Jodi Blum has worked for me as the head of our party division for almost eight years. Together we've created and produced many memorable parties around the world. She fell in love with Aaron Cohen and naturally wanted me to help her with their wedding, which of course I was only too happy to do. They wanted to get married on the beach and wanted a destination wedding and decided the wedding should take place in Cabo, at the very fabulous, one and only Palmilla Resort. It's always been Jodi's dream to have a small wedding; they ended up with 80 guests. The alternative to this great idea would have been a wedding in Los Angeles for around 250 guests, which really wasn't Jodi's dream. The idea of a destination wedding in Mexico was clearly more appealing. The weekend was about their guests getting to enjoy, relax, and have a good time.

The ceremony took place on a cliff overlooking the ocean and the crashing white wave tops. Under a simple chuppa of muslin and hanging crystals, with guests seated on white, round upholstered pods, Jodi made her way down an organically designed aisle lined with flower petals. After the ceremony, and as the sun was setting and the candles were lit, we were all seated at a single long table covered in muslin with an overhead muslin canopy. The dinner was served on a collection of simple white china and contemporary crystal glasses I had designed and created.

The cake, a creation of Linda Goldscheft, a baker I have worked with for years, was also simple and took its direction from our location. Undulating waves of icing stacked endlessly one on top of the other, just like the waves in the ocean.

An afterparty was set up on the beach on the other side of the hotel. Armed with tiki torches and lanterns, Mariachis led us through the resort to the beach where large bonfires were burning. With guests dancing on the sand under the full moon, the final highlight of the night was the fireworks display that ended with Jodi and Aaron's names spelt out in pyrotechnics. It was one of the best parties I can remember!!

The following morning, nursing a headache from the local tequila, we all swapped stories about the night before over a breakfast of huevos rancheros and other Mexican morning delights!

As I type this story, Jodi and I are planning another Mexican wedding for a lucky client!

Whenever children participate in the ceremony, expect the unexpected. In this instance, the youngest flower girl refused to walk down the aisle with her sister. So instead of having the flower girls walk separately down the aisle, the ring bearer escorted them both.

Both flower girls had headbands made of beautiful pink and off-white shells; but children will be children and only the oldest would agree to wear hers. We saved the other and had it delivered to the little girl's room for her to enjoy later and have as a keepsake.

A small handbag with a beautiful bamboo handle was covered in an off-white fabric and filled with white flower petals. The handles of the handbag were adorned with seashells. The wedding bands were placed inside a large seashell that had been silver leafed at the top. The shell was filled with sand and the bride and groom's rings were resting on top.

Small touches made a big difference and personalized the celebration. Since this was a casual wedding taking place overlooking the beach, and in keeping with the beach theme, we tried to use seashells instead of flowers wherever possible.

We set a bar with an assorted bunch of oversized mismatched glasses collected over the years. Most were just a few dollars from flea markets, garage sales, and department store clearances. I must have hundreds, and when placed together on a bar, you can really have some fun. Each guest was given the opportunity to pick a favorite and have it filled with his or her choice of drink. The set up was self-contained, so if the bartender disappeared for a moment, any thirsty guest could easily help themselves.

There is definitely an elegance that comes with being seated at one long table. We were lucky that the length of the table fit perfectly between a series of palm trees. Had we had a few more guests and needed a longer table, we would have needed to move the table to another location. Soft, ambient lighting was positioned in the trees, some pointing up, making the trees look sculptural, and some pointed downward, casting the party in a warm glow.

For this celebration we seated couples across from one another rather than next to each other. By breaking up the couples, even by just seating them across from each other rather than next to one another, the conversation flowed freely. Balancing the energy of the table can be tricky and requires thought; you may want to break up everyone, and then again, you may need to seat some couples next to one another. You need to decide what's best.

A quartet was hired to play during the dinner while guests were dining. The music was always stopped when someone stood up to speak, and since this was such an intimate gathering of friends and family, there were lots of short speeches made throughout the meal. I always recommend speeches take place the evening before the wedding during the rehearsal dinner, but in such a small gathering, friends and family members felt comfortable enough to make an impromptu speech.