Secrets Moxche Destination Wedding: Maura & Wally

Photo Credit: Alex M. Weddings

Maura and Wally met on Hinge almost four years ago and quickly bonded over their love of travel, trying new restaurants around Philadelphia, attending concerts and sporting events, and caring for their pets together. They’re easy-going with a great sense of humor—but as two oldest children, they’re also very clear about what they like (and don’t like). What they didn’t have was a fully formed wedding vision, which is why they wanted help navigating their destination wedding options.

Like many couples, their biggest fears were completely relatable—worrying that guests wouldn’t come and feeling uneasy about not having full control over every detail. Planning from afar meant trusting a resort wedding team they hadn’t met yet and letting go of the ability to hand-pick vendors, which felt especially challenging at first.

Photo Credit: Alex M. Weddings

What surprised them most was how quickly in the process and WHEN in the process everything came together. With a destination wedding, final details like florals or decor are often finalized a few weeks before the big day. While that timeline felt stressful at first, it made sense once they were onsite. Resort wedding teams handle multiple weddings each week and focus their efforts closer to each event—and once things started moving, everything fell into place beautifully.

One of their favorite moments happened before the wedding even began. Watching friends and family arrive together, meeting in the lobby with drinks already in hand, made the experience feel real. Seeing everyone who traveled so far just to celebrate them set the tone for a relaxed, joy-filled week.

Photo Credit: Alex M. Weddings

They chose to splurge on florals and an extra hour of party time (both big wins) while keeping the rest simple—skipping extra events and letting guests naturally connect around the resort. Pool days, spontaneous meetups, and easy fun became part of the magic.

Looking back, they wouldn’t change a thing. Guests loved the resort, the experience, and the chance to turn a wedding into a vacation—many calling it the best wedding ever. Their biggest takeaway? Come prepared with ideas, trust the process, and be open to letting things come together closer to the date.

And while having a great planning team helps keep things organized and stress levels low, the real magic comes from the people who show up—and make the journey with you.

Real Wedding Q&A with Casey & Gage

What were your biggest fears when planning a destination wedding?

My biggest fear was that no one would come! My second biggest fear was that I would have no idea how the day would turn out. You don’t choose basically any of your vendors (florist, DJ, decor, etc.), so not being in control of all the details like you would be in the US was challenging.

Is there anything about the actual destination wedding experience that surprised you?

Everything literally comes together in the last 2-3 weeks. I know…it sounds crazy. As a type A person, I thought my entire wedding would be planned months in advance. In reality, I still didn’t know what my florals would look like 2 weeks before our wedding. That’s because most of these resorts have 4-5 weddings per week, and their focus remains on tackling those a week or so prior to the event (you only realize this while you’re physically on site!) 

The resorts that AYBT recommends have some A+ wedding coordinators who are super experienced and have this down to a science. You have to follow their lead! I can’t imagine our day working out any better and I felt like I was in great hands. Everything was perfect (though I didn’t believe it would be until the day itself!)

Photo Credit: Alex M. Weddings

What is your favorite memory of your destination wedding?

The day that everyone arrived was one of my favorite memories ever. My family, Wally’s family, and some of our lifelong friends got off the same airport transfer and met us in the lobby, drinks already in hand. The excitement was so potent, and we were so happy to be together. That’s when it hit me that everyone made this long journey for me and Wally. You go through all this planning & guests agree to come, but seeing them actually on the resort is so special. 

We also loved seeing people from across our circles who hadn’t met before connect and become friendly. Having a community of your closest friends and family gather on your behalf in a place so spectacular is something we will never forget!

Did you splurge on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

We splurged on florals and added an hour-long party package to our reception. Both were incredibly worth it! I didn’t add too much decor other than florals since our venue was so pretty on its own, but our bright, vibrant flowers really stole the show. We also added the Moxche “Hora Loca” to our reception and the Samba dancers brought water drums, played limbo, and did favors for everyone. Our guests were loving it! It was a fun, interactive surprise to add while everyone was already dancing and enjoying themselves. The pictures of our guests banging on the water drums are epic!

Photo Credit: Alex M. Weddings

Did you attempt to *save* on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

We didn’t go crazy adding premium food options or other events for guests. We had a Welcome Party which was fabulous, and toyed with the idea of an event the day after the wedding. It turns out we really didn’t need it. You’d be surprised how many people ended up finding each other via our wedding WhatsApp group and hung out by the pool on their own! 

If you could change anything with your wedding (planning, the day itself, the location, resort, ANYTHING) – what would you change?

Nope – not a thing. And that is saying something! I’m an overthinker and often look back wistfully on what could have been. I really, truly, don’t think the wedding could have gone any better. We were so happy with our choice on Secrets Moxche, our photographer, Alex M., and the feedback from our guests that I truly can’t imagine it going any other way.

Photo Credit: Alex M. Weddings

What kind of feedback did you get from your guests?

Our guests absolutely loved it all. They thought the resort was stunning, the food was good, and they enjoyed hopping around the pools. Administratively, they thought it was super easy to track travel plans through the documents AYBT provided, and they appreciated the detail within.  

As for the wedding, we heard a resounding “best wedding ever!”, which made us so happy! 

Now that you’ve been through it, what is your #1 best piece of advice for wedding couples entering the planning process?

Gather ideas of what you want at your wedding – think colors, florals, special touches – and provide ultra specific examples. The wedding team often asks for a Pinterest board, but I got even more specific than that. Since my wedding coordinator knew what I was looking for, she was able to suggest things I didn’t think of and the wedding came together beautifully. Also, since you can’t “pick” your DJ, we created a few playlists to let him know what music we were looking for. This worked out really well – he was able to quickly pick up on what we liked and did an awesome job mixing everything.

Second piece of advice: you should follow up when you feel you need to, but be prepared to plan most of this a few weeks out (4-6 weeks). Spend the time beforehand working on the travel aspect with AYBT, sending invites, and gathering your ideas, but don’t expect to work with the resort team until you’re much closer to the event. 

Try to trust the process – it really does come together!

Photo Credit: Alex M. Weddings

In what ways did Alpaca Your Bags Travel make this less stressful for you?

Alpaca Your Bags Travel helped us in so many ways – from beginning to end. After we got engaged, I tried to plan this on my own without a travel planner and had a really bad experience with a resort. When I found Ashley & team, I begged her to take me on! They helped us narrow down resorts that had the look & feel we wanted AND had a wedding team who could, without question, pull off the day we imagined. Then, they helped negotiate contracts, tracking guest details, and even talking to our guests directly. We had a few extended family members who never would’ve made this trip without the help of a professional – Ashley & team were talking our guests through planning, packing, and even calming nerves about making the trip. We could NOT have done this without AYBT!

Photographer: Alex M. Weddings

Travel Advisor: Alpaca Your Bags Travel 

Resort: Secrets Moxche