Ladies and gents, today we’re whisking you away to Mexico for a peek into Natalie and Brian’s destination wedding in the mountains. After all, there’s nothing quite like a mid-week, romantic getaway, right? It’s classic elegance all wrapped up in one amazing locale complete with one very stylish bride and groom. Get all the details behind Natalie and Brian’s wedding day below and be sure to pick up the latest Fall/Winter 2018 edition of Contemporary Weddings Magazine to see more from Ann Coen Photography.
From Ann Coen Photography…Brian & Natalie are both super laid-back beach people, but from opposite coasts. They knew when they started planning their wedding they wanted a chill, destination location that people could come, surf, relax and have a great time! Working with Adriana from About Love, a local wedding planning company in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico was key in the planning process. She and her team were professional, efficient and a pleasure to work with. The venue, Acre, was the perfect blend of a beautiful location, amazing food and staff, and of course, gorgeous back drops for their photos and video. They were lucky enough to secure Ann Coen Photography and her team from Long Beach Island, NJ to ensure stunning photos to last a lifetime. On March 10th, 2018, the bride and her bridesmaids got ready at a gorgeous San Jose Del Cabo villa with the help of Edgardo Rivera, hair and makeup artist, who made everyone look absolutely stunning. The venue and bouquets were dressed with Cabo Freesias, arranged by Let it Bloom, adding to the overall minimalistic theme of their wedding that allowed the beauty of Mexico to shine through. Natalie wore a gorgeous, form fitting, gown from Pallas Couture, that had a cut-out back and lace embellishments that became sheer as the dress flowed to the ground. Coupled with a floor length veil, it was breathtaking. Brian wore a navy tux from J Crew. They said “I do” at an intimate ceremony, officiated by Brians’s Father, surrounded by friends, family, and palm trees with soft acoustic guitar music to complete the perfectly tranquil scene. They then continued to celebrate and dance the night away with the help of DJ, Tim Anderson of Timmy 2 Shoes, who pumped out bangers all night. The entire day was truly perfection.
Why did you choose to have a destination wedding rather than having your wedding at church and/or at a banquet facility?
Brian and I love to travel so having a destination wedding as opposed to one of our hometowns felt more of a natural choice. Neither of us attend church regularly so that was never in the running. We are from opposites coasts so choosing somewhere we both love felt like the right decision. Brian and I first met in Mexico, had spent some time in Cabo together, got engaged in Mexico and both love Margaritas and tacos! Acre as a venue was very unique and unlike any other spaces we had seen. It is not what guests would normally expect for a wedding site, it is a working farm with animals on the property, yet, it is still modern looking. I loved that it was unexpected. We loved the style/decor of the restaurant , the hand painted tiled floors, the rustic feel of the farm but also had very modern design elements. The food was really great which was important to us. Our first appointment as soon as we walked down the long walkway through dozens of palm trees and out to the modern oasis I knew it was the venue. Jessica their coordinator was so great and welcoming, we clicked right away and I knew that it was the right choice. The level of professionalism from the staff as well was a big positive for me. We did a full tasting of the menu at our first appointment and the food and craft cocktails were amazing. This was also a huge factor for me as I know people expect food at wedding to not always be the great. Brian and I enjoy going out for dinner and enjoy crafted cocktails so I didn’t want our wedding day to be the day that we didn’t have all of that!
What was the design inspiration for your reception?
Since there was already a lot going on at the venue (it’s a working farm as well as a restaurant) and has such distinct and unique tiled floors I wanted the rest of the decor to be clean, simple and elegant. Our color scheme I kept to black and white (also my favorite colors) and just natural greenery. I wanted there to be lots of candle light as lighting was much more important to me that having extra decorative items placed.
What was unique about your wedding?
Having people from the east coast and west coast meeting in Cabo made for a fun and unique experience in itself. For our ring barer boys we had them dressed in traditional Charro suits (embellished mariachi outfits) full outfitted with hats and musical instruments.
Ceremony and Reception Location: Acre / Officiant: Vince Farias / Photographer: Ann Coen Photography / Cinema and Video: Darn Swell Media / DJ: Timmy 2 Shoes / Event Planner: About Love Weddings and Events / Floral Designer: Let it Bloom / Dress Designer: Pallas Couture / Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Groomsman Attire: J Crew / Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Edgardo Rivera / Jeweler: Greco Jewelers / PR Rep: The chill bride / Honeymoon Location: Italy and France
