Elizabeth Adams and Chap Bernet have know each other since middle school. The bride says, “We kissed throughout high school and college but never dated.” After Elizabeth moved back to Nashville from Madrid and Chap moved back from L.A., they started seeing each other in a more official capacity. On a two year anniversary trip to Boston, Chap got down on one knee.
The couple chose Mexico for their destination wedding. “We wanted something elegant, fun, and festive that featured and complemented the beautiful city of San Miguel de Allende—open air with twinkle lights, greenery, a chandelier of metal stars, colorful dresses, and lots of tequila,” says Elizabeth. They found their ideal venue at the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, where they would host the big events of the weekend. To help plan and design everything, they hired Suzanne Reinhard Events and B Worley Productions.
The bride wore a Spanish lace Monique Lhuillier dress down the aisle, and she sewed lace from Chap’s grandmother’s wedding gown into the hem of her own. Elizabeth finished the look with earrings from her late grandmother, a pearl ring, borrowed from her other grandmother, and a veil from her sister. A blue sapphire was fastened to her bouquet, which was her father’s first wedding anniversary gift to her mother.
The groom wore a white dinner jacket from Knot Standard with navy tuxedo pants, while bridesmaids wore navy dresses of their choosing, and the bride’s house party, which was made up of even more friends, wore colors of San Miguel de Allende—pink, yellow, red, coral, and green.
The evening before the wedding, Elizabeth and Chap greeted their guests in the street with a mariachi band and mojigangas (giant dancing puppets made to look like the couple). And then, everyone gathered at the hotel, where where guacamole, salsa, and tequila made their first appearances.
The next day, in an outside ceremony, the couple said “I do,” with their friend as the officiant. Elizabeth’s cousins played the progressional and recessional music, while friends and family read pre-selected passages. “Many of the people we loved had a part in the ceremony. I cried the instant I saw Elizabeth and her dad. She tripped a little and laughed with her dad, and my tears turned into laughter,” Chap says. “We were so excited and nervous—‘nervcited’ is what we felt the whole weekend,” they both add.
Once the reception started, guests enjoyed taco stations, ceviche selections, guacamole, and traditional Guanajuato salads under strung lights and an intricate chandelier. As for refreshments, margaritas, tequila sodas, and tequila shots were the most popular choices. To start the evening off, Elizabeth’s parents toasted the couple, and the newlyweds thanked everyone for coming and their parents for giving them such a beautiful weekend.
As the party revved up into full swing, family members performed on stage, and then 2DJs took over. “A saxophonist played over the music near the end as well. Elizabeth and I were on stage the majority of the time,” Chap remembers. The groom also sang a special song for his new bride, which, according to her, was the greatest gift she’s ever received. By the end of the evening, colorful face paint had been passed out by the DJs, and every guest was out on the dance floor. The new Mr. and Mrs. Bernet ducked out around midnight and the party continued into the early hours.
