Chic Style, Epic Romance

Posted on September 28th, 2016 by Melissa Paul

CHANCES ARE, YOU HAVE ALREADY seen a glimpse of Nina and Douglas’ chic destination wedding somewhere online. Not only has it been featured on Style Me Pretty, but specific design elements and style details artistically photographed by Ashley Bosnick have also found their way onto countless Pinterest boards! Right down to the groom’s bespoke suit and the maid of honor’s lovely brocade Alice and Olivia gown. But all the loveliness you’ve seen thus far is, by no means, the whole love story. Oh no, they’ve just been a taste of the magic Elena Damy, our Creative Director and Lead Floral Designer, and wedding planner, Claudia Morales, created for this sophisticated couple. The whole wedding story unfolds below, one beautiful photo at a time.

THE PERFECT BLEND OF UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE AND MODERN MEXICO, Nina and Douglas’ worked closely with our wedding planning team to carefully plan each aspect of the wedding weekend. With guests arriving from all over the world, and flying in from their home in Sweden, the bride and groom wanted to share their wedding celebration over several days. Five to be exact. Villa Turquesa, a 9-room private luxury villa located within the exclusive Pedregal community, served as the couple’s home-away-from-home for the week, and their family and friends enjoyed the breathtaking 5-star comfort of The Resort at Pedregal. As you will see here, both locations would play important roles in the wedding day itself…

WELCOME TO CABO SAN LUCAS! Once their guests arrived in Los Cabos, the wedding celebrations began in earnest, starting with a Welcome Party at La Palapa at The Resort at Pedregal. As you can see from our previous blog post, all of the wedding guests were asked to wear white to the Welcome Party; however, the bride and groom arrived in head-to-toe black outfits. In fact, the sexy black dress that Nina wore to the party was designed by her best friend and maid of honor Danielle! From endless glasses of bubbly to tasty cocktails, a full Mexican buffet dinner and dancing for hours to live salsa music, the Welcome Party was the perfect first impression! Here below is just a sample of the party.

THE CEREMONY REHEARSAL AND DINNER took place two days prior to the wedding, allowing Nina and Douglas to partake in the festivities late into the evening right along with their guests. The event took place at Restaurante Los Tres Gallos, a traditional Mexican restaurant in old town Cabo San Lucas, which offers a warm, festive atmosphere in a courtyard cantina environment. The entire restaurant was theirs for the celebration and guests feasted on Mexican favorites like Garrotes cocktails, sopes, ceviches, tacos, and assorted of Mexican desserts. The Mala Rumba Band played music that went from background during dinner to full-on, dance music after the dishes were cleared! Then, the bride and groom kept the day before the wedding unplanned and relaxed, allowing everyone to just enjoy being together in Cabo. Or so they thought. As it turns out, the groom planned a special event for Nina and her best friends: a private cooking class at Flora Farms! And, at the last minute, the bride and groom asked their wedding planner, Claudia Morales, to schedule a sunset cruise for the entire guest list! A request Claudia easily made happen and later that same day, all 80 guests enjoyed a golden sunset cruise on the Pacific Ocean.

ON THE WEDDING DAY Nina got dressed in a luxurious suite at The Resort at Pedregal. Natural, understated makeup to capture the bride’s blushing glow, and romantic hair styling that perfectly suited Nina’s personal style. Her strapless white lace and layered organza wedding gown from Vera Wang, the first of two gowns she would wear for the celebration, was paired with sexy, stylish open-toed sandals from Christian Louboutin.

NO ONE KNOWS FLOWERS LIKE OUR ELENA! After meeting the bride and getting to know her, and setting out the whole event concept, Elena imagined the bridal bouquet itself to be the cherry on the sundae. The personal expression and extension of the entire design vision. And delivering that precious statement to the bride is a special part of the day. Above, you see Elena presenting Nina with her hand-tied bridal bouquet. Designed with a beach-inspired vibe, Elena created the bouquet using a blend of open Garden Roses, Freesia, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Lisianhus mixed with softly cascading greens. Long, trailing ribbons flowed from the bouquet and looked dreamy in every photograph!

THE MAID OF HONOR’S GORGEOUS GOWN caused quiet a stir and it’s no wonder! A modern brocade gown from Alice and Olivia, with minimal jewelry, a softly gathered updo, and natural makeup all complemented the lovely lady. Two breathtaking women to inspire brides everywhere!

WITH HIS BEST MAN AT HIS SIDE, the groom dressed at the Villa Turquesa. His custom tailored navy blue suit from the House of Bespoke was perfection indeed. Anytime a man wears a hand-tied silk bow-tie and custom embroidered slip-on shoes, well, we know we’re dealing with serious style! Joy, anticipation and love was evident on Douglas’ face as he made his preparations and awaited his bride.

