Jennifer & Austin's Colorful Oceanfront Wedding at Villa la Joya
Jennifer and Austin were already married by the time they got to Mexico. They signed the papers back home in Arizona, just the two of them, and then brought everyone they loved down to the Riviera Maya for the wedding they'd been picturing all along.
You can feel that decision in the whole day. Nobody was nervous about the legal part or watching the clock. They came to have a party with their favorite people, and that's exactly what they got!
Nancy planned it with them for a November date at Villa la Joya. From the first conversation, it was going to be about color.
What November is actually like on this coast
November comes up a lot when couples ask us about timing a Riviera Maya wedding, and it's a good choice, just not for the reason people usually think. It's still technically rainy season here. What changes by November is the heat … the evenings turn soft, and your guests can sit through a long dinner outside without anyone going to look for shade.
Rain is still possible, so we plan for it properly. In Jennifer and Austin's case, that meant dinner under a Sky Tent on the terrace, covered, but with the sky and the water visible on the horizon.
Her dress, and Villa la Joya's hallways
Jennifer's gown was strapless, with a structured sweetheart bodice and a full skirt that took up most of Villa la Joya's arched hallway as she came through it.
Those hallways are one of the most underrated things about this property: high arches, chandeliers, and a patterned tile floor in warm browns and cream. Jennifer spun in that skirt across the tile, and it's one of our favorite photos from the day.
Austin wore black tie with a black bow tie, and the two of them looked wonderful together, classic enough that nothing they wore competed with all that color waiting outside.
Later in the evening, Jennifer changed into a playful white mini dress with delicate embellishments, ready to trade formal portraits for dancing, late-night treats, and celebrating with everyone she loves.
A ceremony in the oceanfront gardens
Villa la Joya's gardens run right up to the water, with only an ornate iron railing between the lawn and the Caribbean. That's where Jennifer and Austin got married.
A long white runner crossed the lawn, a circular ceremony platform, light wood seating, clean architectural lines, and abundant floral arrangements framed the space perfectly. Coral, peach, apricot, raspberry, blush, ivory, soft terracotta. Dahlias, roses and snapdragons created a joyful palette that felt fresh, modern, and full of life.
Jennifer walked it holding white roses, and against that palette they were the most striking thing in the garden.
Cocktails and dinner, all one PLACE
The same colors carried from the ceremony into cocktail hour and dinner, so nothing about the evening felt like it started over. That's the part Nancy cares most about, a couple should be able to walk their guests from one space to the next without anyone feeling the seam.
Cocktails first, on the lawn under the palms and the string lights: rattan lounge seating, round fluted wood tables, and their guest book out where people would actually find it.
Then dinner moved to the terrace, under the clear tent with draping down the sides. Long tables in white linen, gold flatware, glass chargers, pillar candles, and single roses in small bud vases running the length of every table. Larger arrangements sat low at the base of the tables and spilled onto the stone.
Their head table was light wood, left bare, facing the water. Flowers piled at the foot of it. It was probably the prettiest corner of the property that night.
The evening itself
Heartfelt speeches with tears (of course) and a shared gourmet dinner at a long table. Jennifer and Austin spent most of it moving from table to table instead of sitting down, which is what people do when the guest list is only the people they genuinely wanted there.
Their escort card display was a coral arch that read Our Favorite People, with everyone's card tucked into a slot and flowers gathered at the base, the first thing guests saw, and it told you everything about the two of them straight away.
There was an Instax guest book, so every message came with a photograph attached to it. And there was a churro cart late at night, which is where the whole party ended up standing.
None of those things cost very much. All of them are what people will remember, and that's usually how it goes.
Thank you, Jennifer and Austin
From Nancy and all of us at Villa Planners, thank you for having us! We loved getting to know you both, and we loved watching your families figure out over the course of one evening that they were going to get along just fine.
We're wishing you a long & happy marriage. Come back and see us.
The dream team behind the day
Venue: Villa La Joya | Planning: Nancy & Villa Planners Team | Photography: Arch Wedding Studio | Hair & Makeup: Sara Tamargo | Flowers: Cherry Blossom | Catering: Gourmet Soberanis | Rentals: Oleo Events | Dance Floor: & Hercon Entertainment | Churros: Los Pockets | DJ: UNO Audiovisual
Planning your own wedding in the Riviera Maya
Jennifer and Austin's day worked because they knew what they wanted it to feel like before they worried about how it would look. The palette, the floor plan, the timing … all of it followed from that.
We plan destination weddings across private villas and estates throughout the Riviera Maya, and every one of them starts with the same question: what do you want to remember about this day?
Tell us your date, and we'll take it from there.