Family and friends are very important to Angelina and Jonathon so, having a destination wedding in a location acessabel to everyone made the most sense. The idea that they would be able to spend more time and share amazing memories with their guests convinced them to have a wedding away from home. “We envisioned having a fun and casual vibe and thought Mexico would be the perfect setting,” says the bride.

Cabo San Lucas is dear to their hearts because that was where Jonathon got on one knee to propose to Angelina. “In the days following the proposal, we saw many weddings take place at the resort and both thought how amazing it would be to have our own wedding there,” Angelina says. They did consider other locations, but after weighing the pro’s and con’s of other destinations, they knew Cabo San Lucas was where they wanted to exchange vows.

Luckily, their family and friends were very excited to travel. Most of them lived in California, so the trip to Cabo was quick and easy. “There were some concerns with costs, but having the resort be all-inclusive helped our guests to budget what the total costs would be,” says the bride. The couple also worked with a transportation service to set-up a personal website where guests could book their rides to and from the airport. 

When planning their destination wedding, the bride felt there were many aspects she wasn’t able to have control over, leaving her a little worried to see the final product. “In the end everything turned out beyond my expectations, but there were many sleepless nights being worried,” she says. The resort did provide the couple with a wedding coordinator, who gave them the basic information needed to make decisions on what vendors to use. From there, the couple had to research everything all on their own. The bride says, “The resources I found most helpful were social media, wedding planning websites and my sister who had just planned her wedding the year prior.”  The couple did go ahead in making decisions without the help from a wedding planner, which they soon realized would have been a tremendous help. “I underestimated the complexity of planning a destination wedding [and] would highly recommend [a planner] to any future brides planning a destination wedding,” says Angelina. The best part of planning their destination wedding was the fact that they were able to plan it from any location. “We had an unexpected move to another state when my husband’s work relocated us, but thankfully this did not pose any issues during the planning process,” she added.

Overall, the couple felt they spent less money choosing to have a destination wedding. “However, I feel that we spent more money per person than if we were to have had a larger wedding in our hometown,” says the groom. If they did choose to have a wedding in their hometown, the couple felt they would not of been able to spend as much time with each guest or have been able to create such amazing memories as they did during the trip away.

We asked the newlyweds to share advice for future couples looking to plan a destination wedding. The bride says, “Take it one day at a time. Half way through planning my wedding, I learned to create a list of three things I wanted to accomplish each day. It’s a once in a lifetime moment that should be cherished, and will be soon something of the past. It should be enjoyed!”

Vendors: Photographer: Alec and T Photography, Wedding Coordinator: Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort, Ceremony/Reception: Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort, Hair & Makeup: Blanc Salon, Gown: Pronovias, Groom’s Clothing: Men’s Wearhouse, Bridesmaids: David’s Bridal, Groomsmen: Men’s Wearhouse, DJ: Cabo DJ.