• Real Weddings

Planning a destination wedding may seem like more work than a local wedding, and in some ways it is. But, for this couple, deciding on a destination wedding was the best thing they could have done. It forced them to put their faith and trust in the professionals and allowed them to focus on each other and quality time with their family. The great thing about a destination wedding is that nothing can happen last minute, everything needs to be planned far in advance, so when you land, all that's left to do is have a great time! 

Martha Ayala planned this chic beachside micro wedding. The terrace at The Cape Hotel overlooks the coastline and makes for the perfect beach venue. You get all of the benefits of the scenery without the inconvenience of the sand. The couple worked closely with their photographer, LA76 Photography to make sure they got all the shots they needed and wanted without getting distracted from what really mattered. To see all of the photos from this gorgeous wedding, check out the full gallery. Keep reading to hear more from the bride about how they stayed in the moment on their big day. 

RELAX AND LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS 

Planning a wedding is a complete whirlwind of excitement, anxious nerves, and sometimes a sprinkle of stress! When we decided to plan a destination wedding, we chose beautiful, sunny Los Cabos as a perfect location due to the proximity to all of our friends and family, the sparkling blue ocean, and the unparalleled food and service….but seriously it’s unlike anywhere else! As we were packing up our (many) suitcases getting ready to head to the airport we took a deep breath and said to ourselves, “we did everything we possibly could do, let’s pray it goes well, and let’s have fun!” Our wedding being a destination took pressure and stress off of our families, especially our moms, they truly could sit back and relax knowing we had an amazing team of vendors covering every detail of our special day! Shout out to superwoman herself, Martha Ayala with Martha Ayala Cabo Weddings for making our day all about love! We didn’t have one moment go by where we weren’t laughing and enjoying ourselves, all of the hard work and many postponements led to this exact day and time and it truly couldn’t have been any more special. My number one piece of advice to brides would be to take a moment with your partner, look into each other's eyes while holding hands, and know that you have each other! This small moment together at the beginning of the night set the tone for the rest of the evening and instantly took away all of our nerves, we just focused on each other! 

GETTING READY 

The morning of the wedding I woke up around 6:00 am, my goal was to sleep until 7:30, but the excited nerves got a hold of me and I couldn’t lay there any longer! I immediately filled up the jacuzzi tub overlooking a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and soaked in some quiet time while sipping a hot coffee. I slipped into my silk Lunya robe and had breakfast on the patio with my sisters while waiting for my bridesmaids to arrive. Shortly after breakfast and face masks with the girls, the extremely talented glam team, Los Cabos Makeup arrived to get us all glammed up! For myself, I went with modern, beachy waves and soft bronze makeup with a natural pink lip. I wanted to feel and look like myself, just a little more sultry and they accomplished it and more! With the help of my mom, I slipped into a crochet lace Martina Liana gown that I picked up at Panache Bridal in Beverly Hills. It was the perfect mix of modern beach chic, not to mention it was so comfortable! While the girls all got ready in their long silky dresses, Fame and Partners for the Maid of Honors and Show Me Your Mumu gowns for the bridesmaids, the guys enjoyed some ice-cold Pacifico’s on the patio of their room before they got ready, which was basically an hour before! 

A UNIQUE TAKE ON A FIRST LOOK 

We decided we wanted to do a first look and read our vows to each other so we could make sure we said everything we wanted to, I was also a little nervous about completely losing it in front of everyone. When I say everyone, I mean all 24 people! I would suggest 100 times over for couples to do a first look and exchange vows if you're nervous about the ceremony. Once we were done with our vows, our nerves were completely wiped away. We went straight into pictures, which LA76 Photography made so much fun! It was so easy to be ourselves around them. We didn’t want pictures to take away from us enjoying our cocktail hour and they definitely didn’t. 

THE FUN PART 

For our cocktail hour, we had the talented acoustic guitarist, Arturo Sotomayor playing live music while guests gazed at an amazing view and devoured the most delicious passed appetizers on copper trays. We added personalized drink stir sticks to complement the pineapple margaritas and exotic signature cocktails. From there we entered our magical all-white reception with the perfect amount of pops of copper and indigo! It was seriously everything I imagined and MORE. We chose to do a family-style meal to encourage conversation and the connection people build over great food! If you haven’t been to The Cape Hotel, go book a stay right now, run don’t walk! Seriously, the food is to die for and our wedding food was no exception. We decided to do our toasts during dessert and then we went straight into dancing. Once the formal dances were over, we had DJ Alex transition right into dance music! The margaritas were flowing and the dance moves were shining. Before we knew it our night sadly came to an end…people don’t lie when they say the night goes by in a blink! I cannot thank our incredible team of vendors who made our day so magical, it will truly be our favorite memory thus far.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

The budget for this wedding was $50,000. Please note that prices do change, and this budget breakdown gives you an idea of how much a wedding like this might cost you.

• Bridesmaid Dresses: Fame and Partners
• Couple: Nina Simpson
• Couple: Mike Haas
• Event Planning & Design: Martha Ayala
• Groom & His Men: Suit Supply
• Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Olga Bustos, Los Cabos Makeup
• Jewelry: Nina Simpson
• Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: DJ Alex Cabo Events
• Photographers: LA76 Photography
• Rentals: Let It Be Events
• Signage: Us Creating
• Venues: The Cape Hotel
• Wedding Dresses: Martina Liana