A Beautiful Destination Wedding in Cabo Full of Surprises

Go get married in Cabo

Some brides might not be excited about surprises on their wedding day, but Emily and Matthew’s gorgeous ocean view wedding at the JW Marriot Los Cabos wouldn’t have been the same without them! We’re not talking disaster-status here, we’re talking carefully orchestrated surprises from the family and coordinator.

From the surprise singers reenacting a scene from “Love Actually” at their ceremony, to the surprise firework show after their first dance, don’t be afraid of getting a few surprises on your wedding day! Read more about their wedding below, and check out the full gallery for more heartfelt moments captured by Robert Evans Studios.

Cano bride

Destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas

From Craven and Co.: Emily Anne Aragona and Matthew David Carter were married in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on November 4, 2017. Emily and Matt live in Austin, Texas, but Cabo has been a special place for the Aragona family for over 20 years, so the destination was very sentimental for Emily and Matt. They are a fun couple so we started off with a piñata save-the date filled with Hershey's Kisses. The parents of the bride wanted a few surprises for the couple sprinkled in which made the weekend unforgettable for everyone.

Manolo heels Floral aplique dress

Colorful suspenders for the groom

Unplugged ceremony sign

Ceremony drink sign

Shake me at the kiss

The wedding ceremony took place at the Water Mirror at JW Marriott. It's a beautiful, negative edge serenity pool that appears to spill into the ocean behind it. The floor and sides of the Water Mirror space are a beautiful, cream stone. The bride had one bridesmaid: her sister, Sarah. The groom had two groomsmen. A close friend of the couple officiated. A custom maraca with the message "shake me at the kiss" along with the date and initials was at each guest's seat.

Blue maraca wedding favor

Custom maraca wedding favor

Waterfront ceremony in Cabo Just married!

Surprise singers during the ceremony

We surprised the bride and groom when the band recreated the scene from the movie Love Actually, when musicians and singers are hidden in the audience as "guests" and sing Love Is All You Need as the couple is about to begin the recessional. So imagine the singer standing up on his chair first to start, then horns standing up one by one on cue. It was amazing to watch the guests and wedding party figure out what's happening...just like in Love Actually.

Escort cards

Head table with floral canopy

Elegant white and green reception

White and green reception with acrylic chairs

Surprise fireworks!

During the first dance, we had a cascade of white fireworks behind the couple followed by a surprise fireworks show, which was the final surprise of the night. Emily and Matt snuck down to a bonfire on the beach to have a few quiet minutes before they went back to their friends to dance the night away.

Big band reception Sparkler backdrop for the first dance

White wedding cake with white roses

Don't be afraid of surprises

From the bride: An unconventional piece of advice is to let people surprise you. So many people (I’m looking at you, brides!) want complete control over the entire day, but it’s a lot more exciting and a lot less stressful to have some things be a surprise. If you have you parents, siblings or friends involved in the planning, let them surprise you! The surprises my parents and wedding planner had planned, including a lot of pyrotechnics, were some of my favorite moments and my guests loved them too.

Surprise firework show or the newlyweds