From Chicago To Puerto Vallarta With Love
Some say planning your own wedding is a magical thing…. I will say yes, it is magical, but there are sure hurdles to jump to get to the “I Do.” Jaime (my husband) and I knew we wanted to be married in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We did not realize just how hard it would be to find a venue. We went with family and friends on a scouting trip that took us to 20 venues until we found the perfect site for our wedding. Our wedding was to be held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Now it is time to start the planning!
How scout a venue for your wedding
When you go on a scouting trip have a list of criteria in hand and appointments made at various venues. Below is an example of our list:
Beach location for our first ceremony and welcome reception (we had two different ceremonies)
A covered location for our formal ceremony that would be private
A reception room that can be transformed into our formal reception
A room to design our wedding floral in once we arrive
Accommodations to fit our guests needs
Availability to hold 3 days of events on location
A team on location that can be utilized to help plan the events
Sourcing bilingual wedding invitations
Now the location was set and it was time to work on the details in Chicago. Our invitations were to be done in English and Spanish as our wedding was to unite the USA family and friends with the Mexico family and friends. We made sure every detail was completed to make everyone feel welcome. The amazing paper goods were designed by Charmant Invitations. We hired Rose Photos to travel with us from Chicago to Mexico to capture our events in photos. Having the best companies will also result in amazing outcomes.
Sourcing wedding flowers in Mexico
Once Jaime and I arrived in Mexico, we realized the floral product we had shipped did not make it through customs. Our once plan of cascading orchids and other floral was to be altered in a moment to plan B. We had all of the hard goods packed in our luggage so at least that was safe. Now the hunt began to find flowers and foliage for our wedding. We discovered a local wholesale house and purchased what they had in stock and completed our items at Costco.
A friend in need…
Never underestimate the power of friendship. Being a floral artist, I have many fellow floral artists as friends. One of my best friends, Frankie Peltier, AIFD and his husband Shaun arrived early to Mexico to help us prepare for the wedding. It was amazing to have Frankie help me design as Shaun and Jaime went on errands. Memories to last a lifetime!
Flowers for our big day
As the guests arrived the resort was filled with love and floral. As the formal wedding day arrived it was time to set-up the reception. Drapes were hung on the walls, lighting was ready, and our floral was complete. We used Oasis wire to create the designs. It was important to mix the hard and soft to complete the ambience. Frankie payed homage to the venue by creating music sheets out of design wire.
How to dress a wedding party
Our groom’s ladies were dressed in white and held bouquets of white floral with Oasis decorative wire armatures and pearl accents. Our flower girls wore white and carried pomander balls of orchids with gray pearls. My daughter and Jaime’s mother were to walk us down the aisle/marry us were dressed in black and white carrying a white cascade bouquet of phalaenopsis orchids, roses, tulips and Oasis decorative wire armatures and pearl accents. The groomsman wore black with a rose boutonniere. Jaime and I wore shades of gray with white orchid boutonnieres.
Our wedding day was magical and something we will always remember. It is not the troubles that should be remembered but the love and friendships will always fill our hearts.