One Couple’s Luxury, Neutral-Toned Destination Wedding at NOBU Hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico
For many, a first date is all it takes. For Shonté and Sean, that all-important first date was a double date… and they weren’t there together. “I was actually on the date with his friend, and he was on the date with my friend, who’d originally introduced us [six months earlier],” Shonté tells. “We went out to a restaurant for dinner and drinks, and within minutes of the conversation, Sean and I were finishing each other’s sentences. Our friends both said we were so similar to (and clearly smitten by) one another that we should be together.” A brilliant call, of course: Sean popped the question during a romantic vacation just a few years later.
The couple’s ideal wedding was a perfect blending of their favorite places—Los Angeles, where they both hail from, and Mexico, their most treasured destination. With the climate, weather and vibes of the two locales mirroring one another, it was a no-brainer for the bride and groom to host a destination wedding in Los Cabos. Once they selected their venue—NOBU Hotel, a staple in both Mexico and Southern California—they got to work designing their day. “We wanted the aesthetic of the wedding to really match our personal taste: modern, contemporary and minimal, with neutral colors (white, cream, taupe, tan, black) and lots of natural greenery since we love plants, nature and being outdoors,” the couple reveals.
Shonté had really done her homework before selecting her wedding day ensemble. “I knew right away the style of dress I wanted—fitted silhouette with a long train, beading, illusion details and a cathedral-length veil,” she explains. “Never did I think I would be able to find the actual dresses that I saved [to my Pinterest board], but I did!” The bride chose two stunning Milla Nova gowns for the ceremony and reception. Sean’s look was a simple choice, as the wedding’s dress code denoted black tie. “His favorite color is navy blue, and since we requested all our guests wear black, a deep navy-blue hue was the perfect color for him to stand apart,” says Shonté.
The Umi Terrace at their wedding venue provided the perfect blend of convenience and style. “The space is beachfront, overlooking the ocean but elevated on a platform, and was large enough for us to have both our ceremony and reception in this same space but with enough separation between the two to distinguish them,” explains the couple.
As the backdrop for the ceremony was the epic, picturesque waves of the ocean, the space needed only minimal decorating. The “arch” was, in fact, a golden, metal loop adorned with tropical palm leaves, white roses and a hint of pampas grass. Dark wooden chairs on either side of the aisle were lined with the same luscious blooms and flora.
The reception expertly matched the ceremony’s clean, fresh design. The tablescapes featured towering centerpiece arrangements with tropical leaves and white dendrobium flowers flanked by two smaller arrangements on each side with white roses and tropical palm leaves. The arrangements were set on a green runner made of palm leaves by accented glass cylinder hurricanes in varying sizes with floating candles and small gold votives with candles throughout the tables. At each place setting, guests found black linen napkins adorned with white phalaenopsis blossoms.
“Amongst our loved ones, we’re known as the couple that likes to host, entertain and put on a good party,” Shonté tells. “We appreciate good food/fine dining, and beautiful design and décor. The small details are what matter most to us, so we really took our time finetuning every component of our wedding to reflect this.” After all was said and done, the newlyweds pulled off an incredible wedding—an event their loved ones could hold in the fondest corners of their memory.