Baja California Sur
Elopement photography · Los Cabos
In short
Elopement photography in Los Cabos starts at $950: 3 hours on location with a photographer who works in Los Cabos, and 150 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 3 weeks.
Why choose elopement photography in Los Cabos?
An elopement in Los Cabos is the opposite of the resort wedding the destination is known for: no lawn, no chairs, no planner’s timeline, and three hours with a photographer between the cliffs of Bahía Santa María, a boat to the Arch and the old streets of San José del Cabo. The whole point is to stay small enough that nothing needs arranging with anybody, and in Los Cabos that line is drawn by what you bring onto the sand rather than by how many people come.
Worth knowing about Los Cabos
The Los Cabos municipality publishes no online form and no fee for beach events: permits are handled in person at the Dirección Municipal de Gobierno in the Palacio Municipal of San José del Cabo, extension 1140. An elopement with no arch, no chairs and nothing closed off is a couple on a public beach, which federal law guarantees access to, so it never needs that office. Add a set-up and somebody visits the Palacio Municipal first.
What does the session in Los Cabos look like?
- Bahía Santa María
- Cliffs above a horseshoe cove, so vows on the sand and portraits from the rocks need no walking between locations.
- Playa del Amor
- The first water taxi of the morning, for vows with the Arch behind you before the beach fills.
- Centro Histórico de San José del Cabo
- An evening walk through the gallery streets after the beach, for the dinner-and-streetlight frames.
What does elopement photography in Los Cabos include?
- 3 hours of coverage: the ceremony, portraits and one move to a second spot
- 150 edited photographs in a private online gallery
- Gallery delivered within 3 weeks
- Help choosing a location where a small ceremony is allowed and the light works at your hour
- A short timeline shared with your officiant or celebrant
Permits at these locations: Playa del Amor: Same CONANP wristband as El Arco, MXN 125 per person per day; reached only by water Bahía Santa María: Public beach with federal access rights; no portrait fee is published, and set-ups follow the municipal event process Centro Histórico de San José del Cabo: Public streets and plaza; events or street closures are permitted through the Dirección Municipal de Gobierno
FAQ — Elopement photography in Los Cabos
Do we need a permit to elope on a beach in Los Cabos?
Not for a simple elopement. Los Cabos beaches are public under federal law, and a couple with an officiant and a photographer and no set-up is using the beach like anybody else. A Los Cabos beach elopement with an arch, chairs or a closed-off area goes through the Dirección Municipal de Gobierno, in person at the Palacio Municipal.
Is an elopement in Los Cabos legally binding?
Only if it includes a civil marriage before the Baja California Sur Registro Civil; a ceremony on the sand on its own has no legal effect in Mexico. Most couples who elope in Los Cabos marry at home first, or afterwards, and treat the beach ceremony as the one that matters to them.