destination wedding Archives

11 Essentials for Welcome Bags to Mexico

After a flight, an airport (or two) and a taxi ride, who doesn’t love a little pampering? You can kick off your guests’ WOW destination wedding experience in Mexico with these 11 essentials for your welcome bags!

1. A Bag.

This may seem obvious, but I’ll say it anyway. You need a bag, people. The other 10 essentials need a home, and the options are endless as you all know via a simple google search – personalized, canvas, paper, woven, recyclable. You get the picture.

My authentic Mexico pick: bright colorful market bags! They are inexpensive, come in different sizes and are perfect for carrying wet towels (and other goodies) to and from the pool. The first and most important of the 10 essentials!

authentic colorful market bags are a great option for welcome bags

2. Welcome Message + Itinerary.

Include important information about events, locations, transport times and even remind guests of dress code! Don’t forget contact information for you or your lead person so guests know who to contact in the event something important happens . . . like they lose their flip flops at the pool (Destination Wedding Travel Tyke Syndrome). Finally, don’t forget to include a little hi, welcome and Thank You for being here message!

3. Headache + Tummy Meds.

I may be stating the obvious, but I’d bet that more than a few guests will have a headache the day after your wedding bash. Give them some Tylenol so they can get to brunch. And let’s be honest, it doesn’t hurt to include supplies for the tummy.

The old stories of Montezuma’s revenge are SO out, but there’s a lot of quesadillas and cocktails goin’ down, and sometimes the stomach just needs some extra help when breaking out of its normal healthy habits. These meds tend to be more expensive in Mexico, so think about buying some travel packets at home and popping them in your suitcase to bring with you.

4. Snacks.

Even if you are staying at a round-the-clock all-inclusive resort, there will be a moment (most often at 2am) when you just need some snack supplies, and waiting for room service is just not gonna cut it.

Include an old favorite – a bag of Cheetos or some salted popcorn – and balance it with something new – maybe some chili-dusted dehydrated mango or spicy Takis!

Just stay away from chocolate delights; they melt in the heat before they ever make it into the mouth!

My authentic Mexico pick: sweet roasted nuts (nueces garapinadas). So delicious and made locally!

Sweet roasted nuts are a great addition to a Mexico welcome bag!

5. Antibacterial gel.

Of all the essentials for welcome bags, this one is non-negotiable. Know that the bacteria in a foreign country is no better or worse than the everyday bacteria you face at home, but it IS different. Your immune system simply isn’t prepped for every little bug you may meet in Mexico, and if you’re planning to be snacking on chips and guac (which we all know you are), your hands need to be clean. Enough said.

6. Hydration.

Most of your guests may still question the water situation in Mexico, and let’s be honest. Bottled is best. Stick a bottle or two of water in the bag so they can refill and go!

I don’t think I have to remind you how important hydration is when spending lazy days in the Mexico sun! If you’re not picky about water, you can buy the bulk bottles at Costco. And if you want to be really cute, order customized labels and wrap them around the bottles for a total Wow.

7. Map and City Guide.

Always provide guests with a simple map and points of interest around town – restaurants, museums, clubs, tours – whatever works for your group. The easy way? Grab some maps and/or city guides from the tourist office of your destination. The creative way for the extra-achieving DIYers? Create your own with a designer!

Puerto vallarta street with papel picado and the famous church

8. Deck of Cards.

Skip the trinkets and give guests something they’ll actually take home and use. Order customized decks of cards and watch people have fun around around the pool; I guarantee you’ll spot them in their homes years later as well!

9. Coin Satchels.

I LOVE these. Ever get home from a Mexico trip and find you have more pesos in your pockets than quarters and dimes? Help your guests keep their spare change separated and readily available as they peruse the market stalls! They are also great for stashing other supplies . . . like the headache meds just in case!

My authentic Mexico pick: embroidered coin clutches from Chiapas!

Handmade coin purses from Chiapas are perfect for keeping pesos separated from other change

10. Pashminas.

This really only applies to you if your Mexico wedding is scheduled from December through February when late-nights and early mornings can be chilly! I love including a neutral-toned pashmina in the ladies’ bags so they can wear those cute sundresses even when the temps dip low for Mexico!

11. Tequila or Mezcal

I mean, really. Are you actually even in Mexico if the welcome committee doesn’t include an iconic beverage? I literally can’t think of a reason NOT to include them!

individual tequila bottles are great for welcome bags or party favors — Photo by Tom Moks

A couple extra notes.

Sunglasses and sunscreen are almost always at the top of my clients’ list of must-haves, but at the bottom of mine.

I suggest staying away from the gimmicky sunglasses because, aside from a brief photo moment, guests will wear their own designer shades, and your creative investment just won’t make the impact you were hoping for.

Honestly, any guest who plans to wear sunscreen will undoubtedly bring their own. I see so many travel size sunscreens tossed aside! Scrap the Banana Boat investment and focus on the other essentials for welcome bags listed here!

