With each Los Cabos wedding that I photograph, there are always elements that communicate who the couple is. The oceanfront wedding of McLean and Nick was comfortably elegant and warmly intimate. The blend of rustic Mexican and sophisticated modern played perfectly against the stunning Punta Ballena ocean backdrop. The courtyard ceremony strewn with lighted hearts, the gown, the bride’s shoes, the details… …it was stunning and I was so honored to be the one to document such an incredible celebration.

The bride, McLean, wrote this:

“Ten years before our wedding day, I took a family vacation to Las Ventanas and one evening, walked to a high point in the resort. As the sun set, the fire pits came alive and the tiny hanging blown glass hearts that always hang from the trees in Cabo looked as if they glowed from within. I watched my parents, happily married for, at the time, 25 years, embrace. (They celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary while we were in Cabo!) I snapped a photo, knowing I wanted to find that kind of love someday.
In the 10 years since, I’ve returned to Cabo many times, with family, friends and with my now husband, enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the city. When we got engaged in December of 2015, Cabo was the first place we thought to host our wedding. As a luxury travel writer and advisor, I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the globe reporting on new hotels and trends in travel, weddings and more, but Cabo has always been a top destination.
We selected a private oceanfront villa in Punta Ballena (where Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, is located) for the event, as we wanted to have a multi-day intimate party for our closest family and friends. Fifty people from all over the country arrived for the event, which began with a welcome party featuring an 8-piece mariachi band on Wednesday. Welcome bags featured oversized watercolor name tags, craft tequila, homemade chips, salsa, and Mexican wedding cookies, and mini hangover kits, as a well as a custom itinerary that matched the invitation suite.
Thursday’s six o’clock wedding was timed to maximize the ‘golden hour’ for photographs and ideal temperature. Nick and I were wed in the home’s private courtyard which had doors that opened directly to a patio overlooking a pool terrace and the ocean.
I wore a Pronovias ball gown and cathedral length veil covered in Swarovski crystals and the my husband and groom’s party wore white dinner jackets. My best friend, a television correspondent, officiated. An electric violinist played for the ceremony and reception, followed by a 7-piece full rock band for the dinner hour and reception where guests were served a multi-course meal on dark wooden tables covered with traditional multicolored otomi runners and hundreds of oversized candles in large glass jars. The Mexican glass hearts that the bride saw a decade before in the trees were used as place settings.
Guests danced all evening and were surprised at the end of the celebration with a 3 minute professional fireworks show just before the my husband and I made a sparkler exit via golf cart adorned with tin cans, flowers, and a ‘just married’ sign.
We loved every detail of our big day — the benefit of having an 18-month planning period to make sure everything was perfect! Amy, of Amy Abbott Events, really helped bring the vision to reality — we couldn’t have done it without her, McLean’s amazing mother, the true brains behind this?vision :). Lazy Gourmet really took the food next level as well; everyone raved about the Mexican Coffees! We wanted the wedding to feel like the world’s best dinner party, and it was truly a success. Having just 50 guests meant that we could really take the time to celebrate with everyone. Many guests joined for the whole week in Mexico, making it feel more like a vacation than a one-night-only affair. Getting the photos back was such a treat, and we’re thrilled that we engaged Sara for the welcome party as well as the main event. Working with Sara was such a
highlight, she and her husband made us feel comfortable and beautiful throughout the process. Can we do it again next year?

Yes, McLean! Let’s do this again next year! Your wedding was stunning, as were you! Thank you for the privilege of documenting your day.
-Sara

 

Photography: Sara Richardson // Planning: Amy Abbott Events // Dress and Veil: Pronovias from Betsy Robinson Bridal // Shoes: Miu Miu // Tuxedo: Men’s Warehouse // Location: Private Villa on the grounds of Punta Ballena ) // Catering: Lazy Gourmet // Band: Kilometro // Violin: Luciano Pavan // Hair and Makeup: Blanc Bridal Salon