"A Bonfire at Sunset" - Reema and Nikhil's Wedding in Los Cabos
Sometimes it’s just poetically perfect
It’s no surprise Reema and Nikhil had such a beautiful wedding right at sunset in beautiful Los Cabos! With Nikhil being writer by hobby and the two of them routinely enjoying bonfires with friends in California, Nikhil planned the perfect romantic bonfire surprise proposal at sunset! They carried the bonfire theme through their welcome night on the beach in Baja California Sur and later in the weekend got married on a beautiful oceanfront garden with the sunsetting right as they crossed the final phera! What a magical wedding and an incredible couple to work with.
Author - Reema, Bride
When you know, you know!
We met at a bar on a night out! Reema’s good friend’s cousin was visiting LA and had organized drinks. Reema tagged along and funny enough, Nikhil’s good friend knew the same person, so he tagged along too. They all ended up at the same spot and Reema and Nikhil were the only 2 people who didn’t know any one else, so they started chatting… We dated for a little over a year before we got engaged.
The proposal
We had planned a bonfire night, something we do pretty often, in December before the holidays. It was a normal day - we set up for the bonfire as we always do. Nikhil is a writer on the side and often shares his work with me for feedback. I knew he was working on a piece, so he mentioned that he wanted to read it to me when we were at the bonfire. This was a pretty normal thing for us to do, and as he started reading, the story ended up being about how we met and our first year together. The last page was blank and that’s when he proposed.
Let’s plan a wedding!
We started planning our wedding pretty much a week after the engagement (lol). My parents were visiting for Christmas so it was just practical to start discussing it right away.
We always wanted a destination wedding because we wanted everyone to stay together for a weekend so you could truly spend time and party until the wee hours of the night :) Basically, we wanted to have fun during our wedding and we wanted our guests to join us! We also love sunsets, beaches and mountains - all of which Cabo offers. It was also relatively convenient in terms of travel time.
We chose Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos because it had the high-quality, grandeur and the fun/party vibe that we wanted! Most of all, it was large enough to not just accommodate our guests, but provide us with several beautiful venues for each event. We didn’t want to repeat any venues and at Hard Rock, we didn’t have to.
Choose your Partner in Paradise wisely
The Shaadi Destinations team was just so easy to work with from the very first chat we all had. Milan was knowledgeable both about destination weddings and Indian weddings, so we knew he had the experience to pull this off. He was also super communicative, professional and was really relatable. He seemed to know off the bat what we wanted and what would work best for us, which actually made the process fun (at least for us haha).
And of course, the quality of work Shaadi Destinations produces is great. The coordination for our guests was pretty seamless from the invites to the actual guest pick-ups once they reached the wedding destination! We definitely recommend using a wedding planner AND coordinator. And make sure you actually like them - not just their work. We chose JC Castillo Weddings in addition to Shaadi Destinations - we loved him and his team! He brought our wedding to life in a way that we thought would be muchhhh harder.
One of our favorite memories from our wedding that sticks out is how we extended our stay on a whim. We were supposed to leave the Monday after we got married, but it was just too quick. So we literally cancelled our ticket 30 minutes before we had to leave for the airport and we asked Shaadi Destinations to extend our room for 2 extra nights :P Oh, and we got the wedding cake wheeled into our room so we could eat it for breakfast!
Our hashtag was #ReemaFoundDhawan and #TilDuttDoUsPart. Our friends helped us create them! For our honeymoon, we went to Greece and Italy - it was beautiful! We got to see a lot of new places and immerse ourselves in some local experiences.
Our list of vendors:
Destination Wedding Agency - Shaadi Destinations (Website - Instagram - Email)
Wedding Planner - JC Castillo Weddings (Website - Instagram - Email)
Photographer - Gareth Davies Photography (Website - Instagram - Email)
Hair and Makeup - Styling Trio (Website - Instagram - Email)
Mehndi - Henna by Sheetal (Instagram)
Special thanks to Gareth Davies Photography and Ruiz Films for these fabulous pictures!
Shaadi Destinations is the premier, award winning, modern-day destination wedding travel agency for South Asian couples seeking a streamlined process, incredible experiences, and a party friends and family will never forget! We save our couples thousands of dollars while throwing them the wedding festivities dreams are made of.
We live and breathe destination weddings - with just one consultation, you will be light years ahead in your destination wedding planning process. In less than one week, Shaadi Destinations will find you the most perfect resort that meets your needs, your budget, and your desires. With our vendor relationships and pre-negotiated exclusive perks at resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean, we are confident we can find exactly what you are looking for. You'll find we have the best rates, best incentives, and best booking experience.
