Couple: Marybeth & Rebecca
Wedding Date: 4/26/2014
Resort Name & Destination: El Dorado Royale, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Number of Guests: 78
The (brief) story of how you met/fell in love:
We met many years ago, but in 2009 Becca suggested we go out to dinner. It was that conversation that led us to realize our undeniable connection. Over the next few years, the pursuit of advancing in our careers took us to different states, New York and Maryland. The one thing that remained constant through this time was our indisputable love and desire to share our lives together. In 2012, we traveled to England to watch the Olympics and made a quick trip to Paris, France. It was there, under the Eiffel Tower, that Marybeth asked me to marry her and we made it official.
The destination wedding decision: something you’ve always wanted or came to love?
Choosing the location and picking the venue was by far the biggest decision we had to make in the wedding planning process. Both our families are from Pennsylvania, but we knew early on we wanted a beach location. We looked at beaches in New York, Connecticut and in New Jersey, but nothing sparked our interest. We then started tossing around the idea of a REAL destination wedding. Once we were able to get our families on board with the idea, the possibilities were endless.
What made you choose your resort/destination?
There was concern some locations we were looking into would not embrace our same-sex relationship. It was important for us to be diligent in picking a venue supportive of US. When we came across GayDestinationWeddings.com, it was a no-brainer! We were a bit skeptical because the resort and services provided seemed too good to be true. However, after researching the resort and talking to our Specialist and representatives from the resort, we felt this was the perfect venue to have our dream wedding…dreams can come true!
How did you personalize your wedding and ceremony?
Katie (Becca’s oldest sister), along with the help of many other family members, created our centerpieces, made the chair decorations for the ceremony, printed our ceremony cards/fans, and many other small decorative touches that made our wedding and ceremony unique and special.
The funniest or most unusual moment was when….
We had almost every single guest on the dance floor by the end of the night, including the El Dorado Royale wait staff. The staff found some of the extra souvenir wedding sunglasses and at the end of the night they lead a conga-line! They had ALL our guests dancing around the bars and reception area!
And/or The most memorable moment was when….
Our actual ceremony. You have this idea in your mind of what your dream wedding looks like. With the help of El Dorado Royale, our ideal wedding plans came to fruition. Listening to the officiant and our best friend discuss everlasting love at our ceremony and feeling the Mexican ocean breeze on a picturesque pier, all while holding hands and looking at all the smiling faces of our family and friends…it was priceless. Our dream had become our reality. We couldn’t get any luckier than that!
Three words that sum up your destination wedding experience are:
BEST. DECISION. EVER.
Besides the wedding itself, what was your favorite part of your trip? Did you do any activities with your guests?
The majority of our guests made this trip a four or five day vacation for themselves. Because of our wedding prep, we were there for eight nights. This added a unique twist to the “traditional” wedding timeline. We took part of our group on a five-hour snorkeling trip, some guests went to the Mayan Ruins, and others utilized the on-site spa amenities. The great thing about the resort is that it had something for everyone!
If you could travel anywhere for your one-year anniversary, it would be:
The perfect place would be a trip back to El Dorado Royale. I think some of our wedding guests may do their own anniversary celebration there as well!!
Your biggest piece of advice to couples planning a destination wedding would be:
Trust in GayDestiationWeddings.com and their Specialists. They will go above and beyond to make your dream wedding come true. Enjoy the small moments and do your best not to stress, keeping in mind that the most important thing on your wedding day is to be able to look into your partner’s eyes, commit to endless love and celebrate with your family and friends!
Photography by Marc Pagani
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