Destination wedding alert!
Monique and Darryn’s gorgeous Thailand wedding gave us all the feels when we first saw it on Maresha’s Instagram feed! Yay social media!
12 pm sea swims which ended at 3 am walks on the beach made this wedding one for the books and one we are obviously so excited to share with our readers, especially the brides who are planning a destination wedding.
Monique and Darryn knew they wanted an intimate, overseas event, and they pulled off the most beautiful day!
Make yourself a cup of coffee and get swept away to Thailand for a beautiful seaside wedding day!
Thank you to Maresha for these gorgeous photographs! 
Hi guys, please introduce yourself to the Hooray readers…
M + D: We are Monique and Darryn. We met in our Matric year in 2010, 2 weeks prior to his Matric dance and a week before mine. His Matric dance was our first date and he had to come to ask for permission because my parents are “old school”. The biggest joke of the relationship is that I told him I loved him on the first date… it was also our first kiss!
In November, when we finished our Matric exams, he asked me to be his girlfriend.
Hooray: Tell us about your proposal
Monique: In October 2018, he planned a surprise trip to Turkey. (which I had been begging for us to go to since 2016!)
During our stay in Cappadocia, Darryn told me we need to be up early for a sunrise breakfast and to watch the view of all the hot air balloons. We had had a late night the night before so I wanted to watch it in our hotel gowns. He was so upset with this idea and forced me to put on something more presentable. When we eventually got upstairs, breakfast was laid out and we were the only people on the private deck.
We ate and then I asked him if we could take some pictures so he called the receptionist. I was directing the receptionist, telling him exactly which angle I wanted him to take the picture, and Darryn was getting ready to pop the question! When I got back to our photo point, he dropped to one knee and asked. The ring belonged to his mum who passed away from cancer in the year we met. I was in shock and tears started rolling down my cheek. I couldn’t say a word, so he got up hugged me, and whispered “I am going to try that again” this time I said yes.
Hooray: Your morning was full of fun moments, what was your favourite part?
Monique: The jumping on the bed like we were kids again… I don’t drink so popping the champagne was eventful and we had a few failed attempts… should definitely have practiced because I was completely soaked at the end and all my makeup and hair was done before the showers!
Hooray: What was the one non-negotiable at your wedding?
M + D: It had to be intimate and overseas.
Hooray: How many people attended your wedding?
M + D: We had 26 guests originally but due to the virus we had 20, the UAE banned its citizens from leaving the country and other guests flights were being canceled
Hooray: How did you choose your photographer?
Monique: I wanted a soft-hearted woman who I would feel comfortable around. I am someone who loves the people close to me unconditionally and therefore needed someone who I would allow into my circle of trust. I came across Maresha and she was an angel sent from heaven, exactly what I wanted in a photograph. I did not know where I was getting married but I knew I wanted her. Maresha has since become a friend of ours. 
Hooray: What was it like walking through the streets of Thailand during your couple’s shoot?
Monique: I was hesitant when Maresha suggested this, but because we formed a friendship, I trusted her and decided to go with it. Turns out, it was probably one of the most exciting moments of the day! Everyone was hooting, shouting and cheering while we were in the streets, it’s amazing how the world comes together to celebrate love!
***HSN: These are our favourite photos from your day, so we are so glad Maresha could persuade you! Girls, always trust your photographer and their vision!
Hooray: Advice for brides wanting to plan a destination wedding.
M + D: With it being a destination wedding, it is special already, don’t fuss about the small stuff…. our friends and family spent 5 days consistently together before the wedding, all my choice. Having a bunch of people, some knew each other, others didn’t and everyone just got along…. the first night was crucial which was the bachelors and bachelorette party which broke the ice.
Hooray: Any advice on what time of year bride’s should choose when getting married in Thailand.
M + D: February was perfect because it is not humid and not the rainy season…. we were lucky that it was not full either so took advantage of it with a “rent your own crowd”… Bophut is more romantic and chilled and Chaweng is more of a party and vibe… we spent time exploring Koh Samui with everyone
Hooray: The biggest hurdle you faced planning your wedding?
Monique: Despite it being overseas we had the best planner any woman could ask for. The biggest hurdle was drifting from the traditional big family wedding where you don’t really know everyone present or aren’t close to many of the guests
I never have birthdays because I don’t enjoy the attention on me so my 21st and childhood birthdays were the only parties I had. From when I could choose, these stopped. Darryn loves big birthdays and his dad wanted a big wedding. However, Darryn and I are not that close to our extended family and a small intimate wedding would be perfect for us
Hooray: Did you find it difficult planning a destination wedding?
Monique: Initially, it was hard learning to trust the person I was working with, but after time, I realized I had the best wedding planner ever and it turned out better than I could have ever imagined
Hooray: What was happening with your dress? Your bridesmaids seemed to be fixing the bottom with their teeth!?
Monique: Well my mum came with me to my final dress fitting to see how they needed to clip it up but if you knew her, then you would realize that I should have known it was a bad idea! My mum couldn’t quite remember how it all worked, so everyone was trying to figure out how it worked and decided to attempt to put it up. It fell out during the first dance but survived the father-daughter dance
Hooray: The one thing you would change about your wedding if you could travel back in time?
M + D: The timing of the virus, as this caused many to have to cancel their trips due to the circumstances
Hooray: Okay, wait… did Darryn do a small striptease for you!?
Monique: It was completely unexpected but for the garter toss he did a striptease to the song “Pony”. He was like my very own Channing Tatum!
***HSN: This must of been such a surprise for you!
Hooray: Things seemed to be so festive and one big party, what time did things wrap up?
M + D: The party ended at midnight but we had people jumping in the pool fully clothed and later running into the sea! At the end of the night, we headed to Fisherman’s Village and ended the night at 3 am with a walk along the beach … once back in our room, we found a honeymoon cake waiting for us and stuffed our faces!
Hooray: Lastly, what was the best moment of your wedding day?
Monique: This is a difficult question, we have joint highlights and individual highlights of our wedding day. Our joint highlights would be: walking down the aisle and the first dance. My highlights would be his speech and garter toss… of course! Darryn’s highlights were us saying our vows and the fire show in the evening.
Monique and Darryn, thank you so much for sharing your absolutely beautiful wedding day with us today.
We wish you many more happy years ahead filled with adventures and walks on the beach followed by cake at 3 am!
Magic Makers
Photographer: Maresha Lee Photography
Venue: Peace Resort
Planner: Samui Wedding by Design
Catering, Cake + Cocktail Bar: Peace Resort
DJ: Raffaele Sabatini
Pastor: Samui Celebrant
Makeup: Elena Kolpakova
Dress: Jeannelle la Amour Bridal
Shoes: Steve Madden
Rings: Browns Jewellers
Bridesmaid dresses: Pretty Little Thing
Bikinis: Zaful
Groom’s suit: Made in Bali
Groom’s shirt: Charles Tyrwhitt
Socks: Granadilla Swim
Groomsmen chino’s: Zara
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