This was one of those fabulously international affairs. Mariana is of Argentine descent and had many family members make the trip from Argentina, Alex is from Switzerland and also had many people on hand for the event. It was pointed out that those two places are just about on opposite ends of the earth! They were also accompanied by a large group of friends from Mexico City! So as out of the way as Yucatan can seem to some it was really a common ground for this far flung group of family and friends and I think a special one since Mariana and Alex were able to incorporate so many regional details to really give the wedding the flavor of the Yucatan.

Mariana and Alex had both a civil wedding and a Mayan ceremony which were held on separate dates, both at the Hacienda Xcanatun in Merida, Yucatan. Xcanatun is an exceptionally beautiful hacienda, it has been restored spectacularly and the grounds are very lush and green. It was a very unique, once in a lifetime event and I was honored to be able to photograph it!

A few details for Xcanatun the night of the civil wedding (boda civil).
La boda civil.Los novios…

The grounds of the hacienda are so beautiful, it is like an oasis.

Xcanatun at twilight.

Mariana chose the perfect dress for the hacienda setting, it was just gorgeous and looked perfect on her.

Her shoes definitely made my all time favorite bridal shoe list!

I really thought that this photograph of Mariana before the ceremony captured a bit of her wedding day spirit.

The tables for the reception dinner were set up under the most amazing palm trees in the hacienda gardens, it was spectacular.

The Mayan ceremony was held in the garden of the hacienda at night.

An important part of the Mayan wedding ceremonies that I have witnessed is giving some type of offering back to the land, here the flower girl helped offer seeds and vegetables to the earth.

Another part of the ceremony is the “limpia” or ritual cleansing. The officiant was very thorough, not easy with such a tall groom!

A la fiesta!

The reception set up.

I was happy to have caught this moment! I love thinking that she will see this and the other photographs when she is all grown up and remember playing such an important role and how it felt.

Mariana assured me there would be no “first dance”, I guess it pays to be prepared for anything…

This detail shot is my fab assistant Lindsey’s!

Hacienda Xcanatun wedding photography by Merida, Yucatan, wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina.

Having photographed a wedding at the Hacienda Las Trancas some months ago, I knew a little bit of what I was getting into when Ken contacted me about photographing his wedding to Julie at the Hacienda Las Trancas outside of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Basically, the hacienda is a historic site that has been restored in a very loving way. It has a warm and intimate Mexican atmosphere that is simply perfect for a destination wedding. How considerate, photogenic and fun Ken and Julie and their families and friends would prove to be was a complete surprise and icing on the cake! I loved the color images but also thought the black and white photographs had a timeless beauty. Thank you, Ken and Julie! I hope your travels bring you to the Yucatán sometime soon!

Getting ready photographs. I love to do these because of the anticipation and range of emotions. Everyone is too busy with the preparations to worry at all about the camera. I think just about every bride wonders at the last moment if the dress is really going to zip or button up…such a relief when it does!

The happy groom prepares…

Wow.

The grounds of the hacienda are so unique, Ken and Julie and sitting by the door to the secret garden.

Some of the relatives/friends were teasing Ken and Julie as they posed.

Empieza la ceremonia…

The reception was held near the fountain, this area had been floored since I last visited the hacienda. If you look carefully you may be able to see the horses in their stables.

Two of the guests were professional salsa dancers, they gave a wonderful demonstration and class to the guests, it was amazing how quickly (most) everyone learned!

Wedding photojournalism in San Miguel de Allende Mexico by professional photographer Elizabeth Medina, specializing in wedding and destination wedding photography. Elizabeth Medina is based in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico and photographs weddings throughout Mexico.

I dont even know where to start! Rachel is American and met Luis who is Mexican while in college and came to live in Mexico. Where have I heard this story before? It sounds really familiar! Rachel and Luis were married at the very historic Casa Grande Hacienda in the town of Zempoala, near Pachuca, Hidalgo. The location had special meaning because the hacienda was built by Luis´ancestors and had remained in the family all through the Mexican revolution until present. The village church where the ceremony was held was very charming and traditional. I loved the fact that Luis was my first groom to wear spurs and a pistol, dressing in traditional charro style, which is so different from the traditional dress in Yucatan where I live, and of course you can see that Rachel was a very beautiful bride.

All in all it was a very unique and happy celebration, combining Mexican and American cultures so seamlessly that by the time the dancing started I really couldn´t tell who was who, everyone was having a great time on the dance floor. As a photographer it is always a treat for me to be able to travel to other regions and tell the story of a wedding with different customs and traditions, mil gracías Rachel y Luis, les deseo lo mejor en su matrimonio!

