• home
  • about me
  • latest
  • brooke beyond

  • destinations
    • WORLD MAP
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Indonesia
      • Laos
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Aus + NZ
      • Adelaide & South Australia
      • Brisbane & Queensland
      • Hobart & Tasmania
      • Melbourne & Victoria
      • Perth & Western Australia
      • Sydney & New South Wales
      • New Zealand
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • UK
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
        • all Mexico
        • Baja Peninsula
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Panama
      • Peru
    • USA
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • Oregon
      • Utah
      • Washington
      • Wyoming
  • hiking guides

brooke beyond

Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Jalisco / Latin America / Mexico

Vanlife diaries #45: my mum just got married in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

January 16, 2022

Different from our previous time on the road in so many ways, we spent this week outside of the van, entirely surrounded by family, old and new, for my mum’s wedding at a beachfront resort in Puerto Vallarta. It was everything I could have hoped for her and such a wonderful time with family in the midst of our lengthy trip. 

What we’ve been up to this week

After arriving into Mazatlán, Sinaloa and making the long drive south through Nayarit, we arrived into Nuevo Vallarata (just north of Puerto Vallarta) on Sunday afternoon to meet mum and her fiancé Kevin at the Grand Mayan. 

Everything our vanlife trip thus far was not, this resort was like adult Disneyland, an incomprehensible network of swim-up bars and private beaches on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. It took us over an hour to pack what few belongings we needed for the week into plastic bins for bellboys to drag up to room, and still it felt strange to leave our van unoccupied in the valet area, like we somehow left a part of ourselves behind in the home that’s been our only constant after nearly a year on the road. 

Although we never really got the relaxing week we’d envisioned, what with running around for the wedding and trying to coordinate half a dozen different contingents, I got something far better, which was a wonderful extension of family— Kevin’s late wife’s family joined us for the wedding week and truly became part of mum’s own family.

She never sat down for a restful moment herself, but I know she got everything she wanted all the same. 

Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
The family in Nuevo Vallarta

Amidst nightly family dinners and lively parties back in our shared apartment, one of the highlights of the week was setting sail on a sparkling catamaran into Banderas Bay, searching for whales, drinking endless cocktails, and just generally enjoying the paradise of Pacific Mexico. 

We’d spent the last month and a half gawking at the natural beauty of Baja and the Sea of Cortez, but now found ourselves entranced by an entirely new side to the country we’ve grown to love so much— at every turn, Mexico blows me away.

And watching humpback whales swim within 10m of our boat, all while surrounded by slightly intoxicated cousins and aunties, is a different kind of special. 

Whale watching Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
Humpback whales swimming by our catamaran
Whale watching Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
Whale watching Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
Whale watching Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
Whale watching Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
Whale watching in Banderas Bay

We also had the opportunity to revive an old family tradition this week: the January birthday party. A disproportionate amount of our extended family was born in the first month of the year (no fewer than 9 of us), and including Dan’s approaching 40th, we had 4 birthdays to celebrate here in Mexico.

My aunt coordinated a party bus and made reservations at La Langosta Feliz in Puerto Vallarta— we celebrated her birthday (the next day), my little cousin’s (the previous day), and mine and Dan’s (next week) to the tune of live mariachi music, giant margaritas, and platters of lobster. It’s hard to imagine a better or more fitting party for the 4 of us, and we enjoyed every minute.

Vanlife Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
Birthday party in Puerto Vallarta with my auntie Carolyn & cousin Katie

By the time the 14th of January rolled around, we were all nervous energy (me) and frizzy hair (also me), but a certain resoluteness overcame both mum and Kevin as they prepared for their wedding day without a discernible trace of anxiety or apprehension.

I cried all the tears for everyone involved, particularly standing next to mum as her Maid of Honour. 

Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
How special to be the Maid of Honour at your mum’s wedding!
Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Our little family

There aren’t really words to express what it means to be your mum’s Maid of Honour and stand beside her on one of the most significant days of her life. 

A lifetime has brought us here, through years of laughter and as many moments of conflict, but always as best friends and always together— she’s given me everything and now it’s finally her turn to move forward, to begin the life she’s always imagined, the one she’s always deserved. I can’t imagine a better week than that.

Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
me (Maid of Honour) & my cousin Katie (Bridesmaid) with the happy couple
Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
My beautiful mum & her new husband, Kevin
Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Wedding Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Me & Dan

Where we stayed this week

  • Living it up at the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit (free if your mum is the bride; 9-16 Jan 2022)
Vanlife Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
Vanlife Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
iguana at resort Puerto Vallarta Jalisco Mexico
TAGS:vanlifevanlife diariesvanlife mexico
2 Comments
Share
brooke brisbine

I've spent the last decade exploring the world— everything from solo trekking in the Andes to overlanding in Zambia, all while completing a PhD in Biomechanics, teaching at a university & securing permanent residency in Australia. In 2020, I finally fulfilled my dream of becoming a full-time nomad! Whether it’s vanlife in Mexico, scuba diving in the Galápagos, ticking off incredible US National Parks, or climbing in the Dolomites, I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

Leave a Comment Cancel Comment

The Comments

  • Jo Ann Sipe
    February 20, 2022

    Beautiful pictures, Brooke!

    Reply
    • brooke brisbine
      Jo Ann Sipe
      March 5, 2022

      Thank you, Jo Ann! The wedding photographer did a beautiful job capturing the day. Sending you lots of love!

      Reply

You May Also Like

February 15, 2022

A complete guide to visiting Cabo Pulmo National Park in Baja California Sur, Mexico

May 4, 2020

How to get from Bogotá to San Gil (bus or flight): Colombia transport guide

December 18, 2019

Best of the Peruvian Andes: 3-4 week Peru trekking itinerary

hi, I’m brooke!

I've spent the last decade exploring the world— everything from solo trekking in the Andes to overlanding in Zambia, all while completing a PhD in Biomechanics. In 2020, I finally fulfilled my dream of becoming a full-time nomad! Whether it’s vanlife in Mexico, scuba diving in the Galápagos, ticking off incredible US National Parks, or climbing in the Dolomites, I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

read my story
currently exploring

currently exploring

mexico

img

travel resources

flights ✈️ Skyscanner

hotels 🏨 booking.com

adventure gear 🥾 REI

travel essentials 📸 Amazon

travel guides

hiking guides

vanlife resources

moving to australia

trip itineraries

recent posts

  • Alta Via 4 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 4 (day 0): San Candido to Rifugio Tre Scarperi

    December 28, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 13): Rifugio Boz to Croce d’Aune

    October 11, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 12): Passo Cereda to Rifugio Boz

    October 11, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 11): Rifugio Treviso to Passo Cereda + Via Ferrata Canalone

    October 11, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 10): Rifugio Pradidali to Rifugio Treviso + Via Ferrata Porton & Nico Gusella

    October 3, 2022

…

travel beyond the ordinary

Explore my travel guides, custom itineraries & blog posts with an interactive world map ✨

all destinations

…

  • home
  • about me
  • latest
  • destinations
  • hiking guides
  • moving to Australia
  • vanlife resources
  • contact

COPYRIGHT © 2022 BROOKE BEYOND. TRAVEL BEYOND THE ORDINARY. Site Powered by Pix & Hue.