The Love Story
Megan and Michael met at a grungy local beach bar in Newport Beach, California in 2008. Michael was wearing an Oregon State University baseball hat and Megan saw him from across the bar, thrilled to see someone from near her home state (Washington)! Megan's close friend introduced them and they hit it off instantly. Michael made her dinner the following night and introduced her to his dog, and they have been inseparable ever since.
The Planning Experience
Megan and Michael decided to have a destination wedding because they wanted to have the most fun they could at our wedding with as little planning stress as possible. They also had friends and family living all over the country who would be traveling for our wedding regardless, so they figured why not all meet together at an amazing location to celebrate. They decided to have our wedding in Cabo at the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas because it was in a fun and affordable city for all of our guests to travel to and from. The pricing was affordable, the ceremony options were ideal, and the location was perfect. Due to weather conditions, however, they changed their wedding to Riu Palace Puerto Vallarta, but the resort picked up right where the original property left off.
The Celebration
Megan and Michael added some fun personal touches to our wedding, starting with their wedding party. All of the groomsmen wore converse-like Nike shoes with their suits, which is a brand that Michael loves and that originated in Oregon (Michael's home state). The bridesmaids all chose their own dresses in my preferred color (coral) which added their own unique flair, and they did their own hair. They also chose to write their own vows and had a very unique first dance song. They loved everything about their wedding day, and were so grateful everything worked out (even during Hurricane Odile and relocating) so they could spend their celebration in paradise with their closest loved ones. "It was like adult-summer camp for a week with all of your loved ones," recalls Megan.
The Memories
Even through all the hiccups. Their wedding day came together perfectly. At the end of the reception, everyone jumped in the pool together, including Megan, who still had her wedding dress on. Over 30 guests, groomsmen, bridesmaids and the newlyweds were on cloud nine and filled with so much love, happiness, and tequila in the pool! For their one year anniversary, they would love to go back to their original destination wedding spot, Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas! "We just HAVE to experience what could have been," Megan and Michael state.
Advice For Future Couples
Megan and Michael's advice for future couples is utilize your Certified Destination Wedding Specialist and be as kind and easy to work with. Without the help of DestinationWeddings.com and our hard working Specialist, our wedding would have NEVER happened. Our Specialist even happened to be in our new wedding location for a work retreat prior to our wedding and personally took a cab over to the new resort to meet with the staff and help arrange our accommodations (and ease my anxieties)! I was so amazed at how above and beyond Natalie went to ensure our dream wedding would happen just the way we planned! I personally believe that because Natalie and I had such a positive relationship, she was much more inclined to be supportive and accommodating during this insane re-routing process!
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Photographer: Jessica Kettle Photography