Matt and Monica’s wedding… part two, AKA La Fiesta! I have to share a few photos from the post ceremony cocktail hour, muy mexicano! The Azul Sensatori Zavaz Plaza was decorated with personalized papel picado streamers, so pretty! Monica’s very talented cousin Bianca (whose vocals and guitar were a very important part of the ceremony) surprised the bride and groom by joining the mariachi singers, this was amazing! All photographs Elizabeth and Lauren Medina.

Everyone had a chance at the piñata~ and then as the sun set we were able to dash to the beach for bride and groom photos.

The reception had a peacock theme and it was worked into all of the details from the custom maracas to the guest signing board…This wedding had so many beautiful personalized details, the guest signature board from Bee and Leaf  fit the peacock theme perfectly!

we loved all the action which started off with an incredible first dance followed by the hora…

Elizabeth Medina Photography is Mexico´s premier destination wedding photographer, overing weddings in the Mayan Riviera, Cancun, Tulum, Merida, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and throughout Mexico with a relaxed, natural style.

Matt and Monica’s was held in one of my favorite ceremony locations, the Sky Deck at the Azul Sensatori Resort in Puerto Morelos. Having heard a bit about the wedding plans from Matt I really couldn’t wait to see what the day would bring. Matt and Monica put a great deal of hard work into really personalizing the wedding, so much so that I am giving in to the temptation to divide the photographs from this amazing destination wedding into two blog posts since want to share so many of the creative details that I just can’t seem to make it fit!

Just a few details from the getting ready portion of the day. After beginning the day with the Ketubah signing in a short white sundress, Monica was married in the full length gown that she had designed and hand sewn which converted to a perfect dancing dress for the reception! (yes, you heard correctly, the very talented Monica actually designed and sewed her fabulous convertible wedding gown). Words don’t do justice to Monica’s artistry or attention to detail… The wedding had a peacock theme, which showed up throughout the day and in the custom guest signing print from Bee and Leaf.

Matt and the guys before the ceremony…

Monica with her girls…

The Jewish ceremony was held on the Azul Sensatori sky deck, I think this lovely space has a very special energy and fortunately Matt and Monica’s wedding was held a wonderful sunny day. I loved how the wedding creatively incorporated both Mexican and Jewish details and so much bright color not to mention love and emotion!

Bride and groom walked around each other in the Jewish tradition.

Matt and Monica are  married, Mazel Tov!

Coming soon… La fiesta!

Hola!I have to confess to being a total blog slacker with the blog over the summer! So much that we are dying to share here, but computer time has been prioritized for editing photographs and keeping the inbox from exploding!. A bit of news that made us smile this summer here at Elizabeth Medina Photography was being chosen by Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Magazine for their Destination Wedding Photographer A-List. As a magazine freak without equal (seriously!)  I can’t help but get a little thrill seeing the studio featured by one of my new stand (and now ipad!) favorites.

The A-List includes 20 photographers specialized in destination weddings, a talented group for sure, chosen on the basis of creativity, skill and professionalism by destination wedding industry insiders. Especially cool for our Mexico based studio: the photographers chosen for this honor are located with only two exceptions in the United States and Canada. (the other is located in London). Check the magazine out if you get a chance!

Elizabeth Medina Photography is Mexico’s premier destination wedding studio, photographing weddings in locations throughout Mexico and available for international travel.

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a relaxing summer!  Toan and Jessica’s destination wedding was held at the Royal Cancun. Hot and humid with clear skies above the beach ceremony and reception, Cancun’s famous white sand and turquoise water were amazing. All in all a beautiful day in paradise… right up to the end of the reception when a sudden rain took us all by surprise! Lindsey and I met up with the  bride and groom early the next morning for the day after session. This was a lot of fun as well and  a great chance to take some relaxed photographs (especially once everyone had finished waking up!) Jessica…. you have been patient long enough so I will stop writing so that you and Toan can see a few of the photographs from your very special big day in Mexico! Below, a few bridal photographs before the ceremony. I loved Jessica’s smile and the wedding colors really popped with the bright water in the backdrop!

The wedding party was a lot of fun… it was HOT out and super bright on the beach but they were a lot of fun all through the photos.

It was a great party…this was such a fun crowd and DJ Doremixx kept everyone on the dance floor.

Elizabeth Medina is Mexico’s premier destination wedding photojournalist, photographing weddings throughout Mexico in locations including the Yucatan, the Mayan Riviera, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, Puerto Morelos, Puerto Vallarta, Las Caletas, San Miguel de Allende Guanajuato, Cabo San Jose and Cabo San Lucas and available for international commissions.

