Bliss Events Mexico is a full-service event planning and design firm in Los Cabos, and recently was awarded the Couple’s Choice Award for exemplary service. Visit them online at www.blisseventsmexico.com
Photo credits: Alec and T photography, Julieta Amezcua
Destination weddings have been mainstay in Cabo for decades, and destination wedding planners like myself are busier than ever. It’s not hard to see why Cabo remains one of the most desirable wedding destinations anywhere. There are countless reasons for the growing traffic to Los Cabos, some of which include the consistently beautiful weather, safety, ease of access, variety, the many local world-class wedding vendors, breath-taking views – I could go on all day. It’s hard not to imagine getting married when standing in the warm golden sand looking out over the blue and green waters of the Sea of Cortez, and gazing at the iconic Arch of Cabo surrounded by the red and purple skies of a Baja Sunset. Throw in hundreds of first-class accommodations, varieties of gorgeous venues, world-renowned golf and deep-sea fishing, countless spas, and more activities that you can imagine and you’ve got yourself a wedding destination that’s hard to beat. Every wedding season brings new trends, some which stick around for years and others that pass quickly in the night (fare thee well, 80s themed weddings!). This season has brought new and old trends alike. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but the following are four destination wedding trends that we hope to see stick around for a while:Farm Weddings
Not a brand-new trend but certainly a growing one in Cabo is Farm Weddings. While Cabo is a known for pristine beaches and desert landscapes, what many people don’t know is that it’s also host to many organic farms. The Farm wedding is one way to achieve the wow-factor by transporting guests away from the beach resort to an entirely new and unexpected location. Farm weddings are surprisingly versatile, and work well with simple rustic and whimsical designs, as well as elegant luxurious, and even modern event designs. In Cabo, there are 3 key options for your homespun farm wedding, all of which are located in the estuary of San Jose del Cabo, and all of which are draw-dropping in their own unique way. More important, all of which are sure to blow your mind with a culinary experience you won’t soon forget. The first is Huerto Los Tamarindos, a 17-acre property that produces an abundance of organic vegetables, primarily tomatoes, with beautiful rustic event space for up to 400 guests. The kitchen at Los Tamarindos is housed in an original farm house that was built in 1888, and adds to the charm and old-world experience. The farm get its name from the Tamarind trees that grow wild in the fertile soil. Everything grows so beautifully here, that one of the event spaces is completely covered with lush greenery, forming a private canopy of green farm goodness. This property is 100% organic, and the food is 100% fantastic.
The second, and newest farm venue to crop up in Cabo is Acre. This trendy new 25-acre farm restaurant embraces a strong “Baja” energy. This property was designed and developed sustainably with the environment in mind. The property currently offers a farm-to-table restaurant and bar, roof-top and mango grove event spaces, and a beautiful new pool deck that screams Sunday afternoon pool party. In the works in their palm tree forest, you can find the beginning stages of what will eventually be 25 tree houses. Yes, you read me right; tree houses! Think Swiss Family Robinson meets comfortable boutique hotel.
The final, and most famed of the farm wedding venues is Flora Farms. This gorgeous piece of paradise is a ten-acre organic farm that produces over 100 varieties of vegetables and herbs. The property does their own ranching to provide guests with high quality, humanely raised chicken, eggs, pork and beef. They bake fresh daily home-made sourdough, baguettes, ciabatta, focaccia, and herb breads. The pizzas are produced with home-made dough and fresh-made mozzarella, and are cooked in the wood-fire oven. I could continue, but to understand the true quality of the food, you should experience it for yourself; it’s nothing less than extraordinary. And don’t even get me started on the bar, which serves fruit and vegetable infused specialty cocktails like their signature Farmarita. While this explanation of their culinary prowess probably has your mouth watering, the real reason that so many couples love Flora Farms for their wedding are the picture-perfect event spaces, which offer a variety of backdrops and accommodate up to 400 guests. From mango groves and herb gardens to a fairytale farmhouse, Flora Farms is exquisite.
