Melanie and Paul love to travel, but the couple also wanted to have an intimate wedding with their closest friends and family. To get the best of both, the couple chose to have an intimate Cabo destination wedding where the couple and their guests could create memories with the people they love the most.

When choosing the location of their wedding, the couple researched several destination weddings spots and Cabo San Lucas came up quite a bit. With its perfect weather and smaller price tag than most weddings, the couple easily chose to have their wedding there. “We spent the same amount of money for a whole week vacationing in Mexico than a couple would spend on average in one day for their wedding,” says Melanie. “Since we had a smaller guest list, we were able to use some of our budget to go toward other things like a beach bonfire welcome party.”

For the couple’s family and friends, they were thrilled to hear the news that Melanie and Paul would be having a destination wedding in Cabo. “Our family and friends were excited when we shared the news that we would have a destination wedding, especially when we told them we would have it at an all-inclusive resort,” says the bride. “Most of our friends and family have never been to Cabo, so it was the perfect location to experience something new together.”

When the couple started to plan their intimate wedding, they immediately hired a wedding planner to help them out. “We used Bonnie Chase with Bliss Events who we would highly recommend to any couples looking to get married in Cabo San Lucas,” says the couple. “Having a wedding planner was especially helpful when it came time to reaching out to the vendors because they seemed to be more responsive to her.”

While having a wedding planner can take weight off your shoulders, planning a wedding can still be a little bit stressful. For the couple, the overall experience for them was fun, but they felt stressed knowing that they practically had to plan a vacation for 65 guests. “It was difficult making sure everyone booked their rooms by our set deadline, as the resort only placed a block of rooms with a discounted room rate on hold for a certain amount of time,” says the bride. “However, all of our guests were responsible for booking their own flights and rooms at our chosen resort, Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach.”

After figuring out the travel logistics for guests, the stress continued. “The hardest part of having a destination wedding was booking the wedding venue,” says Melanie. “Even though our wedding planner would send us photos and we could also look up photos online, it was hard to make a final decision. Fortunately, we were also able to visit Cabo San Lucas a year before our wedding and book our venue in person. Once we saw our venue in person, we knew it was the right decision.”

For the wedding day, or should I say week, the couple was able to spend a lot of quality time with their friends and family on the day itself and the days leading up to their Saturday wedding. It was important for the couple to have that one-on-one time with their guests and they certainly got what they wanted. “We didn’t want to celebrate our day with strangers or people we barely kept in touch with,” says the bride. “Having a larger guest list would definitely mean spending more money on things like dinner instead of the things that we really wanted, such as a live band.”

Melanie and Paul offered some special advice for other couples planning to have a destination wedding. “Enjoy the planning! That’s what our married friends kept telling us throughout the entire process and it’s true,” says the couple. “Logistics and planning a wedding can get stressful, so it’s important to constantly remind each other of why you are getting married in the first place because you love each other. Also, make sure you slow down and take time to have good conversations with your partner throughout the entire planning process because it’s not just about the planning.”

Vendors: Photographer: Steve Koo Photography, Wedding Planner: Bonnie Chase with Bliss Events, Ceremony/Reception Site: Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort, Florist: Baja Flowers, Videographer: Julieta Amezcua, Stationery: MI-TE Print, Cake: Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort, Hair & Makeup: Blanc Bridal Salon, Gown Designer: Tara Keely, Groom’s Clothing Designer: The Black Tux, Bridesmaids Clothing Designer: Morilee, Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: The Black Tux, Band: Kilometro, Rentals: The Cabo Wedding Company.