The Elopement

Quintana Roo has been our favorite place in Mexico to travel since we first started dating. It was the first trip we went on as a couple in college, it was our first solo trip out of the country after college and over the last 10 years we've tried to go as much as possible. So when our Seattle wedding wasn't going to turn out how we had planned, my mind went straight to Mexico! Originally, we wanted to see if it would be possible to move the entire wedding down there, but quickly realized with all the travel uncertainty, an elopement with just the two of us would be exactly what we needed.

We wanted to make this ceremony extra special since it was just for us and luckily found a way to do just that. Haj and I both did a ton of research and decided Tulum was the perfect spot for us with it's boho/jungle/beach vibes all wrapped up into one place. It was somewhere we knew the scenery would be enough that we wouldn't have to plan much else in terms of decor. While looking through Pinterest, instagram, wedding websites etc. we came across a unique type of ceremony that is common in this area of Mexico, called a cosmic Mayan ceremony. It's an interactive spiritual ceremony that incorporates all the elements of nature. It is considered a link to the cosmos and is led by a Mayan Shaman.

The Mayan Wedding Ritual is based in the Maya's connection with the universe and their gods, which is described in their sacred book the Popol Vuh, The ceremony brings the couple to the four cardinal points (north, south, east and west) to unite them to the feminine Mother Earth and the masculine Cosmic Energy, symbolized by a central sacred candle.

Haj and I have both spent the last couple years diving more into our spirituality and exactly one year prior from our wedding date, Haj was actually in Mazunte, Mexico at a 3 day silent mediation and yoga retreat. This date also happened to be our dating anniversary. I am strong believer of astrology and numerology so the fact that we were now having a cosmic ceremony in Mexico on September 12th which was our 12th anniversary felt to us like this was meant to happen all along.

Now that we knew where we were going to get married and the type of ceremony we'd be having, we still needed to find the specific location. We went back and forth between a jungle wedding at a cenote (a natural freshwater sinkhole, common in this area of Mexico) or a beach wedding. We ended up finding a special property called Las Olas which is a bed and breakfast type hotel, at the very end of Tulum on the boarder of the Sian Ka’an reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). It describes itself as a gathering place and a point of connection between people and nature (or the natural world). They believe if they created a space for like-minded travelers to come together from around the world – to experience sustainability, eat locally, speak meaningfully – that they will keep the spirit of Tulum alive. And that they did. We had found our spot.

The icing on the cake was actually my wedding dress. I had bought it originally thinking we were going to get married on the water in the San Juan Islands, which then turned into an indoor wedding in the industrial part of Seattle. Little did I know we'd actually be getting married in Tulum at a sustainable bed and breakfast. The dress itself was called Tulum (whattt?) and it was made by a company called Scout Bridal. Here is there About Me:

A Statement Of Simplicity.

Sustainability Considered At Every Step.

Feel Good Bridal.

Made To Be Cherished.

From Planting A Tree When You Say “Yes” To Your Scout Gown. To Seeded Tags When You Receive Your Gown, Yup Plant Your Scout Tag And Watch Wildflowers Grow.

And The 100% Sustainable Packaging We Use To Get Your Gown To You.

It was perfect.

While our trip itself didn't go as smoothy as the planning process -- there were flight delays, airport closures, car rental issues, power outages, etc. we weren't going to let anything ruin this incredible experience.

We started off going to an Island called Hollbox which we had never been to before. It is a small island that only uses bikes and golf carts as their means of transportation. It was an Instagramers heaven. One of the most picturesque place i have ever been. Here, we swam with Whale Sharks and Manta Rays which was such a humbling experience -- just google them and their size! The sandbars and waters were the most pristine. We saw flamingos from afar, and ate some amazing food and drank the best tequila/mezcal cocktails while exploring the small downtown area. On our last evening there we took a golf cart down to the southeastern tip of the island to a beach called Punta Cocos to see Bioluminescence plankton (again something you should google!). The people here were so kind and genuinely happy to have tourists. It felt like it was their goal to make sure we feel in love with Hollbox as much as they did - which was not hard to do! I could have stayed on this island the whole trip, but off to Tulum we went to meet up with some friends and catch a different vibe. Before we did however, we made sure to do a yoga class at Casa las Tortugas which is where we were staying. The property itself was also known for their meditation practices and sound healing but unfortunately with new COVID rules they were unable to practice either. We are hoping to go back and check it out another time!

