This was an all around a beautiful destination wedding at the Royal Resort in Playa del Carmen! I hope this small sample of the day’s photographs gives a little glimpse into the day that Roza and Gerard spent with family and friends who traveled to celebrate their marriage in the Royal’s beautiful gazebo overlooking the ocean in Playa del Carmen. (some from all the way around the world!). Roza and Gerard we are so happy for the two of you and thank you for letting us share in your day!

The bride and wedding party (bridesmaids and groom’s ladies!) made a very dramatic and beautiful entrance to the ceremony.

Pretty ceremony details! There is nothing like a turquoise ocean as a backdrop of course!

Some photographs on the beach during the cocktail hour…

Bride and groom, this photo was taken in the gazebo where they said “I do”.

All photographs 9c) 2011 Elizabeth Medina and Lindsey Medina. Elizabeth Medina Photography, Wedding Photographer Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

I think everyone, wedding photographer or not, will probably remember how they spent November 11, 2011. I really hope that everyone’s 11-11-11 was as “lucky” as ours! Trisha and Jeff were such a fun, happy couple, a joy to photograph, their wedding photography in Playa del Carmen included getting ready photographs at El Taj hotel, a Catholic mass at Nuestra Señora del Carmen Chapel on the Quinta Avenida and a reception at Las Palapas, also in Playa del Carmen. We could not help but especially appreciate the beautiful weather for our Playa del Carmen beach photographs after a near brush with rain. (I think that I actually felt 11 tiny raindrops before the weather blew over and the afternoon turned absolutely beautiful!) I would have liked to celebrate this special date by posting only 11 photographs to the blog… but of course it would be impossible to narrow down! Trisha and Jeff, congratulations, we wish you all the very best! All photographs Lindsey and Elizabeth Medina.

Mexico… what can I say I am a little biased since this is my home. But there are no two ways about it…  I am firmly convinced that there can be no more perfect place to be married! Kim and Thomas’  wedding at the Royal Resort in Playa del Carmen is a case in point. The couple shared a very intimate and relaxed  gazebo ceremony with a very happy and spirited group of family and friends, followed by an exhilarating toes in the sand beach side fiesta. In  between we somehow managed to steal time for images of the couple enjoying each other and the moment. Kim and Thomas, we had such a wonderful time with the two of you. We hope the photographs bring back some great memories!

The first photographs are from the morning after the wedding when Lauren and I met up with Kim and Thomas for a brief “morning after” shoot.

The big day! A few detail and getting ready photos…

Not only was she amazing to start with Kim had Adrian Guerra performing his makeup art!

When the veil goes on the whole bride thing somehow seems to becomes real.

The gazebo ceremony site, lovely and the wedding colors really popped against the blue sky, turquoise ocean and palm trees!

All photographs (c) 2011 Elizabeth and Lauren Medina. Elizabeth Medina Photography, photographing weddings throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayan Riviera, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Cozumel and Tulum, Mexico.

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.

Nancy and Rodolfo’s destination wedding at the Fairmont Mayakoba was the first March 2011 wedding for Lauren and I, not to mention being our very first Brazilian/Chinese/Mexico fusion wedding.  Let’s just say it was unforgettable! Nancy and Rodolfo were blessed to be surrounded by a very large group of family and friends who had all traveled from the couple’s native Brazil and other points of the globe. The couple did not miss any opportunity throughout the weekend to show their honored guests a great time! Here is a small sample of images from the wedding day (well OK, not small at all, actually way too many images for one blog post but if you scroll all the way down you will see that it really can’t be helped!).

A huge shout out to some amazing wedding pros: Fairmont Mayakoba wedding planner Belen Vivanco as well as Gabi Lavor and Fernanda Parra of Planner 1 Events. All photographs Elizabeth and Lauren Medina.

The planned beach ceremony was moved to a covered location due to rain but the yellow flowers provided a touch of sunshine.

The Fairmont Mayakoba has lovely natural vegetation and rivers run through the entire resort. Nancy and Rodolfo traveled by gondola to join their guests for the cocktail hour and reception.

The reception area was lit with red and gold Chinese lanterns, so beautiful and in keeping with the wedding’s theme.

Gold reception decor and Chinese inspired detailsso pretty and special way of celebrating the bride and groom’s ancestry.

One amazing thing about this wedding was that the bride and groom had different “looks” for the different parts of the celebration, first the traditional western wedding attire, then Chinese dress and finally a fusion of the two that was perfect for the Brazilian dance party!

Next up: getting ready part two. Nancy’s red gown was so beautiful and this look was amazing!

