Alexandra works in marketing, and Ryan in technology sales. They’ve been living together since June 2022, when Alexandra moved from New York to Charlotte, officially ending their long-distance chapter. They actually met years earlier at the University of South Carolina, running in different circles but always carrying a quiet crush on one another. It wasn’t until after college that they reconnected and quickly realized they were meant to be. Now they share their home with Sawyer, their three-year-old yellow lab and, by all accounts, the true heart of their little family. In their free time, they love trying new restaurants, traveling, and chasing whatever adventure comes next.
Location: Tulum, Mexico
Style: Tropical, Modern, Organic
Number of guests: 92
Setting: Beach
Season: Fall
The proposal was a complete surprise, and it happened in New York City, a place that holds real meaning for the two of them. During COVID, Alexandra had been living in New York while Ryan was in Raleigh and Charlotte, spending extended trips to visit her while everyone worked remotely, and the city quietly became part of their story from the start. In April 2024, the two returned for a trip with friends, and Ryan used the excuse to stay at one friend’s apartment while Alexandra stayed with hers, keeping the surprise intact. As Alexandra and her friends walked the High Line toward a cocktail bar, Ryan appeared out of nowhere, pulled her aside by the water, and proposed right there, in one of the places their story had begun.
Ryan and Alexandra love to have fun, and with the help of the planners at Destination Weddings Tulum, they built a wedding that reflected exactly who they are as a couple: easygoing, free-spirited, lively, and not the least bit traditional.
Welcome Day
Alexandra had been to Tulum twice before: once for a bachelorette trip, where she experienced the vibrant, lively side of the beach scene, and once on a family vacation, where she fell for the wellness culture, the beaches, and the cenotes. It became a place that felt both exciting and grounding to her. When Alexandra and Ryan started imagining where to get married, she had always pictured somewhere abroad, tropical, and meaningful. He wasn’t totally on board at first, but after some research (and hearing her talk about it nonstop), he slowly came around.
They knew they wanted a destination that felt special but was still easy for guests to reach. Cancun came up first, convenient, tropical, familiar, but it never matched the vision in their hearts. “We wanted something more intimate, more local, more boutique,” Alexandra says, “a place where guests could walk from spot to spot and feel immersed in the culture, not lost in large all-inclusive resorts.” That’s when Tulum came back into the conversation, and once it did, neither of them could shake it. “It just fit,” she says. “From that moment on, it felt like the only place we could imagine saying I do.”
They also knew from the start that one night would never feel like enough. “Our friends and family mean the world to us, and the idea of rushing around and barely getting a few minutes with each person just didn’t feel right,” Alexandra says. “We wanted real, uninterrupted quality time, a chance to actually be with everyone who showed up to celebrate us.” The entire weekend was planned by Destination Weddings Tulum, and it kicked off with a vibrant Welcome Day.
Fashion
The KYHA gown struck exactly the right balance for a Tulum wedding: modern elegance with the ease of a beach setting built right in. A structured corset bodice gave it a clean, contemporary shape, while the soft tulle skirt brought in movement that felt light against the tropical surroundings.
Originally designed as more of a full ball gown, Alexandra had the dress custom-altered to suit the beach atmosphere, softening the skirt’s volume into something looser and more flowing, a shape that moves easily with the breeze. She kept the dramatic long train, though, a detail that added the right dose of bridal glamour without pulling the look away from Tulum’s laid-back energy.
The finished look felt entirely at home there. “Ethereal, modern, airy, and undeniably elegant,” Alexandra says.
First Look
The first look was magical, just the two of them, before the rest of the weekend pulled everyone else back in. Erica Serrano was there throughout, capturing every moment from the quiet mornings to the party that followed.
Ceremony
Whenever Alexandra pictured the wedding, she kept coming back to the same question: how do we make this feel uniquely us? How do we build a weekend people will remember, not just another wedding on the calendar? That question shaped every part of the plan, right down to the outdoor ceremony, set by the beach among the palm trees.
The florals by Grisel Serrano followed the same instinct: modern, organic, true to Tulum, soft movement and earthy tones with sculptural textures that blended into the landscape rather than sitting on top of it. Ceremony florals featured amaranthus, lily grass, natural grasses, murucelas, and butterfly ranunculus for a loose, windswept look, while Alexandra’s bouquet mixed astilbe, phalaenopsis orchids, butterfly ranunculus, amaranthus, lisianthus, daffodils, and lily grass for something modern and romantic at once.
