Shana and Jeff, what can I say? Sometimes you meet a couple who seem so perfect for each other it just seems to prove that destiny is hard at work! Or as they say in Spanish that each person has a “media naranja” or “half orange” waiting to be found! In other words a dream team, two of a kind or “tal para cual”…know what I mean? It was an honor to be able to capture a bit of the magic of the day these two were married in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Jeff is an amazing graphic designer and the couple was able to put a personal creative touch into many of the wedding details like the very unique invitation which featured their story and the favorite flower of both, the daisy.

The beautiful bride before the ceremony. I love doing bridal portraits prior to the ceremony whenever there is time, and the photographs are always some of my favorites. I think there are probably about 5 women in the universe that could pull of a dress like this one, it looked absolutely perfect on Shana!

Jeff and Shana put a special twist on the sand ceremony or unity by incorporating their families and wedding party.

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Paraiso de la Bonita is a very charming boutique hotel near Puerto Morelos in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. It is a favorite travel destination for Crystal and Kevin and of course absolutely perfect for this fantastic couple’s destination wedding. I loved the colors and the resort’s unique vibe, which seemed to be Mexican with a kind of chic twist. Gracias Crystal and Kevin for sharing your day!  Muchas felicidades!

I really love to look for little details that communicate a sense of the feeling of a place.

The first look….so glad Kevin and Crystal planned this and a pre wedding photo session, it really made the day go smoothly.

The ceremony site at the beach of the Paraiso de la Bonita, very secluded and beautiful.

The beautiful guest below is one of the few peopel I have ever seen take more photographs than I do! I am sure she got some great shots thoughout the day!

A few reception details…

What a wonderful day it was! Linda and John are high school sweethearts who traveled to Mexico to be married an intimate ceremony on a breathtaking beach in the Mayan Riviera. Having photographed a few weddings at the El Dorado Royale and other Karisma resorts, and knowing that Linda had planned her details very carefully I knew that it would be a beautiful event and it certainly was that! It was so much fun for Lauren and I to get to know and spend time with John and Linda, there couldn’t be a nicer couple and we felt like old friends by the time we finished up the trash the dress session the next morning! Linda and John, I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I have! Congratulations to the two of you!

Some detail photos from the getting ready portion of the day…don’t let these tranquil images fool you, Linda was a blur of perpetual motion the whole time!

A relaxed portrait of John before the ceremony.

Time for the beach ceremony…so beautiful!

One of the best details I have seen to date…Linda and John used stones inscribed with meaningful words like love, family, dream as paperweights for the ceremony programs. After the ceremony each guest threw their stone into the ocean with good wishes for the bride and groom’s new marriage.

So much love!

The reception was held at the Tucanes palapa, I wish I had 2% of this group’s dancing ability!

A few images from the TTD session the next morning…

Mayan Rivera photographer Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalism at the El Dorado Royale Resort, a Karisma resort in Mexico.

What fun! Destination weddings are such a great combination of vacation and celebration. Kristin and Ryan were the perfect bride and groom for a destination wedding, being low maintenance, ready to enjoy it all in the company of a wild group of friends and relatives and very good sports about photography! We had plenty of time for bride and groom photos in lots of different locations around the beautiful Iberostar resort, both before and after the ceremony and early the next morning at the trash the dress session. I will let the images do the talking….Thank you, Kristin and Ryan, we loved spending time with the two of you on your big day in Mexico!

Kristin before the ceremony…

And Ryan…

They met for a “first look” in this charming little courtyard.

And some photographs in the jungle…the iberostar is really neat because it has a wide variety of spaces.

Kristin and her attendants arriving a the ceremony location on the beach. I really don’t know how I managed to get a clean shot since the bridge was quite busy. Pretty fortunate!

A few photographs from the beach ceremony….

The sand ceremony…

Photographs after the ceremony…

We snuck out of the reception for a few fun night photographs with this carousel that Kristin and Ryan had spotted earlier in the week, what a great idea!

In spite of the wild party, the next morning Kristin and Ryan were up nice and early for a trash the dress session, I wasn’t kidding when I said the bride and groom were good sports! I think it was worth the effort!

