Cozumel in Color: The vibrant destination wedding of Jaime Glas and Hunter Odom
Inspired by groom Hunter Odom’s annual family trips to Cozumel, Mexico, he and the Queen of Sparkles herself, Jaime Glas, decided to tie the knot in a colorful multi-day celebration bringing friends and family together for a hot July getaway.
“Five years ago, I was invited on my first vacation with his family, and after stepping foot on the island—and jumping in the sea—I knew it was where we would be married one day,” Jaime says. “From that trip, we dreamt of bringing all of our friends and family back to paradise.”
With plenty of the color and sparkle that she is known for, the wedding celebrations invited Hunter and Jaime’s guests into the vibrant world that they have forged together. “We worked to bring all of our favorite parts of Cozumel and traditions we’ve made over the years to our guests in the most colorful way possible,” Jaime says.
Read on for a day-by-day account of the unforgettable festivities.
Thursday: Sunset Cruise
To start the wedding weekend off strong, guests embarked on a sightseeing sunset cruise around the island. After arriving at the InterContinental Presidente Cozumel Resort Spa, aka El Presidente, and receiving guest gift baskets, everyone was brought to the boat dock, where three large catamarans awaited. The group set sail to one of Jaime and Hunter’s favorite places: El Cielo, a tiny island off the southwest coast only accessible by boat. “El Cielo translates to heaven,” Jaime says, “and it really does look like heaven.”
The boats stayed close together, allowing everyone to enjoy the sound of the acoustic guitar playing from one of the catamarans. “It was such a gorgeous sunset that day,” Jaime recalls.
Her favorite memory from the cruise was sharing a dance with her brother, her only sibling, who is just 16 months older than her. “I remember pausing and thinking that it was a really special moment,” she says.
Jaime wore a vintage 1980s dress bought on Etsy years before. “I got the dress soon after I met Hunter, and I got it with him in mind because it has sailboat motifs on it, and he loves sailing,” she says. “I also thought that it would be great for a wedding party in a tropical place.”
Friday: Welcome Party
Rather than having a formal bridal luncheon, Jaime opted for a more casual, catered pool party with brunch from local breakfast spot Jolly. “They have the best avocado toast in the world,” Jaime explains, noting that the dish is a must-have every time she visits. “And the chef at Jolly even came to the wedding.”
Hunter held a similar party with his groomsmen at a bar near the hotel, and then everyone headed back to get ready for the long night of festivities ahead.
Jaime’s rehearsal dress, much like the rest of her wedding, was bright and straight from her imagination. “I saw the dress in gold at her atelier and asked if it could be made in rainbow,” Jaime says of the custom Nardos mini dress.
After the wedding party finished the rehearsal at the church, they joined guests for a cocktail hour and dinner at Buccanos, which Hunter and Jaime consider to be the best restaurant in town. With colorful lights hanging in the palm trees, floral-filled rainbow tablescapes and more, the night did not lose its light.
The welcome party was held immediately after at the couple’s favorite place to celebrate, El Palomar, an old house converted into a bar with a large patio wrapping around. Jaime, Hunter and their wedding guests danced the night away with giant, rainbow light-up letters in the background. “It was so hot, but that also had to do with how much everyone was dancing,” Jaime says.
Saturday: Wedding Day
While there hadn’t been any rain on the radar for their wedding day, in a coastal city like Cozumel, isolated storms are inevitable. Thanks to her well-connected wedding planners, the bus carrying Jaime got special permission to pull up to the church’s front doors. “The streets were basically flooding, and I had to take my shoes off to run inside,” Jaime recalls. “But when we came out of the ceremony, the clouds were cleared with the sun shining, and there was a rainbow!” The couple kept four vials of rainwater from that special day to baptize their future children with.
The wedding ceremony was held in the oldest church in Cozumel, with florescent florals from floor to ceiling. The design was hand-drawn by Jaime, specifically noting that the rainbow flowers be installed following ROYGBIV order. After the ceremony, the wedding party took to the streets for the post-ceremony parade filled with colored smoke bombs and the tunes of a mariachi band.
At the reception, Jaime changed into a short version of her custom Nardos wedding dress to cool off before performing a choreographed first dance with Hunter. Then guests enjoyed another evening full of dancing, drinking and celebrating the bright love of Jaime and Hunter.
“I fell in love with Hunter around the same time I fell in love with Cozumel,” Jaime says. “In a way, it’s a place that symbolizes our love for each other. Our love is colorful, vibrant, passionate and sincere. The best way to share that with our friends and family was to have them right there with us on our special day.”
