Paradisus Playa del Carmen Wedding – Alyssa + Sid

“​Our connection is unique, we have our inside jokes and quirks that make us who we are together. I feel it is our shared respect for one another as well as trust that makes us the strongest.”

Del Sol: You guys have a STRONG connection! You told us you don’t get to spend a lot of time together because of your work schedules, on your wedding day though you were totally in sync, you were literally doing the same things at exactly the same time but in totally different places, like removing your bracelets, amazing synchronicity!

“It is our communication and planning that stands out the most. We talked about every detail for our wedding and discussed what we wanted from that day and what we were going to do that day. Then, me being the planner I am, made a playbook of sorts for our wedding and what should happen. I am the planner in our relationship and Sid really respects that and lets me run with it since he is a bit more laid back. This is nice, because there are time when I need to stop planning and just be – he is helping me with that.”

Del Sol: You had a lot of symbols and symbolic gestures throughout your day. We especially loved the bracelets, and the reaction that removing them got from Alyssa’s girls, not a dry eye in the house! The blank key from Sid for your future home and the scent marking also really stood out.

“The bracelet is supposed to represent a ‘love cuff’. The person giving it puts the bracelet on. It is then screwed closed so the wearer cannot remove it without the key, which is held onto by the giver. These bracelets served as a daily reminder that we are loved even when we cannot talk or see each-other.” – Alyssa

“The reason we removed them on our wedding day was because we were getting a new representation of our love, wedding bands, thus rendering the bracelet not needed. Additionally the bracelets were worn while we’re dating, the rings represent our marriage. Fun fact, we got matching tattoos on our ring fingers as well when we got home, first tattoo for both of us.”

These bracelets served as a daily reminder that we are loved even when we cannot talk or see each-other.

“The scent marking was my idea, I’ve always heard that scent is the strongest memory trigger. Sid and I always love wearing nice perfumes or colognes when we dress up.”

“We decided to purchase brand new scents for our wedding day, nothing we had ever worn before. Every time we wear it now we are immediately taken back to our special day. Let me tell you, IT WORKS!!!!” – Alyssa

“It is hard not to wear it every day because we love the smells so much, but we want to keep them special. The other gifts in the box, like the key, was a complete surprise to me…I had no idea Sid had put together such a symbolic and romantic gift for me. We are currently house shopping and working toward that goal now.”

We decided to purchase brand new scents for our wedding day, nothing we had ever worn before. Every time we wear it now we are immediately taken back to our special day. Let me tell you, IT WORKS!!!!

Del Sol: You had a beautiful and emotional ceremony and it was a pleasure to watch your faces and the emotional rollercoaster! Was there a part of the ceremony or each others’ vows that touched you in particular?

​”As I arrived at the alter and took Sids’ hands and we were swaying from side to side I had complete tunnel vision. I didn’t see or hear anything else but him.” – Alyssa

“I can barely remember what our officiant even said (even-though I wrote it). Sid’s vows were very special to me, I may not remember what he said, but I loved his delivery. The fact that he stumbled when saying certain things and that he even became emotional during other parts. It is that sincerity and loving heart that is one of my favorite things about Sid – he is so genuine and honest with his emotions.”

Great first look face from Sid – in his own words: “losing his s*%t”

“Sid’s favorite thing was everything leading up to me walking down the aisle to him. After I arrived he says, he lost his s*%t and was overwhelmed.” – Alyssa

Del Sol: You were a FUN couple and a FUN group! Yours was definitely a wedding where the the people you invited to share the moment had a presence and said a lot about you guys awesomeness as a couple. Shout out to your officiant, Chad and his dashiki!

“Chad is a big guy and I didn’t want to see him in a suit in such an awesome place. Chad is also a bit of a hippie… so I wanted to do something different with him. Honestly I think I got the idea after watching the movie Black Panther and was inspired from that. Then we just ran with it and found a seller through Etsy who made his dashiki. We all loved it, and it fit his personality perfectly.”

Del Sol: We really appreciated that you had an unplugged wedding and asked everyone to take a selfie then put their phones AWAY!

“​Sid and I are blessed with many friends and have attended a couple of weddings together. Every time you see the bride walk down the aisle everyone just has a phone in front of their faces…. It feels disrespectful and the guest is living this moment through their screen and not through their eyes.”

