Bird of paradise, pink anthuriums, tropical greenery, and fruit brought color into a setting that Kylee and Benjamin otherwise left largely untouched. Stone structures divided Arcadia Events Tulum into different spaces for the ceremony and reception, while candles and string lights added soft lighting as evening arrived.

The inspiration for the setting came from a trip Kylee and Benjamin took early in their relationship. A few months after they started dating, they traveled to Costa Rica and visited Sensoria, a rainforest eco-park beneath the Rincón de la Vieja volcano. The place stuck with them, and when wedding planning began, Kylee searched for jungle venues in Mexico that reminded her of what they had loved there.

What We Love About This Arcadia Events Tulum Wedding

• Bird of paradise and other tropical flowers adding bursts of pink, orange, and yellow against the surrounding greenery
• A fruit table in place of a traditional wedding cake
• Wedding bands passed among the guests for prayers and well wishes before the ring exchange
• Laser-engraved wooden fans waiting on the ceremony benches
• Tiny ceramic versions of the couple’s dog and two cats making a surprise appearance at the reception

Elegance PhotographieFeatured Vendor:

Recreating a Favorite Costa Rica Memory in Tulum

Kylee and Benjamin met on Hinge and started with brunch at Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, followed by mini golf for their second date. Kylee remembers driving home afterward smiling and knowing she’d met someone great.

A few months later, they took their first international trip together to Costa Rica. A week of traveling apparently wasn’t enough time together for Benjamin, who wanted to see Kylee again the same evening they returned home. More trips and adventures followed, eventually bringing them to the Riviera Maya, where Benjamin proposed on the beach.

So when Kylee began searching for wedding venues, she wasn’t starting with a color palette or a particular decor trend. She searched for jungle wedding venues in Mexico that could remind them of Sensoria.

She eventually discovered Arcadia Events Tulum on social media. “We wanted a natural vibe with fun tropical color elements tied in through florals,” Kylee shared. “We were inspired by the natural beauty of a place called Sensoria and wanted to mirror that experience in our wedding somewhere slightly closer to home.”

Keeping the Wedding Party Small and the Night Before Casual

There was no formal welcome party or rehearsal dinner. Instead, guests could stop by an informal cocktail hour at the hotel lobby bar, where Kylee and Benjamin had put together a “How well do you know the couple?” quiz.

With only one person standing on each side during the ceremony, a traditional rehearsal didn’t seem necessary either. The small group involved in the wedding talked through the ceremony the night before and left it at that. “Less pressure and it was still perfect,” Kylee said.

That relaxed approach continued into the wedding morning, including one particularly unplanned detour. After having her hair and makeup done at Hello Beauty’s salon, Kylee headed to Walmart in Playa del Carmen with friends and her matron of honor.

Still in full bridal hair and makeup, she wandered the aisles buying snacks, T-shirts for her nephews, and whatever last-minute items seemed useful. “I think the goofy nature of the situation in my full bridal hair and makeup kept some of the pre-wedding jitters away,” she recalled.

Keeping the Decor Simple and Bringing in Color Through Florals

The stone architecture and surrounding vegetation gave Kylee and Benjamin a good reason not to fill every corner with decor. Tropical flowers and votives provided most of the color at Arcadia Events Tulum, with candles and string lights added for softer lighting later in the day.

Kylee gave planner Ale and the team at Armonia Weddings a color scheme but otherwise remained deliberately hands-off. During a planning visit to Tulum, the couple tasted their menu and saw a mock table setup. Kylee’s main feedback was simply that she’d like a little more variety in the centerpiece colors. “I honestly had no idea what they would look like on the actual wedding day because of how vague I was,” she said.

That flexibility extended to vendor selection. Ale, Candy, and Alma at Armonia Weddings presented the couple with a few options at a time, then went back with alternatives whenever the portfolios or pricing weren’t quite right.

Making Space for Family During the Ceremony

Before guests took their seats, Benjamin stood at the venue entrance and greeted them himself. For him, it was a chance to personally welcome the people who had traveled to celebrate with them. The couple then shared a private first look before the ceremony. Kylee also had one with her dad, although he was already crying before he turned around to see her.

