Huatulco Beach Wedding

Sonya and Raul met for the first time at work. It was Sonya’s first job out of university, and Raul was assigned to help/mentor her and teach her the ropes of the industry. After spending every workday together for five months, Raul had an amazing career opportunity at another company, which he accepted to Sonya’s disappointment. They immediately missed spending all of those hours together on a daily basis, and realized their connection was much deeper then co-workers and they have been together ever since.

The Proposal

Raul proposed on Valentine’s Day in 2014 at the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, Alberta. Although this is a common day for proposals, Sonya was completely caught off guard. They spent the day getting pampered at the famous spa at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and then checked into their room at the Rimrock. Raul upgraded their room to the grand view suite, booked dinner at the five star Eden restaurant and filled the entire suite with roses and candles. Once he opened the door, Sonya saw a Tiffany box sitting on the table next to a bottle of champagne and thought they agreed not to do presents. It wasn’t until Raul grabbed the box and went down on one knee that she realized he was proposing. She burst into tears, said YES.

The Big Day

Sonya grew up in Alberta, but Raul grew up partly in Mexico, with family and friends all over North America, it only made sense to have a destination wedding. Specifically, they chose the Secrets Huatluco Resort & Spa as it is the closest resort town to Raul’s family and because they were impressed by the wedding venue spaces from a previous visit. The couple had a lot of fun mixing both Canadian and Mexican traditions into the ceremony to make a truly unique day and party. On the wedding day, the couple decided to go against tradition and met up for a private first look prior to the ceremony. Shortly after, they met up with their groomsmen and bridesmaids to take photos. The ceremony was performed by a close friend in English, as well as legally by a Mexican judge in Spanish so everyone could understand. Immediately following the ceremony there were sunset cocktails, a delicious 5 course dinner with speeches, and then dancing all night. The couple also coordinated a trip for everyone to visit the ranch where Raul grew up. Besides the wedding day, their guests say it was definitely a highlight getting exposed to some true Mexican culture.

Favourite Moments

Sonya: “My favourite moment was definitely the “first look”, where Raul and I saw each other for the first time. It was so special to be able to give each other an honest reaction when we first saw one another, and then spend the next few hours spending time with our bridal party prior to the ceremony. It made the ceremony much more relaxed and fun by the time it came around!”

Raul: “My favourite moment was actually the opportunity to spend an entire week celebrating with our family and friends instead of just the traditional day. We have family and friends from all over North America and it was so great to spend an entire week truly joining our families together.”

Engagement Ring Cut

Round

First Dance

‘Fields of Gold’ – Sting

Father-Daughter & Mother-Son Dance(s)

Father-Daughter: ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ – Stevie Wonder

Advice from the Newlyweds

“It’s okay to write your own rules, and do what makes you happy as a couple. There are lots of people that will try to tell you that you HAVE to do this or you CAN’T do that, but you can do (or not do) whatever you heart desires because it’s your day!”

Looking Forward to Most Now Being Married

“We are really looking forward to our two-week honeymoon in Italy in September, going on lots more adventures together, and starting a family.”

Honeymoon

Italy