Riviera Maya, Mexico
Two Ceremonies,
One Weekend
Where
Dreams Aventuras, Riviera Maya
Length
Three days, five events
Ceremonies
Catholic and Hindu
Photography
Adventure Photos
The weekend
Three days, five events
Pooja and Geiler brought two traditions to one resort: a Catholic ceremony on Friday, a Hindu one on Saturday, and a haldi, a sangeet and a reception around them. Tap any event to jump to it.
Thursday
Friday
Yellow, turmeric and marigolds, to open the weekend.
No. 19Haldi
- Day
- Thursday
- Time
- 5:00 – 8:00 pm
- Where
- The Patio restaurant
The weekend opened under the thatched palapa roof of the resort’s Patio restaurant, and a dress code of yellow was clearly in force, down to the guests.
Turmeric paste and marigolds were set out in shallow bowls. The couple sat while family took turns applying it, one after another, most of it ending up on their faces. Canapés circulated on tasting spoons between rounds, and at one point the two of them slipped away down the palm-lined path to the water, both still in yellow.
More from the haldi · 7
Pampas grass, a white canopy and panama hats, on Friday morning.
No. 146Catholic Ceremony
- Day
- Friday
- Time
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Where
- A terrace above the beach
Friday morning belonged to the Catholic ceremony, and to an aesthetic completely unlike the rest of the weekend: an arch of pampas grass and red bougainvillea, a wooden cross dressed in white roses, a white dress and veil, gold chiavari chairs under a white canopy, and guests in guayaberas and panama hats.
The vows and the rings happened on a terrace with the sea directly behind it. The Hindu ceremony followed the next morning at the same resort, with the same guests. That is the clearest argument on this page for doing it abroad: two traditions, one resort, and nobody who ever had to travel between them.
More from the Catholic ceremony · 3
The light went gold, then it went dark and the floor filled.
No. 53Mehndi & Sangeet
- Day
- Friday
- Time
- 6:00 – 9:30 pm
- Where
- Resort grounds, then the terrace
By Friday evening the couple had changed into a mint and gold lehenga and a yellow nehru vest, and walked the resort’s palm-lined roads down to the water. Those frames are the quietest of the whole weekend, and among the best: the two of them above the rocks, a twirl at the shoreline, the lehenga catching the last of the sun.
The mehndi photographs beautifully: dense work running past both wrists, with stacked bangles over top. After dark the sangeet filled the floor under hanging lanterns, and it stayed full through to half nine.
More from the mehndi & sangeet · 6
A dhol through the middle of the resort, and a rose mandap on the sand.
No. 97Baraat & Hindu Ceremony
- Day
- Saturday
- Time
- 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Where
- Suites, then the beachfront mandap
Saturday started early in the suites: the groom laughing while his safa was tied, the bride in a floral robe before she dressed.
The baraat came through the middle of the resort: a dhol player at the front, the groom in a red safa and sunglasses, a moving crowd dancing ahead of him past the shops and the pool.
The mandap stood at the edge of the lagoon: a red rose canopy over ivory and gold drape, chairs in rows under shade sails facing the water, palms on either side. The rites ran through the late morning: the puja thali set out, the fire lit in the havan kund, the seven steps taken across a floor scattered with rose petals.
More from the baraat & ceremony · 16
A day apart
One resort, dressed twice
Friday · Catholic ceremony
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Pampas grass and bougainvillea, white canopy, gold chairs.
Saturday · Hindu ceremony
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Red roses, ivory and gold drape, the fire lit on the sand.
One set of guests. Nobody drove anywhere. This is the argument for doing it abroad, and it is very hard to make at home.
Long tables on the beach, papel picado overhead, and then nobody sitting down.
No. 156Reception & Party
- Day
- Saturday
- Time
- 6:00 pm – 12:00 am
- Where
- On the sand
The reception was set directly on the sand as the sun went down: long tables and rounds under papel picado bunting and festoon lights, red and blush roses massed down the tables, and a sweetheart table under a rose-dressed grid with the water immediately behind it.
Then it turned into a party: a teal lehenga for the bride’s entrance, the whole floor down on its knees at one point, a bouquet toss, and tequila poured straight from the bottle for anyone who stood still long enough. It ran until midnight.
More from the reception · 11
Planning something like this?
Multi-day, multi-ceremony weekends are the whole reason to go abroad: one resort, one set of guests, no minimum guest count. Tell us what you have in mind and we'll tell you honestly whether it works.
Start the conversationAbout this wedding. Pooja and Geiler were married at Dreams Aventuras, Riviera Maya, and we planned their weekend with them. It is published here with the couple's permission. Photography by Adventure Photos, Playa del Carmen, reproduced under their written copyright release.