Believe it or not, Lindsay Silberman, the senior digital editor at Town & Country, and Matt Stevens, a sales manager at Chrome Hearts, met on spring break in a nightclub in Mexico—and it’s a relationship that’s stood the test of time. “What we didn’t realize upon first meeting is that we both went to Syracuse (their wedding hashtag, #MEXICUSE, is a funny nod to their destination wedding location and their beloved alma mater) and were actually next-door neighbors at school,” says Lindsay. “Perhaps even more bizarre is that we grew up 30 minutes away from one another and were even born in the same hospital!”
They went on to date for two years in college, then broke up for three years, and then got together for another two years before ultimately getting engaged. “We live in New York City, but Matt proposed halfway around the world in Sydney, Australia, at Bondi Icebergs,” says Lindsay. “He had the restaurant print a dessert menu with a ‘Special’ at the bottom that said: ‘Lindsay, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?’ We were both so nervous, neither of us remember what happened after that. I did, at some point, say, ‘Yes.’ The next morning, we flew to Queenstown, New Zealand to celebrate.”
Both Lindsay and Matthew love to travel and knew they wanted a destination wedding from the get-go. “Mexico—where it all began—seemed like the obvious choice,” explains Lindsay. “Our wedding weekend took place in Playa del Carmen at a gorgeous property called Rosewood Mayakoba. Since I cover luxury travel for a living, I was extremely picky—we looked at 10 properties in the area, but knew almost immediately that the venue and level of service at Rosewood was exactly what we were looking for. We hosted 4-days of events for 99 guests from around the U.S.”
They kicked off the weekend on Thursday by chartering a boat and doing a sunset sail to Isla Mujeres. On Friday night, they had a “Garden Party” dinner at the hotel’s organic garden, and then, the wedding took place on Saturday. Finally, they hosted a hangover brunch on Sunday.
The aesthetic was inspired by St. Barth’s, where the couple has often gone on vacation. “There’s a beach club on the island called La Plage—it’s insanely chic with a loungey vibe, all-white décor, great lighting, and the best DJs,” explains Lindsay. “We wanted our wedding to transport our guests there, so we did an all-white reception—we wanted it to be super chic, clean, and modern.” To achieve the look she was going for, Lindsay sought out the services of Paula Jackson of B.Social events for wedding planning.
The bride’s dress search was a little less straight forward. “I bought a designer gown that I planned to wear, but I had a change of heart just two months before,” admits Lindsay. “I knew I’d feel more comfortable in something casual and beachy. I ended up wearing a white dress that I ordered online from Revolve by the LA-based brand Lovers + Friends. It was on sale for $200! Never in a million years did I think I’d be the girl to wear an off-the-rack wedding dress—but when it arrived, I loved it so much, I knew it was meant to be.”
It was a slinky strapless dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves—silk, light-weight, and perfect for Mexico. She also the accessories simple: strappy silver Jimmy Choo sandals, Samantha Wills earrings, and a ring that was passed down from my late grandmother. After the first dance, she changed into a sexy white lace party dress by Nightcap Clothing, which she also found on Revolve. “I stuck to the beachy theme for beauty,” explains the bride. “I wore my hair down in loose waves, and my makeup was bronzed, glowy, and sunkissed.”
Meanwhile, Matt wore a white tuxedo jacket, black tuxedo pants, and smoking slippers, and the bridesmaids were in all white. “I let them pick their own dresses,” says Lindsay. “The groomsmen wore black tuxedos, and the guests were in sundresses and lightweight linen suits.”
The ceremony took place at sunset in a lush green garden on the Rosewood property. Lindsay walked down the aisle to “Higher Love” by James Vincent McMorrow. “It still makes me cry every time!” admits the bride. The décor was very clean and simple—all white flowers, with white candles lining the aisle. “We wanted the ceremony to be super personal and non-denominational, so we had our best friend marry us,” explains Lindsay. “She spent hours interviewing our families in the months leading up to the wedding, and incorporated their responses into her service. It was beautiful, emotional, and funny—she paused mid-way through her speech and took out a selfie stick so we could all take an amazing group photo. Then Matt and I exchanged our own vows.”
The reception was in a massive thatched roof palapa on the beach with sweeping views. There were all white roses and ranunculas flowers and tons of candles. There was a fresh ceviche station during cocktail hour; followed by, watermelon, feta, and arugula salads to start, and then mains were filet of beef, sea bass, or truffle mushroom risotto. The newlyweds opened up the dance floor with “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. And then, “a lot of tequila was served,” laughs the bride. “And tons of spicy margaritas. We had an incredible DJ and a saxophonist who played in the middle of the dancefloor while everyone danced around him.” There also was a “hora loca.” “It’s a tradition I had never even heard of before our wedding planner suggested it,” admits Lindsay. “But, it’s the final ‘crazy hour’ of the party—we gave out costumes, fancy sombreros, LED props, maracas, etc. and the DJ played super high-energy music. Everyone loved it.” The couple also included a few more Mexico-inspired touches: a churro station (rather than traditional desserts) and a bonfire after-party on the beach (with Coronas, tacos, and quesadillas). “Matt then surprised me with a fireworks show, which was amazing!” says Lindsay. “After that, it started raining just as the night was winding down, so we ended up inviting all of our friends back to our suite for an after-after party.”
