Lauryn and Shyler met while volunteering abroad and wanted their wedding day to reflect three mutual loves: travel, new experiences and making new friends. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico was the perfect destination to celebrate their love for each other as well as their love for culture and adventure.

“Every element was carefully planned with our guests’ experience in mind. From the local gifts that filled the welcome bags to the special Mexican traditions like the Lasso and Callejoneada Ceremony we included in our wedding, every detail was to share our love of travel with our guests,” the bride says.

Details like handwritten sea glass table settings, monogrammed initials in the sand and a custom neon sign showed off the couple’s personality and style throughout the wedding. To add to your own individual flair, the bride recommends purchasing items from your destination on Etsy made by local artists, which can save time and money. Lauryn also followed hashtags on Instagram such as #CaboWedding and #MexicoWedding to find more inspiration than what was available on Pinterest.

To help turn your vision and ideas for your wedding day into a reality, Lauryn recommends hiring a wedding planner. The bride’s wedding planner, Claudia from Elena Damy Destination Events, designed a flawless event for the couple that was full of fun and free from stress. She also organized the guests’ arrival in Cabo and ensured everyone was well taken care of.

“Hiring Claudia was one of the best decisions we made,” the bride says. “She was organized, prompt, listened to what we wanted to create for the whole weekend and delivered it! It was a fun experience giving someone who is local the freedom to help create our dream using local influence. Claudia made that all possible.”

Overall, Lauryn felt that her and Shyler’s destination wedding in Cabo was the most authentic reflection of their love and the love they share for their friends and family. The bride says a traditional wedding at home would have lacked the opportunity for guests to form friendships with other guests, as a hometown wedding would have allowed for only one night instead of three. “If our wedding were at home, there would be more pressure to have the wedding our parents wanted, I would have taken on more responsibility, and it would not have that same sense of travel and adventure we wanted our guests to have,” the bride says.

For other couples currently planning or considering a destination wedding, we asked the bride what important pieces of advice she would share:

• Hire a full-time planner for destination weddings and a videographer to capture the special moment. Splurge for the drone.
• Video conference with your planner and vendors. It helps build the relationship being so far away.
• Spend time doing research, and use the pictures your vendors are posting on social media as a reflection of how your wedding will turn out.
• Get legally married before your destination wedding. We got married at City Hall in San Francisco a month before the wedding in Cabo. On the wedding day, I was not nervous at all because I was already married!
• Determine what means the most to you, and select the top vendor in that category. Listen to their recommendations, and the rest will fall into place.

Vendors: Photographer: Jasmine Lee; Wedding Planner: Claudia Morales with Elena Damy Destination Events; Ceremony/Reception Site/Cake: Cocina del Mar Terraces at Esperanza, an Auberge Resort; Florist: Elena Damy; Stationery: Paper Source and Minted; Hair & Makeup: Blanc Bridal Salon; Gown Designer: Lovers Society; Groom’s Clothing Designer: Suitsupply; Bridesmaids/Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: Jenny Yoo, Amsale and Generation Tux; Groomsmen Gifts/Welcome Bags: Eclectic Array and Meraki Objects; DJ: DJ Ray with Jarrell Entertainment; Videographer: Graham Mattock; Music: Smart Music