After about two years of being engaged and the long process of wedding planning, we got married in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Oct 23, 2018. And what a memorable story to tell and milestone that I will never forget. 

Prep and plan

I’m a meticulously detailed planner and a DIY crafter by nature. Add a destination wedding to the mix and I’ve got work lined up for days… two years to be exact. 

Without much debate, we wanted a destination wedding, but not in Toronto or Seattle. We picked the perfect spot, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for its alluring lush green mountains paired with sandy beaches, blue sea, and golden sunsets. More importantly, I fell in love with photos of our venue, Las Caletas, a private beach hideaway only accessible by boat. 

Then began the hunt for the best group hotel rates and flexibility for our guests. It was tough and unnecessary complex but in the end, about 60 friends and family were onboard and booked for the five-star Hyatt Ziva all-inclusive resort.  

Style and design

As a designer and maker by nature, I had to design and style my wedding. From a logo, branding colors, and iconic pattern, I designed all aspects of the wedding including how to stylize the tables and spaces. Weekend after weekend, it was busy times crafting things for the wedding. We ended up bringing six pieces of luggage and a box to Mexico filled with decor, favors and our personal items. 

A few weeks before the wedding

During the last few weeks of the wedding, I felt an odd mix of emotions that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced. It was excitement, fear, joy, anxiety, and anticipation for when it’ll all be done. In the midst of all the wedding planning and stress, I questioned if the meaning or sentiment of our marriage was getting a bit lost. Nonetheless, I was excited to see my friends and family in Mexico and finally seeing our wedding vision come to be. 

The wedding 

It was the busiest time I’ve ever experienced. We were working out last minute tasks like assembling welcome kits, ironing outfits and setting up decor but also being good hosts and welcoming our guests. One of the most memorable moments was seeing our wedding guests arrive, many of which we haven’t seen for a while since we live in Seattle. I even cried when my parents, sister and best friend arrived because it was so touching and such pure bliss to see them all. 

The first 3 days became a quick blur. While we were settling in, the forecast was looking dim and no bride ever wants rain on their wedding day… especially in this sunny destination, Mexico. I could not sleep and kept checking the forecast, hoping it would change. Since our arrival, the past 3 days was gloomy with unpredictable evening showers. The forecast did change but for the worst… there was a category 5 hurricane that formed out of nowhere and was headed towards Puerto Vallarta on my wedding day!

Everything changed… our tea ceremony was moved indoors instead of outdoors but the most devastating news was the boat terminal was closed and we would not be able to have the wedding at Las Caletas. Both of us were shocked and I couldn’t believe this. Of course, like any bride, I cried and was devastated… For the past two years, we worked so hard to design around the space, invested in our vision and pictured ourselves getting married there like the photos and videos we’ve seen. We even visited the site three days prior and it was everything we ever wanted and more beautiful in real life than photos. 

But there was no time to be sad or curl up in a ball and cry (though I wanted to with a bucket of ice cream). I had to face this reality and be strong for Chi and our friends and family. We had to plan a new wedding in 24 hours. Our wedding coordinator provided two options; move the wedding date or location to the Hyatt Ziva. We would feel too guilty to move the date and have some guests not attend… so we sacrificed our location in order to have everyone there. 

I am an extreme planner but mainly because I am not decisive and good at ad-hoc plans. I was lost for what to do and it was Chi’s plans that saved the wedding. He pushed for a partial outdoor restaurant at the Hyatt Ziva for our reception. It was rustic and the most similar style to Las Caletas. He would not settle for a boardroom or a modern indoor space for the reception but we had to settle for our ceremony at the hotel lobby. Incomparable to a beachfront but they did the best they could with flowers.

The wedding came and finished, just like Hurricane Willa. Aside from rain and high seas, nothing else happened. The winds weren’t that bad due to the natural protection of the mountains. Apparently, it is extremely rare for the bay to close and Puerto Vallarta is suppose to have 300 days of sunshine a year. Well, screw you too Hurricane Willa. 

While it wasn’t at all what we planned or envisioned… one aspect was perfect, our friends and family. All of our guests arrived safely, had fun and made our day memorable in the right way. Everyone was positive, caring and helpful. Honestly, I will always have a sense of disappointment and feel incomplete because we never saw our wedding vision at Las Caletas become a reality. But having my friends and family celebrating with us throughout the wedding week made it also the happiest time of my life. 

My favourite memories

I can’t list them all but these were the moments that stood out to me during our wedding events.

Wedding week moments 

• Greeting our friends and family when they arrived at the lobby or in their rooms
• Seeing our friends and family mingle and get along even when they just met
• Seeing our friends and family having a blast
• First time seeing my sister for about a year, hugging her and seeing her cry which made me cry
• Having our friends and family help out with tea ceremony decor/favors. At one point, five groups of people were in my room (Chi’s mom/sister, Highschool friends, Sameer, Gautam and Michelle), a Seattle friend, Nikki and university friend, Jenny were all in my room haha)
• See our parents, extended family and friends hanging out in the pool or hot tub together
• Bumping into our friends and family at the bars and around the resort 
• My bachelorette dinner at a beautiful restaurant, The Laguna with the most special ladies in my life. It was also hilarious to play the ‘chubby bunny’ and drinking game to guess what Chi said about me. 
• Our ‘went as planned’ successful day-after photoshoot in the old town with our photographer and videographer

Tea ceremony moments    

• Watching Chi and his groomsmen do hilarious door games to pick me up for the tea ceremony. They were so passionate and into the challenges. I laughed so hard
• Serving tea to the family in exchange for their blessings
• Allen being an awesome mo-duck-ding MC
• Having Hong-li, Perry and Man help make the last-minute venue change look unbelieveable

Wedding moments 

• Feeling glamorous with professional hair, nails and makeup. Karry made me look beautiful.
• Chi giving me a surprise note on our wedding day to tell me that despite the hurricane, it was still the greatest day of his life.
  
• Chi seeing me for the first time as I walked down the aisle and seeing him start to cry
  
• Learning that our guests were also tearing up at our ceremony
• Both of us forgetting out vows… and Mike’s comic relief in saving us with notes
• Hearing Chi’s vows and saying ‘I-do’
• Listening to our bridal party’s speeches
• That moment when we entered the reception area and everyone was cheering and clapping for our love
• Chi and I’s first dance performance, which was nearly perfect run that everyone was surprised and impressed with
• Our non-stop dancing party that night…  My dad dancing for a few minutes with me and Karry, Charlie bringing out the shots (even I had one!), Chi and I’s dance battle, Congo lines, wayback playback tracks, Chi’s parents dancing and partying… and more. It was the most fun wedding crowd and party that exceeded my expectations. 
• Our after party to dance some more, recover and also catch up with some people at the hotel club. 

It was a once in a lifetime celebration with the best people in our lives. It was a true affirmation of ‘It’s not where you are, it’s who you’re with‘.