Back to the reception for speeches and toasts.

Time to party Brazilian style! First Balance the Band get everyone dancing, then when the Brazilian drums started this Brazilian crown took it up a whole other level!

Mexico’s premier destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina photographs weddings in Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Yucatan, Tulum, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende, Los Cabos and throughout Mexico.

Shabnam and Randall were married in a joyous and very beautiful late afternoon ceremony at The Tides Riviera Maya. Times like this I am grateful that my task is to document with images and not words since I have a feeling that if I tried to tell this fantastic couple’s story with any language other than the camera´s no one would even believe me!  It really did happen though and fortunately I have lots and lots of photographic proof… I hope you enjoy this small sample of the day’s photographs.

The Tides is located in the jungle on a gorgeous stretch of beach and basically captures the essence of Mayan jungle-chic.  A few getting ready details from the bride’s bungalow:

One of the aspects of wedding photography that I truly love is collaborating with my clients and album designer to create flush mount albums. I will confess that often when I am shooting I am imagining juxtapositions and how the images can work most expressively in a wedding album. I think that the two getting ready photos would make an awesome album spread!

Blue sky, turquoise water and the ceremony location, I loved the very light and organic yet elegant feel. Ceremony details and moments… A quick shout out here to the lovely Rebecca Elias from Luxe Destination Weddings : working with the wedding planners from Luxe is such a treat, thank you Rebecca for your great wedding day energy!

The Persian sugar ceremony…

El beso!

Fantastic second shooting from Lindsey… I loved the candid moments she captured throughout the day…

Bride and groom portraits on the beach at sunset… wow.

A few reception details and some of the fun…this was a great dance party!

Shabnam and Randall’s first dance…

Playa del Carmen wedding photography by destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

Ember and Jon Paul tied the knot in a gazebo ceremony at the Royal Resort near Playa del Carmen’s Quinta Avenida. It was a great day and Lindsey and I were delighted to be their wedding photographers! Destination weddings can be so much fun for everyone, especially in the case of a thoughtful (and really fun!) couple like Ember and Jon who seem to want nothing more than to make sure that their friends and family are well taken care of and having an amazing time. Congratulations to you both, we wish you all the best!

The beautiful bride, a few pre-ceremony getting ready photographs.

I love to find out that my current brides get inspiration from brides whose weddings I have already photographed! Yes, Britni if you are still reading this blog, that shout out would be for you! And in this case the inspiration is especially fantastic… Toms Shoes are super special because for each pair purchased a new pair is given to a child in need. Ember’s comfy but sparkly Toms seemed like the perfect wedding shoe for this fast moving and very energetic bride!

Bridal portraits, I love it when there is time for these!

Jon Paul and some pre-ceremony photos with his entourage….

Ember and John Paul discovered a wonderful young singer named Tiger Darrow and were able to bring her to Mexico to provide the music for their wedding… she did a fantastic job and her performance added a special dimension to the wedding… certainly an artist to watch!

Jon Paul at the altar as Ember makes her entrance on her father’s arm…

The ceremony was held at the Royal’s gazebo overlooking the ocean.

A photo of the whole group, then a few bride and groom photos on the Playa del Carmen beach.

Time to party… the cocktail hour and dinner reception were held in the Royal’s ballroom, it was a great party.

After the reception the bride and groom where serenaded by a mariachi band as they lead their guests to continue the party on the Quinta Avenida….

Best friends. Sunny day in paradise. Perfection. Jannae and Ryan, thank you so much for letting us be part of your very unforgettable day.

Jannae and her flower girls before the ceremony…so much excitement and anticipation during this part of the day! The time always seems to fly by.

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The girls were not the only one with colorful footwear!

The bride looked amazing! I just love it when there is enough time for a few bridal portraits before the action begins.

Time to go! Jannae and Ryan were so excited to see each other before the ceremony!

After the big reveal we were able to do some photography on the grounds of the Riu Palace, it was a very warm and bright day and I really appreciated the bride and groom being such good sports.

The bright maraca wedding favors were custom painted in Puerto Vallarta by Mishka Designs. I dare any Mexico wedding guest to try not to have a good time with these!

Kind of like parades or fireworks destination weddings are spectator sports!

A few post ceremony beach photographs of the new husband and wife….

La fiesta started off with a mariachi band…

This wedding was a lot of fun to photograph! Britni and Joshua’s wedding and trash the dress session at the Royal in Playa del Carmen, Mexico had liberal doses of both bright bright sunshine and pouring rain that seemed to alternate all day long! Britni and Joshua really went the extra mile and never lost cheer despite the changing weather. These two are so great together, it made for fun day of shooting and lots of photographs!

