Inside a Vibrant Oceanfront Wedding Weekend in Punta Mita, Mexico

Drawing inspiration from their love of travel, nature, and gathering people together, Hannah and Steven envisioned a celebration that felt more like an unforgettable vacation than a traditional wedding weekend. They chose the intimate beauty of Naviva in Mexico, where lush jungle, ocean views, and a sense of effortless luxury shaped every moment. Thoughtful event design centered on atmosphere rather than excess: a ceremony beside the water with a sand aisle leading toward the Pacific, sunset cocktails overlooking the beach, and a candlelit dinner illuminated by thousands of flickering flames. Every detail felt deeply considered yet refreshingly relaxed, creating a celebration rich in warmth, connection, and joy. With just 43 guests, the weekend captured the rare balance of refined design and genuine intimacy, resulting in a wedding that felt entirely, unmistakably their own.

Our Welcome Party

^{The Location}

Our welcome party was held at Naviva, with cocktails overlooking the ocean before dinner was served on the beach under the stars.

^{Décor & Ambience}

We leaned into our location for the evening, with a mariachi band greeting guests on arrival, a raicilla distilling experience with a local producer, and a traditional barbacoa emerging from an underground pit. At sunset, we headed down to the beach to release baby sea turtles, which was extra special as we had witnessed some hatching on the beach while enjoying our morning coffee. The night had a laid-back barbecue vibe where everyone could get to know each other, work their way through an incredible spread of Mexican food, and, of course, explore the full range of agave spirits on offer.

^{Our Style}

I wore the Danielle Frankel Alexandra gown with hand-painted flowers and cascading baroque pearls. I felt like a mermaid who had just emerged from the ocean, dripping in pearls. Steven wore a custom SuitSupply linen look, keeping it classic for the relaxed beach evening. We wanted Friday to feel relaxed (shoes optional) and rooted in the setting, and for our outfits to reflect that, too.

Our Love Story

^{The Day We Met}

Our story involves a lot of missed connections. We actually worked for the same company in Sydney, Australia, years before we ever met, just on different floors. We always joke that we must have ridden the elevator together at some point without any idea. We first crossed paths at a work conference in California, after Hannah had moved back to New York and Steven was living in London. Six months later, in January 2023, Steven moved to New York, and we ended up sitting next to each other in our New York City office, and that was really it.

^{The Proposal}

We got engaged in December 2024 on top of Bachelor Gulch Mountain in Colorado, just the two of us, surrounded by snow. It’s a spot we had hiked to before in the summer above my family’s home and where we first said, “I love you,” so Steven always knew he wouldn’t propose anywhere else.

^{The Engagement Ring}

Steven designed an antique cushion-cut engagement ring with a jeweler in New York. It was designed to sparkle in the candlelight.

Our Wedding

^{The Vision}

A vacation with a little extra love: from the very beginning, we wanted the weekend to feel like a vacation first, with the celebration unfolding naturally around it. We love traveling, being outdoors, and spending time at the beach and in the mountains, but we also love hosting and bringing people together. We wanted the weekend to feel like all of that combined: slow mornings, great food and drinks, time together, and nothing rushed.

^{Our Team of Vendors}

We were so lucky to work with an extraordinary team: Samantha and Angela at Auttora for planning and design, Ana Hinojosa for photography, and Aaron Novak for film, alongside Soul by Carranza, Macarena, and the one-of-a-kind team at Naviva.

^{The Location}

Our very first trip together was to Tequila, and since then we have returned many times to Mexico, often to Punta Mita. With friends and family traveling from Australia, London, and all over the U.S., Punta Mita felt like the perfect place to bring everyone together. We invested heavily in the venues, as we knew they would shape the overall experience for our guests. Naviva is a truly special place. It is intimate and surrounded by nature. It gave the wedding a warmth and an ease that couldn’t have been manufactured anywhere else. We also love the town of Sayulita and its fun energy, so Casa Rosada became our second venue and home base for some guests and the pool party. Together, the two places gave us the balance we wanted.

^{The Ceremony}

We exchanged vows we had written ourselves at the edge of the beach, with a sand aisle leading straight to the ocean, in front of our 43 closest friends and family.

^{The Reception}

We had a candlelit dinner for the ages, with thousands of candles lining the beach and the table, a wine pairing, and Soul by Carranza playing soulful dinner music that built into full dancing energy on the beach. Later, our DJ, Macarena, led us into an after-party in the jungle over Naviva’s tiered pools, which ended with everyone jumping in (and skinny-dipping!).