Mexican Fiesta Cookies

If you need a really special extra, why not try these amazing Mexican Fiesta cookies?! Guests love them, and they are a perfect way to set the fiesta mood!

Any combo of these items, and your guests will feel pampered and pumped for their destination wedding experience!

3 Destination Wedding Tips to Bypass Stress

Planning a once-in-a-lifetime celebration in a foreign country for 100 of your nearest and dearest? If that sentence alone doesn’t cause you just an itty bit of anxiety, then you, my friend, are rock solid. If, however, it made you suck in a deep stress breath, then keep reading for destination wedding tips to bypass stress in three unexpected areas of planning!

As a planner, I am able to alleviate a great deal of your anxiety because, well, I know what I’m doing, so what would cause you momentary panic is already second-hand to me. I’d be lying, though, if I let you believe that there won’t be bumps along the way.

I know exactly where you’ll hit those bumps. Often times, they come during the most unexpected parts of planning. More importantly, I have destination wedding tips to help you bypass them quickly and get back to wedding-planning bliss.

Two marriers walking on the Beach in Mexico the day of their destination wedding with palm branches and rocks in the background

1. Don’t Become a Travel Agent

I’m not sure why it happens, but it does. As soon as that coveted Save-the-Date arrives in the mail, an otherwise intelligent, independent wedding guest transforms into a type of travel tyke who requires an innate amount of hand holding. It sounds harsh, I know, but I’ve seen it happen again and again.

Maybe its because they think you’ve got it all figured out and are just dying to help them find a flight, book their room and research snorkeling trips all while searching for the perfect dress, flowers and flatware.

Perhaps its because they believe you have miraculously turned into an overnight expert on Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, despite living thousands of miles away.

Whatever the justification for calling you to ask where to go for a tequila tour or how to get from the airport to the hotel, I beg you friends. Don’t jump on that travel agent train.

What to do instead.

Provide your guests with easy information. Set up a system in advance that provides guests with all the resources they need to handle their trip without ever having to contact you directly.

Work that wedding website or send out a virtual Save-the-Date with ALL the pertinent links and info. Include the airport code (PVR = Puerto Vallarta) so flight search is easy peasy.
Include the name of your recommended hotel/s and ALL the booking info (online link or email address, phone number, group block name, discount code, etc) so that reserving a room is a piece of cake.
Provide links to recommended tour companies and a list of amazing restaurants so guests can scroll and reserve without any complications.

Destination wedding fashion! Photo by Taryn Baxter

Tell guests what you want them to wear. I promise you, they want to be told. Your high school friend doesn’t want to worry about whether the bright yellow sundress is acceptable or if you’d prefer glitzy sequins. Tell them what kind of shoes to wear. No one, I repeat no one, want to show up in stilettos to find out they will be dancing on the sand.
Most importantly, choose an informed point person, preferably someone with undying love for you (as that love will be tested over the course of the following months), and list their contact information on correspondence so guests know who to contact with any remaining questions.

Bless that human – be it your sister, best friend or bossy Aunt Pam – because this point person is going to save you a world of wedding stress. And then don’t forget to buy them a really nice gift.

2. Don’t procrastinate on important song selections.

Its wedding morning and my phone dings repeatedly as I drive to the venue. The groom is texting me about the dance song with his mom . . . for the fifth time in 24 hours. He’s finally decided on THE song and wondering if a special edit can be made so they don’t end up awkwardly slow-circle dancing for more than a minute and a half.

I mean . . . it might be possible, but let’s be honest, it is far from anyone’s version of ideal to be requesting and editing a song on the very day that momentous dance is to occur.

Groom’s dance with his mom. Photo by Jess Leigh

What to do instead.

From the moment you get engaged, start a Spotify song list (or lists)! Save any song you hear, absolutely LOVE and can’t imagine not hearing at your wedding.
Create categories: ceremony songs, first dance, parent dances, introduction songs, dance party, etc. Its really quite simple and will save you So. Much. Heartache later on.
Wherever you are, whenever you find yourself tapping your toe, swaying your shoulders or whipping your hair around to a song you love, save it in your Spotify list.
If it’s a song you can imagine dancing to with your dad, add it to the parent dance category. Do the lyrics remind you of your love story? Save it under first dance. A melody that makes you feel triumphant? What about for the ceremony kiss! Jumping out of your chair to shake your body? Put that jam in the dance party category.

Guests Dancing at a mexican destination wedding planned by The Dazzling Details based in Puerta Vallarta — Dancing the night away! Photo by Elizabeth Lloyd

When it comes time to choose those musical selections for key moments of your wedding, the list will make your job SO much simpler.

You’ll narrow down those key-moment song selections without having to recall on-demand every song you’ve ever loved. The rest of the songs on your list will be an amazing guide for your DJ to keep the dance floor lit.