Family showed up in quieter ways, too. Because Benjamin still has living grandparents while Kylee does not, the families entered the ceremony to an instrumental version of “You Are My Sunshine,” a song Kylee’s grandmother used to sing to her children and grandchildren. A relative from Benjamin’s family also gave Kylee an old blue-stone tourmaline ring before the wedding, providing her with both “something old” and “something blue.”

During the ceremony, Kylee and Benjamin settled the question of who would read their vows first with rock paper scissors. Kylee won. Before exchanging their wedding bands, they passed the rings through their guests and invited everyone to offer a prayer or well wishes for the marriage. Only after the rings had made their way through the group did they exchange them.

Wearing What They Loved Instead of Dressing for a Theme

Kylee wasn’t concerned that her wedding dress needed to match the jungle venue. Her gown featured intricate lace and a dramatic six-foot cathedral train, and she loved it enough that the setting wasn’t going to change her mind. Kylee finished her look with opal jewelry, continuing a personal favorite that Benjamin had previously picked up on when he gave her an opal tennis bracelet.

Her sister, who served as matron of honor, joined her while dress shopping at Olive and Grace Bridal in Grand Island, Nebraska. Rather than selecting the dress herself, Kylee asked her sister to choose a silhouette she felt confident wearing and then picked the color.

Benjamin’s person of honor was also a woman, so both attendants wore the same dress in different shades of pink. Benjamin had slightly less freedom with his own outfit. Kylee had already pictured him in a dark evergreen suit. He wasn’t convinced until he tried it on, then understood the idea. He chose his undershirt and tie and slipped in one surprise of his own: penguin socks.

Adding Personal Details Guests Could Actually Use

Some of the couple’s smaller details weren’t there simply for decoration. Wooden folding fans were placed on the ceremony benches to help guests handle the Tulum heat. Benjamin’s person of honor helped laser-engrave each one with the couple’s initials and wedding date.

For their guest book, an attendant photographed each person or couple as they arrived. The resulting portraits became both a record for Kylee and Benjamin and something they could share with their guests after the wedding.

There was also a surprise specifically for Benjamin. He’d mentioned several times that he wished their dog could somehow be included, so Kylee had small ceramic figures painted to resemble their dog and two cats.

Prioritizing Flowers, the Dance Floor, and a Fruit Table

Instead of trying to upgrade every part of the wedding equally, Kylee and Benjamin chose a few details that would noticeably shape the reception. Flowers and disco balls hung above the dance floor, while a colorful fruit table replaced a traditional cake and heavier desserts. To make room for those additions, they simplified the bar rather than offering signature cocktails or multiple brands of the same liquor.

It was a practical tradeoff: spend more on the things they were excited to see and scale back where additional choices weren’t particularly important to them. The tropical floral design also did most of the visual work. Against the greenery and stone of Arcadia Events Tulum, the bird of paradise, anthuriums, and other brightly colored blooms didn’t need much else competing with them.

Putting the Extra Reception Budget into the Dance Floor

Once dinner ended, the suspended florals and disco balls overhead gave way to a dance floor that lit up and changed colors with the music. Glow sticks gave guests something to add to the lighting themselves, and the floor stayed busy all night. Kylee and Benjamin were equally impressed by what was happening away from it. The bar and wait staff kept drinks filled and guests looked after without the couple needing to intervene.

Even a slightly late shuttle carrying guests from the resort didn’t disrupt the schedule. If anything else went wrong, Kylee still doesn’t know about it. For someone who had specifically hoped not to spend her engagement managing every logistical decision, that might be the best argument for the planning approach she chose.

Trusting the Team Made Destination Planning Easier

Kylee’s biggest takeaway is straightforward: once you’ve chosen vendors whose work you trust, give them enough room to do it. “I would tell couples who are planning their wedding to relax, enjoy the fun decisions to be made, and trust their vendors to bring their vision to life. Live in the moment and enjoy what is happening around you, because the day goes by so quickly.” 

And one final piece of advice from Kylee: hire a photographer whose work you’ll want to revisit afterward. The couple chose Junebug vendor Elegance Photographie, whose documentary and editorial approach captured everything from their quiet first look to a packed, color-changing dance floor.