It never stops amazing me how each wedding I photograph is unique and full of surprises. Melanie and Chris in particular had some very interesting surprises along the way! They found out just weeks before the wedding that a new location would be needed, but rolled with it and had an amazing beach wedding at the Paradisus resort in the Maya Riviera. They were married on the beach accompanied by more than a hundred guests who had traveled to Mexico for their destination wedding. The weather was kind of so-so…but then in true Maya Rivera form took a turn for gorgeous, rewarding Melanie and Chris with an incredible rainbow during the ceremony! I may not have believed it had I not been there!

Melanie before the ceremony…

Chris waiting patiently.

for the “first look” before the ceremony.

Melanie and her girls on the way to the beach for the ceremony….

Such an exciting moment as Melanie and her father entered the ceremony.

Melanie and Chris were the last ones to realize that an incredible rainbow had appeared right over the wedding chuppah.

Lauren captured this one of the happy crowd as I was photographing from a second floor balcony.

Bride and groom after the ceremony on the beach.

The reception was also held on the beach, the next image is from the “first dance”.

The two families are so united, what a beautiful thing to witness.

I love the next photo from the cake cutting.

Things got a little crazy…

Fotografa de bodas Elizabeth Medina, fotografia de boda en la Maya Riviera.

Tina and Garrett were married in a beach ceremony at the Sandos, Playacar in Playa de Carmen. i was very pleased to be their wedding photographer.The weather was very iffy that day, it actually rained right before the ceremony…but fortunately it stopped just in the nick of time and the afternoon was beautiful. The Sandos Playcar is located on a stretch of pristine beach and was a fantastic location for the next morning’s “trash the dress” session at sunrise. It was beautiful and such a pleasure to spend time with this delightful couple. Graicas Tina and Garrett, more photos are coming very soon!

If I had a little “photographer’s favorite” insignia for my blog posts I might put it on this photo, I think Tina’s beautiful spirit comes through.

Getting ready…

The flowers arrive…

The ceremony…

yes, There is a story here…the bestman had an unusual responsibility during the ceremony.

6 am, a beautiful new day and time to trash the dress…

All during the year leading up to Fannie and Pierre’s wedding I would get emails from Fannie asking if I had any new slide shows for her to see and commenting on the photographs on my blog. So Fannie before you ask…I will have a VERY special slide show for you next week…the story of the beautiful day that you and Pierre were married in Mexico! It was an outrageously beautiful day! I love the photographs as much as I loved being around Fannie and Pierre all day on the wedding day and early the next morning when we met for the trah the dress session. The photographs seem to me to really tell the story of the day, with nervous expressions in the beginning and huge smiles once the rings and vows were exchanged. It was fun being around a crowd that spoke in French and I learned that despite being fluent in English and Spanish I don’t understand one bit of French! Congratulations Fannie and Pierre I am so happy for you both!

I am going to break with tradition and start off with an image from the trash the dress session the next morning…scroll down to see the bride and groom in the water!

Now the wedding day…Pierre chose the shoes!

Fannie’s father gave her his blessing before the ceremony.

Wow!

The hand off…

After the wedding ceremony there was a special Mayan blessing.

The day after trash the dress session…

Mexico photographer Elizabeth Medina, destination wedding photography in the Maya Riviera.

Isla Mujeres has always been one of my favorite places to visit. The isla has a lot of personality and a laid back, “real Mexico” vibe. Being there to photograph Kim and Robert’s wedding made it even more special. I got to know Kim quite a bit before the wedding and know she would be a fun bride. Both she and Robert made the Medina team feel like a valued part of the wedding weekend! We arrived the day before the wedding to photograph the welcome dinner at Casa O’s on the far end of the Island. We hitched a ride with Kim and Robert on their golf cart and stopped at a few spots along the way for some quick casual photographs of the two of them. Casa O’s is a wonderful spot and the perfect choice for the dinner.  The next day we were able to enjoy the perfectly gorgeous ocean in the morning. The beach wedding was that afternoon and Na Balam absolutely did not disappoint. Wedding coordinator Patricia Aguirre was never far out of sight, I loved how the wedding was both chic and relaxing at the same time. Kim and Robert, thank you for being such a wonderul couple!

Welcome dinner…

The first image is the welcome dinner location, the second a cerveza at the beach wedding the next day. How pathetic that I am doubling up to sneak more images onto the blog!

Bienvenidos a Na Balam!

We hung out here in the morning, those few hours were like a much needed mini vacation, thank you Kim and Robert for taking such good care of your photographers!

Wedding preparations…so much happy energy.

A few bridal portraits.

The symbolic ceremony on the beach.

At the end of the ceremony everyone threw petals into the ocean.

Bride and groom on the beach…

A few images from the outdoor reception. It could not have been more pleasant.

Kim and her father.

This little guy really seems to be getting a great shot of the first dance!

Wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina photographs weddings in Isla Mujeres Mexico, Cancun Mexico, Playa del Carmen and Tulum Mexico, as well as Puerto Vallarta and locations throughout Mexico.