A Destination Wedding in San José del Cabo Designed Around Muted Pastels and Organic Textures

Despite the fact that Katie Corrington, director of PR and operations at Be Inspired PR, a public relations firm for wedding vendors, and Jack Foley both called Southern California's South Bay area home, they didn't cross paths until they matched on Hinge in the summer of 2019. After that, everything happened pretty quickly, Katie says: They sent messages back and forth, shared a few phone calls, and made plans to meet for ice cream. Jack arrived to pick Katie up with his then nine-month-old French bulldog, Legend, in tow, who immediately stole Katie’s heart. As it turned out, Jack wasn’t far behind. “The rest is history, we still visit Handel’s for a sweet treat often, and we haven't gone a day without talking since,” Katie says.

Fast forward to September 24, 2022, when Jack planned an elaborate proposal with help from Katie’s boss, Leila. “Leila had convinced me that she had received a media trip invite to ONEHOPE’s Harvest Weekend on property at their Napa winery,” Katie says. “She was so bummed that she couldn’t attend, and wanted to extend the invite for me to go and enjoy in her place.” In reality, Jack planned a private tour and tasting at golden hour with a photographer on standby to capture his heartfelt proposal. After, the newly-engaged duo celebrated with a private dinner with the chef’s tasting menu.

As Katie and Jack started thinking about their dream wedding, they knew a destination event in San José del Cabo, Mexico, was what they wanted. Luckily, the bride-to-be knew exactly who she'd call for planning assistance: The team at Amy Abbott Events, who Katie worked for in the area a decade earlier. Though they knew they wanted a destination wedding in the Los Cabos area, they weren't sure where to host the event. It was important to Katie and Jack that their nuptials feel different than what everyone else had already done in the area, unique to their personalities, and decorated in an organic color palette with tons of texture and patterns. When their planner tipped them off about a new venue, they knew they'd found their perfect wedding locale. “Jack and I were both captivated by Acre’s stunning brand new desert oasis-inspired venue, Los Agaves, an exciting addition to their already renowned property," Katie explains.

In the end, they invited 62 guests to a welcome party at Hilton Los Cabos followed by their April 27, 2024, wedding celebration inspired by the architecture and desert landscape at Los Agaves. Keep reading to see how Eager Hearts Photo captured the details of this elevated Cabo wedding.

Katie and Jack worked with Minted to create a wedding invitation suite that featured illustrations of their venues and subtle palm tree details. The suite was finished with a vellum overlay complete with a palm tree print and a custom wax seal featuring a palm tree and their first initials.

The mother of the bride assembled custom welcome bags for each guest; attendees received woven beach bags with snacks, an itinerary and thank-you card, a custom trucker hat, and a custom canvas mini-emergency kit with all the essentials—from electrolytes to vitamin C.

The Thursday before their wedding, Katie and Jack hosted a "tacos and margs"-themed welcome party with a neutral resort attire dress code at Hilton Los Cabos, where most of their guests were staying. “With it being a smaller guest count of 62, we loved having the welcome party as a chance for everyone to get to meet those they hadn’t met yet, catch up with friends and family, and it also gave Jack and I the chance to spend intentional time with everyone individually,” the bride says.

Katie wanted to stand out in an outfit that felt bridal but different from her wedding dress, so she picked a vintage-inspired Stone Cold Fox dress. Jack wore a white linen set that he found on a family vacation in Punta Mita in the months leading up to the wedding.

The couple intentionally scheduled Friday, the day before their wedding, to be a day of leisure for their guests. They offered early morning yoga, ocean-front tee-times on the golf course, and private margarita-making classes as optional activities. “We were super happy with the decision to schedule in some time that there was nothing planned,” Katie notes. “It made the weekend feel longer and we wanted everyone to feel like they were actually on vacation.”

Katie wanted to feel like a more elevated version of herself on her wedding day, so choosing the right beauty look was key. “For me, fresh, dewy looking skin was important!” she says. She wore her hair pulled back to highlight the neckline of her gown and combat the Cabo humidity.

Before she went wedding dress shopping with her mom and mother-in-law, Katie saved two photos of dresses from Chosen by KYHA, and though she tried on dozens of other beautiful gowns, she couldn't get those looks out of her head. In the end, she picked the brand's "Maras" gown, which featured a relaxed-fit halter neckline that crossed at the bust and long neck ties that extended beyond the dress’s train. “It had a gentle fit that felt right for warm-weather Cabo,” Katie says.

Katie's bridal-worthy manicure featured a single coat of OPI’s “Funny Bunny” and two coats of their “Bubble Bath” shade. Her hand-tied bouquet featured a blend of tulips, scabiosa, bellflower, dendrobium orchids, and Japanese spirea. 