After meeting in India and becoming fast friends, Nirali and Niraj decided to take the plunge into a romantic relationship and boy did it pay off for them! Together with their friends and family, they had one of the most beautiful wedding weekends that Nobu Los Cabos has seen…
From meeting each other the old-fashioned way, over a glass of wine and a pizza, to celebrating their love story at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit with friends and family… Haritha and Rahul’s story of forever is nothing if not spectacular!
Saarah and Sunil quickly planned their dream wedding at the gorgeous Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit resort in Puerto Vallarta. Committed to having everything they wanted to outside, the weather held up for a truly stunning wedding right on the shores of the Pacific Ocean…
This bride has been impressing her groom since day one after meeting him during an interview. A few years later and some job shifting, nothing could keep these two apart. They had a beautiful and intimate wedding in Costa Mujeres surrounded by their closest friends and family for a weekend none of them will likely forget…
A smaller wedding set in beautiful Costa Mujeres where Deepa + Shalveen blended their Gujarati & Tamil cultures. Surrounded by their friends and family, these two had one of the most beautiful wedding weekends at Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres and their pictures are definitely proof of that…
After 10 years together before their big day, Megha and Akshay planned their dream destination wedding at the beautiful Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya with the help of some amazing vendors. Their mandap, florals and dance floor are wedding details that stunned their friends and family who came to witness this momentous occasion…
When you go on your first vacation together to Cancun, it only makes sense to look to the beautiful beaches in Mexico to get married. Priya and Binit planned the most beautiful and F-U-N wedding weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya. There’s even proof of crowd surfing to show just how much fun they had…
Originally thinking they would get married in Punta Cana, Jessica and Ronak redirected to the stunning area of Riviera Maya, Mexico and had the most amazing wedding weekend. The couple combined their cultures and had the most beautiful wedding of their dreams…
When two people living in a cold weather area start planning their wedding, there’s no other option than somewhere warm and tropical. Bhavneet and Aftab’s Riviera Maya wedding did not disappoint. From beautiful, tropical weather, to vibrant colors in their decor, to a pool party that made resort guests jealous they weren’t invited, their wedding was a good time from start to finish…
When Aekta’s dream wedding in Portugal was put on ice due to the pandemic, she trusted Shaadi Destinations to create the wedding of her dreams in Cap Cana at the brand new Hyatt Ziva with just a few months to plan! Come read all the details about her fairytale wedding…
What better way than to learn to trust the process than to read it from a vendor who got married, himself! From a stealthily planned proposal in Singapore to an explosion of lights and sound at a ‘Reception of the Year’ candidate, it was all EPIC.
Engaged in the Dominican Republic at a cousin’s Shaadi Destinations wedding, it was a no-brainer to pick Shaadi Destinations for their destination wedding in paradise! Despite all the odds (including a quickly passing hurricane), they pulled off a stunning and unforgettable wedding!
Easily one of the most stunning destination weddings of 2020, Lira and Omesh’s wedding weekend was truly a sight to behold! Come take a look and see why so many future couples are looking for inspiration from their stunning moments in Baja California Sur…
Starting off with a three-day first date in New York City, these two knew right from the start they were meant to be together! Come check out their beautiful wedding and photoshoots in paradise.
Richa and Rishi’s love story is equally remarkable and unforgettable! From how they met to how they planned their wedding with Shaadi Destinations while living incredibly busy lives back home, the details will surprise and ‘wow’ you. Richa and Rishi’s wedding has been featured in Vogue, Brides, and more!
This love story has it all - a classic surprise proposal to swan towels to their helpful wedding planning tips, come share in this tale of two lovebirds from San Francisco who chose Shaadi Destinations to help them with their destination wedding in paradise!
Enjoy this destination romance story where he proposed in Jamaica, they married in Mexico, and honeymooned in Hawaii! This Indian destination wedding in Riviera Maya was beautiful and exciting!
Planned in just under 4 months, this beautiful wedding at the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres and TRS Coral resort was beautiful, tranquil, and just what the bride ordered!
Planning a destination Muslim wedding isn’t always easy, but Shehzadi and Adil brought together a dream team of vendors to plan the ultimate destination wedding in paradise! Come read all about their dreamy wedding and take in their stunning pictures!
One of the most beautiful color palettes we have seen at an Indian destination wedding EVER! Come check out Seema and Sagar’s STUNNING wedding at Royalton Riviera Cancun that featured an awesome group of vendors including DJ Shilpa, Andre Gouin, Nihal Singh Live, and more!
Sanam and Sean tied the knot in Riviera Maya after 11 years of being best friends and dating for 2! They share their top tips, when they realized they needed a travel agent, and how they navigated their planning experience to create an incredible vacation experience for friends and family.