Tulum held wonderful memories for Sarah, the designer and owner of accessories label IWEARTHEHEADRESS, who frequented the destination with her family over the years. She later shared the Grand Bahia Principe with Ryan on their first vacation together as a couple, and they knew it was the place.
For their celebration of love, the easygoing couple decided to lure their friends and family down to Tulum, Mexico, which was unknown territory for most of the 45 guests in attendance. Everyone settled into an easy routine for the week—exploring, swimming and enjoying sun soaked days together. Hosting a destination wedding in a faraway land had it’s challenges.
The couple’s adorable son Isaac wore a cotton linen tunic and harem pants from Superfussy and leather baby moccasins by Freshly Picked.
The stunning bride wore a strapless Mori Lee By Madeline Gardner tulle gown as she carried a dainty bouquet of white calla lilies. In a last-minute, inspired moment, Sarah re-purposed a pink rose floral IWEARTHEHEADRESS crown as a sash to accentuate her waist. An ornate glass stone headpiece by Bo & Luca punctuated her cool ensemble. Exotic silver anklets by Forever Soles adorned her bare feet. After the ceremony, Sarah slipped into a simple blush pink ASOS dress which allowed for more freedom to dance. The groom was island casual in head-to-toe linen.
Upon arriving at the resort, the couple noticed that the ceremony location on the beach was a very public setting that lacked the intimacy they desired. At the last minute, Sarah and Ryan discovered a gazebo tucked within a grove of palm trees not far from the resort. “Our event planner at the Bahia revealed that it was their newest wedding location that wasn’t quite ready yet,” Sarah says. “She was able to pull some strings and managed to arrange the ceremony of our dreams.”
In order to achieve a “bohemian-but-not-disheveled” look, the bride brought along a treasure trove of collectibles from the couple’s home in Vancouver for the wedding décor. “I love history and when I read about the tradition of the Moroccan wedding blanket, also known as the Handira, I knew it was something special,” Sarah says.
The beautiful and much sought after wool Handira blanket is handwoven with countless metal sequins, chosen to reflect the sunlight during the day and the glow of the fire at night. According to old tradition, a mother weaves her daughter’s wedding blanket when she is very young as part of her dowry. When she weds, the bride is carried away to the house of the groom wearing the Handira. Sarah found a vintage Moroccan wedding blanket from Shoppe by Amber Interiors and incorporated it into the ceremony for a touch of shimmer. Later, the newlyweds wrapped themselves up in the blanket on the beach for a portrait session with photographer Nadia Hung. When they returned home from their wedding, the newlyweds displayed the fringe blanket on their bedroom wall.
Awed by Tulum’s natural splendor, Sarah opted to keep the color palette soft and pale and the décor minimal. “We wanted the beauty of the ocean, sky and tropical plants to shine through.” Sarah and Ryan held hands beneath a wooden pergola framed by tall palm fronds in the sand. “It was incredible to look over and see Isaac playing with the palms in the breeze,” Sarah says. “That was my favorite moment of the day, one I will always remember.” The wedding officiant delivered the service in Spanish, signaling for Sarah and Ryan to exchange rings and kiss, but one detail was overlooked. “We didn’t get a chance to say our vows!” exclaims Sarah. Right after the ceremony, they snuck away, just the two of them, to read their vows in private. “It was intimate and personal,” the bride says. Just the way they wanted their wedding celebration to be.
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