This post is long overdue, but on 11/11/17 my sister Emily married her soulmate Caton at a destination wedding in Merida, Mexico. This was one of the most special weekends of our lives and I wanted to share the entire weekend itinerary along with all of the details that went into the big day!
Wedding Details:
- Wedding Planner: Six Sens (Alejandra)
- Photography: Shannon Skloss
- Videographer: Encuadre Digital
- Wedding Dress: Lee Ann Beltner
- Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo
- Bridesmaids Dresses: Jenny Yoo
- Venue: Hacienda Tekik de Regil
- Hair & Makeup: Blanca Chi
- Press: DWeddings
- Hashtag: #VivaLosSanders
Day Before Ceremony
Bridal Brunch
- Where: Rosas & Xocolate
- Address: Paseo de Montejo 480, Zona Paseo Montejo, Centro, 97000
The bridal brunch was for the bridesmaids & moms from 11-1pm. The men did a tour to the Uxmal Ruins from 9am-3pm. (Cost for the ruins was $25 pp).
Rehearsal/Welcome Party
- Where: Hotel Piedra De Agua
- Address: Calle 60 498, 97000 Mérida, Yuc., Mexico
- When: 6-11PM
Wedding Day
9-2:30PM: Hair & Makeup @ Hacienda + Photos
Groomsmen, Ushers, & Fathers did 11am brunch at El Barrio and left at 12:45 pm to the Hacienda.
Note, we had some hiccups during our hair/makeup as the styles in Mexico are very different than what we envisioned. Emily’s stylists were incredible and did her hair and makeup perfectly. She would definitely recommend her stylists!
However, the bridesmaids stylists were going heavy on the spray to grease/slick our hair back which was not the style we were going for. We ended up doing a lot of our hairstyles ourselves as we did not love what they were doing to our hair. The makeup artists also were going a little too heavy on the makeup so we had to tone it down a bit!
First Look
You can’t tell in the photos, but it there were thunderstorms in the background as they were taking these. It was definitely a more stressful morning since we weren’t sure if the rain was going to slow down for the evening reception, however the overcast weather led to some beautiful photos.
When: 2:30-3:00pm
Wedding Party Photos
When: 3-3:45 PM
Ceremony
When: 4:30-5 PM
“Vows were exchanged at the Greco-Roman church on the estate. The ceremony blended old and new: a quartet played Pachebel’s “Canon in D Major” as Emily processed down the aisle, but “Don’t Stop Believing” was also in the mix. Members of the bride’s family read a Catholic prayer. The couple implemented the Mexican lasso tradition, where both sets of parents came up to the altar and prayed for the couple while placing a floral lasso around them.” – DWeddings
Cocktail Hour
When: 5:15-6:30 pm
Reception
When: 6:30 pm - 4:00 am (Yes you read 4am right – Mexicans party late 🙃 We had a late breakfast of chilaquiles served @1:00 am)
Shuttle service was provided starting @ 1:00 am. There was be a shuttle heading back to the hotel every 30 minutes (or as needed).
The entire night could not have been more perfect! Guests trickled from the cocktail hour into the reception. Emily and Caton then made their big entrance through the lighted arch.
After dinner, speeches were made by our Dad, the Best Man, and lastly one from my sister and I each.
The speeches were followed by the the father & daughter dance, mother & son dance, and lastly the first dance as husband & wife. Emily and Caton’s first dance was to the song Latch by Sam Smith which started slow and then picked up tempo with a remix at the end in which everyone ran to the dance floor and never left 💃🏽
The rest of the night was full of dancing, and was broken up with our late night breakfast along with confetti poppers, fun props for the dance floor, sippy cups to take to the dance floor, fireworks, and a lantern lighting ceremony later on (would not recommend if trying during a rainy weekend – we only were able to get a few lanterns to take off).
The bridesmaids changed back into our getting ready dresses from the morning which was so much easier to dance in since our hems were getting weighted down and muddy from the rain!
Day After
We met with guests for drinks to watch the Cowboys vs Falcons Game at Hennessey’s Irish Pub.
Address: Paseo de Montejo 486, Zona Paseo Montejo, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yuc., Mexico
Where to Stay
- Presidente Intercontinental Hotel (This is where we stayed, however has since shut down due to Covid)
- The Diplomat Boutique Hotel
- Boutique by the Museo
- Merida Santiago Hotel Boutique
- El Palacito Secreto
Transportation from airport to hotel
If you are flying into the airport for your destination wedding in Merida, the easiest way to get to the hotel is by the ADO (official taxi company). Once you exit airport, on right there is a ADO booth where you can schedule a taxi. When we went it cost ~$15 USD. It is easier if you have pesos, but they will take credit card if not.
You can also take Uber’s around the city with ease and they are very cheap!
Safety
Merida is rated the safest city in Mexico, and has very low crime rates. During our time in the city, we felt very safe and did not feel uneasy at any time. Feel free to walk the streets as you normally would, with normal precautions you would have in any major city in the US.
Phone Service:
If you have AT&T, they offer free texting, calling, data(cap on data), just go online
and enable it before you leave.
I hope you enjoy this Destination Wedding in Merida, Mexico Recap. This will forever be one of the most special days of our lives, and we are beyond thrilled to have Caton be a part of our family now. Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below!
Be sure to also check out our Miami Bachelorette Weekend recap to see how we celebrated leading up to the big day!
xx,