Sonja and Dave were married at Le Reve in Playa del Carmen, Lauren and I loved photographing these two, not only do they have amazing energy and planned a beautiful wedding with an elegant but rustic feel (insert big shout out to le Reve wedding planners Arlenis and Mariana and their team, as well as the fantastic Planner 1), they also proved themselves to be up for anything, and definitely not the kind to let a little rain get in the way of having a great time! Between the wedding day and trash the dress session I know this is a very long post but I can’t help wanting to share! Getting ready, Sonja’s mom seeing her daughter as a bride…

Such lovely flowers…very much in sync with the wedding’s organic chic theme.

Bride and her girls before the ceremony…

Just as bride was set to enter the ceremony the rain rolled in! Everyone ran for cover and fortunately it passed and the show could go on!

Reception decor, so relaxed and beautiful.

As the guests were seated for dinner I noticed that the bride and groom were not to be found… going out for a few photographs of the exterior I found them in  this beautiful spot just  having a moment together while waiting to be announced and join their guests.

I will have to say my expectations of Sonja and Dave actually showing up for the planned trash the dress session were a little low… not only was it very early the morning after the wedding… it was actually RAINING! Fortunately they were up for it and I loved the images we captured both between and during the rain showers!

This is a fun share, Dany and Habib’s bride and groom photos were taken at one of our most favorite of all wedding locations, the Hacienda Uayamon in Campeche, Mexico. This historic hacienda has been restored and is operated as a boutique hotel by Starwood resorts. Quite a ways off the beaten path, the hacienda is tucked away in the lush jungle of Dany and Habib’s home state of Campeche, Mexico. Dany y Habib… de parte del equipo Medina nos encantó fotografiarlos, muchas gracias y les mandamos un enorme abrazo!

I guess I would have to say that other than the opportunity to make good use of my share of the creativity (something I am convinced we are all blessed with!) my favorite thing about photographing weddings would be the fabulous people met along the way, whether they be colleagues and clients. Shani and Steven,…WOW! Lindsey and I have loved getting to know the two of you very much, thanks for sharing your celebration at the Mayan Riviera’s Azul Sensatori Resort. The first photos I am posting are from the morning after trash the dress session, followed by the wedding day images.  All images Elizabeth and Lindsey Medina.

Wedding day at Azul Sensatori. It had looked like it might rain but turned out to be a fantastic day!

We had been looking forward to Amber and Jero’s wedding weekend since their engagement photographs at Yucatan’s Hacienda Temozon back in March. This time the location was the Mayan Riviera and the occasions was a two day celebration of Amber and Jero’s wedding, beginning on Friday with the civil ceremony on the beach of the Marina Maroma and finishing up the following evening with a Catholic wedding mass at the beautiful El Dorado Royale Resort. An all around beautiful event overflowing with love and happiness!

A few photographs from Friday’s civil ceremony, all images Elizabeth and Lauren Medina:

First time seeing each other as bride and groom…Amber and Jero had a more “beachy” look for the civil wedding…

A few bride and groom photos captured prior to the ceremony at the marina…

WOW… Jero’s bride made her ceremony entrance on a white horse accompanied by her parents.

The big day at El Dorado Royale. This resort is for sure one of my favorites because of the lush landscaping and beautiful ocean. Amber and Jero were married indoors in the evening but fortunately made the decision to meet for photographs prior to the ceremony which allowed us to play with some of the EDR’s beautiful scenery. Getting ready:

First look followed by photos of Amber and Jero together and off to the ceremony and reception….

We have been wanting to share photographs of this sweet couple for a while now. Here´s hoping that this will be the start of recovering from the busy wedding season and being caught up again with editing and blogging! Samantha and Miguel´s civil wedding was held at the Casa Faller in Merida. Although it was not possible to photograph the religious wedding we were so happy to have the opportunity to photograph Samantha and Miguel and their joyful group of family and friends for the celebration of the civil wedding. The event took place at the Casa Faller in Merida, Yucatan, coordinated by our friends at Baku Events. Samantha and Miguel we are looking forward to more photos of the two of you very soon!

Elizabeth Medina Photography, Mexico´s premier wedding photographer, photographing weddings in Merida, Yucatan and throughout Mexico.

