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.

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.

I thought I would mix it up a little here on the blog by posting a couple of pages from an album I just finished designing. I am a little unusual among photographers in that I prefer my clients to choose the images that they prefer to feature in their wedding albums rather than choose my favorites. The upsides of this are clear in my point of view, although I was present on the wedding day and created the set of images there is no way that I can know better which images truly represent the day and speak loudest than the bride and groom. It was their once in a lifetime experience after all! Another benefit is for me alone (and my future couples!) that is the feedback that I receive in the form of album selections. It really helps me to know which images and which types of images out of the hundreds that are captured and presented are most valued by the actual brides and grooms. So I really do prefer my couples have the freedom to make album selections themselves if they would like to do that. Unfortunately there is a downside…it is NOT an easy process and often not at all quick! And I don’t always receive the selections in an timely way, often (like right now!) I receive a large number of selections at once, which can be a little daunting. As I plug away with the designs I thought I would share an occasional spread with my blog readers.  These page spreads are from the wedding of Pau and Rich in February, they are 12×24″ wide…I loved the wedding and am loving the album just as much! More to come soon! And if you one of those waiting for your design I promise it is coming soon!

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photographer based in Yucatan, Mexico. She photographs destination weddings throughout Mexico.

This wedding had so many fun elements! What a joy it is to tell the story of a day like this! A traditional Mexican Catholic mass, a mariachi serenaded stroll down the streets of Playa del Carmen, a dinner dance reception in the garden of the Royal Resort (one of my favorite locations), a romantic bride and groom photo session on the beach and of course a bride and groom who were obviously crazy about each other and happy to be celebrating in Mexico with a close group of family and friends! ¡Fue un dia inolvidable! Thank you so much Rocio and Eliazar, I loved photographing your happiness and love on your wedding day in Playa del Carmen!

A getting ready shot…when I see the bridesmaids pitching in to get the bride ready I always remember the saying “it takes a village”.

Details….

Is this little guy cute or what?

The Catholic church in Playa del Carmen where the wedding ceremony was held.

I always have an eye out for both the “big picture” and the small elements that quietly illustrate the day’s story.

Los novios, joined by the lazo en the Mexican tradition.

Los mariachis started playing when the bride and groom made their exit from the the church.

Everyone walked from the church to the reception at the Royal, a beach front resort. I think that is so much fun!

Arriving at the Royal…

The mariachis must have been a bit tired after that walk…but they never missed a beat! I wish I could remember what song they were playing here…I think it may have been “Somos novios”

Bride and groom pictures…what a great couple!

I confess, as much as I LOVE wedding photojournalism I am very proud of my skills as a portrait artist, and envisioning and creating expressive images like the next one makes me very happy.

First dance in the garden area of the Royal Resort.

I don’t know if this groom toss looks like fun to me or jsut plain scary…but Eliazar actually seemed to be enjoying it!

Great way to end a reception on a hot, hot, hot day!

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photojournalist located in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. She specializes in destination weddings and photographs weddings in the Riviera Maya, Cancun, Cozumel, Tulum, and Isla Mujeres, San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and throughout Mexico.

What a beautiful day! It was so enjoyable to photograph this adorable (I don’t use that word very often…but they really are an adorable couple!) having such a splendid time with the very diverse group of family and friends that had traveled so far to be part of the day. A much as I enjoyed capturing and putting together the collection of images to tell the story of the day I am also really looking forward to designing the wedding album, it is so wonderful to compile the images of such an important event into a tangible piece of family history.

Darlene and Manoj’ wedding was the third I have photographed at the JW Marriott and I have to say it has become one of my favorite wedding locations. There are several different spaces that can be used throughout the hotel grounds, including the gazebo which is authorized to hold a Catholic mass, so each event seems to be different. The coordinator, Francisco Roman, seems to do such a nice job of keeping everything flowing. I think the gazebo with its ocean view is really special…and of course that amazing turquoise Cancun water, WOW!

The only thing that was a little sad for me is knowing that this was the final wedding that my photographer friend Grace Kim from Seattle accompanied me to as a “second shooter”, I loved having her help and knew I would really miss her when I looked over at one point and saw her carrying, in additional to her own gear almost all of mine! Grace is not a very large person so it just looked like a mountain of equipment walking along! I guess I had been so intent on the photographs I was taking that I just left everything behind! Thank you so much Grace it was amazing to have you here! I hope some day for the chance to repay the favor!

I thought the bridesmaid’s dresses were really special, it turned out that a very talented bride’s maid had actually made them herself!

Darelene’s mother placed the finishing touches on the veil.

I think this “grab” shot looks almost posed, I think that they were all standing in a strip of shade about 6 inches wide waiting for the ceremony to begin.

A few images from the Catholic ceremony in the gazebo.

The ring bearer was very serious and did an excellent job.

Grace caught this great moment right after the kiss.

This one is for Darlene…

After the ceremony we were able to do some photography on the beach.

The reception was set up poolside right in front of the ocean, this is just a little detail from the table decoration.

Darlene “escaped” from the reception for a couple of pictures.

The toasts had everyone laughing and crying and then laughing again!

Father daughter dance.

Ok…this crowd know how to dance!

Wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina photographs destination weddings in Cancun, the Riviera Maya and throughout Mexico.

Ever since I met Susana I know it would be a joy to photograph her wedding, first because she is a close friend of one of my favorite past couples, second because she told be right away that the photographs were very important to her, and third because she and Felipe wanted to be photographed at the beach, something that is not extremely common here in on the Gulf side of the Yucatan penninsula. This is a little look at just a few of Susana’s and Felipe’s photographs.

Desde que conoocí a Susana supe que sería un placer fotografiar su boda, primero porque es muy buena amiga de una de mis parejas favoritas, segundo porque me dijó enseguida que las fotografías eran muy importantes para ella, y tercero porque ella y Felipe pidieron hacer fotografía en la playa, algo que no es muy común en está parte de la peninsuala de Yucatán. Estos son unas cuantas fotografías captadas el día de la boda de Susana y Felipe. ¡Muchas felicidades a los dos!