A Destination Wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Nicole Stephan and Tony Lochhead met at a bar in Long Beach, California, in October 2014. "After a few drinks, shots, and $20 in the jukebox, Tony had me with his incredibly insane dance moves," she recalls. So after Tony proposed at his favorite beach in New Zealand, where he's from, it was obvious that they'd set their wedding on a beach, too.

This time, the couple unanimously knew where: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! "Our first vacation together was in Cabo, and we instantly fell in love with the culture, food, and beaches," says the bride. Nicole and Tony picked the Cape, a Thompson Hotel, as their venue, set a date for January 7, 2017, and invited 65 guests down for a long weekend of boat cruises, beach parties, and of course, wedding festivities!

Check out the gorgeous photos from Forged in the North below, and start pinning away their elevated, chic party.

The couple kept their invitation suite elevated and modern to match the Cape's chic design. "We didn't have any Mexican decor or flair on our wedding day," says the bride. "I'm in fashion and wanted that element to come through the decor and the details."

That being said, Tony and Nicole kept their other paper products very festive. Their welcome note to guests said "Hola!" and the weekend's events were printed on paper that looked like a colorful cloth.

The fashion bride went dress shopping with her mother and bridesmaids—but they didn't know it yet. She waited until after she found The One to ask her 'maids over for a champagne toast in the bridal salon.

The winning dress? A geometric print lace gown by Vera Wang! "The dress had long sleeves, a very low back, and a plunging neckline," she says. "All three were a must for me." Nicole paired the stunner with earrings (that didn't take away from the gown's neckline), gunmetal YSL heels, and a 15-foot long veil (also by Vera) that made her "feel like a princess."

The groom went with a classic black and white suit, paired with a pocket square and tie. "Tony is such a low-key guy and if he could've worn flip-flops and shorts down the aisle, he would have," says his bride.

Before the ceremony, Nicole and Tony did a first look on the hotel balcony before taking in the view of the peninsula. "We both loved doing a first look," she says. "It gave us time to just be with each other before all the craziness of the big day happened."

The ceremony took place on an outside patio with views of the Pacific Ocean. An altar covered in greenery and flowers served as a focal point of the site, while the aisle was lined with black lanterns and black candles.

Nicole and Tony exchanged vows they'd written themselves as they thought it was important to make specific promises to each other. "We kept it simple at a half page each, and we spoke from our hearts and described why we loved one another and what we wanted to promise to each other," she says.

The newlyweds embraced their venue's location before cocktail hour, kicking off the night with some fun sombrero portraits.

A pink lucite menu let everyone know the couple's signature drinks: A St. Germain cocktail for Nicole, and a spicy margarita for Tony.

The reception took place on the hotel's rooftop at sunset—talk about insane views! Again sticking to a modern aesthetic, the bride filled the space with uncovered wooden tables and black metal chairs. Tables were dressed with blush-colored runner (from Silk & Willow), black tableware, black flatware, and flower arrangements of different heights and shapes.

As a gift to each guest, the couple had luggage tags embossed with their name to serve as both a favor and place card.

The three single-tiered cakes were all different flavor combos (caramel cake with salted caramel filling, banana cake with coconut filling, and chocolate cake with vanilla filling). Black cake tiers from Tina Frey and fresh cut flowers in nude hues completed the dessert table.

After the wedding, the couple spent a week in Cabo, hanging out with their family and friends and Tony's family from New Zealand. Nicole counts herself lucky to have had this time with her loved ones but she has this advice for you: "Take it all in! It happens in a blink of the eye!"