Stephanie & Tommy are one of the sweetest & coolest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. It just took a few emails to figure out we were a good match. Like me, the bride likes things planned, organized and thought out. The groom is her perfect match, a little more on the laid back side he still cares for things to run smoothly and very importantly, cares that Stephanie is cared for which is incredibly romantic.
The couple loves to travel, being their number one favorite hobby among many – they are active people and live in New York City. When they travel she’s the planner who writes down a list of places/restaurants/things to see and he’s the spontaneous explorer type. “Together we make a great travel pair.”
Stephanie wrote “We visited a few places in Italy and did a lot of research across Italy, Mexico, California and Arizona,” where their family is from. “We wanted something sunny and warm, relaxing and fun for our guests. We wanted everyone who joined us to feel like they were on vacation and be truly relaxed and happy, ready to party and enjoy a great weekend. Cabo Surf Hotel was the perfect choice because of the casual vibe, size, and more. We are really excited to go back there for years to come as our anniversary location :)”
Stephanie’s Cabo Surf description is on the money. The place is very casual and relaxed, almost like a very large beach house. It’s located in one of Cabo’s most popular surf breaks, a surf spot perfect for beginners or longboard riders. Known as “Acapulquito” among the locals, it’s a small beach frequented by Cabo residents for the surf and relaxation.
The hotel is not too big, it has a restaurant and a swimming pool in the property as well as a garden area perfect for a wedding. For that weekend every guest in the hotel was part of the wedding which created the perfect atmosphere from the get go.
The couple had an extensive wedding party, with nine bridesmaids and nine groomsmen and one flower girl. The best man was the brother of the groom while the maid-of-honor the sister of the bride.
Conscious that the hotel’s rooms size and figuring out that having too many people in the room could make things hectic and potentially overwhelming, the bride chose to have only her mom and sister getting ready in the room with her and only after everyone was done, the bridesmaids made their way over the bride’s room for champagne and tequila shots.
The bridesmaids wore different dresses in varied tones of blues and greens and were picked by themselves. Events by Bliss did the flowers, Bonnie Chase, the coordinator, did the amazing circle flower pieces herself. Each one with a unique combination of different blooms and a pop of color. The hoops were hand held or placed in the nook of the elbow with wonderful versatility on how they could be carried. The bride gave each of her ladies a unique version of Local Eccletic’s Tai Crystal Rock rings.
Meanwhile across the small hotel it was the good kind of hectic at the groom’s room. While Tommy put on his navy blue suit and white shirt with no tie, the boys made fun of each other, tried (and failed) to fold their pocket squares and took turns taking swigs from the Acre Baja’s artisanal tequila while hooting all the while the groom’s dad took his turn. Like the bride, the groom also prepared gifts to his groom’s party, each groomsmen was given a pair of cream colored vans.
The Ceremony was setup right in front of the hotel on the beach. 175 guests started to arrive in gorgeous tones of blues, greens, as well as yellow, reds and pinks. At the end of the aisle a round wedding arch, made of greenery and flowers in the same colors as the wedding guests outfits.
The ceremony was officiated by a close friend of the couple and had readings by a family member and one of the bride’s best friends. The couple chose to have their wedding party be seated during the ceremony, on the front row with their immediate families.
At the end of the ceremony, the officiant requested that guests raised their hands to bless the couple together, a powerful moment of union between not only the bride and groom, but among their community of friends and family as well.
The cocktail hour followed with live music by Arturo Sotomayor as hors d'oeuvres and drinks were served at the beach. On the garden by the pool, the reception got it’s last touches. Dark wood rectangle tables were decorated with runner centerpieces, made up of loose flowers and leaves, peppered with different sized votives and tall candlesticks and tons of smaller candles. Each place had a menu, like the table numbers, was printed in the same stationary as the invitations. Each table was also named after a destination to which the couple had travelled together to.
The wedding party was announced together with the bride and groom in one single swoop. Once everyone was seated the couple performed their first dance to the last traces of daylight in the sky.
The couple had dinner together with their immediate family. Seatin at the head of the table the circular arch from the ceremony was set up behind them. Toasts were given by both siblings of the bride, the best man and the mother of the bride.
The groom brought DJ MICK from Brooklyn especially for the wedding and when he put the first dance song of the night, fireworks lit the night sky and kickstarted the party. The cake was cut, shots were had and literally everyone packed the dancefloor and danced the night away.
Full coverage, 8 hours
With Second Shooter
As well as they wedding day, the couple had photography for the Welcome Event the night before the wedding. They requested for a portion of the coverage time to be used to do a mini session around downtown San Jose del Cabo, which is super cute and has that awesome small-Mexican-town colorful vibes.
For the wedding day, the couple chose to do a first look to get as many portraits out of the way as possible so they could join their cocktail hour. They also enjoyed that moment alone that would be hard to get before the night was over.
Highlights of the day were the moment when the bride’s niece, who was worried about her flower girl duties was cheered up by Stephanie. The couple’s first look was carefully created to allow them to see each other from the moment she stepped out of her room, and making the bride walk to the groom while the emotion built. Stephanie’s details were the first thing I photographed and her style truly inspired my photography, as sometimes design items can do. From the beautiful dress to the bride’s incredible earrings I could feel her personality and it was a great start for photography. The selective color choices guests made, I’m assuming at the polite suggestion of the bride, guaranteed every photo coming out as harmonious as possible. The portraits with bride and groom was also a great moment of the day, both photography and Bea Hernandez’ video team were delighted with the couple’s chemistry.
Events by Bliss
Anna Gomes Photo
H-Art Films
Los Cabos Makeup
DJ Mick (Brooklyn, NY)
DJ Alex (Cabo)
Cabo Surf Hotel
Lihi Hod
Stuart Weitzman
Grainne Morton
Custom, Norman Goodman & Company
Custom, Norman Goodman & Company
Custom, Norman Goodman & Company
Ted Baker
To Boot New York
The Tie Bar
rings by Tai Jewelry via Local Eclectic
Perfume Le Labo
Yumi Kim
Minted