Brad and I had talked for a long time before even getting engaged about the possibility of doing a destination wedding. I had already done some initial research because we both have big families and were a bit nervous about how they would respond. We knew that by making the decision to have a destination wedding, we would be upsetting, disappointing, and (sadly) even offending some of our family and friends. But that is going to happen with every wedding.

Whether you decide to have a big traditional ceremony back at home or a small, intimate destination wedding, you will offend people along the way. Don't let this bother you. There will always be something to complain about. Maybe they'll be upset that your wedding date falls during a time when they normally take a family vacation. If you're doing a destination wedding, maybe they will be upset because of the cost or time of year. Just try your hardest to not let this get to you. It's so hard to please everyone, and at the end of the day, that is not what your wedding day is about.

Your wedding day is about the two of you making the decision to spend the rest of your lives together. That's a pretty big deal, if you ask me! We had many friends and family members that were hurt that they couldn't make it down to Mexico for our wedding. And while we deeply missed them all there, we tried to stress to them that it's not about the actual day we said our vows. It's about all of those other days we get to be with them (holidays, birthdays, fun outings, etc.). Those are the days that are most important together... all of the meaningful days that follow that first one.

At the end of the day, we knew that a destination wedding was right for us. We wanted it to be a fun and memorable experience for everyone, and yet be as least expensive as possible, as we paid for it on our own. My best suggestion to you at this point in your wedding planning is to get you to think about what is most important to the both of you. Think about whether having a grand, formal wedding is what you've always dreamed about.  Or do you envision your wedding being about spending more time with your closest family and friends? Either way, your wedding will be beautiful and meaningful because you have put thought into what is most important to you today as well as in your future as husband and wife.

I’ll leave you with this piece of advice that Brad’s mom told us once and that helped to keep us focused on what we wanted the most:

“A wedding is one day. Marriage is a lifetime. What’s more important?”

We have been tossing around the idea of starting a blog for quite some time. Brad and I got married in the Riviera Maya in Mexico and being that we work with a lot of destination wedding brides through our wedding shop Second City Stationery, we often get asked to give helpful hints and tips on how to plan and be as prepared as possible for the big day…especially when it’s abroad.

Now I won’t say that we are the “experts” in destination weddings, but we definitely learned a lot along the way and are here to help as much as possible. Whether you’re getting married in a different country, a traditional church, or your parent’s backyard, we love being a small part of your big day and want to help make your wedding planning fun and seamless.

Looking back, we wish we had the time to have documented our journey while we were IN wedding planning mode. But hindsight is better than foresight anyways, right?! So we hope that you’ll enjoy reading this blog as much as we love reliving our wedding. It goes by SO fast, so make sure to take moments here and there to let it all sink in and remember why you’re getting married: you finally found your great love!

Below is a slideshow of our wedding day pictures. We hope you enjoy them and will keep checking back for blog posts and updates. In the meantime, feel free to stop by our Etsy shop, Second City Stationery, for any paper goods you need to help celebrate.