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.

I was really excited when Jen contacted me about photographing their wedding, since it would be my first wedding in Puerto Vallarta. Finally April 20 rolled around, and I was even more thrilled, Puerto Vallarta is amazing, Playa Fiesta is a very high spirited venue devoted exclusively to destination weddings and Mike and Jen are as beautiful, and laid back a couple as a photographer could hope for. Here are just a few images from the day….

_

To see a mini slideshow freom this colorful Vallarta wedding, click here.
-

Jen on her balcony at Playa Fiesta, since the resort is built into the hillside the views are spectacular…and Jen is looking pretty spectacular too!

I just loved this photograph of Jen and her mom before the ceremony.

The wedding was held on a sun deck overlooking the ocean.

The ceremony was very moving and over very quickly, I was so happy to be able to be able to captue the panoramic view as well as the close ups.

Each guest had a set of maracas to celebrate the marriage. ¡qué buena idea!

Jen and Mike after the wedding ceremony.

Jen and her girls…

La cerveza…

Playa Fiesta is so pretty at night, the dance floor is actually a bridge.

Yes, there was a burro at the reception! I have photographed a lot of weddings in Mexico, but that was a first for me.

Puerto Vallarta wedding photography at the Playa Fiesta Resort, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, all photographs by Mexico wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina.