Breathless Los Cabos Destination Wedding: Kristina & Jacob

Kristina and Jacob were part of a growing trend I see …they were guests at a *another* wedding we helped plan, then decided to turn their own destination wedding dream into reality  – talk about a beautiful twist! They literally went from cheering at someone else’s wedding to planning their own celebration!

From our first chat, it was clear that they had their hearts set on a destination wedding – mountain views, an all-inclusive resort. A dreamy setting for days of celebration with their cherished ones. They knew what they wanted, and while they had a clear vision, they were seeking a friendly hand to help start the journey – and that’s where Alpaca Your Bags Travel happily stepped in.

Real Wedding Q&A with Kristina and Jacob!

What were your biggest fears when planning a destination wedding?

My biggest fear when planning a destination wedding was choosing a location and/ or resort that my guests were not happy with. 

Is there anything about the actual destination wedding experience that surprised you?

Not really, other than I am in sales and I am used to a certain level of customer service. When planning a destination wedding you have to show a lot of patience because island time is definitely a thing, and vendors, coordinators, resorts, etc. take much longer to get back to you than you would probably traditionally think in the US.

What is your favorite memory of your destination wedding?

My favorite memory was obviously my reception. There is no better feeling than watching your friends and family also building a relationship with one another. Our reception dance floor was packed the whole time, and I loved seeing my friends become friends as well.

Did you splurge on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

My husband and I really tried to be conservative on decorations since the location was already so beautiful. We chose to have a Saxophonist at the reception. I would not say he was super expensive, but it was something experience wise we added to our special day.

Did you attempt to *save* on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

We tried to limit how much we spent on decor. I did small decorations vs big signage, I limited the florals we had. We repurposed the floral from the ceremony to the reception, and I spent $40 on bud vases for centerpieces. I also signed up for a local facebook marketplace wedding site, and was able to get a few items there. We traveled with so many bags, but luckily I have status for my airline and paid no luggage fees. Even if we had to pay it would have been worth it.

If you could change anything with your wedding (planning, the day itself, the location, resort, ANYTHING) – what would you change?

Honestly, our group had such a good experience there is nothing big that I would change. If you MADE me chose something, it would be I wish the bar at our reception was closer to the dance floor. Such a small thing, that really was not a huge deal.

What kind of feedback did you get from your guests?

Almost all my guests that were leaving Sunday tried to move their flights to Monday. They also repeated that our wedding was one of the best ones they have been to.  We have been joking it’s because I served them espresso martinis to re-energize them during the cocktail hour, then a shot of tequila as their seating chart to get the party started. 

From a resort perspective, most of my guests knew that resort food is always so-so, but the reason we chose Breathless was due to the location. Many of my guests took advantage of going to other great restaurants in the area, boat trips, excursions, etc. 

Now that you’ve been through it, what is your #1 best piece of advice for wedding couples entering the planning process?

I think managing your expectations is the best piece of advice I can give to a new couple. When I say that I mean, you have to understand that:

 A. not all your guests or the most important people will be able to travel to your wedding. You cannot take this personally or let it ruin your experience. Be grateful for the people who have the ability to travel.

B. When planning a destination wedding, realize you cannot make everyone happy with their expectations of a vacation. Some people may not love the location, may have already been there several times, some may think its expensive, some will have a preference at staying somewhere nicer, etc.  Once everyone got to ours they were all extremely happy.

C. Don’t stress the details. Not everything is going to be perfect, but more than likely none of your guests will notice. As long as they are fed, have drinks, music is playing, and things are timely they will be happy!

D. Let your guests enjoy themselves. This is their vacation that they spent money to attend. I was very encouraging that I wanted my guests to leave their vacation thinking not only was the wedding amazing, but they truly got to see why I loved Cabo as well. I went to a destination wedding where the bride was very upset anytime someone did anything outside of what she wanted. It really put a bad taste in a lot of the guests mouths. 

In what ways did Alpaca Your Bags Travel make this less stressful for you?

Alpaca truly goes above and beyond. My favorite thing about Ashley is how blunt she is. She never sugarcoats anything, and will always give you the good, bad, and ugly. She fully prepares you and sets the right expectations. Not only that her level of detail is unmatched. Her detail for guests is incredible, but she also takes ownership in ensuring all vendors are following up, and everything is planned perfectly for the wedding as well.  I never worried that something was not going to get done, because Ashley was on top of it. She would escalate any issues that came up. We had some guests miss flights, and she was completely on top of everything. Ashley also was a sound bar and could give us guidance on excursions, vendors, things to do, recommendations for wedding planning, etc. ABOVE AND BEYOND!!

Is there anything we could have done differently/better?

Literally nothing. 

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Photographer:  Moving Mountains

Travel Advisor: Alpaca Your Bags Travel 

Resort: Breathless Cabo