In Tulum we ended up changing our plans last minute and spent two nights at Olas. We experienced everything that was written about the magical place from the architecture and rooftop views, to the delicious breakfast and homelike feel. We were the only people staying here which made it all the more special. We also got to meet with the Shaman (Charlie) who was marrying us and walk the property to figure out the exact spot of the elopement. He was was one of the most interesting people I have meant and honestly could have spent the whole day listening to his story and wisdom. We visited Tulum exactly four years ago and so much has changed since then, so it was fun to experience it in a new way. This place was packed with boutique shops carrying bohemian clothing and decor, health food huts, uniquely designed beachfront hotels and day clubs, some of the best craft cocktails, lively dinners, and LOTS of sparklers (thanks to our friends who made sure to announce + celebrate our wedding week everywhere we went!). Tulum really is all my favorite things! None of our pictures really did this place justice but it was great to be able to take it all in. We were now on our way to the last location of the trip (Mayakoba) but stopped at a cenote on our way because who wouldn't want to jump off a small platform into a giant sinkhole??

Mayakoba is a resort community located 30 mins south of Cancun and comprised of 4 hotel chains (Fairmont, Rosewood, Banyan Tree, and Andaz). Working for the Fairmont and previously Rosewood - I have been lucky to spend a good amount of time here and it's always great to go back! It was the relaxing part of our vacation making it a perfect place for our last stop. We took a boat tour around the property, laid by the pool, swam in the ocean, experienced one of the most intense thunderstorms and saw some crazy wildlife. Everyone here took such good care of us and we got some fun surprises from the hotel and our friends back home, which we were so grateful for! The second to last day of our trip was WEDDING DAY! I spent the morning at the gym/rooftop pool/spa getting ready and then back to Tulum we went.

Haj and I were both so excited on the car ride there. Charlie was to arrive an hour early to cleanse the area with the sacred smoke from the Copal tree and the blowing of the ritual conch shell horn and setup the four cardinal points of the altar. Flowers mark these four points to represent the gifts of prosperity and fertility. North is purification is represented by white flowers, East is love with red, South is spiritual guides (ancestors) and uses yellow flowers, and West is protection with purple flowers (true color would be black but since black flowers don't grow in nature they use purple). A Candle is located on the altar on the four cardinal points -- north, south, east and west to symbolize the presence of the four Mayan cosmos gods.

We planned out exactly how we wanted this day to go from our getting ready photos, to the first look and sunset toast after the ceremony. As 2020 has constantly reminded us, the universe has it's own plan! We had found out the night before that our photographer was sick and was going to send someone else in his place. Once we arrived, Andrea (the new photographer) was there to greet us along with the second thunderstorm of the trip. We were hopeful that it would pass quickly but ended up spending about an hour inside waiting for it to slow down and taking a lot more "getting ready" photos than planned. The owner of the property finally convinced us to just do the ceremony in the rain and we are happy we did! Unfortunately that meant we didn't the exact photos we were hoping for, our outfits were drenched and my hair/makeup was a bit of a disaster. Again, what we've now learned from this year is that those little things really don't matter -- we still were able to get MARRIED and experience the most powerful ceremony either of us had ever witnessed let alone be apart of.

Charlie and his assistant did a phenomenal job making this experience so special for us. From the energy they brought, to the blessings they gave, and the kind words Charlie wrote specifically for us. During a point of the ceremony, when we were turned towards the south to call upon our spiritual guides and ancestors, I felt as if there was an extra presence watching over us and although I didn't even notice it the time, Haj told me that in that moment the stormed actually cleared -- it still gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.

It was my thought that just as our wedding plans had to change, so should our vows. Instead of being more light hearted and funny, Haj and I both felt that this was a great opportunity to write each other a letter expressing what is has been like to be on this 12-year-long journey together. Our vows were not only symbolic of the cosmic ceremony but also of our relationship as a whole. They ended up being quite similar in sense that we were naturally drawn to talking about how our lifestyles organically changed over the course of our relationship. Driven by spirituality, nature, and our whole being, our Mayan ceremony was a beautiful representation of how we as individuals and together as a couple have grown over the course of this last decade.

Looking back at our ceremony, and thinking about all the craziness that is 2020, a feeling that I’m overcome with is gratitude. I’m grateful for what this year has taught me. That life and relationships aren't always easy but even when things get harder than you could have imagined, there’s a lesson to be learned. For us, our journey has been uniquely ours -- it has been fun, and messy, and untraditional, but I think it needed to be all of those things. It has allowed us to grow at different paces, but still with each other all along and brought us to this exact moment. I believe the same goes in life. 2020 has been challenging and frustrating and unpredictable but maybe it needs to be - it has opened our eyes to see the world in a different way and taught us that during the most uncertain times, we need each other most.