^{The Special Touches}

At sunset on Friday, we released baby sea turtles on the beach with all our guests. Getting ready with my best friends in swimsuits, listening to music by the plunge pool, and having a local artist make custom beach hats felt like a mini girls’ trip within the weekend. My mom had a piece of my baby blanket sewn into my ceremony gown in the shape of a heart as my something blue, which lined up perfectly with a small heart tattoo I have in my dad’s handwriting. We also did our first dance the way we actually dance at home, with me standing on top of Steven’s feet. And jumping into the pool in the jungle—followed by all our guests (and some of our vendors!). It was an insane party. And Steven DJing the first set to kick off the Sunday pool party!

^{Our Favorite Moment}

There are so many! But if choosing one, walking down the aisle. Seeing each other and then turning around to realize we were surrounded by our nearest and dearest on the beach in Mexico is something we still find hard to put into words. Also, during dinner, we did a private cake cutting, just the two of us. We didn’t want too many big moments or spectacles, and it ended up being really sweet—and nice to have some cake!

Our Style

^{The Bridal Looks}

I approached my fashion the same way we planned the weekend—classic and true to me, with a few unexpected wow moments inspired by the setting and the vacation feel. I wore a Danielle Frankel gown with hand-painted flowers and baroque pearls for Friday’s welcome party (I felt like I was a mermaid who had just come out of the ocean, dripping in pearls). A strapless Danielle Frankel silk-linen gown for the ceremony (the fabric is actually what I fell in love with first, so natural and light for walking down a sand aisle), a vintage silver Nina Ricci for dancing, a green sequin Cult Gaia for the after-party, and a vintage Christian Dior by John Galliano silk chiffon set for Sunday’s pool party.

^{The Groom Looks}

Steven also kept it classic and wore a custom tuxedo for the ceremony, paired with a vintage Rolex from the year I was born.

Our Advice

^{For the Planning Process}

Get clear on the feeling before you get clear on the details. Know how you want both you and your guests to feel when the weekend is over, and let that guide every decision. And hire people you genuinely like because you will spend a lot of time with them during the planning process and on your wedding day! Our wedding became a love letter to each other, to who we are as individuals, to the life we’re building together, to the people who shaped us and celebrated with us in Mexico, and to our love of adventure. It was an unforgettable vacation with a lot of extra love. It was really important to us that every guest knew how special they were to us and how grateful we were that they traveled from all over the world to be there. We wanted everyone to feel relaxed, celebrated, and truly part of the weekend.

^{For On The Day}

Be present in and appreciate the small, spontaneous moments, even if it means something else gets thrown off. Some of our most treasured memories, like stopping for a fresh coconut on the side of the road on the way to our welcome party and my veil catching on the stairs, which allowed me to take a deep breath and look up at our guests, were unplanned.

^{For Post-Wedding}

Let yourself sit in the feelings first. Really remember how you felt and let it solidify. You can even write it all down the next morning (I have a note on my phone of the funny little moments I didn’t want to forget). The photos and videos are the most precious artifacts you'll have, the things that will take you right back to those moments for the rest of your life, but they'll mean so much more once the feelings are already yours. It’s a little bubble you get to live in. Savor it before you revisit the photos. 

Looking back at our photos and videos, there are details that don’t quite feel like us… decision fatigue is real, and it’s easy to get swept up in all the possibilities, so remembering the feelings is important. When we think about that weekend, none of that is what we remember. We remember seeing everyone for the first time and all the hugs. The happy tears during our vows. Dancing and singing and swimming together until the early hours. Our guests say the same thing.

Our Pool Party

^{The Location}

Sunday's pool party was held at Casa Rosada in Sayulita, our second venue and the colorful, spirited counterpart to Naviva's jungle elegance.

^{Décor and Ambience}

The energy was pure joy. Casa Rosada is such a spectacular space that it needed nothing added to it. Instead, we focused entirely on the things that make a great party: great food, great music, and plenty of dancing. Steven was even behind the decks for the opening set, providing good vibes and classic hits. It was the kind of day that took us from Hugo spritzes at lunch to dancing barefoot on the pool’s edge by sunset. The perfect, playful send-off to the weekend.

^{Our Style}

I wore a vintage Christian Dior by John Galliano silk chiffon floral top-and-skirt set that I sourced from Tab Vintage before changing into swimwear. Steven wore Fair Harbor shorts and a party shirt he found on our last trip to Australia. The energy of the day called for color and movement.