Oceanfront Wedding Planning Los Cabos Style
Photos courtesy of Bruce Herman
Perfect wedding planning begins with choosing that special place for your big event. You want the location to be grand, emotional and unforgettable. One that will come to mind for decades to come, every time you flash back to that special day. Now close your eyes and think- Cabo. Merely whisper the magic words “Cabo San Lucas,” and one hears- “How cool,” “How romantic” and “Awesome” in response.
You don’t have to settle for a cold empty hall with beige walls for your celebration. If you want your special day to be truly memorable, then take time to think outside the wedding cake, lest you end up saying- “I do” in a Holiday Inn banquet room.
Will your treasured memories be of a tropical beachside paradise or
fathers Elks Lodge recreation room? Imagine warm sea breezes blowing
gently through your hair during the procession. Then walking barefoot
in the sand in your wedding clothes along the waters edge after the
ceremony. Fantasies for some couples, but a priceless experience for
those fortunate enough to have discovered Cabo.
San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are only a few hours away from
the USA by air. Los Cabos has wedding services second to none – except
perhaps Las Vegas and Hawaii. But that’s only because those places had
a fifty-year head start on Cabo. Seriously though, getting married in
Vegas is embarrassing to the family, and Hawaiian weddings used to be
affordable until our dear friends from the orient overran the place.
Mexican marriage laws are accommodating to foreigners and wedding planners are available to make things run smoothly. A wedding ceremony is a highly visual affair. A ritual held among towering palms, desert fragrances and azure seas is what wedding albums are made of. Add amenities like fine restaurants, spa treatments, incredible surfing, and perfectly mixed margaritas and you get the picture.
The locale should be one that all will remember and treasure for its
inspirational setting. My generation rejected their parent’s
traditional church shindigs. We opted instead for long hair, country
dresses, patched Levis, and tramping through cow pastures wearing army
boots in search of some kind of New-Age nirvana.
Today, couples wed in Cabo, to escape convention. They want to enjoy the magic of Mexico, its beauty, people, and culture. Some want to catch marlin, or play a few rounds of golf before, during and after the wedding.
The counter-culturist or budget minded, need not fear as one can still
get married on a deserted beach in Baja Sur. Just head north from Cabo
on the Pacific side of the peninsula or east from San Jose del Cabo
and you’ll discovers scores of isolated beaches where the only
footprints in the sand will be yours. A good bet in Los Cabos is
Chileno beach located midway between Cabo and San Jose del Cabo. It
has restrooms…. Parking is accessible via a short walk under a canopy
of trees leading to a sheltering grove of palms on a beautiful beach.
On weekdays the playa is nearly deserted. On summer weekends the place
can resemble a Mexican Coney Island full of families and vendors
selling everything from tacos and corn-on-the-cob, to silver jewelry.
Best to make your wedding a weekday event unless you want the whole
town to celebrate with you.
On the opposite end of the wedding venue spectrum are the Las Ventanas
Al Paraiso and the One and Only Palmilla Resort hotels. If money is no
problema, and you plan on getting married only once, and don’t mind
paying for it the rest of your life, then these places are just the
ticket. Both hotels are famous for hosting the rich and famous. Oprah,
Travolta and friends party at Palmilla. At Las Ventanas one can rub
elbows with dot.com billionaires in the bar.
These hotels have armies of attendants resplendent in costumes ranging
from gate- keepers in safari jackets topped and pith helmets, to
hostesses modeling ball-fringed straw hats and designer peasant
dresses. The Palmilla hotel sports a Jack Nicklaus Signature (public)
golf course, casitas, condos and luxury ocean front villa rentals for
your guests. There’s also a quaint
wedding chapel and 3,000 sq.’ ballroom. Las Ventanas has a spa,
fitness center, two tennis courts and wonderful room rates that your
wonderful spouse can wonder about when given the bill. Rooms cost $475
US up to $4,500 per night. But these numbers grow exponentially when
you add 13% tax plus another 15% service charge. That comes to $608.
per night for the least expensive room.
There are other less expensive seaside hotels in Los Cabos, but those
two offer more privacy and exclusivity than run-of-the-mill
institutional abodes such as the Westin, Hilton or an All-Inclusive
such as the Presidente. When you say your vows, who wants hundreds of
strangers in the bar looking on?
If you are becoming desperate by now to have a Cabo wedding but
unwilling to mortgage your future for it, and unable to handle the
logistics of a do-it-yourself beach wedding, then consider the
Cabo
Surf Hotel in San Jose del Cabo. This private beachside boutique hotel
is located on prime ocean property around the bend from the
aforementioned Palmilla hotel, but miles away from it in price.
The Cabo Surf Hotel can host wedding groups of up to one hundred and
offers wedding planning, plush accommodations, and first class dining
at sane prices. Majestic palms frame vistas of a world-class surf
break offshore. Maui comes close, but no Cuban cigar. It’s just more
expensive and harder to get to.
On the beach is surf legend Mike Doyle’s surf school where your whole
party can learn how to stand up on a surfboard and dance on waves. You
can have your wedding on the hotels grassy green lawn next to the
infinity pool overlooking the surf break, or barefoot it on the sandy
beach.
The hotels 7 Seas Restaurant is located on a palapa covered dining
terrace overlooking the bay. It’s an enchanting location for a wedding
rehearsal meal or dinner party. Travel guides note it for its casual
elegance and fine menu that features entrees ranging from Kobe beef in
cabernet sauce to fresh Baja lobster and other tantalizing seafood
dishes. The chef and hotel staff can handle your event catering needs.
Cabo Surf Hotel has twenty-two rooms and a penthouse that sleeps
eight. If a villa with a Jacuzzi on the balcony overlooking the
moonlit sea doesn’t inspire your wedding night-you’ve probably been
married too long already. A new spa features all the popular
treatments including hot rocks, herbal and seaweed wraps. A special
spa treatment for couples includes a whirlpool hydro-therapy and
massage that will remove those aches and pains you acquired from
surfing, golfing or celebrating that nuptial night.
The hotel’s wedding planner can handle all those important details
like: Legal docs, ceremony set-up, flowers, photographer and even the
brides make-over. Ministers and music are available al gusto. Memories
are gratis. Just bring your sweetheart and checkbook.
Getting there: Many airlines have direct flights from major US cities
and Canada to San Jose del Cabo international airport (SJD). Depending
on season and distance, airfare can run $250 to $550 r/t. from the
USA. Direct flights take from three to five hours from major points in
the USA. A current passport is necessary. Mexican visas are provided
on the plane by the airline.
Staying there: Cabo Surf Hotel: Acapulquito Beach, Km. 28 Transp. Hwy.
San Jose del Cabo. Major credit cards accepted. Rates: $250 to $550
plus 13% tax and $7 a night service charge.
