HGTV's Kortney Wilson Is Married! Inside the ‘Modern Boho’ Wedding Ceremony in Mexico (Exclusive)

Wilson tied the knot with entrepreneur Ryan Vella on July 9 in a romantic beach wedding

Kortney Wilson and Ryan Vella are married!

The HGTV Canada star, 44, tied the knot with her entrepreneur husband in a July 9 ceremony in Mexico, surrounded by 140 of their closest friends and family. The newlyweds exclusively tell PEOPLE that their big day was all about “creating a vibe” that is unforgettable.

“We wanted people to have the sort of experience that they couldn’t really explain or put their finger on,” Wilson explains. “Beyond just a great time, we wanted them to leave remembering the feeling they had.”

The pair first met in 2020 on a dating app after Wilson's split from her Masters of Flip co-host Dave Wilson. Hesitant to dip her toes back into the dating world, she signed up using a friend's name instead of her own and had no expectations. But right away Vella’s profile caught her eye.

“This guy. And his eyes. Stopped me in my tracks,” Wilson recalls of seeing Vella for the first time. “They were very kind eyes. Twinkly eyes. And before I could talk myself out of it, I was messaging him back.”

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After a video call, Wilson told Vella to let her know if he ever found himself in Toronto. The next day he was there. It was in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown, but “as luck would have it,” outdoor dining opened just in time for their first date.

Looking back, Wilson jokes that she put Vella through the ringer on their first date. “I lied about my name. I cried about my life. And then I asked the boy to do a jigsaw puzzle,” Wilson says. “Talk about picking up the pieces. The rest, as they say, is history - in the making.”

For Vella, things were much more simple. "Met her. Loved her right away," he says. "She told me on our first date not to fall in love with her. I said, 'Too late.' The end."

The beach oasis setting at the Paradisus Playa Del Carmen resort was the perfect location for what Wilson described as her “modern boho with a twist” wedding vision. As they entered the ceremony, guests were greeted with branded coconuts, and the aisle leading to the altar was lined with layered rugs over the sand.

Wilson says the wedding “was a reminder that we are in control of our own destiny.”

“As I walked down the aisle, I stopped halfway and I put my hand to my chest and took a big breath,” she explains. “I leaned over a little to stop myself from crying and in that very moment I reminded myself to take it all in. When I stood back up, I locked eyes with Ryan before I met my bridesmaids for the remainder of the walk.”

She continues: "I have gone through a tough few years post-divorce and my girlfriends have been by my side through it all, and so it is my girlfriends who walked me down the aisle together.

Wilson's bridesmaids each stopped at a different place on her aisle and waited for her to make her way down. "I walked up by myself until I met each of them along the way and we were all physically connected by the time I reached the end of the aisle, some holding my hands, some holding my dress, another with her hand on my shoulder," she explains.

"It was hard for anyone there to not feel the weight of the meaning. They are my sisters, they are my chosen family, and they were the people who were able to lift me out of a dark place so I could find love again."

Wilson wore a Dany Tabet gown — which she says felt like it was "made for her" the second she put it on. "In my twenties I wanted to feel like a princess," she says. "But in my forties, I want to embrace my curves and my insecurities, and show off my back." She paired the gown with a long veil and Brilliant Earth jewelry.

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The bridal party was dressed in “shades of orange, fuchsia and red pink,” in styles they picked out themselves.

During the ceremony, the happy couple read personal vows to each other.  Wilson adds that her new husband's were “perfect and meaningful."

Cocktail hour had a “fun vibe,” with the couple gifting fedoras to each guest. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served while a Mariachi band “got everyone dancing under the palm trees.”

The reception was held under a palapa with a bridge that led to a “bed of lights.” Upon entering, each member of the wedding party was welcomed with a funny personalized intro that got the guests laughing. Each guest was given a set of maracas with their name and seat number. The party favors also served as the way to get the bride and groom to show some PDA. "You shake, we kiss!” Wilson jokes.

Wilson and Vella shared their first (choreographed!) dance to “I Do,” by Kadie Kadan, from The Voice, and Johnny Reid, who is married to Wilson’s close friend Jennifer.

“Ryan and I were actually able to go to the studio to meet her [Kadan] a few months later, as she was recording the final vocals,” Wilson recalls. “We have a video of us dancing together to the song as she sang it. It was very special.”

The next dance came with a surprise — Fraser Walters, formerly of The Tenors, and his wife Kelly Levesque sang as Vella and his mom danced alongside Wilson and her uncle. Wilson says her guests “were glowing” as they witnessed the sweet moment.

Heart-warming speeches followed including one from Wilson's daughter.

“The cameras and tissues came out and she knocked it out of the park. She was sassy and classy all at the same time,” she gushes.

Before diving into dinner, Wilson, who is also a country singer, says she offered a quick “thank you” to her guests and then sang “Make You Feel My Love” to her new husband — “it was his favorite moment of the night,” she notes.

Mexican cuisine was catered by the hotel’s executive chef and included several of his “favorites,” which Wilson says tasted and looked “unreal.”

She adds: “People are still talking about it.”

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As for the cake, or cakes rather, Wilson says she had one that was “simple” and another “groom’s cake” that poked fun at Vella’s obsession with the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.

“We topped it with a bride dragging her man in hockey skates to the wedding,” Wilson reveals.

The couple's wedding day was “perfect” ending with an “epic” dance to “Bohemian Rhapsody” before jumping into the pool. The nuptials meant more to Wilson than a celebration with loved ones, it marked a new beginning, one that she never knew was possible.

“I believe in second chances and that staying true to who you are means something,” she shares of marriage. “And it means that I am enough. Just as I am, Ryan loves me and I’m in love with loving him for the rest of my life.”

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