A Beachfront Boho Wedding in Cancun

When Sarah Morris, a band manager, and Huston Powell, a concert promoter, first talked, Sarah was not a fan of his demeanor on the phone. “I was working for a talent agency in L.A., and Huston was booking concerts in Austin, so our paths kept crossing professionally,” says Sarah. “I told a coworker that I thought he was a little too abrupt, and the next thing I knew he was calling me to ask why I thought he was rude. I was horrified!” But instead of becoming enemies, Huston invited Sarah to join him at a music festival in Chicago, Lollapalooza, to prove that he’s really a nice guy. “I went with a friend, and by the time the trip was over, I had a feeling that we would start dating,” she remembers.

Three years later, while getting ready to go out to dinner, Sarah found Huston, along with their beagle Penny Lane (the perfect name for a music-loving couple!), on one knee. “That weekend, he surprised me with a trip to the Beverly Hills Hotel and flew in some of my best girlfriends," she says. "It was one of the best weekends of my life!” That is—until their November 5, 2016, wedding in Cancun, Mexico, of course.

Huston and Sarah went back and forth about where they’d tie the knot, but with their friends flying in from across the country anyway, they decided it might as well be worth a weekend trip, with beautiful beaches and lots of margaritas. Their solution: the Nizuc Resort and Spa in Cancun. “It was the laid-back environment we wanted, the boho-contemporary vibe we were seeking, and, honestly, the curfews there were later,” Sarah says. Their inspiration behind the bash was "David Bowie at the beach," which translated to a boho, rock ’n’ roll attitude with fun pops of color, geometric shapes, and free-flowing fashion. Keep scrolling to see how Sarah and Huston’s boho wedding came together, thanks to planner Sarah Glick and photographer Cambria Harkey.

Sarah knew the first dress she tried on, a ‘70s-inspired gown with bell sleeves by Rue de Seine, was the One once she discovered its name: “the Zeppelin!” “I felt like I had to shop around just so I wouldn’t miss out on the experience, but I knew the whole time I would come back and buy that dress,” she says. “That being said, trying on those other dresses was so fun!” She paired her dream gown with burgundy velvet sandals by Stuart Weitzman for the ceremony, then swapped the whole ensemble for an off-the-shoulder dress (by For Love and Lemons) and rose-gold platforms (by Stella McCartney) when it was time to dance.

The bride walked down the aisle with her mother and sister. “Hugging them when we got to the altar was such a special moment,” she says. The couple wrote their own vows, and a good friend served as officiant. “We had a sage-burning at the altar and used an old-school gold microphone for a little bit of rock ’n’ roll,” the bride adds.

Guests found their table assignments hung from cream-colored macramé, which was decorated with peach roses and deep-burgundy astilbes. (So trendy!)

The reception took place on the pool deck, just steps from the white-sand beach. Here, cross-backed chairs surrounded farm tables topped with deep-blue goblets, garlands of eucalyptus, and geometric-shaped vessels filled with colorful flowers. At each place setting, a combination of gold-sunburst and gold-rimmed chargers added an extra layer of dimension. Each table was also named after one of the couple’s favorite horror movies, written on a slice of agate.

Always the rockers, Huston and Sarah shared their first dance to “Heroes” by David Bowie. The pair’s friend DJ Mel had the dance floor packed for six hours straight. “When it was all over, we formed a line and ran into the ocean in our clothes,” Sarah says, laughing.

Because they wanted to make sure their guests really enjoyed the weekend, Sarah and Huston also hosted a glam copper-toned rehearsal dinner the night before their wedding. “Having a wedding planner meant we could communicate our visions, must-haves, and don’ts," Sarah says. "Sarah Glick took over, and it made the process simple and so worth it!”

As a lesson for all of you planning destination weddings of your own, take this tip from the newlyweds: Since they were nervous about being stuck paying for rooms in their block that weren’t filled, they sent their invitations extra early and used a digital RSVP on their wedding website. “It worked," Sarah says. “We filled the block and could stop worrying about what we would do with all those extra hotel rooms!”