Contoy Plaza · Portofino Rooftop · May 2025
Most destination weddings in Costa Mujeres follow the same geography — ceremony at the beach gazebo, cocktail hour somewhere tropical, reception with an ocean view. Annie and Codie did it differently. Their ceremony happened in the Contoy Plaza, the central courtyard at Secrets Playa Blanca — surrounded by the architecture of the resort rather than the open sea. No beach. No gazebo. A different kind of beautiful entirely.
But the wedding did not start on the wedding day. It started a couple of days before, on a catamaran headed to Isla Mujeres for a sunset sailing trip with their closest family and friends. Seventy-five people had traveled to be with them — and before any of the formal celebration began, Annie and Codie gave them an afternoon on the water. The kind of afternoon that makes everyone who attended a destination wedding understand exactly why destination weddings exist.
Before the wedding day — a catamaran to Isla Mujeres
The sail to Isla Mujeres takes about 45 minutes from the Costa Mujeres marina. By the time you arrive, the island has already done its work on you — the pace slows, the water gets impossibly clear, and whatever stress was left from the week of pre-wedding logistics dissolves somewhere between the dock and the first drink.
Annie and Codie spent that afternoon surrounded by the people who mattered most. No formal agenda, no timeline, no coordination required. Just the group of people who had flown in from across the country, together on a boat, watching the sun go down over the Caribbean. Those are the moments that never make it into a wedding highlight reel — and the ones people talk about for years.
Getting ready — and a dad first look that set the tone.
On the wedding day, Annie started hair and makeup at 11am before moving to the hotel room. Beth and Frank Pugliese were close by. Lynn and Keith Bourn were with Codie. The two families had spent days together at this point — on the catamaran, at the resort, at dinners — which meant that by the time the wedding day arrived, the getting-ready rooms had the energy of people who already knew each other well. Relaxed. Warm. Already celebrating.
Annie and Codie did a first look. No beach, no grand setting — just the two of them, somewhere on the property, seeing each other before the ceremony. The kind of moment that removes the pressure from the aisle walk and replaces it with something better: the knowledge that you have already had your private moment, and everything that comes next is pure celebration.
The ceremony at Contoy Plaza.
At 5:25pm, Annie and Codie got married in the Contoy Plaza — the central courtyard at Secrets Playa Blanca. It is a completely different visual experience from the beach gazebo that most couples choose at this resort. The architecture frames the ceremony rather than the horizon. The light works differently — bouncing off the surrounding walls rather than coming off the water. The intimacy feels architectural rather than natural.
For a couple who had spent the previous days giving their guests the open water, the island, the sunset — choosing an enclosed courtyard for the ceremony felt like a deliberate counterpoint. And it was. The Contoy Plaza ceremony at Secrets Playa Blanca has a specific quality to it that the beach settings simply do not — it feels like the resort is holding the moment rather than just witnessing it.
Seventy-five people were there. Every one of them had earned their seat.
Couple portraits — around the venue, never the beach.
Annie and Codie had asked specifically for portraits around the venue — not just at the beach. Which gave us the full property to work with: the courtyard architecture, the garden corridors, the hidden corners of Secrets Playa Blanca that most wedding galleries never show. For a documentary photographer, this is a genuinely exciting brief. The best images from a venue are rarely the most obvious ones.
The late afternoon May light at Secrets Playa Blanca filters differently than in the winter months — warmer, slightly softer, with a golden quality that arrives earlier and stays longer when the humidity is up. The tropical flowers Annie had throughout the day caught that light in a way that made the color photographs feel saturated and alive. The black and white ones — she had asked for some — had a completely different kind of weight.
The reception at Portofino Rooftop.
At 7pm the party moved upstairs to the Portofino Rooftop — the elevated open-air reception space at Secrets Playa Blanca with the Caribbean visible beyond the edge of the property. Seventy-five people filled it without it ever feeling crowded.
The entrance. The first dance. Speeches. Dinner. Cake cutting. The bouquet toss and the garter toss. And then the dancing — which is where Codie, who had been calm and measured all day, apparently revealed a completely different side of himself. The candid party photographs that Annie had specifically requested — mostly candids, real energy, real people celebrating — are the kind that get shared in family group chats for years.
Two weddings at Secrets Playa Blanca — two completely different stories.
Annie and Codie's wedding was our third time documenting a wedding at Secrets Playa Blanca — and it reinforced what we have always believed about this venue: that the couples who use it well are the ones who treat it as a full property rather than just a beach backdrop.
Addison and Shayne used the jungle pool, the beach gazebo, and the rooftop. Annie and Codie never went near the beach — they found the courtyard, the architecture, and the interior spaces. Two completely different visual stories from the same venue. That is what makes Secrets Playa Blanca one of our favorite venues to photograph in this area.
About Secrets Playa Blanca.
Adults-only, intimate, and consistently one of the most photogenic venues in the Costa Mujeres corridor. The Contoy Plaza courtyard, the jungle pool, the Portofino Rooftop, the beach gazebo, the hidden terrace — each space has its own light and its own visual character. After documenting multiple weddings here, we know exactly how to use all of it.
For couples considering Secrets Playa Blanca for their destination wedding — the golden hour light at this property is extraordinary, the coordinator team is experienced, and the venue rewards couples who take the time to explore beyond the obvious settings.
Planning a wedding at Secrets Playa Blanca?
We have documented multiple weddings here and know this property well — the light, the spaces, and the coordinator team. If you are planning a destination wedding at Secrets Playa Blanca, we would love to be part of your day.