Some guests outside the chapel.

The chapel was very traditional and special.

The bride and groom were walking down this hallway with the bridal party and families, to take pictures in the garden. When I saw this spot I knew I had to photograph Rachel there and I made the whole group wait for a minute in the hallway. I loved it that someone behind me actually gasped when they saw Rachel bathed in light and framed by the doorway.

Rachel y las amigas.

The family portrait.

The hacienda´s formal ¨sala¨was very elegant and old fashioned, I loved this picture and the wallpaper.

Having met Eno and Magdelana almost a year ago and having photographed previously at the Hacienda San Jose, (one of the fabulous group of haciendas in Yucatan, Mexico that are operated by Starwood resorts) I knew ahead of time that there would be some serious eye candy at this wedding. The day was beautiful and there was a great turnout of family and friends who traveled to this off the beaten track destination. I had not photographed a hacienda wedding in a while and it was so much fun to photograph this amazing couple and their warm and relaxed fiesta in Yucatan!

I loved the act that all three of the bridesmaids were sisters of the bride!

Lo mariachi´s made a dramatic entrance.

The fiesta was held on the lawn of the hacienda and started right at dusk.

This was one of the longest toasts ever and really funny!

The DJ came down with the group and really knew her stuff. I had no idea that DJ´s work could be so complex, it was very cool to watch her work.

Hacienda wedding photography in Mexico by Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalist. Hacienda San Jose, the haciendas, Merida, Yucatan, mexico.

Amy and Daniel’s wedding was held the Hacienda Santa Rosa, a very unique and peaceful hacienda in Yucatan, Mexico. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of their friends and family had made the trip to attend this destination wedding, but not surprised at all to see how everyone seemed to be enjoying and the hacienda, Yucatan, and of course the celebration of Amy and Daniel’s marriage and the fiesta afterwards. Amy and Daniel, it was inspirational to spend time with the two of you.

The hacienda staff was setting up the reception in the main corridor of the hacienda overlooking the garden area when I arrived, it looked amazing.

The ceremony was held in a beautiful secluded garden surrounded by greenery, Amy wore a family dress and veil and they were perfect for her, she looked incredible.

Amy walked into the ceremony with her father through an ancient archway.

Before joining the reception Amy removed her veil and added a belt, it was an art piece was like nothing I have seen before and just perfect for her dress and the setting.

I really do not have words to describe how enjoyable it was to photograph Tiffany and Garrett at the gorgeous Hacienda Uayamon in Campeche, Mexico. The hacienda is breathtaking, and I was so nervous on the drive from Merida, Yucatan to Campeche because it truly looked like it would rain any minute! As I walked onto the hacienda grounds to meet up with the bride and groom and begin photographing I could actually smell the rain. Even though I knew that alternate indoor locations had been planned for both ceremony and reception and all would be fine I couldn’t help think that the photographs would be better outdoors!
Hacienda Uayamón, part of the fabulous Luxury Collection of Mexican haciendas, The Haciendas, that includes some of my favorites like Hacienda San Jose and Hacienda Temozón, is located deep in the jungle, and combines luxury, rustic old buildings, and nature…An amazing wedding location for a couple like Tiffany and Garrett who love travel and adventure and planned to celebrate a very memorable wedding with friends and family. Tiffany and Garrett it was such a pleasure for us to spend your day with you and your group, the happiness was contagious!
A few details from the hacienda grounds…

The hacienda was originally built to produce henequén (sisal), or “green gold” as it was called.

Do I need to say that Tiffany was an extremely beautiful bride?

Garrett and Tiffany met for an hour of photographs before the ceremony, here is the moment that Garrett first saw Tiffany dressed for the wedding…priceless.

I hope the pictures can do some justice to so much beauty.

Tables were set up under a GIANT Ceiba tree.

I can’t remember the name of this great Latin band…but they were amazing at getting the party dancing.

Mexico wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina, destination wedding at the Hacienda Uayamón, Campeche, Mexico.

For those unfamiliar with Mexico, San Miguel de Allende is located very far from the Yucatan Peninsula where I live. The landscape, architecture, history and even the light are very different in the two places. Erin and Jim chose to be married in the historic Hacienda Las Trancas in the countryside between Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It was a beautiful, intimate celebration and I felt so fortunate to be able to document the wedding, as well as photograph Erin and Jim more informally in the colorful town of San Miguel de Allende. ¡Felicidades Erin y Jim!

