A BRIEF story of us.
Hello everyone and welcome to our new blog!
This is Maria, we have reached this year 18 years of Life at weddingsinplaya.com. Finally we can vote ( or drink)!
Many clients ask us: what is your story?
how did you become wedding planners?
how did you land here in Playa del Carmen?
Today we will unveil the story of us, Erica and Maria.
We were born in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, a region of great wines (Picolit, among all) and intense wind (bora winds can arrive to 160Km/h in winter through the Julian Alps).
I am the third of three and Erica is only child, but she grew up with her 3 cousins just next to her.
Here is me at one, in the middle, with my two Brothers. They are honorary bros. to Erica as well!
Growing up in a little village, even if Leonardo Da Vinci created the project, is boring ( I tried running away at 2 years old but I was found on the road, happily walking, by a neighbour). Erica, born 6 years later, was facing the same challenges.
Finally one day in 1990, one cold day in October, we met. It was Fun at first sight! We recognised a kindred spirit in one another and we decided to have a good time, whenever we could.
It was a great friendship and we planned a lot of trips and adventures together…. one summer we left with our motorbikes for Rimini, in the Italian Riviera, on board of our Vespa and Ciao, for a long haul of 390 Km… Needless to say it was a cool adventure and a fond memory!
Over the years we lived in different countries: Erica left for Shangai and I went to Australia. After 16 months around the world, after many countries and many beers, at the beginning of 1996, i first saw Playa Del Carmen: it was a simple paradise: 5th Ave. stopped at 8th street and Constituyentes was jungle! Can you believe it?
I fell in love!
This was Playa in 1996. All green…. Porto Real Hotel had not been built and neither the others. I found a job at Viva Maya and met the future husband i did not know I was going to marry.
Destiny is grand and after a year in Playa I went to live in Texas, happy new mother of a baby girl, born in 1998, Skylar. Erica came to visit me and my husband, Sharky, in Houston and assisted to the birth. Happy times! And life flies: we move back to Playa in 1999. Immediately Erica and I got together, just to find out that she was pregnant with Maia, who was born in the year 2000, another incredibly happy event! Here they are, all grown!
But back to business: in 2001, Erica was working at the famous Yaxche’ Mayan Restaurant and was getting a few inquires from American couples to organise a wedding in Mexico. I owned the Coffee Press, a cafe’ for expats that used to wake up at 7a or return from the beach at that time after the party….
One day we were chit chatting and she blurted out: What do you think, Maria, do you want to enter into business and do weddings together?
I said YES I do ( right in theme… ahaha), and that was 18 years ago.
There was only another wedding planner in town, Brenda, an American restaurant owner that organised weddings at her restaurant.
The first year we planned 3 weddings, asking very little money and making a lot of mistakes.
We knew a Mayan shaman and started organising Mayan weddings first at Yaxche’ and then in many other locations.
Then we started getting an education from the best, going to courses and meetings in Usa, like Weddings MBA and courses with Alan Berg.
Once we were on our 3rd years, we were making some sense. On our 10th year, about 30 more wedding planners started to work in town, now we have celebrated over 500 weddings! What i love about wedding planning is that for 1 year, you are the confidential sister of the couple. Then after the wedding has ended, you go back to being nobody: it’s healthy for the ego!
Life has been a wonderful gift, i still meet a lot of ex clients that 15 yrs later come to Playa with their kids and stop by to say hi: we love to see how our clients have kept the promise of Love of their wedding day and transformed into a lovely family!
Photo courtesy of A. E.
So, this is our Story,
we have been so lucky to arrive in Playa at a time when there was so much opportunity, so little people, so much to live. We know that.
We can only say:
Gracias, Playa. Gracias to all of our clients, past and future, that love us, support us and believe in us. We give the best to all of you!
Wedding trends 2019: it’s all about You!
Hola everyone,
i hope you all are having a great 2019.
This is Maria here offering a personal and uber selected array of wedding trends for 2019. Ready?
First of all, let’s keep something very clear: it’s YOUR wedding.
Not your mama’s, not your sister’s and not your best friend’s.
So get personal! Hire vendors you connect with on a personal level, not just the ones that suit your aesthetic or budget, you will be working with your planner for a year or more so it would be grand if you 3 click.
You 2 are the heroes of this story and you 2 are going to decide together what is important to the both of you. Never mind grandma wants a Catholic Wedding: if you want to get married by a Mayan shaman on the beach at the sound of drums on a full moon, that is what grandma should see (and she will like it too, because your happiness is her happiness).
Be bold enough to be you: aren’t you worth it?
I always tell my clients : this is YOUR day and you pick how the day will unfold… so go big.
This year’s trends finally are listening to the wisdom of the centuries (ours! LOL): that’s why I am particularly excited about them and happy to introduce my top fav coming up in 2019.
They’re proof that these major life events are becoming more and more about the couple : weddings are getting more personalised and that is a great sign!
No more FOMO nor following the trend: you are the trend, you never missed out anything, because you are creating this Moment!
The year is shaping up to be one of the most incredible wedding seasons ever.
So here we go:
1.
Be you
I never address this topic long enough but mark my words: this is the one day that will be in your memory forever: why not just go all the way?
if you like purple, go purple.
If you want to get married in moody colours, go with them (colour will feature more heavily than in previous years, think deep shades like burgundy and hunter green for a striking and moody look to your day or mix several shades from the same palette to create a fresh style….gowns with asymmetrical elements will also be trendy… bridesmaids no longer in same colour but shades of same palette…)
This one-shoulder dress is from Justin Alexander’s spring 2019 collection. Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock
2.
