LUSH WEDDING IN MAYAKOBA
This gorgeous Galia Lahav bride tied the knot in the most luxurious dream destination wedding at the heart of Mayakoba, Mexico! Discover how she found her dream Galia Lahav dress, details and her advice to future brides!
THE LOVE STORY
Jackson and I met on St Patrick’s Day 2018, when me and one of my bridesmaids went to a party he happened to be hosting. We got to chatting, and exchanged numbers on the premise of meeting up later that day. We never did, and didn’t actually hang out until 9 months later, but a video of us dancing on his living room table that day did surface! Our MC, who was a close friend of mine, ended up on vacation at the same resort as Jackson that December. This is how we started talking again, and the rest is history!
PROPOSAL
This past St. Patrick Day, we had such a normal morning that I didn’t expect a thing. We went to the gym, went grocery shopping, walked Luna – he played it very cool. I had some friends coming over to make pancakes before we went out, and he waited til the last minute before sending Luna to me with a ring box around her neck and getting down on one knee.
He paraphrased himself from very early on in our relationship, and told me to only say yes if I was still having fun. Very easy yes! Some close friends came storming in shortly after with champagne and we celebrated with pancakes, but the real surprise was another 50 friends in our lobby, patiently waiting to come up and congratulate us. Needless to say, it was a big day of celebrating and a very epic St Patrick’s Day!
FINDING THE GALIA LAHAV DREAM DRESS
I went into the process knowing that my dress would be from Galia Lahav. I had followed Galia Lahav for years, loved the tie to Israel and thought every collection had such iconic gowns. I tried on ‘Catalina’ as the last dress during my first appointment. White Toronto was incredible, and paid attention to every piece I liked and didn’t love as I tried on dresses that day, and brought everything together with ‘Catalina’.
I couldn’t stop smiling when I put her on! I loved how unique the dress was, not being fully white. I knew I wanted a corset, and a dramatic train, and to balance elegance with it being a little bit sexy with it being sheer and fitted. It was perfect!
I did try on dresses another 4 or 5 more times, both at White and elsewhere. But I realized that I was measuring every dress against ‘Catalina’, and while they were gorgeous, they never won! My final time trying on dresses was during a GL trunk show, and I knew that after I tried on every dress I had wanted to try, I was still thinking about ‘Catalina’. It was an easy choice!
THE FEELING OF WEARING GALIA LAHAV
I couldn’t stop smiling! Even seeing my dress hanging up and the sunlight hitting it through the window while we were getting ready was surreal. As soon as I put it on, it was like – “is this actually happening?”
Putting the dress on, it felt like it was made for me. It fit so perfectly and it was so surreal having my hair and makeup all done as I put it on – since all my fittings were decidedly less glam lol. That was also the moment that my aunt surprised me, having flown in that morning – I didn’t think I was going to cry on my wedding day, but boy was I wrong!
My bridesmaids and mom and grandma were the next to see me, and even though they had seen the dress before, all freaked out seeing everything come together.
Their first look was such a special moment. Then Jackson and I had our first look, which I was so excited for after keeping the dress such a secret! He couldn’t stop smiling and looking over every detail, and I knew I had picked a winner. I felt gorgeous all day!
ABOUT GALIA LAHAV’S ‘CATALINA’ GOWN
‘Catalina’ gown is from Amor Couture Collection, the epitome of bridal luxury – a statement piece where every stich, detail, and cut is meticulously considered. Inspired by the passion, love and lust of the Carmen opera which Galia Lahav’s head designer Sharon Sever adores, Catalina’s classic, celestial goddess shape with scoop neck transforms from ceremony to party with the ballgown layering of a voluminous A-line overskirt, adding depth and texture for a second silhouette. Hundreds of delicately embroidered three-dimensional flowers feature, while petal-embellished straps exude femininity. Delving deeper into the ethereal style, a flower-adorned veil completes the look.
THE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE GALIA LAHAV TEAM
They were incredible to work with! The intricacies of every dress is just amazing, you can tell how much work and love goes into every design. I tried on mostly Galia Lahav, and felt gorgeous in every single one.
I also don’t think “no” is in their vocabulary – everyone is finding a way to make it work, from a custom cup size to adding extra appliqués to hide undergarments. I was never stressed throughout the dress process, even with a 9-month engagement.
I just knew I was going to find something beautiful and that it would come in time and be perfect. And it was!
