Nautical Themed Wedding at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel
“I am not a girl who has imagined her wedding her entire life, the only thing I knew was that there would be an open bar :) I am so happy, because I would’ve been limited to my imagination – our wedding exceeded anything we could’ve ever dreamed of!” – Rebecca
Rebecca and Paulo brought guests from 4 countries and 18 US states to vacation, relax and celebrate their marriage. They chose one of our favorite Cancun churches for their ceremony: Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel, housed by the Gran Caribe Real. Del Sol Travels can help organize all room blocks.
“We found Our Lady of Guadalupe through del Sol photographs on the internet. They were absolutely breathtaking! The chapel speaks for itself, but we were instantly sold by the hospitality of the staff when we visited Gran Caribe Real.
“We were trying to decide between a beach wedding and a church wedding when we started planning; we didn’t even know that churches on the beach existed!
“Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel was absolutely perfect. We had the feel of a traditional Catholic wedding with the breathtaking backdrop (and I didn’t have to get sand in my shoes!)” – Rebecca
A self-confessed “detail oriented person”, Rebecca had many details: her veil and bridesmaids bouquets were made by her sister and as a homage to Paulo’s Brazilian heritage they included the custom of ‘Santo Antonio favors’. The adorable dolls, handmade in Rio de Janeiro were gifts for the women and the accompanying Saint Anthony bouquet was made by Paulo’s mom. The charms on Rebecca’s bouquet are photos of her grandmothers on their wedding days. The butterfly charm was her “something borrowed” and belonged to her maternal grandmother who wore it for her wedding, as did her mom and sisters. Both Rebecca’s grandmothers passed away in the past years, the photos and the symbolism of the butterfly were reminders that they were there in spirit.
Organizing a destination wedding from far “requires a lot of patience and faith that it’s all going to work out” and Rebecca told us that Elizabeth, their onsite coordinator, helped her and Paulo through all of the planning process. In the end though, as we hear time and again, the little things are not important.
“My mom always said, it’s about the marriage, not the wedding. The wedding is a day, marriage lasts forever. That advice helped us focus on the big picture and when the day came, we were both relaxed and the minor details didn’t matter.
“The day was a reflection of us and it was filled with happiness, laughter, and love – just like our relationship. We are beyond thrilled with how the day turned out and it set the tone for the rest of our lives together” – Rebecca
Principal Photographer: Martina
Second Photographer: Valeria
Wedding Ceremony: Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel
Wedding Coordinator: Elizabeth Sotelo Zuniga
Gown Boutique: Lea-Ann Belter from Ladies of Lineage Bridal
Hair and Makeup: Salon at Hyatt Zilara
Rings: Donald Haack Diamonds
Rebecca’s amazing stripy heels: Kate Spade