Smaller weddings but unique experiences
No one wants to have a cookie cutter wedding or copy Meghan Markle and her prince: the trend now is
THINK UNIQUE
Expect 50 to 70 guests weddings but a lot of flare.
We will see more planners getting out there to create a journey and experience for all the guests to enjoy… not only on the wedding day but also at welcome parties and post wedding brunches (sometimes on a catamaran, sometimes in a cave), something we have always done and got rewarded with lots of loving gratitude from our over 500 clients (yep we have started in 2001, many of our clients are parents and soon will be celebrating 20 years married… Erica Bressan how come we got so grown-ish up?)
Photo Alessandro Banchelli
www.weddingmexicophotography.com
3.
Food : artistic edible displays
Food as art, amazingly yummy and beautiful to look at!! that is a trend i relate too, as Italian. Many couples are ditching traditional wedding buffets for more memorable options. Popular examples of interactive food stations include tequila tasting with meat and veggie tacos, ceviche bars and churros carts.
Also a trend: grazing receptions, where there won’t be a sit down dinner but more of a selection of different appetisers and snacks with something for everyone, from the vegan to the meat lover. Tom and Jon you are totally 2019!!
Also a trend: less traditional array of seating elements and more fluid use of space: high top tables, pillows and carpets to create a Maroccan suuk with hookas and belly dancers, use of beach chairs covered with Mexican blankets, use of indigenous art like Huichol and Otomi…. in a word: Whimsical!
Photo subject to Author’s right
4.
Greenery instead of too many flowers, but also colours!!
We love palms leaves, they are cheap and beautiful! So many brides are chosing the option of a mostly green arch or bouquet. But also bright and rich colours… You can incorporate these colours in all aspects of your wedding decor from table settings, candles, linens and florals. Turquoise is definitely one of the key colours for 2019… Coral as well.
Matt and Holly, you are trendy!
Photo Alessandro Banchelli
www.weddingmexicophotography.com
5.
Meaningful ceremonies: variety and real feel
We love our couples and we would love to see something personal in every ceremony. Whether it’s writing vows that tell an untold story, a touching song from your brother or the newest and original rings warming passage (all guests pass the rings in a pouch and hold them in their hands sending their blessed energy to the couple), we love that unique touch that talks about you. Also signs in all languages and fonts!!
Lots of unexpected twists on the traditional wedding in the year….
Photos subject to Author’s right
So you got the idea: it’s all about you! We are here to simply send an invitation: an invitation to living every moment fulfilled. We want to invite you to a dance that will never cease to amaze you. The dance is your life. The invitation is to live it in joy, amazement and infinite Bliss. Your guests will thank you. And years from now, the memories will be amazing!!!!
Melody Vanessa and Axel, Pueblito Mayakoba’ and Grand Coral wedding
I know you guys are tired to hear me say that I always get the best clients, but I DO!!!
This week´s featured wedding makes my heart sing. I want to start with a quote from R. Queen, because this quote made me think about what do we do and how we do it. We love our work, because we cherish every client, we never take for granted our vendors and we show our passion. That is the secret of our success.
Axel and Melody Vanessa are such kindred spirits, that when we met via Skype with their young son Mateo i just loved them with a passion.
They were young, in love, accomplished, living in California, had 2 kids, and they had very clear ideas about their wedding.
A Catholic wedding in a unique location. lots of great music, amazing food, incredible scenery. A memory to cherish for years to come.
I had a vision:
the church at Pueblito Mayakoba’ and Grand Coral.
BAM! they loved it!
We want to show it off immediately with a 4´ video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AQI4_RH7n19wCptITn70NkEpIfd6DJt4/view
Mayakoba, an eco-resort on the shores of the Caribbean in Mexico, opened Riviera Maya’s newest attraction and event venue, El Pueblito, a few years ago.
Modelled after the historic plazas of Mexico, El Pueblito transports the culture and charm of Colonial Merida and San Miguel de Allende to the sandy beaches and jungle landscape of Mayakoba and is set to be the destination’s most sought-after location for weddings and private events.
Anchored by a beautiful white chapel – christened La Santa Cruz – the venue features a cozy park with a traditional kiosk in the center of the esplanade for entertainment, as well as shops and restaurants to create a traditional plaza. El Pueblito is accessible from Playa in 15 minutes and offers guests a new option not only for events, but also for socialising, casual dining, shopping, and fun for the whole family. The gentle manager, Mauricio, even allowed the bride to use the prepping room for make up and last touches! Thanks Mauricio.
The ceremony was touching but also light, with Father Quin performing in English and Spanish for the bilingual families.
After the ceremony, a quick bus ride to Grand Coral for the 55 guests where food and tequila was waiting for all….
Dinner in a simple yet unforgettable setting, thanks to Chef Rigel from Grand Coral Beach Club.
The party was great fun, Axel is a great lap dancer…. ahaha!
Every guest had great fun, including the little ones.
Congratulations for a life time of happiness!!!
Credits
Restaurant
Grand Coral Beach Club, Chef Rigel
Photos and video
Fun in the sun Wedding photography THANKS!
Hair
Vo-evolution by Natasha Bitch
Church
La Santa Cruz Pueblito at Mayacoba
Wedding organiser
Maria Tripaldi at weddingsinplaya.com
