I want to become a society lady Rockin' a new rock?!

Happy Monday!

First off, I must tell you that I’m blogging to you from the hospital. It’s the best possible reason for being in the hospital: baby arrival! My sister is in labor and by the time you’re reading this, not only will we have welcomed a gorgeous baby, but I’ll also know whether or not I’ve got a new niece or nephew!!!

Today’s post shot by one of our new Grey Collective members, Sarah Layne Photography, is so so so gorgeous and fun! Amy and Derrik planned a destination wedding to Secrets Maroma in Playa del Carmen. I’ve actually had a chance to visit the resort (along with Katie Frederick of Ever After Honeymoon) and I promise the beach really does look that gorgeous!  Sarah has lots of great info to tell us about the wedding. Amy is an artist and has an Etsy shop, so she employed her own crafty skills to make the wedding decor extra personal and stress free once she arrived. I think my favorite part is the reception held on a catamaran!

yellow pinwheel

Amy and Derrick’s wedding day started out at the Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun Resort where ceremony was held. Since it was a destination wedding, Amy wanted to keep things simple and stress-free but she’s also an artist (Amy makes amazing handmade thing for her Etsy shop, Tangerine Home), so she included a few simple, personal touches that gave the wedding ceremony character. She incorporated several yellow accents into the decor, including darling accordion pinwheel tags she made to attach to the guests’ wedding gift bags and accordion pinwheels to decorate the ceremony aisles. She also chose yellow for the florals, her handmade Etsy jewelry, and for Derrick’s tie in order to create a pop of contrasting color against the blue of the Playa del Carmen ocean and sky.

The ceremony was intimate, beautiful, and sweet, and quite a few guests shed a tear or two. The weather was perfectly sunny and Amy and Derrick could not have wished for a more beautiful backdrop. Amy and Derrick walked down the aisle as a newly married couple to the Beach Boy’s Wouldn’t it Be Nice, another perfect touch. Guests then enjoyed a champagne toast and cake with the couple on the beach.

Always looking with the eye of an artist, Amy picked out a few amazing locations beforehand for her and Derrick’s bride and groom portraits. The first stop was a beached boat, which incorporated the yellow color from her ceremony accents and the blue of the ocean and sky. Down the beach a bit was another location Amy specially selected, which was an abandoned hacienda. Amy looked so beautiful on her wedding day, and the rough texture of the gray concrete of the hacienda contrasted nicely with her just-married-glow.

For Amy and Derrick’s reception, they chartered a private catamaran boat through Paradise Catamarans that took them and all of their guests out to a reef to relax and do some snorkeling. It was a non-traditional, incredibly fun way to spend the wedding day. Alex from Paradise Catamarans and his crew offered Amy, Derrick, and their guests incredible, personable service. Amy and Derrick’s choice of reception allowed their guest to relax, be entertained, and enjoy the natural beauty of Playa del Carmen at its best. It was everything a destination wedding should be.

Rad vendors for this wedding include: Photography: Sarah Layne Photography, Ceremony Location: Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun,  Ceremony Decorations: Amy for Tangerine Home, Floral Design and Cake: Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, Bride’s Hair: Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, Reception Location and Catering: Paradise Catamarans.
P.S. Hi Taylor