Great news! I have finally made way out of the tunnel known as March wedding editing and lived to tell the tale! Kristina and Ingrid, I am pretty sure you are visiting the blog on a regular basis…. and the good news is yours are the next two weddings and they will be posted soon!

Stephanie and Andy had more than a great wedding day, they had an entire week to share with their group (and a neighboring alligator, yikes!) in a roomy villa overlooking the turquoise water of the Mayan Riviera’s Playa Secreto. The wedding was just beautiful! Stephanie and Andy are high school sweethearts, how fantastic that they were able to become husband and wife in such a beautiful setting.

Stephanie’s sister was unfortunately not able to be present in person because of a last minute complication, but was absolutely present in spirit throughout the entire day! She even appeared on video giving her matron of honor toast a the reception (wearing her dress of course!),

Wow! The bride has a spectacular wedding look!

I never cease to be amazed by some of the fantastic DIY projects that brides pull off, Stephanie’s prgram fans were beautiful and very unique!

Hooray! Let those rose petals fly!

Th wedding party!

Photographs of the bride and groom after the ceremony…

And a few images from the villa wedding reception.

Elizabeth Medina Is a wedding photojournalist based in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. She photographs weddings throughout Mexico.

Being a little bit allergic to perfume I guess I have never been able to get on board with the concept of aroma therapy…somehow it just doesn’t seem right that something that makes me sneeze could really be therapeutic. After photographing John and Jessica’s beautiful wedding in Careyes, Mexico I will say I am a true believer in color therapy. Actually Jessica is probably thinking about now that I want to keep her photographs all to myself…I guess they are so much fun and put me in such a good mood remembering this fantastic weekend in an amazing destination on Mexico’s Pacific coast that I have been working on them a little longer than strictly necessary! They are all yours now though John and Jessica! I hope they put a smile on your faces like they have mine! Thank you so much for allowing Lindsey and I to document such a special event, it could not have been more lovely.

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at a private villa overlooking the ocean, the next image was taken after the rehearsal at the villa.

The rehearsal dinner was held down the Costa Careyes beach at Playa Rosa, true to its name it was a celebration of pink.

The preparations and bridal party photos were done at the El Careyes Resort, a perfect location!

I love non matching bridesmaids dresses, Jessica’s color palette was brilliant!

The ‘first look’…then portraits of bride and groom and the wedding party around the resort grounds followed.

The wedding location was fantastic, it had several levels that were perfect for the cocktail hour, ceremony and dinner Julie Cambrell, a fab wedding coordinator from Colorado was on-site and made sure all ran flawlessly. The sunset ceremony…

A few details of the many details and a bit of reception action…

The next afternoon we travelled down the beach with John and Jessica to a secluded cove to “trash the dress” at sunset.

Elizabeth Medina, destination wedding photography at Costa Careyes, Jalisco, Mexico.

I am so happy to be able to share Tricia and Antonio’s wedding photos. Due to a busy shooting season and weddings in different parts of Mexico (shoots in 5 states in 21 days anyone?) there are so many images to share! Travel time cuts into editing time though, there’s just no way around it, so while turnaround has not been late it has been a bit slower than I like. I think I have been just as eager as any of my brides for the photographs from the recent weddings to be ready to see the light of day, maybe even more! I absolutely can’t wait to share them all on this blog, but then patience has never been my principal virtue!

I really appreciate having brides like Tricia, who from day one was a just a pleasure to work with. The day she and Antonio tied the knot in paradise at Dreams, Cancun  was bright and cheerful, the ceremony was lovely in the gazebo and the fiesta on the beach….Wow, what a party! Tricia and Antonio, Lindsey and I loved spending your day with the two of you and your group and wish you all the best.

Tricia has incredible eyes! I loved the close up, it doesn’t show up in this blog sized version, but in the full sized image you can see the blue Cancun water reflected in them.

A few details…the traditional Mexican lazo was included in the ceremony.

Portraits with Antonio and Tricia prior to the ceremony.

Tricia entered the gazebo with her mother, the image on the left was captured by Lindsey from the tower.

El beso!

Y uno mas!