One of the earliest decisions Katie and Jack made about their wedding was that they were going to have a first look. “We both knew it would be incredibly calming to spend time with each other before the ceremony, and wanted the opportunity to read our vows privately as well,” Katie says. “We tried to be as present as possible, but I remember it being a pretty indescribable feeling.”

Jack wore a classic black tuxedo and bow tie from Generation Tux, which he paired with black suede Gucci loafers. He also held a handkerchief from his grandmother’s nuptials that his mother gave him the morning of the wedding. “The first of many tears that day was opening that surprise,” he says.

"We went with a neutral and organic color palette, mixing in some of the desert greens seen around the venue," the bride says of the day's overarching design inspiration. "The florals were muted pastels accented with subtle touches of brown and green. Garden-inspired, the design they gravitated towards captured the essence of wildflowers while maintaining an elegant aesthetic with a warm, inviting touch."

That aesthetic was on full display during the outdoor ceremony, where the aisle was decorated with a variety of locally-sourced pots filled with lush arrangements of blooms in muted pastel tones. A grounded arch marked the spot where the couple would exchange vows; it was created using a mix of delphinium, lisianthus, garden roses, bellflower, amaranthus, jarrow, bougainvillea, lemon tree leaves, and milkweed.

Guests were seated in white-framed wicker chairs and given white parasols and packets of tissues that read "For your happy tears."

Katie made her grand entrance down the winding stairs with her father by her side to Canon in D, the same song that her mother and mother-in-law walked down the aisle to. The bride's dad officiated the ceremony, during which the couple exchanged traditional vows. After being pronounced husband and wife, the duo celebrated back up the aisle to “Waiting for Love” by Avicii, which was performed live by a violinist and pianist

As a fun twist on a seating chart, guests found their names and table assignments on glass vessels filled with flowers, grasses, and fruits. “I knew I wanted to do a mixture of florals but also local fruits for the seating chart display for something different, and our design team pulled this together flawlessly,” Katie says.

The bride and groom instructed guests to wear color to the wedding, which they knew would create a striking contrast against their neutral color palette. At cocktail hour, everyone enjoyed a live mariachi band. “We knew we wanted to incorporate some Mexican flair somehow as a nod to the destination, and this was a perfect way,” Katie says.

As their signature sips, Jack chose a mango mojito mocktail while Katie selected a tres amigos drink. The signage incorporated wood and woven texture contrasted with modern typography.

At the couple’s reception, wooden tables were surrounded by rattan chairs and decorated with white and green ceramic bud vases filled with white Japanese spirea, bellflower, scabiosa, tulips, ranunculus, lisianthus, and greenery.

The space was lit with a variety of candles, string lights, and rattan pendant lights.

The place settings incorporated stoneware plates and stone table numbers. They also featured a unique take on custom place cards, which was one of Katie's favorite details of the entire wedding. “I had a vision of doing embroidered napkins at each setting with the guest’s name, something I hadn’t seen done before and that could also be a little memento for each couple or family to take home with them and use in the future,” Katie says. They worked with Colleen at The Handkerchief Shop to bring the bride's vision to life. “I loved seeing the surprise on guests' faces as they went to find their seats."

The reception space had pockets of lounge furniture featuring woven tables and chairs, velvet stools, and fluffy accent pillows. A green dresser was decorated with a variety of candles and photos of the couple’s upbringing with a neon “Foley Forever” sign above it, a nod to Katie and Jack’s new shared last name.

A patterned dance floor and elevated DJ booth decorated with desert-inspired florals ensured the space also had a party-ready vibe. 

The couple served beet salad, cheddar biscuits, and fried green tomatoes as the first course of their wedding dinner. Then, guests chose between the catch-of-the-day, roasted chicken, or braised beef for the main course. Dessert was a station of different treats, including cream puffs and miniature pies.

During heartfelt toasts from their loved ones, the couple paused to take the entire day in. “I just remember finally being able to take a breath and looking around the room at all of our friends and family that made the journey for us,” Jack says. “It left me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude!”

Katie changed into a ruffled mini dress with Nike sneakers during the party. Their DJ was accompanied by a live violinist and saxophonist, which kept guests on their feet all evening long.

They also brought in a cigar bar for Jack to enjoy with his friends, and each cigar wrapper featured their wedding logo. At the end of the evening, Carajillo coffee based cocktails were passed around and guests surrounded the couple for a sparkler exit.

The newlyweds spent a few weeks at home before heading to Hawaii for their honeymoon. If they could offer one piece of advice to couples planning a wedding, it’s this: “Use an amazing planner!” Katie says. “I would also add to fully trust your planner, they are the experts for a reason, and it makes for a much better working experience when you let them do their thing!”