I arrived from the airport just in time for this relaxed portrait session near the main square of San Miguel de Allende.

The people passing by thought that Erin and Jim were models, they were so surprised to hear that they would be getting married in a few days!

The wedding day…the weather could not have been more perfect.

Pre ceremony…

I have never really been into roses, but I think Erin made me a believer. They were AMAZING.

I loved this shot of the guys in the hacienda corridor.

Jim waiting for his first glimpse of Erin as a bride.

The ceremony was held in the hacienda’s courtyard, so beautiful.

A quiet moment before the fiesta.

I have been fortunate that so many of my clients are very hip creative professionals…as an architect and graphic designer both Mónica and Einar certainly fall in that category and it was wonderful to have been able to get to know them in the months before the wedding. Mexico has so many great haciendas, I was glad to hear that they chose to celebrate the reception at the Hacienda San Ignacio Tisip, I epecially enjoy wedding photography in such a beautiful, intimate setting. The wedding was great fun to photograph and although I don’t want to give anything away we have big plans for a VERY hip and creative post-honeymoon photo shoot and to design a very original album, so there is still more photography to look forward to! Here is a glimpse of just a few of the images from their wedding at the hacienda San Ignacio Tisip, outside of Mérida, Yucatán, México.

The flowers were amazing.

Bride and groom, pre-ceremony.

The moon over the palm trees…

First dance….

The two little dancers were just adorable, they would watch the ¨novios¨and imitate all their dance moves.

Hacienda wedding photography by Mexico photographer Elizabeth Medina. Fotografia de boda por Elizabeth Medina, Yucatan, Mexico.

A wonderful couple, beautiful hacienda location, and gorgeous moon…what could be better for a wedding photographer? And just to keep things excitng how about a sudden rain shower during the ceremony? If I ever had doubts about whether I would risk my camera equipment to get the shot I now know the answer…it never even occured to me to run for cover when the rain started to fall during the ceremony, not while I was getting such great shots! In addition to the lovely open air ambience Guille’s event coordinators Maria del Mar Montalvo and Maria del Mar Abraham of Baku made sure that there were little details and surprises everywhere, all very evocative of Yucatecan tradition. Unforgettable!

When Aydee contacted me about her wedding to Justin at the Hacienda San Jose Cholul I had the date previously reserved. I was disappointed, because the Hacienda San Jose is one of my absolute favorite places and I could tell immediately that Aydee would be a great bride to work with. I was thrilled when they asked me to shoot their portrait session the day before the wedding. It has been my experience that doing wedding portraits on a day other than the wedding is just a wonderful way to get relaxed, outstanding images, since there is no rush or nervousness like on the big day. It is a bit of an effort to plan the photo session but so much fun and I think the photographs are very much worth it. Aydee and Justin…congratulations, it was wonderful to work with you both. ¡Muchas felicidades!

Tania and Luis make a beautiful couple (if anyone has actually been reading this wedding photography blog, it will be clear by now that I really enjoy the couples I photograph, maybe it is because I get to spend the happiest day of their lives with them, but they are all just amazing!). I had been looking forward to photographing this wedding, since it would be taking place at the Hacienda Temozón Sur, a very spectacular hacienda in Yucatan, Mexico where I had never previously had the opportunity to photograph a wedding. The hacienda absolutely did not disappoint, and Tania and Luis had planned a very intimate candle light reception with all kinds of Mexican surprises for their international guests, from folkloric dancing to fireworks and mariachis. ¡Muchas graciás, Tania y Luis!

Dianna and Mario make up one of the nicest couples I have met! Their wedding was a very relaxed and easy going celebration, it was fun to witness the two of them enjoying each other and their families and friends. It was also great to see such a totally international crowd mingling and enjoying each other so much. The wedding was held in Mérida’s beautiful and historic Itzimná church and the reception at the modern fiesta Americana Hotel on the Paseo de Montejo. Congratulations to both of you!

La boda de Javier y Jimena se festejó en la Hacienda San Diego Tixcacal, esa hacienda se prestó mucho para que la boda tuviera un ambiente fuera de lo acostubrado. La misa se celebró en la puerta de la capilla antigua de la hacienda, que ahora funciona como iglesia del pequeño pueblo que rodea la hacienda. Fue una noche inolvidable con una pareja muy divertida…¡felicidades a los dos!

Jimena….ya me dijeron tus amigas que quieren ver fotos del grupo…