This has to be one of my all time favorite wedding details ever! Britni chose to wear a pair of blinged out Toms shoes for her wedding day! (at least for the portions of the day that she wasn’t a barefoot bride!) These shoes are really special because for each pair that is purchased an pair is given to a needy child. So fantastic.

I had to include this next one so you could see what great sports Josh and Britni were! We were like the mail service, and a little rain was not going to stop us!

The hardest part of blogging has got to be narrowing down which images to include! I hear over and over from my clients how hard it is to choose which images from the wedding to include in the wedding album and of course I can totally relate! Amy and Marco traveled to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for their destination wedding. The ceremony was held in the little Catholic chapel on 5th Avenue. The reception had to be moved indoors due to an unbelievable amount of rain (sound familiar, blog readers? I am pretty sure at this point that we are statistically protected from ever again seeing a drop of rain at the Royal!) but that didn’t seem to dampen everyone’s enjoyment of the celebration one bit. I was very happy that it let up in time for bride and groom photos on the beach and that Amy and Marco were up bright and early for a fantastic trash the dress session the next morning. Guess I better stop the chatter because I know Amy and Marco must be ready to finally see some photos!

First I’ll share a little morning after TTD beauty…

And the wedding day itself…

Everyone broke out in laughter when Marco pulled out “the ring” the ceremony was pretty solemn and it took everyone by surprise!

Breaking the blog rules by posting two ring shots!

La Fiesta…mariachis, tequila, and all around good times.  We were disappointed that the beach reception was not possible due to the weather, but the guests may not have even noticed the change of venue!

Such a wonderful couple, surrounded by family, Lauren and I really enjoyed this wedding! The weather on their wedding day could not have been crazier, bright sunny skies and then a very sudden downpour just as the ceremony was ending. Group photos in a gazebo filled with 100 guests taking shelter from the rain was a first! I had to admire Mitul and Loan for taking the change in weather completely in stride and continuing to have such a great time with their wedding party and guests! It was just awesome that we had a trash the dress session scheduled for the next morning. The weather was perfect and I really loved the additional bride and groom photographs we were able to take around the resort as well as photograph Mitul and Loan with the dress (and suit!) in the ocean. Thank you so much Mitul and Loan! Can’t wait to get cracking on your album!

Wondering about the weather…

All the guys in the wedding party wore khakis and white shirts with fun white and tan tennis shoes, this little nephew was one of the guys!

This wedding party had an awful lot of personality as yoy can see in the next photo!

These two make such a great couple! While I suspect that being photographed might not be Mitul’s favorite activity he was such a great sport and never complained even thought I don’t think he had more than a few hours of sleep before having to wake up for the day after session.

If ‘wedding’ and ‘rain’ are two words that really don’t belong in the same sentence then I think ‘Mexico beach wedding’ and ‘hurricane’ don’t even belong in the same dictionary! Donna and Patrick’s wedding had an unexpected guest in the form of Hurricane Ida as it passed by Playa del Camen, Mexico on its way through the Atlantic. Despite some wind and rain the wedding went off as planned in the gazebo. Destination weddings are so much fun and such relaxed affairs, I had the distinct impression at times that the guests were to busy enjoying themselves to even notice the weather! Despite the very unusual weather  it was a very beautiful wedding and such a treat to be able to document it all and I was thrilled to be able to photograph Donna and Patrick on the beach the next morning.

It stopped raining just long enough for Patrick and Donna’s “first look” before the ceremony. Lindsey photographed the moment from a balcony.

The bride and groom photos were moved indoors due to the weather, Donna and Patrick are such a beautiful couple and such troopers!

The first dance…

The next morning we were able to hit the beach for a morning after session. It was so peaceful and quiet, the only other people out were a few surfers taking advantage of the rare occurance of surfable waves in Playa del Carmen.

Wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina, wedding photography at the Royal in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Or should I say a hot day with a hot couple?  :-)  Also true! It had to be one of the hottest days of the year, hopefully of the century! But with the clear blue sky and the gorgeous turquoise blue Playa de Camen water just perfect for a wedding, especially with Megan and Michael, a lovely couple who didn’t need much encouragement to go for it and fit in a mini trash the dress session before the reception. (Did I mention it was a hot day?). These two have so much fun together, it was fun to see all the laughter in the photographs!  Congratulations to you both! Lindsey and I wish you all the best in your life together!

Megan and her girls on the way to the ceremony…

My new favorite hammock photo…

Speeches…

First dance…