Jenna and Ryan got married in Los Cabos, Mexico and it was a stunning event. “This is a place where our phones are left off, our minds are at rest. Though Cabo is commercially developed to be a safe tourist playground, it still holds an authentic charm.”
Jenna wanted a boho chic look and had king proteas in all details, along with garden roses, ranunculus, red lisianthus and baby’s breath. The bride wasn’t afraid to go for strong dark colors which made the whole wedding reception truly set on the boho chic style, but refreshingly unique as Jenna was able tie that up with Mexican elements. Don’t miss a single detail! View the full gallery, photographed by Anna Gomes Photo.
ADVICE FROM THE BRIDE
Set expectations: When it comes
to planning a wedding, it is critical to set and reset and reset
expectations 🙂 I found this to be very important with almost everyone
that participated in the planning process, but especially with my groom,
wedding planner and wedding coordinator. Create a timeline: Figure out what needs to be done and when it should be done by. It’s
important to identify what ‘must’ get done and what things are okay if
they don’t make it into the wedding celebrations or big day. Take
deep breaths, look around, and find something small in each person or
thing to be grateful for. It’s just one way to soak in a day that goes
too fast.
A Discrete Way To Have Bridesmaids
The night before the wedding, bride and groom hosted a welcome dinner at
Medano beach in Cabo. A simple buffet styled event had cute all-Mexican
details as the colorful blankets that decorated linens in the tables
and the classic Rancheria bean cans that were used for vases on
centerpieces.
The wedding day came and Jenna was a vision in her Galia Lahav gown,
that looked like a gown made specially for her. During the getting ready
Jenna, who opted for no bridal party, had nonetheless her 3 best
friends who discreetly wore the same dress in different colors, so there
was no doubt who “Morton’s maids” were.
Roll With The Punches
The table chart was also unique. Origami birds carried handwritten names
and table numbers while clothes pins secured each one to a cascade of
ivy, on the entrance of the reception area. Blue glasses, gold candle
holders with burgundy tall candles, gorgeous centerpieces that included
feathers created an atmosphere of harmony between all of the elements.
The sweetheart table had a couple of decorated skulls to top it of. The
night went ahead filled with love and happiness as guests danced the
night away.
From the
beginning of the planning process, I hoped that some things would go
wrong so that I would remember more about the wedding. I had no idea
that my hopes would play out the way they did during our wedding week.
The weekend prior to our wedding and 2 days before flying to Cabo, I
came down with a 72 hour bug that had my stomach upside down. Planning a
wedding can become a full-time job and when trying to juggle a
full-time job during wedding planning, organization and prioritization
are your best friends. Weekends were my designated time for everything
wedding related, even up to the last weekend before the wedding. It was
the Saturday before our departure to Cabo and I planned to tackle all of
the pampering errands (i.e. eyelash extensions, nails, makeup supplies,
etc), but my health had something else in mind. I woke up thinking it
was food poisoning and fought through the day of errands and packing up
the wedding decorations in the many borrowed suitcases from friends.
Come Sunday, the excitement and endorphins got me through getting to the
airport with 10 suitcases (yes, 10!… Including a snowboarding bag)
and then arriving in Cabo. By Sunday night, I was back in bed and
basically stayed there till Tuesday morning. By Wednesday morning, my groom had the same symptoms I had and fear flooded me… 72
hours meant he would be sick on our wedding day. While figuring out
what I could do to fix this stomach bug, I received a text that back in
California, my dad had been hospitalized with kidney stones and was
scheduled for surgery the next day. With all the stress leading up to
the wedding and given that the wedding was two days away, I crumbled.
We did our best to put ourselves together for our welcome reception on Thursday night (day before our wedding). As guests started walking over to the
taco bar that we hosted on the beach, the DJ’s speaker randomly fell off
of the stand and onto one of our guests head… Given that speakers are
quite heavy, this knocked our guest unconscious and gave her a cut that
would require stitches. (Side note: She had a month long concussion,
but luckily she is all better). By the day of the wedding, I was filled
with happiness, but ready to breeze through the day so I could be back
together with my sick fiancé/soon to be hubby! Also, I had one more
thing to do… My dad was not cleared to fly following his surgery so I
wanted the other man whom I admire like a father to be by my side. When
I went to ask my soon to be father-in-law if he would do me the honor
of walking me down the aisle, I found out that he too had come down with
the same stomach bug. He was quite the trooper and with a smile on his
face, he escorted me on that special walk. Lessons
learned, when things go wrong, roll with them. My favorite part of the
wedding process was being engaged… The level of stress a bride
experiences can be looked at in multiple ways, but I urge all brides to
choose to remember the love for your partner and why you are planning a
wedding. With all the stress of planning our wedding, my fiancé was my
escape. He didn’t always know or understand why I was stressed, but I
asked him to be my shoulder and he always pulled me in for a hug. Trust
in your love, your partner, and most importantly yourself and you will
have the wedding experience that you desire.
