Leigh and Adam tied the knot in a destination celebration in Mexico. Their stunning venue, Acre Baja, is tucked in the foothills of San Jose del Cabo and its 25 acres of lush greenery set the tone for the couples’ vibrant celebration. Martha Lomeli of Amy Abbott Events created a day filled with a bright, joyous and elegant details—pink and king-protea-centric bouquet and graphic palm ceremony arch by Flowers and Events, custom watercolor invitations by Tying the Knots Studio, calligraphy signage and event stationery by Bells & Whistles and a romantic courtyard reception filled with rich blue accents. The couple enlisted Vienna Glenn Photography to capture their day and the images are pure magic.
If you could sum up your wedding day in one sentence, how would you describe it? “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
Who designed your dress? My dress is the Fox gown from Rue de Seine Bridal. I was attracted to the romantic, but nontraditional application of lace to the gown.
Did your wedding have a theme? I don’t think that our wedding really had a theme, but I drew a lot of inspiration from the beautiful tile at Acre and my favorite flower the King Protea. Martha and her team of vendors created a beautiful setting that combined my romantic bohemian tendencies in a way that balanced perfectly with the modern backdrop of Acre using the colors of the tiles and flower as inspiration.
Outside of a theme, what Adam and I really wanted was a weekend where our loved ones could get to know each other while experiencing amazing food and cocktails highlighting the best of Cabo. Martha helped us create this with two nights of festivities with a welcome party at La Lupita Taco & Mezcal during the Art Walk and then the wedding and reception at Acre. With both nights featuring outstanding food and drinks, live music and amazing venues that reflect what Adam and I love about Cabo, we got to spend quality time with all our guests and hopefully provided them with an unforgettable experience of the best of Cabo.
What were your wedding favors? We had several favors throughout the weekend. The main wedding favor was the handmade burro at each place setting that I mentioned above. In addition, guests received handmade loteria style matchboxes with our photo on them at the welcome party that my mother-in-law made. We also loved stocking jute tote bags with locally made chips, salsa and Mexican wedding cookies that Martha provided for us and fun items like custom can coolers and “Cabo is always a good idea” survival kits as guests were welcomed at the resort.
Who was in the wedding party? I wanted our friends and family to enjoy the wedding weekend without the pressure of added duties so we had a crazy wedding party made up only of kids! Our 4 nieces served as our flower girls and my nephew who is just a toddler was the ring bearer…although he carried his pacifier instead of the ring.
What was your biggest splurge of the day? Our biggest splurge was the variety of music at our events. We both love music and wanted to deliver a reflection of ourselves with it. We love that our guests were treated to live bands both nights on top of a beautiful Spanish guitar during the ceremony and an amazing DJ who played songs Adam and I had both selected during the cocktail and dinner portions of our wedding. Many of our guests commented that they could tell how much thought we had put into the music and how much it represented us.
Please describe personal touches:
- I loved tying the fisherman’s knot with my husband during our ceremony because it incorporated something that he loves into our wedding and it incorporated what first brought us to Cabo
I also love all the handmade and personalized items for the wedding, the flower girl dresses made by a family friend, the pottery burros made by my mom, the loteria style matchbooks from my mother-in-law, our guestbook filled with our engagement photos, the custom water color invitations and the vintage stamps that I spent hours looking for and attached to each invitation myself! - I love burros and was very excited to give our guests a fun photo op with a cute burro at cocktail hour!
- Our guests loved La Lupita and their food so much, especially the way the tacos were presented one style at a time they all started using the hashtag #notacoleftbehind
Please describe favorite moments:
- When our mischievous toddler ring bearer ran down the aisle with his suspenders down, shirt untucked and a pacifier in his mouth. We were just so happy to have him there! So many people focus on perfection for a wedding, but that was a very “real” moment and he was adorable.
- When Adam and I were alone in the treehouse as our guests were arriving and we could secretly hear their reactions and excitement to seeing the amazing venue for the first time! We were so happy to have found such a magical place to share with them.
- When my normally quiet and calm father-in-law led a very spirited conga line at the reception!!! At first we were all stunned but then everyone just joined in…it was captured on video and we still get a kick out of watching it!
What did you learn from the experience? When our guests started leaving to fly back home, Adam and I were both moved by the realization that this group of family and friends had taken time out of their lives to fly all the way to Mexico to support us. It meant the world to us to have them there and we learned that it is the people who make a life event so special…even when you have the most gorgeous venue, without the people it doesn’t matter. We feel very lucky to have had so many friends and family joining us in celebrating our love.
How did you meet, and how long did you date before getting engaged?
We met through mutual friends at a Super Bowl party Adam hosted. I lived in San Diego, California at the time and Adam lived in Tucson. We dated long distance for 5 years until we were married! I love the desert, so during that time we bought and renovated a historic home in Tucson and moved into it right before our wedding.
Adam took me for a hike in Sedona, Arizona on one of our first dates. We hiked to a beautiful natural rock bridge where the scenery is just breathtaking. When Adam proposed, he took me on the same hike. I had no idea what was happening. He proposed with his grandmother’s ring and told me we would find the perfect ring for me which we later had designed by Harry Tutunjian of Gold Bench in Scottsdale, AZ.
Planning: Martha Lomeli of Amy Abbott Events // Photography: Lea Peterson owner of Vienna Glenn Photography Phoenix // Flowers: Flowers and Events // Invitations: Custom water color designed by Meagan Harrington Diaz owner of Tying the Knots Studio // Stationery/ Seating Chart: Bells & Whistles // Location: Acre Baja // Dress: Rue de Seine Bridal purchased from The Dress Theory Nashville // Veil: Veil by Sara Gabriel // Tennessee Hair: Gwendolyn Sneed owner of Blank Slate Studio San Diego // California Makeup: Sara Stewart owner of Sara Mascara San Diego, California // Rings: Harry Tutunjian of Gold Bench, Scottsdale, Arizona // Shoes: Stuart Weitzman // Dj: Dj Alex Cabo // Rentals: Baja Boutique Rental Company & Let It Be