Romantic Destination Wedding in Mexico
Our bride Chelsea wears Ines Di Santo’s ‘Poppy’ during her romantic destination wedding in Mexico! Styled by co-owner Tali Gallo, Chelsea glows in her final bridal look!
Bride & Groom: Chelsea & Lars
Wedding Date: 04/10/21
Wedding Venue: Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, Nuevo Vallarta, MX
Vendors & Their Instagram Handles :
Photo - @jorgemercadophotography
Video - @ventana.stories
Flowers - @floramormexico
DJ/Lighting/Fireworks - @weddingdjvallarta
Venue - @grandvelasnay
How did you & Lars meet?
We met at work, in Jacksonville where I’m from.
Where was your first date?
The Jacksonville Zoo! I love the Zoo, and love going with my family. Lars had never been, so we decided to go! One of my favorite pictures of him came from that day. We fed giraffes, watched tigers in the trail above our heads, saw the lions playing. It was an awesome day.
How did Lars propose?
With a magical surprise- I’m pretty good at sussing out surprises, but I literally had no idea AT ALL this was coming. We went to California for a week, to visit my best friend and Lars’s cousin and their families. We left Santa Barbara where Molly lives, and headed south towards Costa Mesa. We took the long way along the coast, and stopped at El Pescador State Beach in Malibu for some beach time. We found this gorgeous outcropping of rocks along this pebble beach. I made a friend with a man who was painting on the outcropping- turns out he’s from Sanford! I jokingly offered to buy the painting, he laughed it off and we parted ways. I went down the beach and looked at rocks, generally just being in my happy place near water. When I walked back, Lars was still standing on the outcropping. When I showed him some of the cool rocks I’d found, he dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring. I was speechless!!
*Fun fact: we ran in to the painter at the airport a few days later- we were on the same flight! I ended up buying the painting and it’s hanging in our living room! @stewartjonesart
What was your wedding dress shopping experience like?
I didn’t even know where to begin! I wear jeans and a tshirt for work, and while I enjoy dressing up, I don’t often have the chance. I was really nervous! On a whim, I did a walk-in at a random shop up in Jacksonville with my mom and sister. It was awful. Confusing and unhelpful. I tried on dress after dress and they were pretty, but not mine. The Bridal Finery had been recommended to me by a local wedding professional (our photographer!) and I made the appointment. My mom and sister made the trip down, and I met Tali. She was so awesome! She asked a ton of questions first, asked my family what they thought. I loved the first dress I tried on, but then the 2nd dress came out... magic. She knew! There were a few more to make sure, but then back to dress #2. We played around and made adjustments and it felt like MY DRESS. It was perfect! Comfortable and gorgeous. Formal but not stuffy. Perfect.
What bridal accessory was your favorite?
This one is tough- toss up between my earrings and my shoes! The shoes were custom, hand painted by local artist Francisco Michel Diaz (@francisgo_). There were hummingbirds to remember my grandmother by. She passed 10 years ago, and it always breaks my heart that she couldn’t be here to meet my husband.
The earrings felt like they were made for the dress. Enough sparkle to play off the dress, big enough to be seen, not so big or sparkly they’d take over. Loved them!
What do you love most about your wedding venue?
Everything!! Location was gorgeous and easy to get to. Resort was everything we could have imagined. Our wedding planner there, Leticia, was stellar. Responsive and incredible. Helped us navigate a last minute hiccup and the day still went off flawlessly- probably better! I could go on for days about how much we loved them.
What is one thing you wish you knew before you started wedding planning?
I wish I knew I didn’t have to be a designer or event producer to have a great wedding. I felt a lot of pressure to have a *perfect* wedding… but we committed to having a day for me and my husband and no one else. That helped us make choices that we perfectly “us” and it turned out beautifully.
How would you describe the overall feel of your event?
Intimate family gathering with a fabulous dance party!
What was your wedding color palette?
Bra by blues, gold, and peach
What wedding planning advice do you have for other brides?
Keep it simple. Covid forced us to plan a completely different wedding than we’d originally imagined. We’d planned on having 100-150 guests and a big venue. We ended with 2 ceremonies; one stateside and one international. We had exactly the right weddings for us, and exactly what we didn’t know wanted.
The advice- it’s your day! People tell you that because they mean it. Do what’s right for you!
Where will your honeymoon be?
We stayed after the ceremony and had our mini-honeymoon in Mexico! We’re going back for our 1 year anniversary.
What are you enjoying most about newlywed life?
Honestly, not a ton has changed for us- but it’s really nice to feel a permanence of sorts. It’s a daily feeling that we did the right thing, we each found our human. And now, we’re just really fortunate to get to spend our lives together. 🤷🏼♀️
Congratulations Chelsea & Lars! If you are looking for an Ines Di Santo gown like Chelsea’s visit our home page . The Bridal Finery is an Orlando Bridal Store in Winter Park that specializes in your bridal look from head to toe!
