TikTok stars Andrea and Lewis Kelly embarked on their own unique journey to the altar, culminating in a dream destination wedding in Tulum. With amazing venues, custom attire, and even a bounce house, their wedding was truly a work of art.
The journey to the altar for TikTok stars Andrea Camila and Lewis Kelly came with its fair share of challenges. But nonetheless led to their ultimate dream jungle wedding in Tulum.
As creative as these two are, individually and as a couple, it’s no surprise they wanted to go against the norm and infuse some uniqueness; starting with their wedding date. It was important to them to have their wedding date be on Friday the 13th.
“A little context on the importance of Friday the 13th in our relationship. We coincidentally started dating on Friday the 13th and at that point it wasn’t really anything more than a coincidence,” shares the couple. ”However, one day as I was scrolling through old pictures and found a photo we took on the day we met, I realized it was on Friday the 13th June 2014! At that point we realized that although that is seen as an *unlucky* day for most, for us, it’s the luckiest day of all! It’s the day we met and the day we found each other again! That’s how we knew we HAD to get married on a Friday the 13th, the luckiest day of our lives!”
Once they had the date in mind, next it was time to find the venue. While another venue had originally been chosen, three months before the big day they realized they were getting scammed and were on the hunt for a new location. It wasn’t until they visited Azulik Uh May during a trip, that they knew it was the perfect fit. They recall the moment saying, “As soon as we stepped inside Azulik, we both knew — this was the perfect place for us to tie the knot. We are so so, so happy we were able to get our date just three months before the wedding! This venue truly transports you to another world!”
The distinct characteristics of this venue made it special in many ways. To keep with the natural beauty of their ceremony space, they decided to book their dinner and reception at Espacio CheChen.
“Stepping into this venue, we truly felt like we were lost in the beautiful Mexican jungle. The venue did the speaking for itself. The greenery and nature was just stunning, it was the perfect place to end our big day.”
While both venues called for minimal decor, it surely didn’t stop the pair from enhancing the aesthetic in their own light. Textured blooms, macrame detailing, breathtaking tablescapes, rattan chairs, and a bouncy house were just what was needed to add more personality.
But wait there’s more! The artistic elements didn’t stop there. In fact Andrea and Lewis attire were both a work of art.
After failed attempts left Andrea to start from scratch on her custom wedding dress design, she connected with Anikena.
“Anikena is a jungle couture brand, imbued with magic of ancient cultures and focuses on the essence of nature. Their mission is to create pieces that reconnect with nature, art and ancestry,” explains Andrea. “The pieces were designed with natural fabrics and dyes. These garments were not just pieces of clothes, they were pieces of ART, and there was a beautiful story behind this art. My aisle is across a winding path along the jungle water, so the team at Anikena designed the dress to represent a beautiful flower, floating on top of the water, finding its way to its lover.”
Only seeing her gown three days before the big day, Andrea was over the moon with how the look turned out. The designer even made a custom cape for Lewis so his look would stand out; of course coming with its own story.
“The story behind Lewis’s attire is that of a bird perched from above. Lewis has his own aisle, a nest in the sky in which he walks down from to his flower — me!”
Side by side they looked gorgeous and in love as they exchanged their personal and deeply intimate vows to one another. Upon sealing their love with a kiss, it was time to celebrate.
The reception space Espacio CheChen was also filled with style and culture. They couple detailing, “We wanted our guests to really get immersed in the culture of mexico. We served cochinita pibil tacos, shrimp tacos, both local to the area, ribeye steak, roasted chicken along with sides such as garlic bread, beef stuffed cheese and sweet potato casserole — Andrea’s favorite thanksgiving food that she INSISTED on having at the wedding! This was served family style.”
The flavorful food was followed by a dessert. They had quite the selection for indulgence, of which included a three-tier wedding cake with hand-pressed flowers.
In addition to their first dance to the piano version of Stephen Sancez’s Until I Found You, they performed an Irish Ceili to honor Lewis’s culture.
Post-wedding they even made sure to include one final notable touch to guests which was a newspaper. It included games such as crossword puzzles and highlights of the wonderful weekend.
Even though they had a wild experience getting there, every part of it was worth it in having their ultimate wedding day. “Thanks to all of this chaos, we ended up securing our DREAM venue, getting our DREAM vendors, and we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding.”
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