Kelsey and Tristan’s Boho Beach Wedding in Mexico by DeNeffe Studios 

Today I am taking you over to super sunny Mexico for this gorgeous destination wedding of Kelsey and Tristan. The couple who are from the US wanted to create a Boho desert wedding, and did so with the help of their wedding planners Wanderlust Weddings Baja. With a gorgeous colour scheme of light sage green, pale pink and sand, they infused their day with gentle decor, which worked well and blended with the beautiful beach backdrop. Pachamama Mexico looks like an amazing venue, I especially love the individual Tipi’s scattered across the sand. DeNeffe Studios  was there to capture the day for us in all it’s beauty.

We aimed for a simple, minimalistic boho desert beach vibe knowing that the options for wedding decor might be more limited in Mexico than the states. With our wonderful wedding planner Katie Thompson of Wanderlust Weddings Baja, we were able to see our vision come together beautifully and it was so much more than we could have imagined!

Kelsey and Tristan were married on 22nd June 2019 at Pachamama Mexico, Todos Santos. ‘We knew we wanted a destination wedding and Mexico has always been a favourite vacation spot together. We
stumbled across Pachamama, a cool desert yoga retreat scattered with teepees in Todos Santos on Airbnb of all places, fell in love with it and booked it site unseen. Some would say that’s risky, but it  worked out so well for us.We knew all we needed for our dream celebration was a beach setting, good food and good music — but it ended up being so much more. We spent 5 days with family and friends in the teepees surrounding Pachamama for a vacation filled with quality time together. We’re humbled to have attracted a group of 100 guests south of the border, and it made it so intimate and special to have all our favourite people in our favourite place. It took a year to plan.’

How they met 
We met through mutual friends in San Luis Obispo where we went to college together when we were only 19! We quickly started spending a lot of time together, and the rest is history! We were together for 7 years! It still boggles our minds that we’ve been together that long, time flies.

The proposal
Tristan woke me up at the crack of dawn. We’re talking 4:30am. He had bags packed and wouldn’t say where we were going. I slept for the first bit of the drive and when I woke up I could tell we were headed north. I asked how soon we’d be there and his answer was always “about a half hour more” …well after a whole 7 hours on the road we finally made it to a beach house on the most beautiful remote coastline just 15 minutes from the Oregon border.
After that seriously long drive, we popped a bottle of rosé and headed to the beach. He popped the question right on the beach and about 15 minutes later it started to pour. We spent the rest of the weekend exploring the beach and redwoods.

How did you allocate your budget?
Honestly, we did not have a real budget plan. We had never hosted a wedding and didn’t know what to expect cost wise. We just figured it out as we went along.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We splurged on the venue because we decided to rent it out for five days and host the entire wedding party. We wanted to make it a real destination experience.

How did you choose your photographer?
My mom has known Lisa since high school and she was familiar with our extended family. We knew that she would be fun and easy to work with. Once we saw her wedding work I knew that she was perfect for my wedding. Her work is stunning! When we convinced her to travel to our destination wedding I was thrilled. I knew that the photography would be professional, beautiful and personal. It was all that and more! Choosing Lisa was the best decision we made!

The dress 
The Dress: Sarah Seven

The suit and bridesmaids
Men’s suits: Bonobos Men’s Clothing Store, Bridesmaids dresses: Flynn Skye

Theme or colour scheme
It was a beach wedding so the colour scheme was chosen to reflect the light, airy feel of the setting. We used light shades of sage green, pink and sand.

Flowers 
Flowers that really showed off our colour scheme, shades of sage green, pink and sand, we wanted the simple and elegant look but also colourful.

Decoration 
A lot of simple traditional south of the border decor including falsa blankets, teepee’s, papel picado banners and more!

Food 
Taco bar from Salt & Sugar Co

Wedding cake
Tristan and I have never been big on cake, so we knew we weren’t interested in having a traditional wedding cake. We opted for traditional mexican churros for dessert and late-night paletas (mexican popsicles) on the dance floor.

Entertainment
Guitarist: Arturo Sotomayor
Live Music: La Flaka Live Music

Who supplied the stationery?
JP Stationery

Personal touches
My mom is a super talented ceramic artist and I always thought it would be cool to incorporate her art into our wedding decor. After some brainstorming, we decided on cute ceramic cacti as place cards and gifts for our guests to take home.

Special moments 
My dad passed away 10 years ago and I knew I’d want to honour his presence with us on this special day. At my wedding shower, my mom gave me a locket with his picture to attach to my bouquet which was the perfect way to have him walk me down the aisle. My brother, Jake, escorted me in place of my Dad. My Uncle Ken, my dad’s brother, officiated our wedding. I definitely felt him with us the entire day through these special touches, and he was there in spirit, especially celebrating on the dance floor.

Advice for other couples
I would advise other couples not to get stressed out about the little details. What will be remembered are the special moments of the day.

Biggest surprise 
Biggest surprise of the day was how fast the time went by!

Supplier Shout Outs

• Photographer: DeNeffe Studios 
• Videographer: Red Carpet Films
• Venue: Pachamama Mexico
• Brides Dress: Sarah Seven
• Hair: Neysa Quintana 
• Makeup: Olga Bustos 
• Bridesmaids dresses: Flynn Skye 
• Men’s Suits: Bonobos Men’s Clothing Store
• Event Decor: Let It Be Events 
• Wedding Planner: Wanderlust Weddings Baja
• Flowers: Cabo Flowers and Cakes
• Catering: Salt & Sugar Co
• Stationary: JP Stationery
• Guitarist: Arturo Sotomayor
• Live Music: La Flaka Live Music

For more information on Deneffe Studios go to

 www.deneffestudios.com / [email protected] /  [email protected] /  650-328-1018 / INSTAGRAM

We are based in the Palo Alto, California. We are an unstoppable mother – daughter team with a passion for photographing every joy-filled moment on your special day. Whether it’s your proposal, engagement, wedding or honeymoon, we are here to capture your love. Lisa DeNeffe Photography has been capturing families in the Palo Alto Bay Area for over twelve years. When Lisa’s daughter Audrey joined the team, Lisa realized she could embrace the world of engagements and weddings. This dynamic team breathe fun and passion into wedding and engagement photography.