Wedding Day - Part 2

After the ceremony comes a part of the day that a lot of couples struggle with: formal photos.

Many people want to rush through them. They’re eager to get to cocktail hour, to the party, to what feels more “fun.” But like I said in my other post, photos are the one thing you truly get to keep once everything is over. The food is gone, the music fades, the flowers wilt — but the photos stay.

So my advice is always the same: take the time.

Give yourselves an hour. Just the two of you. Have a drink, enjoy a cocktail, relax into the moment. Walk the property, go to the beach, be romantic, laugh, breathe. Let it feel like a date, not a checklist.

In our case, the sky looked like it was absolutely going to rain. And honestly, that gave me some of the most incredible photos you’ll see below. The clouds were dramatic, moody, beautiful. I remember thinking, if it’s going to rain, at least let me get the best photos before it does.

After photos, we wanted to be the first ones to arrive at the venue. I really wanted to see how everything came together before guests walked in.

Remember how I told you in Wedding Part One that I upgraded about $3,000 in lighting just a couple of days before the wedding? Well… this was the moment when it all made sense.

We arrived just as the sun was setting, almost gone, and the lights were already on. This is something I talk about all the time with destination weddings. Everyone focuses so much on the ceremony — the sun, the ocean, the views — but the reality is, the sun sets. The ocean goes dark. And because most destination weddings are outdoors, lighting becomes everything.

That’s why I always recommend investing in architectural illumination.

We had a beautiful illuminated dance floor, a canopy of lights above it, uplighting on the palm trees, and here’s a little Jen secret: I always place a few lights facing the ocean. Even when the water is dark, the light catches the movement, so you still feel the ocean with you all night long.

The extra lighting I added last minute was about creating the feeling that our guests were dining under the stars. At the time — and keep in mind this was 12 years ago — those fairy light canopies that are everywhere now didn’t really exist. So we created pockets of light between palm trees and greenery that felt like stars falling from the sky.

It was stunning.

That’s when the wedding went from “this is pretty” to “wow, this is something special.” The design concept came to life exactly the way I had imagined it.

Another thing I gave a lot of thought to was the sweetheart table.

Traditionally, couples face their guests. I didn’t want that. I wanted to be in the best seat in the house, with my husband, looking out at the dance floor and the ocean. That felt right to me.

I also didn’t want to sit with the entire bridal party — too busy — but I didn’t want it to be just the two of us either. So we invited my sister (my maid of honor) and her fiancé at the time, and the best man and his fiancé. The six of us sat together, and it was perfect.

Dinner was another moment where we did things differently.

I didn’t want dinner to feel quiet or traditional. That’s just not us. So we hired a great DJ and asked him to play deep house music during dinner. Not loud — just enough to create energy.

It was magical. The lighting, the music, the atmosphere — everything felt alive. My brother-in-law turned to me and said, “I’ve never felt this energized during dinner at a wedding.” He asked if it was the ocean. I told him to listen to the music. He paused and said, “Oh… yeah.”

Funny enough, when they got married later on, they did the exact same thing.

Then came the first dances — and again, we flipped the script.

Traditionally, the couple dances first. We didn’t.

I danced with my dad first. Then Mike danced with his mom. And then it was our turn.

Our song was I Feel So Close to You by Calvin Harris — not exactly a slow dance song. Years before we even got engaged, we knew that was “our” song. But how do you dance to that?

One day, while traveling in California, we were walking along Venice Beach and heard a violinist playing an acoustic version of that song. I got goosebumps. That was it.

We found an acoustic version, danced to it, and halfway through, our DJ slowly transitioned into the original party version of the song. That’s how we opened the dance floor — and it was perfect.

One thing I want to say here is this: I never plan the same wedding twice, because I’ve never had the same couple twice. Every couple dreams differently, feels differently, values different things. My job is to adapt and design around that.

As the night went on, the drinks were flowing — and here’s a little Mexico reality. Service in Mexico is incredible. Guests don’t need to go to the bar. Drinks are constantly brought to the dance floor. It’s amazing… and also dangerous if you’re not paying attention. So yes, have fun — but drink water in between.

Now, I want to talk about something important.

Something will go wrong on your wedding day. Something will be off. Big or small.

I never understood why some couples let one thing derail their entire experience — until it happened to me.

Remember those dramatic clouds I loved so much? Right as cocktail hour ended, there was a light drizzle. Nothing serious, but enough to notice. Everyone looked at me, waiting for a reaction.

I didn’t freak out. I went into action.

I had upgraded to real wood tables, so I wasn’t worried about the tables or florals. What I was worried about were the chair cushions. I immediately asked the staff to remove all cushions. Five minutes later, the drizzle stopped. Tables were wiped, cushions went back, and that was it.

I could have panicked. I chose not to.

That’s my advice to you: when something goes off plan, choose not to focus on it. Look at your partner. Keep smiling. Keep dancing. It’s a choice.

Now, my favorite parts of the wedding.

The lighting — hands down — was a ten out of ten. Absolute favorite.

The second favorite? Dessert. Or should I say… not dessert.

Before kids, I didn’t like dessert at all. So I had zero interest in cutting a cake. Our venue already served crème brûlée with dinner, and I didn’t want an ugly cake just for tradition’s sake.

So I created a cheesecake — and by cheesecake, I mean an actual cake made of cheese. Huge wheels of gouda, parmesan, brie — stacked like a cake and decorated with figs, strawberries, chocolate, and baguettes. It was stunning.

The topper? Lego figures made to look like Mike and me. Mike grew up loving Legos, and I wanted something that reflected his story.

We also served dessert wines — port, Madeira — because that was our tradition when we went on dates. We would skip dessert and have cheese and wine instead. So that’s what we did at our wedding.

And finally, a little PSA.

DJ requests.

Please don’t do it.

When you’ve worked with your DJ to create a vibe, and guests start requesting random songs, it throws everything off. I’ve seen it happen, and it breaks the energy. Weddings need a crescendo. That’s what DJs are trained to do.

Trust your DJ. Trust the plan.

Funny enough, I never grew up dreaming about my wedding. I never thought much about weddings at all — until I became a wedding planner.

But to say my wedding was a dream come true is simply the truth. Twelve years later, I would change very little. And that’s how a wedding should feel.

You should want to do it all over again.

11981     419  48871    71427321893     54121381948    91688     741  8888       5197148