Acre Baja Destination Micro Wedding in Cabo, Mexico
I have known the Plummer family for 6 years. I was lucky enough to be adopted into their family as the “fourth daughter” when I met Aspen, their eldest daughter, while studying abroad at Oxford University. Every big life step and win for them has felt like a win for me as I have loved them all so deeply. When Easton and her mom, Anna, came to me after Easton and Jalen were engaged and said, “There is no one else we would rather have to photograph and celebrate our wedding day with,” my heart just melted. Easton and Jalen planned a family and immediate friends only destination wedding that would take place over a week long vacation celebration, and my swimsuits and camera were packed before they could even tell me the dates!
Planning a destination wedding already comes with a number of challenges. Planning it in a global pandemic? Even more so. However, bringing their guest count down to just those closest people in their lives allowed for some incredible bonding and celebratory moments! The families rented three large villa style homes on Airbnb, which everyone stayed in for the entire trip! Having everyone together meant they could constantly celebrate one another and also stay safe for themselves and for others during the pandemic by isolating! The days leading up to the wedding were spent bringing tequila, champagne, and orange juice by the poolside, and getting in some last minute tan lines by poolside cabanas with ocean views.
The day before the wedding, we all got to take our first peaks at their stunning wedding venue, Acre Baja. Acre is an iconic hotel, recently nominated for an incredible hotel award, no surprise! Acre is set amidst a 25 acre plot of land that looks like a tropical oasis amidst the foothills of Cabo. It feels like a lush jungle of palms and florals and banana leaves. The hotel has elegant and modern rooms, while also boasting private treehouse experiences. Their culinary tastes are exceptional and their cocktails so cute you can’t help but take a photo of it before you take your first sip. Their design is impeccable, pairing modern cement infrastructure with patterned blue Moroccan inspired tiles, and furniture and decor that will make your head turn. They have designed designated private spaces carved out of their lush trees so secluded dinner parties can take place around ever corner. It is quite possible that it was even more beautiful and spectacular in person.
The next morning, it was the wedding day. Easton and her sisters, Aspen and Tarren, walked over to the villa where her parents were staying for a quiet and clean corner to get ready for the wedding day. As hair and makeup was completed, the bridesmaids joined the getting ready moment for some quick first looks together and to pop some champagne in their wedding day robes!
At Acre Baja, we carefully kept the guys and the gals tucked into different areas of the resort to enjoy fresh fruit infused water and to ensure there wasn’t any accidental first looks. It was very important for Easton and Jalen that they see one another for the first time at the altar on their wedding day! Easton shared a private first look with her father before praying with her mother, father, and future mother-in-law prior to the ceremony.
Their ceremony was set in a private garden area beside the pool, lined with lush grass and palm trees. The sun set through the palm leaves and illuminating their ceremony space as they all entered the area and the ceremony began. Easton and Jalen shared hand written vows, partook in prayer and communion, exchanged rings, shed tears, and kissed as husband and wife! Watching Easton get married was so sweet because it felt like I was watching the wedding of my own family member.
With the conclusion of their ceremony, everyone celebrated and joined a gorgeous private cocktail hour at Acre’s pool before joining the reception space where peacocks roamed wild and free. The reception was a beautiful view of burnt orange, amber, and crimson hues that perfectly blended the fall feeling with the lush greens and teal blues of the space. Nestled under twinkle lights and in the illumination of many candles, each table setting was warmly decorated and a beautiful sight to behold.
As their party commenced, Easton and her dad choreographed a dance, guests enjoyed family speeches, tequila shots were taken with their the family therapist and honorary wedding guest, and fruit popsicles were distributed as a late night snack! Everyone shared Easton’s tiny teal personal fan as they went hard on the dance floor and had a lively time through the end of the night!