Three Celebrations, One Wedding: Lessons From a Los Cabos Weekend

Destination weddings can easily become over-programmed. Sarah Istel and David Shay’s celebration offers a more useful way to think about the format: not as one giant event stretched over several days, but as a sequence of distinct experiences with different jobs to do.

Vogue reported that the couple’s wedding story unfolded across three celebrations, including Washington, D.C., a smaller ceremony connected to Sarah’s family, and a larger wedding weekend in Los Cabos, Mexico. The details ranged from vintage fashion and family jewellery to personalised vows, Jewish traditions, beach parties and a disco-focused after-party.

Give each event a different purpose

The most useful idea here is separation. A welcome event should feel like an arrival. A ceremony should create emotional focus. A dinner should let people settle. An after-party should feel looser. When every event uses the same styling, music and energy, the weekend can become repetitive.

For couples planning two or three days, write one sentence explaining the purpose of each event. If two events have essentially the same answer, consider combining them.

Use family objects carefully, not decoratively

Sarah wore a bracelet that had belonged to her grandmother and had survived a family wartime journey. Details like this work because they are genuine, not because they have been styled to appear meaningful.

If you have heirloom jewellery, fabric, photographs or other family pieces, consider where they naturally fit. A single object with history can add more depth than a whole table of generic nostalgia.

Let destination style come from place, not cliché

A coastal wedding does not need to become a catalogue of shells, blue stationery and beach signs. Place can show up through food, light, music, local flowers, landscape and the pace of the day. That approach generally ages better in photographs and feels more sophisticated for guests.

Build the weekend around energy

Multi-day weddings are partly an exercise in pacing. Guests need room to recover, explore and talk. A packed timetable can make a luxurious weekend feel like work.

• Keep arrival events informal.
• Protect a quiet window before the ceremony.
• Do not schedule every breakfast and lunch unless there is a good reason.
• Save the most energetic entertainment for the point when people are ready for it.

What this wedding gets right

The celebration combined fashion, family history, cultural traditions and a sense of place without asking any one element to carry the entire identity of the wedding. That is a useful model whether your destination is Mexico or simply a hotel two hours from home.

For more planning help, read How to Choose the Right Wedding Venue and our Planning section.

Source

This article is original commentary based on Vogue’s reporting on Sarah Istel and David Shay’s wedding. Read Vogue’s original wedding feature.