Ever since Tim was younger, vacationing annually at Rancho Las Cruces in Mexico, he dreamed of having his wedding at the chapel on the ranch. Tim’s strong, familiar connection with the ranch made having a destination wedding there an obvious choice. His family had been traveling to the very same place for 20 years, making the location extra meaningful. His bride-to-be, Kamren, was completely on board with this decision, excited to begin their life together at such a sentimental place.

Upon breaking the news of the destination wedding to the family, some were apprehensive, while others were excited for a change of pace. “There was some negative reactions due to cost, but we turned it into a vacation for everyone so it would be worth every penny!” explains Kamren.

Planning the wedding was simple due to the previous experience Rancho Las Cruces had with planning and hosting weddings. They knew exactly who to contact and what needed to be done to make the planning process stress free and seamless. Their local connections were invaluable due to the language barrier. “We couldn’t have done it without the staff at Las Cruces!” says the bride.

The most complicated aspect of the entire week were travel logistics. The direct flight from Los Angeles to La Paz was cancelled, which forced the couple to organize 13-passenger charter planes for their guests to a private landing strip at the ranch. With family coming in from all over the world including England, Germany, New York and Washington, flight data was a bit messy but nothing was going to stop Tim and Kamren from having the wedding of their dreams.

Once everyone safely arrived to the ranch, they received welcome bags to kick off the week. Each canvas tote was printed with the save-the-date design and stuffed with all sorts of treats for the guests to enjoy. Other DIY projects included personalized boxes filled with beautifully painted pottery from a famed local pottery store in La Paz. Tim, Karen, and her future sister-in-law spent precious time bonding while they assembled the gifts.

Because everything in Mexico is so inexpensive, Kamren and Time ultimately saved money by hosting a destination wedding. Had they hosted their wedding in their home town of Santa Barbara the wedding would have been much bigger but not nearly as memorable. “We couldn’t have splurged nearly as much on events, food, flowers and décor, as well as our own wedding attire and gifts for our wedding party. Having a weeklong destination wedding really narrows it down to your closest friends and family, and allows everyone to truly get to know one another where as one day could have never done that,” admits the bride.

“Relax and have fun!” Exclaims Kamren. The couple was lucky enough to enjoy a week of uninterrupted vacation with their friends and family thanks to Rancho Las Cruces for having everything planned before their arrival. This created a completely peaceful mindset come wedding day and allowed Kamren and Tim to truly soak up the magic of their destination wedding and marital bliss.

Vendor List: Photographer: Yair Haim, Ceremony/Reception Site: Rancho Las Cruces, Gown Designer: Romona Keveza, Groom’s Clothing Designer: 8th Wonder by FitWel, Bridesmaids/Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: Varied/8th Wonder by FitWel Florist: Silvia (hired by Las Cruces), Stationary: Janie Liu of We Heart Paper