When Sara and Greg met in the trenches of an accounting major at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, it was kismet. After building a connection, they realized their personalities added up to one beautiful couple. That equation landed them in Cabo San Lucas years later, standing in front of a Saguaro cactus “altar” and before their loved ones, to tie the knot. 

Sara and Greg’s decision to wed in Mexico was driven by a desire to escape big-city planning fatigue. “We both knew fairly quickly that we did not want to get married locally due to the overwhelming number of vendors, venues, and options in Chicago,” Sara says.

On top of that, Sara had been traveling to Cabo with her parents for years, a tradition Greg happily joined in on in 2020. Taking the celebration south of the border offered a strategic way to “keep the guest list more intimate, and get to enjoy lovely weather in November!”

El Huerto Farm-to-Table, one of the couple’s favorite restaurants in the area, offered a great venue space and an opportunity to show their guests one amazing culinary experience. 

“Funny enough, her parents have a farm back in the States,” Greg says, “so El Huerto Farm-to-Table felt fitting!” 

Self-described as a “very low-maintenance bride and groom duo,” Sara and Greg readily admit they aren’t particularly crafty and didn’t have a rigid artistic vision for the day. They handed the creative reins over to their planner, Ceci Gamez with Lynette Dow Events. After providing a few color requests and asking for florals with plenty of texture, the couple stepped back.

“Ceci delivered a vision that was better than we ever could have imagined,” the bride says.

While they skipped stressful DIY projects, they did incorporate a highly personalized guest book station. Armed with a Polaroid camera, guests snapped candid photos of themselves and added them to an album alongside handwritten notes. The couple loved reading the messages and looking back on the candid moments captured by their friends and family.

The ceremony was similarly intentional, kept simple and hosted by a local officiant. To make the proceedings uniquely theirs, one of the couple’s closest friends gave an address. He shared the story of Sara and Greg’s relationship from his own perspective, highlighting fun memories from over the years and offering advice for their new marriage.

While they weren’t sure what to expect in the beginning, Sara and Greg’s destination wedding planning experience was shockingly stress-free. Leaning on their planner’s local network and maintaining constant contact via texts, video calls, and shared photos helped them stay in the loop.

When asked what they would share with other couples planning a destination event, their advice was straightforward:

“Find a good planner,” Sara emphasizes. “Ceci made it so that both of our parents and us could enjoy the weekend without a worry. We received a detailed timeline of weekend events, including all vendor coordination, so we knew without a doubt everything would work out.” 

Vendors: Photographer: Courtney Taylor Photography; Wedding Planner: Ceci Gamez with Lynette Dow Events; Venue: El Huerto Farm-to-Table; Florist: Cristina G Florals; Stationery: Bells + Whistles; Hair & Makeup: Piel Canela; Groom’s Attire: Suit Supply; Bride’s Dress: Vivienne Westwood; After-Party Dress: Katherine Tash; Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo; Musicians: Kilometro BandKilometro Band & Cabo Strings; DJ: Alex DJ Cabo Events; Officiant: Diego Vidal