Trica and her bridesmaids, what a fun group!

Time to party on the beach!

Mexico wedding photography Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalism in Cancun, Yucatan, the Yucatan Penninsula, Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta, Guanajuato and throughout Mexico.

Dreams Tulum is one of my favorite wedding locations, I have photographed there several times but it is so amazing to see how even in a familiar location no two weddings are ever the same! Kim and I share something in common (unfortunately for me it is not being a young dark haired beauty, Kim has that one covered!) We do share our love of photography though, so it was extra fun to collaborate with Kim and Matt creating images of their beautiful wedding and the trash the dress session the next day. I wish I could post the whole wedding to the blog but here is a sample….Thank you Kim and Matt, I loved spending my B-Day with such a great group!

Pre ceremony photos, Kim and Matt chose not to see each other before the ceremony.

The ceremony, I loved this image of Kim entering the ceremony on her father’s arm.

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Just a few ceremony moments

Trashing the dress at sunrise!

Tulum Wedding Photography by Mexico wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina. Wedding photography in Tulum, Playa del Carmen, the Mayan Rivera, San Miguel de Allende, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and through out Mexico.

Unfortunately I seem to have run out of superlatives somewhere during my last post, if anyone has a few to donate I appreciate it, I will be needing them over the next few weeks as the blog explodes with amazing weddings! I guess for now I will have to let the photographs do the talking for Nicole and Ben’s fantastic Riviera Maya destination wedding at Azul Beach near Puerto Morelos. The wedding was coordinated by Luxe Destination Weddings and featured a very stylish and fun bride and groom, basically it could not have been more beautiful!

I know this could not be the view every bride dreams of seeing out her window a few hours before the ceremony! Fortunately if was a false alarm and it stopped sprinkling just in time for Nicole and Ben’s “first look” and bride and groom photos on the beach.

A few getting ready details…

The first look…

The Catholic ceremony was held at the Marina Maroma Chapel, what a nice location!

Gotta love those signature drinks! And in my favorite color!

The reception was held back at Azul Beach, perfect!

Mexico wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, Wedding photojournalism in the Maya Riviera, Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta and throughout Mexico.

What a joyful day! I actually tried my best not to photograph this wedding! Believing I could not guarantee to be back from Kate and Bill’s Puerto Vallarta wedding in time I told Robin I was unavailable and recommended a couple of very talented fellow photographers. Fortunately for me Robin was firm in her decision and not a person who lets logistics stand in the way. When she did some legwork and started finding ways to make it possible I turned out to be putty in her hands! I was almost afraid to see what she could convince me to do on the day of the wedding! Of course she and Heath are as nice a couple as I could ever imagine working with and the wedding was both a warm and happy tradition filled celebration and a feast for the eye. Thank you Robin and Heath for not taking no for an answer! I loved photographing the wedding!

Girls and guys before the wedding…

Robin and Heath chose to do a “first look” before the ceremony.

The ceremony site was just beautiful and meaningful as well.

I loved this one!

Lauren captured the next image, nice!

Robin

Destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalism in the Riviera Maya. www.elizabethmedina.com

Wow, where do I start? Kate and Bill are such a fantastic, in-love couple and it was a joy to get to know them and photograph their “big day” and trash the dress session! Kate and Bill had actually found their wedding location through a Playa Fiesta wedding on my website. How cool is that? Arriving in Puerto Vallarta the day before the wedding, Lauren and I had time for a taste of the Playa Fiesta experience…wow, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a wedding than at this amazing wedding hotel/beach club! Within a few hours of landing in PV we had seen whales, sampled the “Kate special” (frozen virgin lime daquiri, yum) at the open bar, and had a lunch of tuna ceviche poolside (the tuna had been caught by the guys that morning!). There were even massages for the guests on the terrace overlooking the Pacific ocean…I’ll just say if you are ever invited to a Playa Fiesta wedding, don’t miss it for anything! By far the best part for us….having the honor of being chosen to document Kate and Bill’s celebration at that wonderful wedding location in Puerto Vallarta!

A few pre-wedding photos, Bill and the guys…

Kate and her girls on the way to the ceremony…

Kate had all kinds of colorful details, these handpainted maracas from PV wedding designer Mishka were a huge hit throughout the day!

