Blue Venado Beach Club Wedding – Alexis and Julien

The most amazing moment was right after the first look (which was overwhelming, especially for Lex) and right before the ceremony. We had those 10 minutes for ourselves. We forgot about you and all the guests and were just able to enjoy each other, the venue and the fact we were getting married.

Finding a few precious of moments of calm before the storm on the wedding day is no mean feat! Alexis and Julien had a big and beautiful Riviera Maya Beach Club Wedding at Blue Venado. With will over 100 guests and the mix of languages and cultures from Alexis’s US family and Julien’s loved ones from France it was an energy packed day. Added to that a collection of adorable children kept us and the whole wedding group entertained. Julien and Alexis were kind enough to share some of their reflections on the day.

“I visited Mexico for the first time 8 years ago. I kept an amazing memory of it. The culture, the food, the scenery… Everything was always great!” – Julien

“I took Lex there on a vacation for her to see Chichen Itza, Tulum and a couple of cenotes and we had an incredible time. The memory of this trip and the cuisine and culture of Mexico were ultimately what made us decide on a Riviera Maya Beach Club Wedding.”

“We’re an international couple. Ultimately, at least half of our guests would have to travel if we chose to get married in either of our home country. That’s how we decided to have a destination wedding. From that moment we decided that if our guests would travel to celebrate with us, we would make a vacation out of it and organize excursions and parties as much as possible.”

“We went back to the Riviera Maya to scout out venues. That is when we met Polly at Del Sol Photography. No joke, it played a big part in finalizing our decision. Absolutely no regrets!”

Del Sol: You had a LOT of adorable children be a part of your wedding day!

“The kids are our nieces and nephews and all of them are indeed gorgeous!  Giving them “jobs” of flower girls and ring bearer was also a lot of fun. Seeing how seriously they took the role and how much effort they spent on finding the right outfit!” – Julien

“Now that the wedding is over and all those kids who don’t talk the same language had a chance to meet, they’re all asking news about each other. Super cute! My nephew from France told me he wants to move to New York and live with us because I’m the best uncle in the world and things like that are worth everything we did to make sure they’d be there with us.”

Del Sol: What are the moments of the day that really stood out for you?

“We both loved the energy exuding from our guests, the venue, the music and everything else! It was exactly what we hoped for! People who we love, from all around the world, from all religion and all sexuality, gathered together and gave us nothing but love and positive vibes! Everyone was dancing and having fun, it was beautiful to witness.”

“The first dance was our first moment as husband and wife. Everything slowed down a few minutes, we could finally enjoy everything around us and reflect on how we got there. I told Lex : “We made it!”” – Julien

“Our best man and bridesmaids’ speeches were also wonderful and full of love. People don’t always get to say enough what they mean to each other.”

Del Sol: How was your experience with the Del Sol Team?

“Matt and Polly were both AMAZING! From the moment we met Polly for the first time, to the phone call with Matt, all the way to the wedding and the TTD, everything was perfect. The pictures we’ve seen so far are beautiful, exactly what we hoped for and more! What meant a lot to both of us is how much you guys cared to make sure we were having a good time. You guys getting us shots of tequila when you saw how stressed I was after the fail attempt to get group photos for example…”

Del Sol: Why did you choose Blue Venado beach Club?

“The moment we saw Blue Venado Beach Club with our own eyes, we both knew we had found what we wanted…. the privacy, the space, the whole scene is gorgeous.”

“Mari was our main point of contact at Blue Vendao and she did a fantastic job putting our vision into life and finding great vendors for everything we asked. We had a good feeling when we met her and were not disappointed.”

“At some point in the evening, one of our guests tried to go in the water in the dark and almost drowned. This man from the staff, Pedro, didn’t hesitate and went to save her. The best part was when he came up to me right after and APOLOGIZED because his pants were wet and his only change wasn’t a dark color. He was scared he would stand out in the crowd. I told the man he SHOULD stand out, to change his pants and go get a drink with us, he is a goddamn hero! I made sure to tip him personally at the end of the evening!”

“Another thing I remember fondly was the last few minutes of the party. Most guests were gone, so the staff starts cleaning stuff quietly. I caught a couple of them dancing as they were cleaning and that made me smile!”

Del Sol: How did you feel about safety in Mexico, considering the travel advisories?

“Mexico was a controversial destination for some of our guests. Don’t pay attention to the negative press. Bad things happen everywhere all the time… Visit there and experience it for yourself.”

“Our guests who had doubts but still decided to join us were pleasantly surprised! Playacar is a zone surrounded by gates and guards. Everyone felt very safe. All our excursions before and after the wedding were wonderful. All the locals were very welcoming, everyone had a great time!”

“Honestly, I’d tell anyone considering it to just do it. Listen to your gut! If you looked into Riviera Maya in the first place, there’s a part of you who already knows it’s an amazing destination for a wedding. If some guests decide not to show up (which isn’t unusual for destination wedding), that’s on them, not you. As we say in France, “C’est la vie!””

Principal Photographer: Matt Adcock
Second Photographer: Polly
Third Photographer: Nat
Bride Getting Ready: Casa Dulce
Groom Getting Ready: The Reef Playacar
Riviera Maya Beach Club Wedding Location: Blue Venado Beach Club
Riviera Maya Beach Club Wedding Coordinator: Blue Venado Beach Club
Hair and Makeup: Ester and Sara Tamargo
Wedding Dress:  Pronovias
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
DJ: Plug In Audiovisual – “Another vendor worthy of a shout out was Plugin Audio, the DJs. It was so much better than we hoped for. We came up a list of songs, talked a bit with them and they understood exactly what we wanted. Awesome!”
We don’t know the vendor’s name but the last night churro cart was a huge hit! People are still talking about it.