This was my very first Greek-Mexican wedding (or Greekxican as Jackie would say!). John and Jackie were a dream to photograph because they are so in love and experienced the wedding day emotions to the fullest. I was a little worried because Jackie had requested a photograph of “John crying when I enter the church”…I was thinking it would be really hard to get that shot if he did not cry, and I didn’t want to disappoint her. But of course he did not disappoint neither Jackie nor the photographer! The Greek ceremony was as meaningful as the reception afterward at Blue Cacao Beach club was crazy…We were so fortunate to document this unforgettable day!  And for those who have never tried it breaking plates it is a lot of fun, I highly recommend it!  This wedding was coordinated by Playa del Carmen wedding planner Federia of Micas de Miralls. 

This peaceful image was taken while Jackie was preparing for the wedding at Mosquito Blue.

I loved capturing Jackie’s excitement on the way to the chapel!

John at the altar, the wedding was held at the Nuestra Señora del Carmen, it is a tiny chapel, especially for this wedding with its large bridal party, but very pretty.

Jackie at the altar after the ceremony, I loved this image.

The weather was cool that day and had looked like it would rain, but it never did and we were able to photograph the bride and groom outdoors after the ceremony.

El novio…

John and Jackie´s first dance as husband and wife. The reception was at Blue Cacoa Beach Club, a very cool location for a wedding!

The toasts…

Greek dancing…so much happy energy!

My favorite part…breaking the plates!

I won´t go into the whole story of next couple of images…lets just say that there was a little surprise for John.

Mexico wedding photography by Mexico wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Sometimes we meet a couple and notice right away how very beloved they seem to be by friends and family. Usually when that happens by the end of the day we also end up thinking the couple is the just the greatest and that is just what happened with Shannon and Jeff. I loved receiving Shannon’s emails and almost don’t want to send off the photographs because then she will have no reason to email! The ceremony was held on the lawn of the Hilton Cancun which overlooks the ocean. By some miracle it rained on the golf course which is just across the road and not one drop on the wedding! It was truly a beautiful day. And a great party!

The “first look”, i would recommend this to anyone getting married, I loved the portraits of Shannon and Jeff taken before the cermony.

A few details from this destination wedding.

The ceremony was beautiful and I was so appreciative of Shannon’s videographer, who was considerate and non obtrusive enough to film from behind the last row of guests. This makes such a huge difference in the photographs, I think the photograph below would NOT be the same with a videographer standing front and center next to the best man, between the bride and groom or in the center of the aisle as is so often the way at destination weddings.

The reception was held in one of the Hilton’s ballrooms. I guess it should come as no surprise that the banquet service was fantastic.

The first dance…

A funny toast…

And a great party. DJ Mannia really knows how the crowd moving, but I think this group did not really need much encouragement!

Cancun, Mexico wedding photojournalism by destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

See, I wasn’t kidding about blogging up a storm! Brandy and Matt were married in a Catholic ceremony at the Our Lady of Carmen chapel on Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue. The chapel is so pretty, and Brandy and Matt folloed up the ceremony with a stroll down the Quinta Avenida accompanied by a mariachi band. The reception was held at Lunata, a small “boutique” hotel, also located on the Quinta Avenida. The garden of the hotel was totally transformed through the vision of Brandy and her event designer Jennifer McCrackin with the aid of Playa del Carmen’s Ajua weddings.  Spectacular! Brandy and Matt could not be a nicer couple or seem more perfect for each other so it was an absolute pleasure to photograph their very special day.

Preparations….

Heading out to meet Matt for pre-ceremony photographs at the Royal Resort.

The beautiful bride before the ceremony.

A relaxed portrait of the groom…

The Catholic chapel, tiny but very pretty, it overlooks the ocean.

Bridal party photos at the altar don’t usually have palm trees in the background! Only in PDC!

A few detail shots of the table decoration, it was gorgeous and I know not easy to pull to in this part of Mexico.

Playa del Carmen wedding photography by Elizabeth Medina, destination wedding photojournalism in Playa del Carmen.

Another beautiful, beautiful day in the Maya Riviera. Christi and Lee planned their intimate destination wedding on the beach of the Secrets Capri resort. Destination weddings tend to be very warm and intimate affairs, really enjoyable and special for the guests as well as bride and groom. Everyone seemed to be so happy all day, especially Cristi and Lee who seemed to be absolutely delighted! I was very happy with the photographs because they seem to me to reflect the happiness of the day. Congratulations Cristi and Lee and thank you for being such a great couple!

Mexico wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalism, Maya Riviera, Mexico, Secrets Capri.

Here we go, as promised I will be updating this blog often over the next weeks, so please be sure to scroll down so you don’t miss any amazing weddings! Rachel and Aaron’s destination wedding in Cancun…what can I say? This was a beautiful couple in every way, such a pleasure to photograph together as they experienced their day. The ceremony was held on the beach of the brand new Excellence Playa Mujeres, which is outside Cancun. It was a very emotional (somehow Rachel seemed to manage to laugh and cry at the same time!) and very joyous ceremony. Basically it was a perfect day and a real treat for the photographers.

The bride and groom had a fantastic suite with a private deck terrace overlooking the ocean, it was a wonderful spot to meet before the ceremony.

Recognize these two? We met when I photographed their Cancun wedding in late August. It was great to hang out with them again at this wedding…hopefully next time they come to Mexico it will be to Merida! Although I will have to make Reggie promise to stop stealing my thunder with his fast photo delivery.

Rachel entered the ceremony on both parent’s arms.

I loved this photograph of Aaron waiting at the “altar”.

Yes, I have said it before and I will say it again, destination weddings are the BEST! What a blessing to be able to tell the story of such a happy day!

Wedding photography in Cancun, Mexico byt destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

Sorry blog readers! I know I have been a little slow in updates for the past few weeks but now the fall rush is over I am going to be updating this blog often with some wonderful and unique November and early December weddings. It will be worth the wait I promise! I hope you will bookmark and check back often! Here is a perfect wedding to get the ball rolling again.  Laura and Mark planned a spectacular event at the Xcaret Eco Park near Playa del Carmen in the Maya Riviera. I am sure their destination wedding will be talked about for quite a while, it was that memorable. Laura y Mark, estuvo increible la boda, ¡felicidades a los dos!

Before the ceremony I met Laura at the Iberostar Tucan in Playacar for some getting ready photos. She looked amazing and I loved her Pronovias gown, perfect for this beautiful Spanish bride. The rings:

The beautiful bride:

Ready to head to the Xcaret Park for the wedding…

By the time we met up with Mark the light was starting to fade, we ran (seriously) to the butterfly pavillion for a few quick photographs and then caught the last bit of daylight at the ocean.

Laura is not a fan of the “traditional” wedding photos…and of course neither am I, but I swear I couldn’t help capture this one when I saw it, it would have been a crime to not record that scene.

The ceremony site was a beautiful stone altar overlooking the ocean

El beso…

The cocktail hour was held in a location overlooking the ceremony site.

After the cocktail hour everyone walked through the jungle to the reception site, meeting up with Mayan warriors along the way.

At the end of the journey…

This was waiting…

First dance, and FIESTA….

Xcaret wedding photography by wedding photojournalist Elizabeth medina. Fotografía de boda en el Xcaret Eco Park en Playa del Carmen, México, por Elizabeth Medina.