I loved Kate’s excitement all through the day…the look she is giving Bill says it all!

Just a few bride and groom photos…

The reception was gorgeous I loved the colors and the details!

Kate and Bill’s first dance as husband and wife.

Yeah you guess right.. The Macarena.

A well prepared destination bride, Kate had a second dress for the reception….it was a good thing since EVERYONE ended up in the pool at the end of the night!

The next day we headed to town for the trash the dress session, I just LOVE the challenge of finding different ways to shoot in new, out of the way locations, and I love the images from this session.

We finished up on a gorgeous semi deserted beach…wow!

Puerto Vallarta wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalism in The Maya Riviera, Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Yucatan, los Cabos, San Miguel de Allende and throughout Mexico.

One aspect of destination wedding photography that I really enjoy is being able to meet people from literally all over the world who have come to Mexico to be married. What a wonderful thing! Kora and Arek’s group was very international,  with the bride and groom being of Polish descent, and it was fun to observe the warmth and spontaneity of the group! And how much kissing and dancing took place! The wedding was held on a terrace near the ocean at the Alegro Playacar in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was actually raining at the time the ceremony was supposed to begin, but everyone optimistically waited a bit and it cleared up and turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and evening. Congratulations Arek and Kora! It was a great honor to be your wedding photographer!

The ceremony site:

What a beautiful bride! And very calm, if you consider it was minutes from ceremony time and those are raindrops in the background!

After the rain the sky and ocean were very pretty!

We were able to do take some photographs on the grounds of the hotel before the reception began.

So pretty and peaceful!

kora’s maid of honor was so happy to catch the bouquet!

We were able to do a “day after” session the early next morning. Here are just a few images from that photo session.

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photojournalist in Mexico, she photographs events in Cancun, Playa de Carmen, Tulum, Merida, Yucatan, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende and throughout Mexico.

One question I get asked often is whether I encounter many “bridezillas”. Sometimes I wish I had a few juicy horror stories to make my response more interesting….but the real answer is that I meet no bridezillas at all, or groomzillas for that matter! Erin and Josh were such a good example of the brides and grooms I am fortunate to be able to photograph. Happy to enjoy celebrating the day to the fullest and not into sweating the ¨small stuff¨ (a very helpful trait for destination brides since things do not always go as expected! It was one of those rainy days that suddenly turn beautiful, I was so glad that Erin and Josh decided on a ¨first look¨and bride and groom photographs on the grounds of the Aventura Spa Palace…well worth it!I

The rings…

A relaxed portrait of the beautiful and very happy bride…I thought her elegant but natural style was perfect for a destination wedding!

The ¨first look¨

It can be a bit of a challenge to photograph such a tall groom…step stools are just not practical on the beach! I had to dig into my photographer’s bag of tricks for these portraits…I can take no credit for the smiles though, that was Erin’s doing.

Bright tropical colors in Erins’ bouquet…

Photographs around the grounds of the Aventura Spa Palace, it was great to have plenty of alone time and not be rushed.

One of my favorites…

The resort is a bit differnt from others in the Mayan Riviera in that it has baysrather than a sandy beach, it makes for interesting photographs I think.

I loved the next two images…

Ceremony time. Erin arrived with her father in a horse drawn carriage, very dramatic!

The ceremony was held in a gazebo overlooking the ocean, so peaceful. Here are a few ceremony moments.

After the ceremony there was a champagne toast, afterwards we had time for family photos and a few very spontaneous shots of the bride and groom in the changing light.

Erin and Josh’s reception was great. They had the first dance, cake cutting and speeches near the ocean right around dusk. Then the sit down dinner portion of the reception was held in a the fantastic Mexican restaurant at the resort. (Totally off topic but I have to give a shout out here to the staff of the Palace resorts…I really think their attitude and level of service is second to none.)

Elizabeth Medina Mayan Riviera wedding photographer at the Aventura Spa Palace Resort. Elizabeth is a wedding photojournalist specializing  in destination wedding and photographing in Yucatan, Cancun, and throughout Mexico.