Weddingbee Blog

Destination weddings are so much fun and more affordable than you might think. Our best friend (and groomsman) was married last year on Holbox Island, Mexico and we all had a blast! The benefit of this kind of wedding was that we were all able to spend a few days together in a wonderful setting just spending time with one another. Weddings are normally so quick and over that you barely get to talk to the bride and groom.

We couldn’t have been happier when we heard the news that our best friend from college was getting married. He, Mr. Snow Pea and I were all in the same Engineering Calculus class. We called him “the old guy” because he was “much” older than us. We were 18 and he was 24. He’s such a wonderful friend. Now they poke fun at me because I am the “old” girl in class who’s getting married.

And now I pronounce you Mr. & Mrs. Asada!

Holbox Island is an island 26 miles long and northwest of Cancun. It was the sweetest little island with friendly people, good food, and lots of privacy. In this particular case, everything was shipped in from “the mainland.” This was not a resort that was all set up for wedding receptions and that sort. Actually, this was the first time the island had a wedding like this and all the people from the town came to watch on the beach.

You can rent golf carts to explore the island. Of course, I like to take pictures of all the local artwork.

We flew into Cancun. Took a 2 hour bus ride to Chiquila where we boarded a ferry to Holbox. The hotel can arrange the bus for you. We all stayed at Hotelito Casa Las Tortugas The neighboring hotels were beautiful too.

The rooms ranged from $40-$70/night. *Their wedding was BEFORE Spring break, so prices were in the “mid/low” season which is a great idea if you’re considering a destination wedding.

Email address: info@casalastortugas.com
Phone number: (52) 01 984 975 2129

When we arrived in our room “Frida,” we were greeted by a little package that Mrs. Asada made for the guests: Breath mints, Advil and Mosquito repellent!

Every morning we woke up to this. The hotels are all on the beach and it was just gorgeous!

My favorite? All the buttery avocados you can eat! Mmmm

I have no idea what this is called, but it was divine and I am lactose intolerant.

Mr. Snow Pea, “All the Cristal you can drink!” Frida!

When we finally decided to stop laying about the beach or jet skiing , we got ready for the wedding. The owner of the hotel, Francesca basically acted as the wedding planner and helped take care all the details through email. A week before the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Asada flew down there to take care of any last minute details. When the boys arrived, they helped Mr. Asada bring in 2 extra palm trees to help decorate the “ceremony site.” They bartered. Beer for 2 palm trees. The arch was wrapped with white organza.

Francesca and another woman at the hotel decorated the site along with the MOB. This was ingenius! All they did was make flowers out of tissue paper and it looked so gorgeous in the beach setting.

Ceremony music anyone? It was really romantic! I started to tear.

The ceremony site! How gorgeous the hot pink is against the white sand.

“Pew” flowers.

Are you nervous? Nah! I love the colors I captured in this picture. He looks so handsome.

Here comes the bride! Her dress was custom made by a woman in Philadelphia. Mrs. Asada gave the dressmaker a picture and it was made for about $400. She carried deep pink/magenta large calla lilies - quintessential example of Mexico’s exuberant flora. Her hair and makeup was done by one of her girlfriends. How convenient!

The flower girls were daughters from one of the local ladies on the island. Almost complete strangers! Aren’t they adorable.

The flower girl baskets.

The officiant. (They were legally married in the United States a month later.)

As we waited for the bride to come out, 2 dogs from the neighboring hotel came by and decided to leave the bride and groom a little “gift” before the ceremony. Fortunately, MOB shooed them away. It was so funny though!

The table setting.

Since it was such an intimate wedding (23 people), Mr. & Mrs. Asada made a “program” with a paragraph on each guest and what their relationship was to the bride and groom. I thought that was very sweet and really funny to read. The apple acted as the place card holder. The invitations were DIY hot pink pocketfolds with a ribbon.

Okay, now! All the food was homemade by a woman on the island. From the appetizer, soup, main course, and wedding cake. I wish I had a picture of the wedding cake. It was delicious. It was a tequila soaked carrot cake with walnuts! They hired bartenders for the reception. Besides rum, tequila and beer, Mr. Asada bought a suitcase of wine with me from the States.

After that, the rest of the night was a bit of a blur.

1 day later, we went back to mainland and took a bus to Playa Del Carmen where we spent a few days shoping, eating Carne Asada and dancing! Mr. Asada said the whole wedding with all the extras, travel, and tipping cost less than $5K. They also hired a local photographer who turned out to be fantastic! He took digital photojournalistic photos and put the photos on CD before we left the island.

Guess what happened this month?

Welcome Baby Asada! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Asada!

Are you having a destination wedding or have you ever been to one? How did you like it?