One of the most heart-touching moments came during the ceremony itself, looking around and realizing how far everyone had traveled just to be there. “Standing together in Tulum, surrounded by the people who have shaped our lives, felt overwhelming in the best possible way,” Alexandra says. There was a quiet awareness too, that this exact group would never again be in the same place at the same time. “That was incredibly moving.”
Cocktail Hour & Special Touches
For cocktail hour and beyond, the details leaned personal in the best way. A striped linen sign reading “It’s A Forever Kind of Thing” hung in the hotel restaurant all weekend, swaying gently for guests to pass by. Custom tambourines, printed with the couple’s wedding logo, brought a burst of energy to the celebration, and each guest went home with a tote bag carrying that same logo alongside a hand-sketched illustration of Hotel Panamera, drawn by one of Alexandra’s closest friends and bridesmaids.
Even the table numbers carried meaning. Alexandra and Ryan designed their own, made from travertine, carrying the stone pieces all the way from Charlotte to Tulum, with additional travertine accents woven through the tables to tie everything together. And for cocktail hour, one detail became an instant favorite: custom napkins featuring the couple’s dog tucked inside a margarita.
Reception Decor & Vision
The design vision was modern but deeply organic, timeless with a subtle twist. Alexandra and Ryan leaned into neutral earth tones and natural textures true to Tulum’s environment, warm beiges, soft greens, stoneware accents, and organic materials that echoed the landscape around them. The goal was something elevated and refined, but still grounded.
Tulum’s natural beauty became the biggest inspiration. The space was meant to feel like an extension of its surroundings, built alongside the landscape instead of dropped into it. Greens and sandy neutrals ran through everything, paired with stone elements that brought in a kind of coastal sophistication. Every choice stayed intentionally understated so the setting itself could take center stage, right down to the linen menus placed at each table, a small, elevated detail that fit right in with the organic textures around them.
Alexandra’s favorite crafted detail wasn’t any single piece. It was how everything, the florals, the lighting, the textures, the music, came together to create one exact feeling. “Every choice we made built toward that moment where the environment, the design, and the emotions blended perfectly,” she says. “It felt like a dream we stepped into and never wanted to leave.”
Reception
The overall impression, as guests told it, was that the wedding felt uniquely them, elevated but relaxed, beautifully designed but never overdone. “Guests talked about how connected and included they felt,” the bride says, “how the setting alone was breathtaking, and how the little details made the whole weekend feel thoughtfully crafted.” Many told her they’d “never been to a wedding that balanced beauty, emotion, and pure fun so seamlessly.”
Alexandra’s favorite moment of the night was dancing with her closest friends, family, and now-husband in the middle of the Tulum jungle, barefoot, carefree, and completely present. “There was something magical about that moment under the disco ball, surrounded by the people we love most, with nothing but the music, the lights, and the energy of the night carrying us,” she says. “No shoes, no stress, no agenda, just pure joy. And the most amazing drinks, of course.”
Pool Party
One of the most unexpected highlights actually came the day after the wedding. “Our pool party gave us the chance to just be with everyone without any formality, timeline, or wedding-day pressure,” Alexandra says. “No rushing, no schedule, just lounging, swimming, telling stories from the night before, and enjoying that rare, relaxed time with the people we love most.” It became, in her words, “the perfect extension of the weekend and one of the parts we cherished the most.”
Advice from the couple:
• Truly enjoy the process. Everyone says it, but it’s impossible to understand how quickly it all goes by until you’re living it. Slow down and savor even the smallest tasks. Turn the to-do list into moments you actually look forward to — make budget talks feel lighter by doing them at a new coffee shop, take long walks with your soon-to-be spouse while dreaming through the details, watch the sunset together while choosing your ceremony songs.
• The wedding day (and for us, the whole weekend) flies by in an instant. You’ll never get this time back again, so my biggest advice is to make the entire journey, not just the celebration, something you’ll remember happily and joyfully for the rest of your life.
PLANNING & DESIGN Destination Weddings Tulum | PHOTOGRAPHY Erica Serrano Photo | VIDEOGRAPHY Recollective Films | HAIR & MAKEUP Sarah Garnier | FLORALS Grisel Serrano Florals | CEREMONY Hotel Panamera | RECEPTION Nu Tulum | REHEARSAL DINNER Nest Tulum | RENTALS Aquadeco Tulum Rentals | CAKE The Cupcake Boutique Playa | DJ Karla Mercedes | INVITATION SUITE Salt and Paper Press | PAPER GOODS & DRINKWARE Love Laura Gifts | SOUND SYSTEM Sound City Playa | DRESS Kyha Studios & Kyha Bride | POOL PARTY & WELCOME PARTY Hotel Panamera
