Surrounded by an easy-going atmosphere, this real wedding couple hosted their ideal destination wedding in beautiful Jamaica. Mia and Doug went abroad for their nuptials in order to have a more intimate ceremony with their closest friends and family in warmer weather.

Mia and Doug grew up just 20 minutes away from each other, went to Michigan State at the same time, moved to Chicago around the same time AND had several friends in common there. But their worlds remained parallel until they finally met through a dating app six years after moving to the Windy City.

When the couple chose Jamaica for their destination wedding, neither of them had actually been to the island country before, so it was imperative for them to recruit a planner who’d help plan their wedding from afar.

“We decided to work with Weddings by Funjet and hired Ashley Grossman as our wedding planner to act as the middleman between us and the hotel wedding coordinator. She also traveled to Jamaica for the wedding day to help onsite.”

Choosing their venue was a piece of cake as Mia knew she wanted to have an outdoor wedding by the ocean water. After some research, Hyatt Ziva seemed to fit the glove perfectly. The couple also wanted the ceremony to be more private but still with beautiful views, so tying the knot on the rooftop terrace and partying by the beach after made perfect sense.

Travel and logistics were handled by Weddings by Funjet so the couple could redirect any questions guests asked to them. The only issue Mia and Doug came across was people waiting to book until the last minute, which was resolved by sending out reminder emails to push people to book asap. Vendors’ questions were handled for the couple as well. “Denisha at Hyatt was super responsive and also available when needed. Ashley with Funjets also did a ton of the communicating making it pretty easy for us,” the two say.

At the end of the day, Mia and Doug were able to fully enjoy their Jamaica wedding with little to worry about, compared to if they’d hosted a hometown wedding. The bride says the most special moment of the wedding day was the first song at the reception. “When I looked around and could see all of my favorite people in the world smiling and dancing and everyone so genuinely happy. That is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life!”

Vendors: Photographer: Adrienne & Amber Photography; Wedding Planner: Ashley Grossman with Weddings by Funjet; Coordinator: Denish Ross with Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall;  Ceremony/Reception Site: Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall; Stationery: Kailey Marie Designs & Minted; Hair & Makeup: Sue Gregg & Rochelle La Touche; Gown Designer: Temperley London
Groom’s Clothing Designer: RSPCT by Richard Sherman; Bridesmaids’ Clothing Designer: Various; Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: RSPCT by Richard Sherman