Marry Yourself Worldwide movement. Photo courtesy of Ximena Zermeño.
In a breezy courtyard in Los Cabos, framed by low desert brush and bougainvillea, a woman stands alone in a white dress. She adjusts her veil, barefoot on the sun-warmed tiles. A string quartet begins to play. There’s no groom. No bride waiting across the aisle. No whispered exchange of I do’s. Only a mirror perched on an easel.
A professional destination wedding photographer by trade, Ximena Zermeño has spent over a decade capturing love stories for others. But after years behind the lens, she created a symbolic self-marriage—an intentional ceremony that marked the beginning of her global movement: Marry Yourself Worldwide.
“This isn’t anti-marriage,” she explains. “It’s pro-wholeness.”
A vow to wholeness
Ximena Zermeño has photographed over 700 weddings in a career that spans destinations from Paris to Rajasthan. But none has meant more than this one: her own symbolic ceremony. The dress, the rituals, the music, the vows—all the elements of a traditional wedding were there. Only the partner was different. Or rather, absent. Or rather, finally present in the one person she had never fully committed to: herself.
“I wanted every part of this wedding to feel sacred,” she says, “not because I was alone, but because I was finally arriving to myself.”
The self-wedding took place in two venues deeply connected to her story: Hotel El Ganzo, where she got ready in an artist suite, and Flora Farms, the location of her first-ever wedding shoot as a photographer. Guests included close friends, her son, her girlfriend, and a collective of professionals who supported her vision not for profit—but in solidarity.
The collective behind Ximena Zermeño’s ceremony
The ceremony was brought to life under the creative direction of one of the top wedding planner globally, Amy Abbott, and her team at @amyabbottevents, who handled every detail with care and intention. Crimson florals were curated by Cristina González @cristinag__rentals, setting an atmosphere both intimate and powerful. Hair and makeup were handled by Piel Canela Makeup Studio @pielcanelamakeupstudio, her brother’s studio.
The ceremony was officiated by Azul Federighi @azul.federighi and Elisa Yaeger @elisamoves_, her longtime yoga mentors. Live music was performed by Tatiana Serur @tatserur, Mr. Crowley @mr.crowleymusic, and BROLORIZO @brolorizo, with flawless sound delivered by Nestor Morales Company @djay.co.
Photography and video were captured by her own team of photographers at @ximenazermeno, preserving every moment through a lens she trained herself to see love through. Guests received Vita @vitaempower, a vulva-shaped necklace she co-designed with her childhood friend Bárbara Garibay, symbolizing origin, rebirth, and radical self-devotion.
The venues—Hotel El Ganzo, Flora Farms @florafarms, and Clandestina @clandestinna_—each held deep personal meaning. MUSA Agaves @musaagaves, her own mezcal brand created in collaboration with a group of women, was poured in celebration. Every element was offered in solidarity—with love, not invoices.
A photographer reframes the frame
Ximena’s path to self-commitment is a story of reinvention. A criminal defense attorney for ten years, she left the courtroom after becoming a single mother at 19 and surviving a difficult marriage. Photography was first a side passion. Then a full-time pursuit. Then a transformative mission.
Now 42, she leads a 14-person team, runs a thriving destination wedding business, and co-manages MUSA Agaves. Her revenue has grown steadily year over year. She’s launched a podcast co-hosted with her son, tackling themes like healing, identity, and modern love. She is also the author of From Prison to Freedom in One Month, a personal account of emotional liberation and self-empowerment.
But Marry Yourself Worldwide is where her business meets her purpose. It’s not about ego. It’s about offering people a chance to anchor themselves in something sacred—on their own terms.
Science, solitude, and society
Her work echoes a growing body of research in psychology: that self-compassion, not self-esteem, is the true foundation of emotional resilience and healthy relationships. Ceremonial acts of internal affirmation have been linked to improved well-being, emotional clarity, and boundary-setting.
Ximena’s vows were raw and radical: to stay loyal to herself in the dark, to honor her own intuition, to defend her freedom with tenderness. “I vowed to never abandon myself again,” she says.
Her son offered a speech about growing up with a mother who leads by example. Her girlfriend spoke about what it means to love someone who has chosen herself first. And the vendors—some with decades of experience—admitted they had never witnessed anything so emotionally real.
“It wasn’t just for me anymore,” Ximena reflects. “Everyone saw themselves in it.”
A new kind of vow
Ximena doesn’t present Marry Yourself Worldwide as an alternative to love, but as its foundation. “Choosing yourself is not the opposite of love. It’s the beginning of it.”
She plans to expand the movement globally through live workshops, speaking engagements, and destination-based retreats. A book is underway. Inquiries are already arriving from Japan, India, and across Europe.
In the end, what happened in Los Cabos wasn’t just a wedding. It was a mirror, turned toward a world still learning how to love.
And when Ximena turned to face that mirror—veil lifted, voice steady—she sang the words most people wait a lifetime to hear from someone else: I will never leave you.
And meant it.
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
