Covid-19 Destination wedding

August 31, 2020

Covid-19 Destination wedding – Bride Interview

Cesaley and Casey had their beautiful destination wedding on July 10th at Villa la Joya, here in Playa del Carmen. Unfortunately, given the circumstances due to the pandemic, they had to reschedule their wedding but in the end, everything was perfect. If you are having a Covid-19 destination wedding, read the interview with Cesaley and find out how everything turned out for her and her husband.

Covid-19 Destination Wedding Interview

Tell us all about your love story!

We met once when we were younger since we are from the same Texas town, but nothing ever came from that since it was brief and we were at two different points in our lives. A few years later we both attended a mutual friend’s wedding. Casey was standing by the open bar and I kept going back for refills for my friends at the table so I could have another chance to talk to him. We hit it off that night, then Casey drove four hours to Austin where I was living at the time to take me to dinner and we have been together ever since.

We want to know all the details from the proposal When did it happen and how?

Nearly 3 years after we started dating, I was beyond ready for Casey to propose! I thought it might happen on our vacation to Santorini since it was such a romantic place and right after our 3 year anniversary. So when my best friend asked if we wanted to grab dinner one weekend before our anniversary, I didn’t think anything of it! It was raining all day and I had a long week so I didn’t really feel like going or dressing cute that night but they all convinced me it would be fun once we went out. We went out for dinner downtown and then decided to walk to another restaurant to meet up with other people.

On the walk to the other restaurant, Casey started walking us in a different direction. I was so distracted trying to tell him I think we were going the wrong way that I barely noticed the rose petals on the sidewalk. When I did, I looked up and saw a path of rose petals leading to a fountain surrounded by candles with a bouquet and a bottle of champagne. I thought we were walking up on someone else’s proposal! I looked at Casey and that’s when I realized it was all for us. He proposed and I was in total shock. After the proposal, we drove back to our house so we could call our families, but once we walked through the door I realized that wasn’t necessary because they were all there! They threw a huge surprise engagement party for us and it was such a wonderful ending to the best proposal ever.

How did you decide on having a destination wedding? What was your inspiration and who picked the location?

I grew up coming to Cancun every summer with my family so it has always held a special place in my heart. I love the people, the gorgeous ocean and beach and I knew it would be a beautiful place to get married. Nothing in Texas truly felt like it represented us – it was either a little too country or a little too fancy but we knew Riviera Maya was just right for what we were looking for.

From the beginning, I knew I didn’t want the traditional resort wedding because I wanted something a little more intimate and to be able to make it unique to what we were dreaming of. I began searching for “off-resort weddings” and eventually found the stunning Villa la Joya. I knew immediately that this was our perfect location. We were able to stay at the resort that my family always visited and get married at this gorgeous location.

What was your overall wedding theme? What inspired you to choose your wedding colors?

We really wanted our guests to feel like our wedding was an evening in paradise. We envisioned a tropical feel with some chic touches. I really embraced what the venue already had to offer and enhanced it with bright florals with greenery. I also incorporated light blue colors with our wedding party wearing light blue dresses and blue suits because it plays on the beautiful blue waters that we fell in love with Cancun.

How COVID-19 affected your wedding plans?

My wedding was originally scheduled to be June 20. When COVID hit we had to cancel our trip for our tasting but we still thought the wedding would be fine. As things escalated and shutdowns were extended we ran into trouble. We weren’t sure when our resort was going to re-open and Casey’s family was still waiting on passports with no guarantee of when they would get them. The unknown was so stressful.

After closely following the news and talking with our wedding guests, we decided to postpone to July 10. We knew we wanted to get married where we always dreamed and didn’t want to postpone another year due to the fear of the second wave of COVID-19 so we chose to have faith that we could make it happen in July. Thankfully our vendors were SO understanding and accommodating. We were down to the wire with just 2 weeks before the wedding before we knew that we could for sure make it. Luckily it all worked out and we were able to have the wedding of our dreams.

What was the most difficult/stressful part of planning a wedding during a pandemic, and how did you handle it?

Being a type-A planner, the unknown of everything and not being able to actually do anything to fix it all was so stressful. No one could give a definite answer for anything and things were changing daily so my plans kept changing and I never knew what the next day would bring. The biggest factors for us were Mexico’s reopening plans and passport processing in the US. So essentially I was waiting for two different governments! The only thing that I could do was stay up to date on the news and join Facebook groups for US Passports and Visas and brides planning Riviera Maya Weddings. Those groups were lifesavers because we were all sharing tips and things we’d heard so I felt like I knew as much as I could to make informed decisions.

Has this had any effect on your overall wedding expectation?

Honestly, it didn’t! I knew that our wedding would be just as I imagined when it could finally happen, I just didn’t know when or if the day would come. I had total confidence in the team of vendors and stayed in close contact with Anna. Before COVID, the wedding planning was going so smoothly and I was shocked it was so easy. I always heard friends talking about how stressful it was and all the things that went wrong while planning their weddings so when COVID hit I was prepared to do whatever it took to make the wedding happen. It also helped that once we confirmed the wedding was still happening, we had the week of the wedding in Cancun to totally unwind and get excited for the big day.

How have your vendors been helping you throughout the whole process?

My vendors were AMAZING. They were so accommodating and understanding and I really felt like we were in it together. After moving our date to July 10 I asked everyone when was the last possible day for me to cancel because I wanted to hold on as long as possible and they understood and gave me as much time as I needed. They were so flexible when they really didn’t have to be.

When the day finally came I felt like they went above and beyond for us. I really get emotional thinking about everything we all went through together and how happy we were to be able to make this wedding happen in the midst of so much uncertainty. My wedding was the first some of these vendors had in months. I can say with certainty that my wedding wouldn’t have been as wonderful as it was without the team of vendors that Anna and I assembled.

We know that planning a wedding during this hard times must be so stressful and frustrating, has anything good come out of this experience than you can share to brides who might be going through the same thing?

It was a very stressful time as an engaged couple. The months leading up to your wedding are supposed to be filled with excitement, not chaos. It honestly felt like marriage boot camp at times, but ultimately it made us so strong as a couple and we appreciated our wedding that much more. I also can’t forget how awesome our friends and family were through the process. They supported us and constantly asked what they could do to help.

When we decided to move forward with the wedding in July, we expected a few guests to back out or think we were crazy but they didn’t! Aside from a few scheduling conflicts our friends and family really showed up for us and made us feel so loved. The process can be a struggle and the unknown is scary but as long as you remember why you’re doing it and who you’re doing it with, it’s all worth it.

What was your favorite part of having a destination wedding?

My favorite part of having a destination wedding was having my absolute favorite people celebrating with me in my favorite place in the world. When are we ever going to have our family and closest friends all together on vacation again?! It truly felt like a once in a lifetime experience full of memories that we won’t forget.