“We both wanted our guests to be present in that moment and we both wanted to make eye contact with all of those present at our wedding.” – Alyssa

“It was Chad’s idea about the delivery and manipulation of our guests to get them to cooperate. For the most part, everyone did… there were a few snapping pics but I didn’t notice.”

“I was so excited when I came down the aisle to not only see Sid but to then make eye contact with all of my friends and family there to take part in our special day – I was overjoyed and couldn’t stop staring at everyone”

We had an unplugged wedding because we both wanted our guests to be present in that moment and we both wanted to make eye contact with all of those present at our wedding

Del Sol: Why did you choose to a Playa del Carmen Wedding?

​”We traveled for LOVE because love is what first brought us to Playa del Carmen”

“In 2016 when we attended Sid’s cousin’s wedding. I realize it seems corny, but we really did fall in love all over again during that trip. 6 months later Sid proposed.”

“When we discussed where we wanted our wedding, we decided to come back to Playa del Carmen. We wanted our friends and family to experience the love and magic Playa del Carmen and a vacation like that has to offer. Paradisus was our wedding venue choice because of the ceremony site. The Gabi Bridge was exactly what we wanted, beach adjacent. We wanted the beach but not to have everyone in the sand. Also the reception venue was perfection! I didn’t do too much searching once I found Paradisus because it had everything we wanted.”

Paradisus was our wedding venue choice because of the ceremony site – exactly what we wanted, beach adjacent. We wanted the beach but not to have everyone in the sand.

“It was a picture from Del Sol of a wedding at Paradisus that I came across in a google search and I was hooked from that moment. I didn’t want anything else but Paradisus & Del Sol Photography!” – Alyssa

“The entire Paradisus staff was amazing. The romance department took care of everything and made it all SO simple. Jaime was our coordinator/planner and was a joy to work with. Additionally, huge shout out to our personal butler, Brayan. He took care of so much for us the entire week as well as day of… he was a blessing!”

Our reception venue, the Paradisus Gabi Club, was perfection!

Del Sol: How was your experience with the del Sol team?

​”We cannot say enough good things about Polly and the del Sol team and neither can our guests. I feel that our guests and family were more impressed with y’all – especially my dad. My father is still talking about how nice Polly was to take pictures of his friends as well as the amount of commitment and work you put into capturing our day. He really appreciate all you acrobatics to get the perfect shot.”

“We knew we were going to have a great experience from following you through social media. However upon arrival and working through our two days together, we are now lifelong partners.” – Alyssa

“I am trying to figure out more ways I can have my picture taken with you guys because your work is amazing and everyone cannot wait to see the finished product.”

To any couple considering planning a destination wedding – DO IT! Best decision we could have ever made.

Del Sol: How was your experience in Mexico – bearing in mind the current travel advisories against Mexico?

​”We did not hesitate or take a second thought to traveling to Mexico.” – Alyssa

“What people have to realize that those travel advisories are for areas that are not as touristy. Generally you never leave your resort. When you do it is with a private tour group that is taking care of you. All the bad things that happen are when you go somewhere you shouldn’t be at like 3 in the morning… nothing good happens at 3 in the morning!”

“The same could be said for any city in America. You have to be careful wherever you go these days and Mexico is no different. I will say though, that the resorts do a fantastic job at making you feel safe and secure with the security gate at most resorts and the check in/out process at the resorts.”

“Everyone needs a vacation, why not have a wedding while you’re out there!” – Alyssa

“To any couple considering planning a destination wedding – DO IT! Best decision we could have ever made. Our guests are always talking about our wedding and how much fun they had on their vacation. We are actually taking a mini moon to Cabo in March & hoping to swim with whale sharks. We have fallen in love with Mexico and I know we will be traveling to Playa del Carmen for many more years to come.”

Everyone needs a vacation, why not have a wedding while you’re out there!

Principal Photographer: Polly
Second Photographer: Valeria

Playa del Carmen Wedding Location: Paradisus Playa del Carmen – Gabi Bridge
Paradisus Playa del Carmen Reception: Gabi Club
Decorations: Planner 1 – Canteiro Weddings
Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero – Bianca
Bridal Salon: Mariposa Bridal Boutique
Alterations: SewCal Pros
Jewelry Designer: Tiffany & C.O.
Bride Shoes: Nike
Mens Wear: A suit that fits
Grooms Shoe’s: Converse

Check out our archive of Playa del Carmen Weddings