Daniel and Nicole’s summer wedding in Mexico started with a Catholic ceremony high above the Pacific and casually slid into a full-on pool party by the end of the night. From the beginning, the focus was never on a rigid schedule or doing things the right way, but on how the day should feel. Working with Jennifer Jaimes, they followed instinct over rules and let the celebration unfold naturally.
Daniel is more analytical and reserved. Nicole is imaginative, social, and very go-with-the-flow. They don’t try to be the same, and that’s the point. As Daniel says, they didn’t overlap so much as finish a puzzle; each of them had only gotten halfway through. That contrast showed up everywhere, in the rhythm of the day, in how things moved from formal to spontaneous, and in the way the wedding never tried to prove anything.
Location: Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico
Style: Organic, Сlassic, Timeless
Time of planning: 1 year
Number of guests: 38
Setting: Сhurch and Villa
Season: Summer
The couple met in a Spanish class at university. During one of the classes, Daniel stood up to present and told a joke that wasn’t particularly funny. Nicole laughed regardless, a little louder than necessary, then leaned over to a classmate and whispered, “I’m swoon.” After class, she did some light detective work, figured out who he was, and asked him to her sorority formal. They started dating soon after.
He proposed at his family’s farm, under an oak tree at sunset. With the help of their sisters, he set up a simple picnic with flowers, candles, and their dog Nico. Nicole thought they were heading out for a quick four-wheeler ride before sunset. Instead, wrapped in a blanket and holding Nico, she arrived at the front pasture to find Daniel waiting. Simple, sacred, and exactly theirs.
Bride's Morning & Fashion
Nicole’s morning was calm, unforced, and very much about feeling like herself. Her ceremony dress was the Serene mermaid gown by Madi Lane, finished with custom French Chantilly lace added by Designs X Nadine, so it would echo the lace in her veil. The veil itself was also custom, designed to feel soft and intentional rather than dramatic.
Her accessories carried the real weight. Heirloom jewelry passed down from her grandmother and great-grandmother, pieces that had already lived a life before this day. For shoes, she started in Blue by Betsey Johnson mesh slingbacks with floral beading, then changed into Antonio Melani satin heels with a pearl bow for the evening.
Her perfume was Chanel Light Blue, fresh and familiar. Hair and makeup by Iveth Sharon stayed in soft glam territory, polished but not heavy, balanced enough to let her features stay hers. Her bouquet was built around white roses and white ranunculus, clean and classic.
Groom’s Fashion
Daniel kept his look intentionally classic and out of the way. A black notch-lapel tuxedo, black patent dress shoes, and a black bow tie. The goal was: something traditional, clean, and timeless that would age well and never pull attention away from Nicole.
Ceremony
From the very beginning, Nicole and Daniel were clear about what they wanted this day to feel like. As the bride shared, they wanted presence over performance, hospitality over production, and a day that felt warm and welcoming in both English and Spanish.
They chose to keep the palette muted and the design intentional. White florals, thoughtful greenery, minimal decor, and materials that felt natural in Zihuatanejo in summer. “We wanted the venues to shine,” the groom explains. Nothing was meant to feel forced or overly styled. Jennifer Jaimes took those heart-notes and translated them into a cohesive vision.
“There’s a phrase I hold dear,” Jennifer shares. “Del amor y el mar. Of love and the sea.” That idea became the quiet thread running through the entire design. “With the chapel’s open windows and the cliffs below, it felt like a natural connection between heaven and earth. I saw it as an opportunity to honor reverence and beauty at the same time, a moment where time could pause.”
Knowing the Mass would be bilingual in spirit but not in structure, Jennifer arranged for one of her team members to translate live, allowing English-speaking guests to fully follow the ceremony without disrupting its flow.
The lovebirds opted for a traditional Catholic Mass, wanting their families fully present as witnesses. Latin American padrino roles brought loved ones directly into the sacrament, reinforcing the sense that this was not a moment to observe, but one to participate in.
