When Ashley + Bucky began to plan their wedding, they knew they wanted a day that was intimate, personal + most of all FUN. They decided on a destination wedding in beautiful Sayulita, Mexico at a lovely retreat rental called Brisa del Mar. It was important to them that the day be special + unique for both them and their small group of guests, so they made sure to include lots of meaningful details + elements that they knew everyone would love; like handwritten vows, a fun, non-traditional first dance + a wish lantern release honoring family + friends who could not be present at the celebration.
Destination weddings are a great idea for couples who want to eliminate the pressures (and sometimes cost) of planning a traditional + local occasion. According to Ashley, Our wedding week was truly perfect and you could feel the love everywhere. We did not feel pressured to make sure we were able to talk to everyone considering we had been with them all week; we got to dance with each person including all of our nieces and nephews (who owned the dance floor!). Looking back, our decision to have such an intimate wedding was the best decision we could have made and Sayulita was the perfect destination.
Big thanks to Jillian Mitchell for sharing Ashley + Buckey’s lovely day with us + best wishes to the happy couple!
Majorly in love with the bridesmaid’s fun dresses which were designed by Ark & Co. and were purchased from Cose Belle in Charleston, SC. If you’re feeling this style, check out more cute Ark & Co. dresses here.
Such a bright + cheerful ceremony arch!
This is so hard I loved every moment of that day. I would have to say it is a toss-up between reading our vows to each other and our first dance. We wrote our own vows and I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of giddiness and love I had while reading my vows to him & listening to his or the smile on his face ( Me: To keep the lights in the bedroom low so I don’t hurt your baby blues, To always dance with you in the kitchen. Him: To cook you breakfast and mess up the yolk on your over-easy eggs, but try like heck not too, To enjoy your company and conversation, even when we are old and grey.)
To kick off the reception Bucky had planned a spin-off from your traditional first dance song. In Bucky’s words he didn’t want some sappy first song that people just watched us boringly slow dance for 3 minutes, he wanted it to be fun and entertaining. Our first dance was a combination of one of our favorite songs, A Woman Like You by Lee Brice – the lyrics to this song totally ring true to a lot of aspects of our lives, Bucky loves to fish, play golf (he’s a Golf Pro), cheer on the Saints and eat fried chicken, but the song also has a sweet side to it too which we like and makes us laugh every time. It then faded into a song we could shag to, With This Ring by The Platters, a super upbeat rhythm and blues song. The Shag dance is the South Carolina state dance and Bucky has been dancing it since he was little and is a 2 time National Shag Champion, so to put it lightly he has got some serious dance moves. It was such a fun first dance and I think the guests definitely enjoyed our spin on the traditional first dance.
And love their “sunglasses recessional”! :)
Bucky’s mix for their first dance included A woman like you by Lee Brice which faded into With this Ring by The Platters, a combination of their two favorite songs!
The thought of planning a wedding for me was nerve-racking to say the least. I about had a breakdown over making our Save the Dates, which thanks to Bucky and his patience turned out super cute. Luckily, my amazing sister is an event planner and I am the youngest of three girls so this was not my mom’s first rodeo in throwing a knock-out shindig. The only things I really pulled the trigger on for the wedding was “Igor” the beer donkey - he was a super important mascot throughout the weekend, the incredible photographer, Jillian Mitchell, the location and “Drew”, my dress. Everything else was put together by my mom, sister and Luz. Each event was a surprise and every detail was more amazing than the one before. Long of the long, I would say choose to focus on the things that are important to you and hire a planner that understands how you want to be involved in the planning process.
photography: Jillian Mitchell // venue name: Brisa del Mar, Sayulita, Mexico // event design: Luz Ochoa, Sayulita Weddings // planning: Luz Ochoa, Sayulita Weddings // florals: Luz Ochoa, Sayulita Weddings // bride's shoes: Rowen // bridesmaid dresses: Ark & Co. // hair stylist: Raquel Sandoval // makeup artist: Raquel Sandoval // groom attire: J. Crew // paper goods: Dee Ruel // wedding dress: Jenny Packham - "Drew" + more Jenny Packham Dresses // catering: Don Pedro's both nights and La Terrazola for the welcome party
So bright and sweet and genuine!!
What a wonderful celebration! I love how festive yet intimate this wedding looked. Thank you for sharing!
What an absolutely fun wedding! LOVE the donkey!
Thanks for the beautiful feature! Ashley and Bucky deserve it for being such glammed out rockstars. I mean look at that Jenny Packham dress. Killer.
I just love everything about this wedding! Especially the kid on the donkey with the sombrero and “beer” – so cute!
Lovely dress and awesome updo. Love the printed bridesmaid dresses.
I love how bright and cheery this is!!!
wow, always been a fan of destination weddings :)
Wow. What a fab wedding! I love those sunglasses! Congrats Ashley and Bucky
Love this wedding!
This looks like a terrific wedding! My fiance and I are in San Diego and we were thinking of doing an outdoor wedding like this. We ended up choosing this venue instead, but I think we’ll be happy. Congrats!
Such a beautiful place for a wedding!!! Love how the couples fun personality comes out through all the little extras!!
Beach weddings are truly amazing, this a great idea to celebrate your special day on the beach, it makes more romantic.
Everything about this wedding speaks volumes about this couples relationship and how in love they are. The entire day is warm, tropical, and fun, but the details of this wedding hold tones of deep intimacy and affection.
The twinkle lights and chinese lanterns are what really seem to set the entire day on fire, and show how closely connected the couple and their loved ones are.
Lovely, intimate wedding. Thank you for shearing!
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