Believe it or not, you can choose not to stress about destination wedding planning. At least, that’s what Erin Aschow’s opting to do. Here, the bride behind the viral blog, Ice Cream & Neon Dreams, dishes on staying calm and collected ahead of her Los Cabos “I dos.”
How’d you go about venue scouting?
Cabo is a destination, but we go so much that it’s very comfortable for us. We’re both super excited we’re getting our Mexico wedding. We went down to Cabo with my dad and looked at a few spots. Initially, we were going to look at six or seven. We ended up picking the first place we saw, Solaz, because it’s modern but still very natural, not stuffy or cold feeling.
In what ways does the venue cater to the mood and theme of your wedding?
I’m not the kind of girl who’s been planning her big day her entire life, and my general mood is “I don’t want to stress out.” Our whole goal is to have fun and invite the people we’re close to and want to go on vacation with. Sure, we have our wedding party and, for the most part, our color scheme is black. (My bridesmaids are going to do basic black slip dresses, and I don’t care if they wear shoes. Do what you want!) I don’t care about things like chargers or centerpieces and how a napkin is knotted. If I’m going to spend money on something, I would rather it be cool welcome gifts, the guest experience.
Are you going to splurge on a wedding planner?
I’m a firm believer in having a planner, depending on the level of the work you want to take on. Knowing all of the variables and having a game plan is key for a destination wedding—having someone who can take work off of our plates so we can enjoy it all and not be stressed, that’s smart. [Hers is Del Cabo Weddings.]
So, how are you really making this a weekend-long celebration?
It’s little stuff, like having a spa day with my bridesmaids. The night before, instead of a welcome dinner, we’re just going to do a bonfire on the beach with s’mores and marshmallows. People are going on vacation, and we want them to relax and hang out. If they want to sleep, go sleep.
Seriously, how do you stop yourself from transforming into the B-word?
Bridezilla? [laughs] It’s important to take a step back and think about it as just a celebration of us loving each other. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect. If for some reason the ribbon on my bouquet is gray instead of black, I don’t need to have a meltdown. I keep reminding myself it is a big deal, but it’s not a big deal because everything needs to be super specific and perfect. It’s a big deal because we’re celebrating loving each other.
On picking Cabo: Erin and her beau, Tony Perry, lead guitarist for rock band Pierce the Veil, initially hit it off on a vacation to Los Cabos with mutual friends and have revisited the destination every year since. On the sixth time, Tony proposed!
How to Recruit Your Destination-Wedding Dream Team
1. Choose a planner, first and foremost.
A great place to start looking for a planner is via referrals from your venue. Consider every communication with them (email, phone, FaceTime, etc.) a part of your vetting process, because that’s about all you’ll have when planning from afar.
2. Save a buck and book your glam squad locally.
On one of your venue-scouting visits or when you’ve returned to do a catering tasting, book a few sessions with different local hair and makeup artists to find your favorites. Choosing someone locally will save you from flying in a vendor.
3. Secure a local photographer, too.
Follow up those makeup and hair trials with, yep, more trials but with local photographers. Not only will this again save you from flying in a vendor, but it’ll also provide you with some lovely engagement photos.
