Will and Shannon are from New England, but live in Oregon with friends and family scattered across the globe. With travel guaranteed, it only made sense that they go where they had never been, but truly wanted – Sayulita, Mexico! “We wanted it to be a big vacation with friends and family trickling in all week,” the newlyweds said.

While most invitees were thrilled to see Will and Shannon get married in Mexico, some had their reservations about crossing country lines. “There are always those who you can’t please with everything,” the couple said. “You just have to remember that this is your day and, in the end, how you feel about it is what matters!”

The bride and groom knew they wanted a beach setting, but why Mexico? “We had traveled to some places in eastern Mexico and thought Mexico would be a wonderful option,” the couple explained. They checked out places like Playa del Carmen and Tulum, but found it too difficult to plan a wedding in a large city without being able to visit the amount of venues available. “Too many of them came with lots of glowing reviews and lots of really ugly reviews,” the bride said. Neither the bride nor groom had been to Sayulita, but heard good things from friends and read rave reviews about their venues. “The same was true of our planner,” they said. “We didn’t meet Yazmin until two days before the ceremony!”

Although plenty of couples are concerned with getting down to every detail with their decorations, it wasn’t priority for these two. “The location spoke for itself!” Still having some idea of what they wanted, Shannon threw their vision together on Pinterest. Their planner Yazmin ran with those ideas to put together the right wedding atmosphere while the bride and groom got to spend a few days taking in the town. “We didn’t want to waste time running around on errands – we had beach-sitting, game-playing and boat-tripping to do with our friends and family!”

The newlyweds acknowledged that while they saved more by having a destination wedding, there would have been more loved ones to share the day with had they been married in the States. Nevertheless, they loved their day (and wedding week) the way it was. “One of our friends took a great selfie at our wedding,” the couple reflected. “Six former strangers from various parts of our lives, with giant smiles on their faces, mingling and relaxed after having spent a number of days getting to know one another.” As Will and Shannon would call it, they successfully pulled off the “#friendblend” they aimed for.

There was one piece of advice the bride gave to herself throughout it all: “Enjoy it and know that in the end, no matter what happens, no one knows what goes wrong. Have as much fun as you can and let everyone else take care of you a little!” The bride’s mother, sisters and girlfriends helped her through stressful moments with breathing exercises, mimosa moments and pedicures on the porch at Las Hamacas. “It can be much more emotional and nerve-wracking than you would think!”

All in all, it was the day of their dreams – flubs included. “If the ceremony is supposed to start at 5:30, but you forgot your flowers at the house and you’re trying to not be sick from riding in the back of the cart, your maid of honor will go back for them,” the bride promised. “The wedding waits for you while you sitin a Suburban with A/C!”

Vendors: Photographer: Dekker Photography, Wedding Planner: Yazmin Gizeh of Sea of Dreams, Ceremony/Reception Site: Don Pedro’s Brisa Mar Palapa, Florist: Francisco Salazar, Cake: Pie In The Sky (cupcakes), Furniture and Décor Rentals: Unique Rentals, Hair & Makeup: Alicia Monica, Gown Designer: Nicole Miller, Groom’s Clothing Designer: Indochino, Bridesmaids’ Clothing Designer: RenzRags, Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: Indochino, Bride’s and Bridesmaids’ Jewelry: Endora Jewellery, Ties: The Tie Bar, Tie Tacks: Jones the Cuff