Our Whimsical Tulum Elopement

Our Tulum elopement was without question the highlight of our 2020. When our Bali waterfall elopement could no longer take place due to COVID travel restrictions, Jake and I both knew in our hearts that we still wanted to get married this year regardless. As soon as we saw that Tulum was re-opening in July, we knew that this was our new elopement destination!

Our vision for our elopement day was simple. We wanted to spend the entire day together just the two of us without the distraction and stress that comes along with a traditional wedding day. Above all we wanted to be present while privately exchanging handwritten vows in a beautiful place. Our Tulum elopement ended up being everything that we had dreamed of and more. We no longer feel as if it was a back up destination but more so what was always meant to be.

Jake and I booked the private villa at the Nest Tulum property so that we would have separate rooms to get ready in, as well as a private beach for our ceremony. While I was having my hair and makeup done professionally I could see the ceremony site going up from the window of the room I was getting ready in. That, along with the anticipation of being hours away from finally getting to exchange our vows was fueling my excitement!

I surprised Jake by personalizing the inner lining of his suit jacket with our wedding date and the phrase “Mi Destino Eres Tu”, which is Spanish for my destiny is you.

I wore an Enzoani wedding dress that my mom gifted me. Although she wasn’t there with me getting ready because we chose to keep the day ours, it felt as if I had her support and presence with me while stepping into my dress.

Jake and I chose to do a first look at the last minute due to the weather. Originally we had planned on not seeing one another until walking down the aisle, but the forecast was calling for rain right around the time our ceremony was set to take place. We did not want to miss out on the opportunity to take lots of photos on our wedding day!

As two individuals who were super against a first look because we didn’t want it to take away from the walking down the aisle moment, let us tell you that it absolutely does NOT! We both look at it now as if we had two very special moments rather than just one. One was super emotional, and the other was super exciting!

Once we finished taking our bridal portraits we made our way to the ceremony site we and got a chance to see the beautiful dinner set up that our florist/wedding designer put together for us! I’m so glad that we had a chance to stop and appreciate it before sunset.

Our wedding team was immensely talented and really brought my vision for the design to life! I wanted the aesthetic to feel whimsical, romantic, and have a natural boho feel with plenty of pink and orange tones. The details really made this day even more special than I could have imagined. The stationary even included the phrase “Mi destino eres tu” which I had stitched into Jake’s suit.

Tulum is known for its culinary scene so Jake and I being the foodies that we are, really wanted to have an epic dinner on our wedding night! We had our wedding planner work with our venue so that we were able to have Nu Tulum prepare our private dinner. We indulged in dishes such as their green whitefish ceviche and Pato Mole (duck mole).

I walked down a tropical aisle barefoot as the violinist played Fools Rush In while carrying a gorgeous bouquet that was held together by a handcrafted orange tie dye ribbon.

Our officiant kicked off our ceremony with what was originally the liturgy from our Bali ceremony. Since we already had it and fell in love with it, it felt right to keep it. We then exchanged our personal hand written vows to one another. This was by far my favorite moment of the day. Getting to be vulnerable with one another without having an audience was exactly why we wanted to elope. If you are reading this, and eloping isn’t something you would ever consider, I would highly recommend finding a time during your wedding day to exchange personal promises privately either before or after your ceremony.

Just as I was finishing reading my vows to Jake it started to rain. Even though the rain was something I had feared ruining our beach ceremony the days leading up to our wedding, in the end it only added to it.

Our first kiss and first dance as husband and wife were in the rain. I truly can’t think of many things that are more romantic than kissing and dancing in the rain.

You can see our full Tulum elopement video created by The Hardins below. This husband and wife photo/video duo did such an amazing job capturing our day.

Below is the amazing team that helped make this dream wedding day come true!

Photo: @thehardins
Planning: @angelinacardenasevents
Design+Styling+Florals: @marialimon_
Rentals: @rebel.bloomrentals
Tabletop: @archiverentals
Venue: @nesttulum
Stationary: @hugomartindesign
MuH: @zoeelizabethmakeup