By David Mandich -

Although Elvis doesn't officiate drive-through weddings in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Eagles fans can relive their youth by getting hitched at the Hotel California in Todos Santos an hour north of Cabo. Besides - having a Vegas wedding is.... well, embarrassing.

News reports of wedding chapel business hustlers having knife fights in front of the courthouse over clients, don't do anything to enhance Vegas's glamour-less reputation as a tawdry wedding mill.

Cabo offers the betrothed every kind of venue from the purely romantic to the surreal for a wedding. A ceremony by the sea with a soft breeze blowing through the brides hair, followed by a barefoot walk in the sand in your wedding attire is a dream come true for many. Other options range from colonial chapels, sunset ceremonies on yachts, resort poolsides, to restaurants or clubs.

Try Cabo Wabo - rocker Sammy Hagar's club, or Casa Rafael's - a Mexican psychedelic boutique hotel for a fun alternative. It features a 20,000 gallon aquarium, 6' day glow seahorses, swimming pool, a mirrored piano lounge haunted by Frank Sinatras' ghost and a Cuban cigar smoking room.

Another unusual but romantic spot high on a hillside overlooking Cabo and the Sea of Cortez is Blarney Castle - an Irish hotel and restaurant. The view of city lights and the harbor will bring tears to your Irish eyes. Bagpipers and Riverdancers are available whenever the ship from Dublin arrives.

Stones musician Keith Richards was married on a mountainside terraza above the Whale Watch Bar overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the Hotel Finnesterra. The endless vista of the ocean with the sun going down or the moon rising is nothing short of breathtaking.

Have a wedding at Sea: For those romantics who yearn for the days of swashbuckling pirates and wenches wearing red billowy dresses - wed aboard the Buccaneer Queen. This replica pirate ship right out of the 17^thcentury (or Disneyland) will make all your pirate dreams come true. Beware ladies - if your man says he never wants to grow up - you may have a Peter Pan on your hands.

The 144' vessel Caborey offers first class dining, drinking, dancing and weddings for groups up to 300. This modern three-deck ship offers one of the best values in Cabo. The waiters dressed in black jackets are professional and the boats formal dining room and food service is top-of-the-line. An Argentine tango dance show tops evening dinner dance cruise entertainment.

Do you dream of getting married on a million dollar yacht like a celebrity? Cabo Yacht Management features yachts up to 72' on which to host your dream wedding. Take a romantic honeymoon cruise on the Sea of Cortez to the magic Islands of Espiritu Santos where you can drop anchor in a secluded cove created by an extinct volcano millions of years ago. They have fully crewed and catered yachts available for charters, lease or fractional membership.

For small groups on a budget - have your wedding on a La Princesa 50' catamaran with Cabo's Lands End arches for a photo backdrop. Catamarans don't heel (lean) in the wind - they sail fast and level. A ceremony followed by a run out to sea chasing the setting sun with a DJ playing cool music makes for memories (and great wedding photos).

Do it on the beach! Beautiful isolated coves, bays and beaches abound in and around Los Cabos. As all beaches in Mexico are public property, just pick one. Access being problematical, given barbed wire fences, guarded gates and unguarded cattle. Guard your wedding cake! One naughty burro ate all the food of one beach visitor when he was out surfing.

It gets easier to select a beach when you remember that bathroom facilities on any beach for your guests are about as common as rain in the desert. Chileno beach, located along the Los Cabos Corridor is the areas ONLY beach with public restrooms. A grove of palms shades the beach and it's nearly deserted during the week.

Keep in mind that on weekends, Chileno can resemble a Mexican Coney Island full of families, all more than willing to share in your celebration. Heavy construction of hotels, condos etc. is ongoing beginning in 2009 in the area surrounding the beach - though public access remains. Ditto for nearby Santa Maria cove and the Twin Dolphins beach area.

Cathedrals, Churches & Wedding Chapels:The beachside One and Only Palmilla hotel & downtown San Jose's El Encanto Inn have quaint wedding chapels. Traditional ceremonies can be held in San Jose's central cathedral. Other options include classic village Catholic churches in Todos Santos, Santiago & Miraflores - all an hour or less north of Los Cabos.

Boutique Hotels & Resorts: A lovely poolside wedding overlooking the sea under swaying palms can be had at many of Los Cabos hotels and resorts. The Cabo Surf Hotel, One and Only Palmilla, Royal Solaris, Westin, Sheraton, Las Ventanas Al Paraiso, and Sunset Pueblo Bonito resort hotels all offer wedding services and venues.

This writer recommends the Cabo Surf Hotel for its food, service and affordability. At the other opposite end of the spectrum - Las Ventanas is famous for its food, service and affordability more geared for Hollywood moguls and owners of dot.com companies. The other aforementioned resorts - feature the best Cabo has to offer as well and fall somewhere between these two in cost.

A Wedding-By-The-Sea at Las Ventanas Al Paraiso Hotel will surely please your entourage. The Los Cabos Tourist Corridor area hotel fronting the Sea of Cortez and Cabo Real Golf Course ocean holes has three gourmet restaurants, 2 bars, 2 swimming pools, spa, fitness center, 61 rooms and a conference center for 60.

The 22-room boutique Cabo Surf Hotel takes one back to a time before Cabo was overbuilt with mega hotels and Gidget ruled. Hotel guests can often see 50's surfing legends like Mike Doyle and Walt Phillips catching waves while dining at the 7 Seas restaurant on the hotel terraza. Say, "I do" on the hotels green lawns next to the infinity pool overlooking the sea, or have a barefoot wedding on the sandy beach. Their Sea Spa caters to newlyweds with special services from bridal make-ups to a special romantic hydro-whirlpool massage for couples. It's also affordable with room rates starting at $250.US per night. Some parties ‘buy-out' the small hotel - negotiating room prices.

Cabo Surf Hotel is rated one of the top 10 boutique hotels in the world by Elle magazine - you can experience the magic of sunrise and surfers over breakfast, whales and dolphins over lunch, and the moonrise over the Sea of Cortez. Golf around the corner at Palmilla's Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. Located at: Playa Acapulquito km. 28 in San Jose del Cabo. Phone: 142-2676 From the USA: (858) 964-5117 www.cabosurfhotel.com

Wherever you decide to have your Big Day, be sure to hire a local wedding planner to make it all come together for you. A bi-lingual planner with local experience with the legal documentation, catering, photographer, music, printers, flowers etc. is crucial to the success of your event. Many hotels have wedding planners or can recommend one to you. Cabo is a premier place to have a wedding that will leave you with wonderful memories that last a lifetime.

David Mandich, has been living, writing and selling real estate in Cabo for 10 years. A Century 21 Agent, expert on Condos, Villas and Gated Communities, he can be emailed at: yachtdorado@yahoo.com or reached via telephone at: (From the USA) 520 204 1604, Local: 624-130-4094, Cel. 044 624 132 8919