Choose all of your songs well in advance. Consult those who need to be consulted. An hour before the rehearsal dinner is NOT the ideal moment to introduce your mom to Spotify and try to nail down THE perfect song that encompasses all her feelings about motherhood and marriage. Please, just trust me on that one.

3. Don’t underestimate the dinner seating task.

Weddng dinner place setting. Photo by The Times We Have

Feasting your eyes on that dinner layout document in your Inbox – the perfect graphically-designed round tables and tiny little square chairs – makes the approaching wedding day oh-so-real and the prospect of arranging your dinner guests oh-so-exciting. Until you start to place 100 real people with real problems into those seats.

Is Uncle Howard speaking to cousin Jane after their argument last Thanksgiving?

It might be just a bit uncomfortable for your bestie Emily to sit next to Mark after that awkward vodka-induced kiss last summer. And so it begins…

What to do.

There isn’t a magical equation for creating perfect conversational dinner table groupings, but there are a couple destination wedding tips I can share with you to make this task simpler.

First, be flexible if your layout allows for it. You absolutely need a table for 11 guests? Don’t squeeze an extra chair at a 10-person table. No one wants to eat their neighbor’s elbow for dinner. Agree to a different size table, if the layout allows for it, to accommodate that particular group of guests.

Wedding dinner table fun! Photo by Elizabeth Lloyd

If an alternate table isn’t possible, split friend/family groups between tables and pair them with other sub-groups. I promise no one will absolutely die if forced to spend an hour – a good portion of which time they are chewing – at a table without ALL of their BFFs.
Get started on the seating plan as soon as you have a layout in your hands and a final guest list in front of you. It will take longer than you expect, and you don’t want to be juggling dinner seats while at your final dress fitting.
Finally, don’t concern yourself about Uncle Howard and cousin Jane’s Thanksgiving rift nor the awkward liplock between Emily and Mark. Let’s presume that we’re dealing with adults who will pleasantly chat and enjoy their dinner under the magical lights and let bygones be bygones, at least for an hour.

Do try to avoid any guest pairings that touch on serious traumas and that may provoke a flying plate, but beyond that, place guests where you think they best fit and be done with it.

Ok, you’ve got the inside scoop on three unexpected but daunting tasks and, more importantly, the destination wedding tips to bypass them! Treat yourself to a cocktail – maybe my famous sangria!

What other stressors are you feeling while planning your destination wedding?

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The Ultimate Idea Guide for Small, Intimate Weddings

From Birthday Bash to Tea Time

There I sat at the round, pink-draped banquet table surrounded by 80 other people at similar round tables. Peppa pig cut-outs were tucked amidst delicate floral centerpieces and balloons danced overhead. All I could think was what in hot hell is happening?

It was my first time as a guest at a birthday party for a 5-year-old in Mexico, and I was learning a valuable lesson in Mexican culture.

When it was my kiddo’s turn, I quickly adapted to the social rhythm of these all-out-bashes, although my family back home could never quite comprehend the idea of an 80-guest party for my little tot. It’s just how things are done here, I awkwardly reasoned.

Therefore, I wasn’t a bit sad when my daughter turned seven, declared boys were yucky, and opted for a tea party event with just five friends. In fact, it marked the moment I fell in love with an intimate, curated celebration.

I immediately got to work, planning little heart-shaped tea sandwiches, a jewelry box painting activity, summer hats for the girls. My heart swooned as I discovered that, when I didn’t need to feed 80 people, my investment went so much further.

After all was said and done, it was the Tea Party of the year, and everyone (including myself) went home with a smile. From that moment on, I embraced the concept of providing a high-quality experience for a small, intimate guest list.

That concept is as true with a wedding as it is with a tea party.

From Tea Time to Intimate I Do’s

A smaller, intimate wedding presents a unique opportunity to really pamper the guests that attend. Here are a few of my favorite ideas to make an intimate wedding oh-so-incredible:

First, create welcome bags that go beyond the typical trinkets and delight your loved ones with a thoughtful care package that shows you are truly grateful they are present.
Choose a cozy venue setting. You won’t need a massive space, so select a venue that feels intimate and incredible.

A magical dinner space at an intimate wedding. Photo by Jillian Mitchell

Incorporate magical decor and curated details that enhance the experience.
Invest in live performances – musicians, dancers or a live cooking experience will keep the energy high and provide a unique opportunity for guests to participate in the destination’s culture.
Spend quality time with every guest. You have the luxury of time. Show your gratitude for their presence; write a personal thank you note to each of them. Create moments and memories.

It sounds fantastic, right? It will be, I promise.

But what should you do with all those “leftover” guests back home?

First, be creative. There aren’t strict rules. Give them an opportunity to celebrate and honor your love. (Don’t worry about perfecting the details or serving heart-shaped tea sandwiches to them all). Host a backyard picnic! Throw a pool party or hold a drop-by cocktail hour at your home. Don’t forget the chips, salsa and margaritas!