Playa del Carmen, located in the Riviera Maya, Caribbean region of Mexico, is known for it’s laid back beach vibes and all-night parties. It is the place to be if you’re looking to host a wild and fun destination wedding with high-class accommodations. That is everything Olesya and Diego had in mind for their nuptials. After visiting the Playa del Carmen area for holiday, the couple started to dream of the day they could say “I do” next to the beautiful blue ocean waters of the Riviera.

The couple’s love story started on orientation day at their university. “We had some common classes. In those classes, we started talking and I (obviously I liked her) decided to make a move… which did not work,” Diego admits. 

Feeling awkward, Diego actually stopped showing up to the classes the two had in common. But, as final exams quickly approached, he decided to swallow his pride and start going again. As soon as he saw Olesya, he sensed something had shifted in her heart. 

“At the end of the class, she asked if I could help her study for math because she was having some problems and I agreed to help,” Diego says. The two ended up getting dinner together before studying, and the rest is history!

As Olesya and Diego started planning their Riviera Maya dream nuptials, they realized planning a wedding far from home would take some extra help. That’s when Banyan Tree Mayakoba entered the scene.

“We visited Banyan Tree to meet the vendors, and get a clear picture of what we wanted,” the couple says. Although they were iffy about having a wedding planner handle the details of their special day, Olesya and Diego now can’t imagine how they would have pulled it all off without Banyan Tree’s recommended wedding planner, Patty Gonzalez with Love on Top Weddings. She took the vision the couple had and ran with it, answering questions and concerns as they arose.

“After that, we were just making decisions without being stressed or nervous about things going the opposite direction,” the groom says.

The goal was to create an event that allowed for a special time to interact and socialize with guests over the course of their three to four days in . For the ceremony and reception themselves, the couple wanted a fancy yet cozy auroa with little expectation and lots of fun. They chose white as their primary color with pops of rose gold for pizazz. All the other colors included in the day, like blush pink, where just inside the range on the palette from white to rose gold. 

“We really like the resort because all the villas were close to each other and it felt like we were a big family. The service and the commodities that the hotel provided were exceptional, and our guests were impressed with the architecture and eco-friendliness of the resort,” the couple says.

Olesya and Diego attribute the success of their destination wedding to many things – namely the fact that they limited the number of guests and optimized quality time with those closest to them. In the end, the details came together beautifully, making the couple’s wedding nothing short of a dream!

Vendors: Photography: Moni Adri Weddings; Wedding Planner: Love on Top Weddings; Venue: Banyan Tree Mayakoba; Specialty Rentals & Floral Design: Canteiro Weddings