Celebrity I do’s
Another growing, though not at all new trend in Cabo is celebrity weddings. More actors, musicians, athletes, reality TV stars, and models make their way down the Baja to get married every year. A fellow Cabo local, and event planning extraordinaire Amy Abbott, owner of Amy Abbott Events, shared with me that her organization has five pro athlete clients this year already. I asked her why she believes we’re seeing so many celebrity couples head to Cabo to tie the knot. She said, “I think it’s because Cabo can support the standards that these couples are looking for.” I couldn’t agree more. After coordinating events in other parts of Mexico, I always come racing back to Cabo. The level of professionalism is extraordinary and the resources are abundant. We rarely experience a situation in which we can’t deliver something that our clients are looking for. More than many other Mexican wedding destinations that I’ve worked in, Cabo can be classy, elegant, formal, and luxurious when it wants to be. The area also boasts many high-end luxury resort options; The One and Only Palmilla, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Esperanza by Auberge, and The Resort at Pedregal to name a few. Amy went on to make another good point, that as a community, we’re used to a celebrity presence. She’s right; on a regular, if not on-going basis, we see Sammy Hagar, George Clooney and Stacy Keibler, Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, Tiger woods, Kenny Chesney, and on and on it goes. It must be much more comfortable for A-listers to enjoy their time in Cabo when locals aren’t swooning all over them (except for Clooney; for him we might swoon). The wedding of NFL player Golden Tate and his new wife Elise Pollard took place just last month in San Jose del Cabo. The weekend-long celebration that gathered 250 people from all over the world, in addition to the wedding, included a boat party, a pool party, an outdoor movie night, and a farewell brunch. The ceremony took place on a beach-side garden at their boutique hotel which was privately booked for the wedding group. The reception area was lit with a dreamy canopy of string lights; no detail was spared in the beautiful set-up. Later in the evening, the Tate’s surprised guests with an after-dinner fireworks show, followed by a night of non-stop dancing. Among the many celebrity clients whose names we can’t mention (I suppose we can add “discretion” to the list of perks that draw celebs to Cabo), some of the recent known celebrity weddings include Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo, Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey, Michael and Nicole Phelps, Barbie Blank and Sheldon Souray, Barbara Coppel and Alejandro Amaya Hank, and Brooke Brinson and Thayer Wiederhorn.Fun in the Sun Events
Mostly in terms of rehearsal dinners and welcome parties, couples are foregoing the traditional dinner-time affair and hosting a daytime event for their guests. Cabo at its core is the sun, the beach, and the water, so why not enjoy the landscape when it’s more desirable? Daytime events offer sunshine and a casual experience that doesn’t compete with your wedding night. In many cases, it’s easier on the pocketbook. Our most recent daytime event was a rehearsal beach party that boasted a DJ, catered street tacos, beer and margaritas, buckets of sunscreen, paddle boards, corn hole tournaments, and traditional Mexican paletas (popsicles; the boozy kind!). Possibly the biggest advantage of a daytime celebration is that after a day of sun and drinking, couples get to bed earlier than they would after a traditional rehearsal dinner, and wake up rested and refreshed for the big day.Going Green
No, I don’t mean ‘going green’ as in reducing your carbon footprint, which is another growing wedding trend. I literally mean the color green. The year, one of my favorite new trends has been the greenery wedding, in which we skip the florals, and produce arrangements that are entirely made of lush greenery. With so many different hues and varieties, greenery works beautifully in bouquets, centerpieces, ceremony arches, and even adorning the cake. “Greenery” is actually the 2017 Pantone color of the year. Over-the-top florals are no longer your only option when it comes to designing events. Our Pinterest boards are overflowing with rich, leafy greenery, and the styles range from romantic and rustic, to elegant and modern. For those who don’t want to completely forego the florals, mixing in a few beautiful blooms to a predominantly green design can be equally as dramatic. One of the best features of the greenery wedding is that it’s more affordable than flower-filled events, leaving more room in the budget for other things. *Having a destination wedding was the best idea we ever had. If we’d have gotten married in the states everyone comes in for a day and you’re spending the whole time thanking each person for coming and you cant even enjoy yourselves. We had 4 days of planned events where we got to spend time with each of our guests (who were all on vacation mode not thinking about work), and by the time we got to our wedding everyone knew each other and it was just a huge celebration. We had the best week of our lives and all of our guests are already asking us to renew our vows next year so we can relive these memories. Cabo – we love you. – Golden and Elise Tate]]>
