The summer of 2017 in Houston was, by Krishna’s own admission, a little awkward. She had just graduated high school and was days away from leaving for College Station. Dillon was already studying in the city. Their first meeting wasn’t exactly cinematic, but what happened next was.

“Before I moved away, we decided to go on a date,” Krishna recalls, “and from the moment we sat down together, the conversation flowed effortlessly. We were laughing the entire time, smiling the entire time, and I had butterflies that I just couldn’t get rid of.”

Before she left, she told Dillon he should come visit sometime, a casual, offhand remark she never expected him to act on. He showed up the following weekend. That spontaneous trip to College Station set the tone for everything that followed: seven years of dating and, eventually, a Cancun destination wedding.

The Proposal

By March 2024, Krishna and Dillon had traveled to India for a cousin’s wedding, then continued on to Singapore, Thailand, and Bali. It was the kind of trip they’d always talked about, seeing the world together, finally doing it.

Dillon had quietly arranged a few surprise photoshoots along the way. Krishna noticed. “Part of me hoped a proposal might happen, but I didn’t want to expect it too much,” she says.

One morning in Bali, the two woke before sunrise and made their way to the island’s famous rice terraces. It started raining as soon as they arrived. “Somehow it made the whole moment feel even more romantic,” Krishna says. Standing in the rain above the terraces, Dillon talked through their memories, everything they’d built, and then asked her to marry him. “I hugged him right away,” she says. “Just so happy and overwhelmed.”

What followed was a day Dillon had planned to the last detail: making rings together, a private dinner at their resort, a couples massage and floating breakfast the next morning. They even looped back through Thailand to visit the Phi Phi Islands before flying home. It was, as Krishna put it, “so thoughtful and so us.”

Choosing the Destination

When it came time to plan the wedding itself, the couple knew they wanted something more than a single-day event. “We wanted a more intimate and intentional celebration,” Krishna explains. “Not just a single day but a few days where everyone could relax, connect, and celebrate together.”

Mexico felt natural; they both love it, and they have memories there. Their planner, Niki Patel of A Panache Affair, suggested several venues. While already in the country for another family wedding, Krishna and Dillon made time to tour properties in person.

Garza Blanca Resort & Spa in Cancun stopped them in their tracks. “It felt so clean, luxurious, and open,” Krishna says. “What stood out the most was how naturally beautiful everything was. The venue itself felt like a backdrop, and we knew we wouldn’t need to do much to make it feel special.”

One curveball: their wedding fell during spring break, which meant the venue was hosting multiple weddings that week. The solution was to shift their events to Wednesday through Friday. Rather than feeling like a compromise, it worked in their favor. They had the property essentially to themselves for every event, with no overlap and no competition for attention.

The Celebrations

Krishna didn’t approach the multi-day wedding with a single overarching theme. Instead, each event had its own mood, its own color story, its own intention.

The welcome party leaned into a jungle-inspired aesthetic: vibrant, high-energy, playful. For the Pithi, she kept it classic: yellow with touches of purple, her favorite color. The Grah Shanti centered on orange, Dillon’s favorite, woven through the entire palette. “I wanted everything to feel intentional, effortless, and true to us,” she says.

The ceremony paired a simple, non-traditional mandap, framed by bright flowers and palms, with a bridal look that was anything but understated. Krishna wore a classic red ensemble with purple and pink accents, featuring intricate handwork, scalloped hems, and a detailed neckline. “It was the most stunning outfit I had ever seen,” she says.

She walked down the aisle with her mother and brother. The moment hit differently than she expected.

“Seeing my mom’s reaction when she first saw me, walking down the aisle with my mom and brother, and waking up that morning knowing I was about to marry my best friend… it was a feeling I’ll never forget.”

The couple incorporated Hindu religious customs throughout, including a traditional Grah Shanti ceremony. “It was incredibly meaningful to honor our heritage and include rituals that have been passed down through generations,” they share.

For the reception, they leaned into a red and black color scheme. Guests arrived having already been handed a window into the couple’s story: a custom “couples magazine” Krishna designed herself, filled with personal details and shared memories. Welcome baskets included custom stickers and other personal touches she put together through Canva. “A lot of the personalization came through small details,” she says.

The two also exchanged private vows, written for each other alone. Custom vow books marked the occasion.

On the Planning Process

Planning a destination wedding from afar requires a particular kind of trust in your vendors, in your planner, and in the process itself. For Krishna, that trust didn’t come all at once; it was built through organization, communication, and two pre-wedding site visits to the property. The second trip was thorough: food tasting, decor review, and walkthroughs of every event space.

“In some ways, planning a destination wedding felt less stressful,” she reflects, “because we had to accept that not everything was in our control. It helped us let go of the small things and trust the process more.”

Her advice to couples considering the same path: slow down, tune out the noise. “Trends will always come and go, but the most important thing is to create a wedding that reflects you as a couple. Don’t make decisions to please other people; do it for the two of you. This is your day, and it should feel like yours in every way.”

Vendors: Photography & Videography: MnM Photography; Planning: A Panache Affair; Venue: Garza Blanca Resort & Spa; Decor: Pistilo Event Decor; DJ & Entertainment: 3D Sounds; Makeup: Artistry by Jasmine; Mehndi: Loto Mehndi; Coconuts: Ko’coo MX; Baraat Car: Cancun Concierge; Wedding & Welcome Party Attire: KALKI Fashion; Welcome Party Attire: ROQA; Grah Shanti Attire: Mahima Mahajan; Grah Shanti Attire: Contrast by Parth; Pithi Attire: Papa Don’t Preach; Reception Attire: Seema Gujral; Reception Attire: Kora