WHEN IT CAME TIME TO DESIGN THE WEDDING SPACES, Elena was inspired by the couple’s worldly, sophisticated style and playful, down-to-earth charm. Without a doubt, it was easy to bring their graceful tone into the already warm, rustic refinement of Pedregal. For the ceremony setting, Elena designed a natural wooden structure with an abstract display of cream and white flowers blended with twirling vines and greens. Open, fragrant Garden Roses, whimsical white Lisianthus, lacy white Hydrangea, and white Phalaenopsis Orchids all combined into one organic vision! Lining the aisle were tall contemporary glass hurricanes, each holding a single open Rose. Hanging glass globes and lanterns added a magical touch to the ceremony environment.

GUESTS WERE INVITED TO A PRE-CEREMONY COCKTAIL PARTY  and champagne was flowing from the moment they arrived in this unforgettable setting! Nina loves champagne and enjoying it at every event throughout the weekend was a must in her book! What better way to get into the mood for a wedding ceremony than with sipping chilled champagne overlooking the sea?!

FROM THE GROOM’S TEARS when he first saw his bride gliding towards him down the aisle, to the laughter shared and promises spoken, Nina and Douglas’ wedding ceremony was epic. The setting was beyond amazing, but what happened there, on that terrace, was sacred and beautiful.

AS THEIR WEDDING GUESTS MADE THEIR WAY TO COCKTAILS at Villa Turquesa, Nina and Douglas, as well as the best man and maid of honor, all headed down to the beach for a photo session with Ashley Bosnick. As you can see, one photo was better than the next! We particularly love the golden light caught in the photo with their bridal party; as well as the gritty, grainy black and white photo on the stairs. But again, as you can see, each image is breathtaking and epitomizes the dream Cabo wedding experience!

NOW, LET’S GET TO THE PARTY! While Nina and Douglas were taking photos on the beach their guests were enjoying more champagne and hors d’oeuvres on the terrace at Villa Turquesa. Taking a look inside the villa, you can see that when designing the wedding reception environment, the goal was to create an intimate dining room. Elena began with long wooden dinner tables and then layered classic table settings with neutral linens, weathered metallic candles, minimalist glass hurricanes, succulents, and low, lush flowers. Subtle wooden Bride and Groom signs were hung on the back of the bride and groom’s cross-back chairs, and loosely strung flowers, crystal drops and organic vines hung from the chandeliers overhead. Creamy accessories were added in for lightness, from the hand-calligraphed menus and place cards, to the woven seat cushions.

TOWARDS THE END OF DINNER Nina changed into another stunning wedding gown! This gown was a sexy backless sheath with a a long tulle bow on her left shoulder, just perfect for dancing into the wee hours under the Mexican stars!

DESSERT AND DANCING took place on the terrace, with pops of hot pink added to the scene just for fun, in the roses on the wedding cake and the traditional Otomi Tenango fabrics. The “naked” wedding cake was created by Paulina from Cabo Cakery and it was a delicious stacked 3-tier vanilla cake with berry mousse. In addition to the wedding cake, an entire dessert table was created by Iterate Catering Company. If you weren’t eating sweets you were working them off on the dance floor to the sexy tunes spun by DJ Adan Mijares! He made sure each and every guest made it onto the dance floor, and stayed there until 3:00am! Their only break from the dance floor was when the tacos arrived from Tacos al Pastor!

AFTER THIS INCREDIBLE CELEBRATION, Nina and Douglas scheduled a Farewell Brunch the next morning at Don Manuel’s Restaurant at The Resort at Pedregal. What better way to reminisce on the wedding the day before, and say a fond farewell to all their guests, than with a relaxed, leisurely Sunday brunch in Cabo? Or, as Nina called it “a barely able to stand” brunch as it had truly been an EPIC week of wedding celebrations in Los Cabos! Our thanks again to our very own Creative Director, Elena Damy for creating these beautiful backdrops for the celebrations; and to wedding planner, Claudia Morales, for planning such a detailed wedding experience for Nina and Douglas!

CHIC STYLE AND EPIC ROMANCE, A PEDREGAL WEDDING STORY

{Credits: Photography: Ashley Bosnick Photography; Cinematography: Flicker Shack Films; Wedding Planning: Claudia Morales for ELENA DAMY Destination Wedding Planners, Floral & Event Designers; Floral and Event Design: Elena Damy for ELENA DAMY Destination Wedding Planners, Floral & Event Designers; Wedding Dresses: Vera Wang; Ceremony Venue: The Resort at Pedregal; Reception Venue: Villa Turquesa; Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin; Catering: The Major Catering Los Cabos; Calligraphy: Wondrous Whimsy; DJ: DJ Mijares; Groom’s Attire: Bespoke Suits; String Quartet:Violetta Poletek; Maid of Honor’s Brocade Dress: Alice & Olivia}