride
Why did you choose to have a destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta?
We fell in love with Hotel Playa Fiesta. We did extensive research online and loved the private, personalized experience it offered – we had the entire hotel for our guests. We also liked having it in a city that most of our guests had never been to.
What was the best part of having a destination wedding?
Hands down, the number of days and quality time with our friends & family. Selfishly, we knew this would be one of the only times in our lives that we could get everyone together.
If you could give one (or two) pieces of advice to others planning a destination wedding, what would it be?
With or without a wedding planner, the great thing is that friends & family want to help you out. So feel free to delegate small tasks or involve others so that you aren’t doing it all.
Know what you want and what your priorities are. For example, there will be endless options and ‘add-ons’ and decisions to make during the process. Know ahead of time which elements are the most important to you (e.g. photographer, flowers & music).
Vendors
Photography: NeriPhoto
Wedding Venue: Hotel Playa Fiesta in Puerto Vallarta, MX
Florist: FlorArt
Engagement ring: Blue Nile
Rings: Bella Cosa Jewelers
Wedding Planner: Lindsay Burgess
Favors: DIY
Wedding Dress: Lis Simon
Bridal Shoes: Franco Sarto
Garter: DIY using Mother of the bride’s old wedding dress
Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew
Groom’s Attire: Guayabera shirt custom made from Debra Torres, Banana Republic
Groom’s Shoes: Sperry Top Sider Boat Shoes
Goom’s Accessories: Dockers linen fedora hat from JCPenney
Groomsmen Attire: Short sleeve rayon blend Guayabera (Orchid Petal color) from Cubavera
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