An All-White Garden Wedding in Mexico

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Location: Rosewood Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Q.R., Mexico
Setting: Beach
Wedding season: Winter
Amount of guests: 44
How long did the couple plan the event: 8 months
Wedding theme/style: A minimalist, neutral aesthetic; the color palette was kept tight to the environment – shades of black, white, and green.

In light of the pandemic lockdown year, Drew Branden and Lauren Fraley, the groom and bride respectively, focused heavily on ensuring that all their loved ones felt like they were vacationing together, and less about the formality of wedding fare.

Both Drew and Lauren have demanding careers, and for many years, Tulum and Riviera Maya have been their favorite destinations for a retreat since they began dating. The couple has amassed many extraordinary memories in this region, and they were eager to maintain the organic, European-meets-Mexican atmosphere that it exudes.

“We wanted to make sure our guests felt like they were truly on vacation with us, not just a short two days for a wedding. Rosewood Mayakoba was perfect for this – we had three full days of activities, including an incredible farm-to-table welcome dinner in the magical La Ceiba with its enormous trees dripping with lights, and a pool party and brunch the day after the ceremony and reception.”

The groom wore a custom Loro Piana tuxedo with a white smoking jacket and velvet smoking slippers.

The bride opted for a custom Oscar de la Renta Couture with a ballerina-style bodice and asymmetrical layers of feathered horsehair silk, making the large skirt weightless. Hair and makeup were by the inimitable Tania Tangle.

A unique feature of Rosewood Mayakoba is that you can be transported by beautiful boat from your bridal suite to a first-look location.
“It was magical to descend the dock into a boat, wave goodbye for now to my bridesmaids from the water, and travel across the turquoise lagoon to see my soon-to-be husband.”

After the first look and photos, Drew and Lauren had a brief moment of rain before the ceremony.
“Our wonderful photographers Fred and Mel of MemoryBox Photography swooped us into Zapote, a chic drinks spot at Rosewood Mayakoba, and made us a custom cocktail to calm our nerves while we waited for our ceremony to begin. Hearing the music start while we sipped Mezcal cocktails is one of our most magical memories from the day.”

The bride has a minimalist, neutral aesthetic, so the planner kept their color palette tight to the environment – shades of black, white, and green. Rosewood Mayakoba is so verdant; they just wanted to layer on a sophisticated mix of black and white.

“Our guest list was kept very tight to our favorite people, and we thought it would be fun to have our guests dress in theme – all white! Even though we received many notes from our friends in the months leading up to the wedding, especially female ones, saying, “Are you sure? It feels like such a faux pas to wear the same color as the bride!”, the dress code felt like it created a fun buzz, and the photos couldn’t have turned out better!”

The couple wanted a dramatic ceremony, so the team of S.O.S. Wedding Planners and floral designers from MJ Studio created a canopy of white flowers and large-scale arrangements on both sides of the aisle.

The lovebirds anchored on the idea of a moody, minimal, and sexy dinner party in the jungle.

“For our dinner and dancing, we wanted it to feel like an intimate dinner party, which we definitely achieved by using a TON of candles on the tables without any flowers (just greenery). In addition, we kept our table decor modern and dark, infusing the celebration with a moodiness more akin to a sexy restaurant than a traditional wedding setting.”

“One of the best parts of having a wedding is having your favorite people from different walks of life who have not crossed paths meet each other, and we tried to help break the ice by assigning nicknames to everyone’s place cards as a starting point of conversation.”

The bride changed into a Paco Rabanne chainmail dress with a custom headband and Rochas earrings for dancing.

“One of our favorite moments was during the reception when everyone ended up in the pool, which we had decorated with large white floating balloons. We had always hoped that our reception would be high wattage, but our guests really outdid themselves! What made it even more fun was when our bridesmaids managed to rally everyone, soaking wet, back to the dance floor for another hour. We couldn’t have asked for a better memory (or more hilarious pictures). Again, our guests got a kick out of it!”