HOW MANY DRESSES DID YOU TRY BEFORE FINDING THE ONE?
I first tried ‘Catalina’ on as my 10th dress on day 1. I probably tried on another 20 or so, realizing I compared every one to ‘Catalina’. In the end, I was between ‘Catalina’ and ‘Uma’, but at 5’2 thought the fitted nature of ‘Catalina’ was better on me. I did have a fantasy moment with the ‘Opera’ gown, but in the end knew ‘Catalina’ was perfect for me and for our venue!
WEDDING DETAILS
We had a destination wedding at the beautiful Rosewood Mayakoba, and decided on a 3-day event. We had welcome drinks in La Ceiba, a gorgeous greenhouse during golden hour.
The ceremony was in Lagoon Lawn, a palm tree-lined enclosure, then we moved over to the beach under the Palapa for our cocktail hour and reception. It ended with an epic all-white pool party on the Saturday where guests left it all on the field.
It was not lost on us that everyone had to travel a long way to celebrate with us, and we wanted to make sure we really took care of our guests throughout the weekend and focused on the guest experience. We had custom wedding swag, snacks for their rooms, great food, open song requests and an incredibly well stocked bar with custom cocktails throughout the entirety of the event.
I think we had a great balance of sentimental, memorable moments with really high energy and fun. My aunt surprised us, flying in all the way from Zurich the morning of our wedding.
Our Frenchie, Luna, had a dress made with lace from my gown.
We had some sweet moments for Jewish traditions, like candle lighting and stepping on the glass during the ceremony. But we also had dancing between every course of the meal, an incredible MC who winged his whole performance and had every guest involved in group dances and singing solos during dinner, and a very electric horah. It was all SO much fun!
FAVOURITE STAGE OF THE WEDDING PLANNING AND THE MOST LOOKING FORWARD MOMENT.
I think having Luna there was so much fun. She was a huge presence – famous at the hotel, on our napkins at our Welcome Drinks, walking down the aisle in her mini Galia Lahav Couture. She even faked out her Daddy on what he thought was our first look, but was actually theirs!
It wouldn’t have felt like our wedding without our baby there, so I was so happy we could bring her to Mexico. Now we know Luna only does 5 stars!
The music was another really fun part to plan. Incorporating special songs while we walked down the aisle, like Can You Feel the Love Tonight for our parents, or Can’t Help Falling in Love when I wanted down, to the high energy Accidentally in Love after our first kiss when we walked back down together – the music made a huge difference and was something we planned poolside while we were at the Rosewood for a planning visit.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
Our first dance! We decided on the song Unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield as we walked into the cocktail hour after the ceremony. We knew we wanted it to be spontaneous, fun and high energy, but didn’t land on a song til that moment! It was also the song we remembered most from the day we got engaged. We did our entrance into the reception and then immediately swapped into our first dance, timed the ‘big spin’ for the end of the first course, and then invited the whole wedding to join us for the rest of the song. It was so much fun, everyone was dancing and singing their hearts out!
BRIDE’S ADVICE
The planning may feel like a lot, but when it’s all said and done, it is so worth it and less details than you feel like at the time. So much comes together at the last minute! We had a 9 month engagement, and it still amazed me how much got done in the last 6 weeks.
We knew our wedding was towards the end of the wedding season for a lot of our guests, and wanted to cut back on some of the traditional aspects and weave fun and energy into the whole 3-day event. It’s cliche, but we tried to remember that it was the vibe more than the details that would stick with us!
Take a moment to step away with your new husband during the reception and take in the magic you’ve created. The day goes by so fast, so truly soak in all of your friends and family coming together under one roof to celebrate!
WOULD YOU HAVE DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENT?
If I had to pick one thing, it would be snacking more as I was taking pictures. Before the ceremony, I realized how hungry I was, and had a moment with a bowl of French fries and a quesadilla as I had a H&MU refresh right before the ceremony.
Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing about the whole weekend. Our planners did an incredible job and we were so relaxed through the entire event, with everything so taken care of we actually felt like guests of honour more than hosts. But we left so much space for spontaneity, and the way everything unfolded was incredible. I just wish we could do it again!
VENDORS
Wedding Planner Bash House
Photography Mango Studios
DJ/Music DJ Dash
Venue Rosewood Mayakoba
Hair and Makeup CB&Co
Wedding Gown Galia Lahav
Videography Ale Jandra
To view more inspiring pictures, click left of right (on the arrows)