There was no first look. “Seeing each other walk down the aisle was everything,” Daniel says. The ceremony ended not with spectacle, but with a shared sense of calm. Reverent, emotional, and deeply communal, exactly what they had hoped for when they imagined this day.
Moments Together
Right before the reception, the newlyweds disappeared for a few minutes. They sat together, caught their breath, and let the day land. Daniel later said this was his favorite part of the entire wedding. That pause right before everything kicked off. A moment to look at each other and realize, okay, this is real, we’re married!
Those minutes turned into some of the most natural photos of the day, captured by Morgan Isaac. Nothing posed, nothing overly styled. Just them walking through the villa, holding hands, exchanging looks, moving slowly because there was no reason to rush.
And then it started to rain, a soft summer drizzle. For Nicole, it felt like a blessing. The mood shifted instantly. The photos from that moment feel loose and alive, a little messy in the best way.
Reception
The reception at Casa Angelina was all about letting the space do the heavy lifting. Ocean on one side, city lights on the other, and a setup that didn’t try to outshine either. Tables were dressed in soft linens, candles everywhere, white florals kept clean and low.
It felt easy, coastal, and very intentional once you looked closer. Custom tablecloths, linen menus, vintage cutlery, handcrafted plates, subtle textures that quietly tied everything back to the sea.
Cocktail hour kicked off with a local mariachi playing classics, instantly setting the tone. Drinks followed the same logic as the rest of the day. A passionfruit margarita and a tamarind mezcalina, local flavors, no overthinking. Dinner rolled on without rush, candles flickering as the light dropped, guests lingering at the table because no one felt like leaving yet.
When the couple made their entrance, the night shifted gears. Daniel jumped in with the mariachi to sing Hermoso Cariño by Vicente Fernández for Nicole, which felt equal parts bold and incredibly personal. Their first dance followed to Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers.
Then the playlist opened up completely. Reggaetón, ’90s country, early 2000s hip-hop, ’80s ballads. Toasts came from Daniel’s dad, Nicole’s mom, her maid of honor Audrey, and Daniel’s best man Austin Walker, with Audrey translating back and forth so everyone stayed in the moment.
Later in the night, Nicole switched dresses and the entire energy changed. She came out in her mom’s wedding gown, reworked by Designs X Nadine to keep the original silhouette while making it feel fully hers. Handcrafted silk roses woven into the dress and her hairpiece added a soft cultural nod. When she danced with her mom, it was emotional in a way that stopped the room. Tears, laughter, that full-circle feeling you don’t stage.
“Put your trust in the right wedding planner. Jennifer really made this happen for us, and we could not have done this without her. Along with that, plan early and make decisions quickly. The longer you wait, the more the day will sneak up on you,” Nicole shares.
Later, things fully unraveled. The pool became the obvious next move. Guests jumped in fully dressed, music still playing, lights reflecting off the water. Wet clothes, big laughs, no one trying to look cute anymore. Just pure end-of-night energy.
Advice from the couple:
• Communicate with point people in your wedding party. They’re there to support you and have a good time, but they’re also there to help take some of the burden off your shoulders. You have to trust them and let them help you.
• Also, stay by each other throughout the night. There are going to be people pulling you in every different direction the whole night, but this is your night!
PLANNER Jennifer Jaimes | PHOTOGRAPHER Morgan Isaac | SECOND SHOOTER Heiko Bothe | VIDEOGRAPHER Yossuana Aguilar | VENUE Casa Angelina | FLORAL DESIGN Flor Maldonado Mancilla | MUAH Iveth Sharon | ATELIER Designs X Nadine | TABLETOP RENTALS Tables & Design | LINENS Cyre Manteleria | STATIONERY Santo Guerrero Studio | CATERING Angustina | WEDDING CAKE Tropical Cakes | WAREHOUSE Eventi Warehouse | AUDIO & RENTALS Ibiza Audio Ixtapa | DJ DJ Robert Mix
