Destination Wisdom – What I’ve Learned in 16 Years of Cabo Wedding Planning
I’ve said “I do” only once, but I’ve seen it said a thousand times or more.
That’s all part of the package when you’re a successful wedding planner, and you’ve been involved in the events industry for a decade or more, as I have. You’re privileged to share special moments with many, many people, and to help them make lifelong dreams come true.
You get to see people at their best, at their happiest, at their most beautiful. Honestly, I can’t imagine a better job.
I’ve owned my own wedding planning company (Creative Destination Events) for sixteen years now, all in sunny Los Cabos on the southernmost rim of the Baja California peninsula. I’ve seen Los Cabos explode as a wedding destination, the place nearly everyone, from sun and surf seekers to movies stars, think of when they picture a “destination wedding in paradise.”
It really is a breathtaking locale. I can’t count the number of people who’ve told me how lucky I am to live here, and how lucky I am to do what I do for a living. Totally agree!
A lot of people also ask me what I’ve learned, or if I could go back in time, what are the things I would do differently?
The last is one is a hard question to answer, because I don’t think I’d do anything differently. I’ve had an amazing career, and I’ve worked with an amazing group of people, from staff to vendors to all of our wonderful clients. It’s been a fantastic ride and I’ve enjoyed every second of it. Almost every second, anyway.
But what have I have learned? That question is a little easier because I’ve definitely learned some lessons over the years.
Here are three of the biggest…
All’s Well That’s Budgeted Well
When you say budget, most people immediately think cost; and certainly that is an important part of the Cabo wedding planning process. But budgeting also refers to time. How are you going to allocate your time in terms of preparation?
You don’t want at many point to feel like you don’t have enough time. That’s the first thing. And reserving venues and locking in vendors often requires a good deal of lead time. From six months to a year in most cases. So the sooner you can begin the process, the better.
Which is another way of saying the romance may be a whirlwind, but planning for the wedding shouldn’t be.
The good news is that you have a wedding planner to help walk you and your spouse-to-be through every step of the process, and to ensure you don’t forget anything. Now that I think about it, that should have been the first lesson: Get a wedding planner! Having that kind of ally is a really a game changer. You’re still making all the important decisions, but you also have someone knowledgeable and experienced who can suggest things you may not have considered, and of course can follow through with all the details.
But make sure you give yourselves and your wedding planners enough time. This is a day you’ve looked forward to all of your life, and will remember forever afterwards. You want it to be picture perfect!
Be True to Your Vision
For brides especially, but also for grooms, the wedding day is something that has been dreamed of and visualized since childhood. In that sense it’s like a fairy tale come to life.
But remember that initial vision well, because the fact is many people will subtly try to alter it. Not through any malice or meanness, but through love and caring. Everyone has their own fairy tale wedding ideas, you see. Maybe there are some ideas that they didn’t get a chance to try at their own wedding, so they think they might be great at yours. That sort of thing.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s great that friends and family will all want to share their ideas, and be such active participants in your life during this special time. But ultimately: this is your time as a couple. Stay true to what you’ve always wanted. Don’t let someone talk you out of a wedding dress you love, or a hairstyle, or a venue, or a destination like Los Cabos if those are things you really want.
One of the parts of the Cabo wedding planning process I’ve always loved best is working with couples to tease out that fairy tale vision and watch as it slowly comes to life…. through floorplans and timelines and digital models…and finally in actuality.
To help people make their dreams come true is a wonderful thing. It’s a great honor, really. It’s why I got into “Cabo wedding planning” in the first place.
Enjoy the Ride – This is a Process, Not Just a Destination
The wedding planning is often thought of as stressful, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you take your time, stay within your budget, stay true to your vision, and also find a trusted ally of a planner to walk you step-by-step through the process, then it shouldn’t be stressful at all.
In fact, it should be fun. This is one of the great lessons of my career as a wedding planner. It’s not just about the big day and the destination, it’s about the journey, and savoring the entirety of the process.
This is a special time of your life. Fingers crossed, you’ll never have the opportunity to plan a wedding again. This is also an opportunity to spend quality time with close family and friends. Yes, you’ll be seeing them at the wedding and reception. But even the planning process brings you closer than ever to the people that have meant the most to you during the course of your life. Savor every second, every interaction.
Yes, there will be decisions to be made, and details to be taken care of. Let your wedding Cabo wedding planning professionals handle the details. Once we know your vision as planners, it’s easy enough to do the legwork. Have fun! Spending time with the person you love most, working together closely to actualize your shared vision for the future…that should be a joy. Enjoy!
About Suzanne Morel
Suzanne Morel is the first and last name in Los Cabos event planning. Born into a family of beauty salon owners, and blessed with an international upbringing and education, she founded her own successful line of cosmetics in the U.S before she and her husband Pierre Morel moved to Cabo San Lucas in 2003. There they founded the Morel Companies, a trio of businesses reflective of Suzanne’s lifelong passion for beauty care and special events. These companies are Creative Destination Events, an industry leader in event planning; Cabo Linens, Things & More, an acclaimed specialist in event design and décor; and Suzanne Morel Face & Body Care, the Los Cabos area’s top provider of bridal care and mobile spa services. For more information about these companies, visit themorelcompanies.com.
About Creative Destination Events
Creative Destination Events is the premier full-service planning and production company in Los Cabos, with a talented team of experienced planners who like nothing more than working closely with clients to plan and execute the perfect destination event, be it wedding, birthday, dinner party or corporate outing. Our process at CDE starts with a one-on-one consultation in which your dedicated planner will help tease out your event vision. From there, we’ll start the transition from vision to reality by means of timelines, digital renderings and three-dimensional floorplans, before finally helping you pull off the big event with smooth precision and seamless production. To get started, call us today at (619) 819-9180 in the U.S., or (624) 105-1670 in México to schedule a free consultation.