What a fantastic day!  With its beautiful architecture and grounds the Fairmont Mayakoba is hands down one of our favorite Playa del Carmen wedding photography locations. Corey and Jillayne were marriedon the golf course this Playa del Carmen wedding venue on a bright day in May. I love seeing the beautiful day and the sunny disposition of this very happy bride and groom captured in the wedding photographs.  The clock seems to flow in very unusual and mysterious ways when a wedding is in process and we sometimes feel that the biggest luxury we encounter at a wedding is time during the day to create relaxed and memorable photographs. Little by little I have come to appreciate as one of the most important skills an experienced wedding photographer can possess the ability to wrestle that ticking clock into submission and make every minute count!  Jillayne and Corey’s wedding stands out as one in which a relaxed schedule (and couple) allowed for a great variety of images and lighting conditions, not to mention that  starting the day somewhat early allowed for photographs not only of bride and groom candidly with their respective teams but also alone together before the ceremony (first look photographs = priceless!). Now if we could just figure out how to manage time to have enough days on the calendar to both shoot and edit our summer weddings!

Hola blog readers! Things are going to be moving pretty quickly around here if all goes as planned, I am excited to have such a variety of uniquely beautiful weddings to share. Isla Mujeres has always been one of my favorite locations in Mexico and Jack and Linda’s destination wedding was a great example of what an absolutely perfect destination it is for a wedding! This wonderful pair of New Yorkers was married in private villa on Isla Mujeres called Vista de La Luz Not the rustic cabin that comes to my mind when thinking of Isla Mujeres, but one amazing home and perfect for the wedding ceremony with an intimate group of friends and family. The dinner reception was held at a very beautiful “toes in the sand” venue on the Island’s North Beach, Buho’s restaurant located at the Hotel Maria del Carmen.  This beautiful but very relaxed event was coordinated by  Weddings Isla Mujeres we look forward to working with this very professional and fun to be around sister team again in the future and would recommend their services to anyone considering a wedding on the Isla. Some of the days photos, beginning with getting ready photos at the villa…

love.this.image

Between the ceremony at the villa and the sunset reception there was not time planned for photos around the island… passing this building Linda and Jack and I stopped the car, and ran to this cool home for a very quick photo…

And made it to the beach reception lication just in time for an amazing sunset.

A really tough thing about being a destination wedding photographer can be meeting a really fun bride and groom like Nikki and Larry and having a great time with them and their families and friends, not to mention seeing firsthand the kind of party they can throw, but knowing that distance totally rules out dropping by their place just to say hello or a casual hint for an invite to their future celebrations. Sad for us but probably a really good thing for Larry and Nikki since being stalked by the wedding photographers sounds a little awkward! At least we have our memories… not to mention a whole lot of photographs from the wedding and the amazing TTD session at sunrise the next morning! Larry and Nikki, it was so great to spend time with the two of you, thank you so much for your trust and for going the extra mile for your photographs!

Larry and Nikki chose to see each other prior to the ceremony for a first look and bride and groom photos. This worked out perfectly, the first look was awesome, we got to shoot in different areas than time would have permitted after the ceremony and also Nikki and Larry were able to spend quite a bit of cocktail hour time with their guests! I have often heard that some people do not wish to see each other beforehand because they think it will take away from the impact of seeing each other as bride and groom for the first time in the ceremony… this has really not been what I have witnessed, the ceremony meeting seems to be a whole new experience possibly even more emotional for couples who have already started to share the day together a bit earlier, scroll down and I think you will agree this was the case for Larry and Nikki!  Lauren rocked the next image from the first look.

I have come to realize that our editing process is basically the opposite of the norm (like quite a few things around here, now that I think of it!)…. rather than sensibly choosing “teasers” for the blog and slide show and editing this smaller group of images our custom has always been to first edit the entire set of images to taste and then when at last all of the photographs are ready finally go back and pick out some favorites to share on the blog. This “backwards” process is probably not the most expedient but we feel it results in a full set of images that we can be consistently proud of.  Unfortunately It also makes choosing images for the blog very, very difficult because once they are ready I can’t help but want to share them all! As much as I promise to keep the blog selections at a minimum I know I am fighting a losing battle. In the case of Sarah and Ed’s Catholic destination wedding Mayan Riviera’s Maroma Paradise Marina despite the best of intentions the first pass yielded 140 blog images! Even this photographer knows that is way to many for a blog post!

Sarah and Ed are a delightful couple, and their group of friends and family were very obviously loving the destination wedding experience. The wedding was every bit as joyful as it was beautiful! I hope this narrowed down (but still too numerous, sorry!) collection of images will give a little glimpse of the photography from this memorable and beautiful destination wedding.

Pre wedding photographs from Dreams Riviera Cancun…

A big shout out to Adrian Guerra who helped the beautiful Sarah with her amazing wedding look….