I am not one to divide up my blog posts, but Natalia and Raul’s wedding will be an exception since it is vacation time here in Yucatan and I can’t wait until next week when it is all finished to share photos from this special wedding! Natalia and Raul were one of my favorite couples of all time before the wedding day even arrived! I was so happy that they planned a photo session prior to the wedding date. The wedding was a large one with many guests and this pre wedding photo session was a fantastic way to get to know each other better and to have plenty of time to really enjoy the photography without the hurry and nerves of the “big day¨.  I loved hearing Natalia say that she did not regret it, in fact it was the best thing they could have done! Here are just a few photos for now…stay tuned for many more images from the fabulous ¨big day¨in my next blog post coming next week!

The wedding was held at Natalia´s family´s beautiful old hacienda. This photograph of the bride surrounded by the beauty of the hacienda took my breath away even before I pressed the shutter of the camera.

Bride and groom….the first look was very moving, I am saving your tears for the slide show!

Natalia and Raul, just a few more for now, the rest to follow soon!

Hacienda wedding photography by elizabeth Medina in Merida, yucatan, Mexico.

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.

What can I say? I love my job and photographing a couple like Pau and Rich is a great reminder of why and how much I love it! Ever since Paulina came to my studio the first time accompanying her sister Daniela, (whose amazing wedding to Marcelo I photographed in November) I thought she was one of the most kind and upbeat people I had met in a while. I was so happy when she came back a few months later and told me she would also be getting married and would like me to photograph her wedding as well! It was so fun to see how each sister planned a wedding with special details that fit her own unique style. Paulina and Rich were married in an evening ceremony at Nuestra Señora de Libano and the Club Campestre was transformed by the wedding coordinators at BAKU. It was fun to just be around Pau and Rich’s joy, I hope the photographs will help them to never forget how happy they were on their wedding day.

A detail of the dress…

Los novios, I was very grateful to have captured these moments.

A few of the flower girls in a quiet moment.

A few moments during the Paulina and Rich’s wedding mass.

Sometimes there are certain photographs that really speak to me in ways I really can’t explain, I think this would be one of those.

Pau and Rich make their exit….

To perfectly timed fireworks!

The main ballroom of the Club Campestre is famous for being impossible to decorate because of its massive size, I don’t think I have ever seen it prettier.

Walking to center stage for their first dance as husband and wife.

Reception details…

one memorable detail was the incredible candy table with all kinds of favorite snacks…cacahuates, chilitos, paletas, chicles…

Paulina and her group of amigas and the party gets started…

Yucatan has some great wedding bands! Who could not have fun at a party like this one?

The guests had so much fun putting on crazy hats, ties and masks!Of course Pau and Rich had his and her crowns!

And of course if you are Mexican you will recognize…Rebelde and Timbiriche!

Wedding photojournalism by Merida, Yucatan, Mexico wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

I had been waiting for Daniela and Marcelo’s wedding for a year and a half. I knew it would be a blast to photograph! Daniela and Marcelo live in Monterrey, Mexico, but planned an amazing wedding at Daniela’s home in Merida. Daniela is well known in Mexico as a professional jewelry designer and from the moment she came into the studio I was struck by her unique natural stylishness. I never guessed that Marcelo would be just as cool and that they would both be so much fun! Muchas felicidades a los dos y mil gracias por ser como son, ¡me encantó fotografiar la boda! PD, Nos vemos muy pronto en otra boda muy especial!
I begged Daniela to give me a few minutes to photograph her by window light. I was sorry to make Marcelo wait but I think it was worth it! I loved the way her vintage style dress and veil were complemented by the architecture.

I love the moment when the couple first sees each other, I think it is usually more emotional when it is a private moment before the wedding ceremony, these two were so delighted to see each other and I was able to capture teh moment from a distance with a telephoto lens.

I had wondered if Daniela would design jewelry to wear for the wedding…I had to smile when I noticed her bracelet!

the ceremony took place at the church in the village of Cholul, this church has been beautifully restored and has a lot of charm and personality.

I think this is one of my favorite photographs ever.

Time for the reception….

The reception site, so much color!

The first dance was very emotional.

La fiesta estuvo buenísima…

Elizabeth Medina, international wedding photojournalist, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

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.

For those not familiar with Mexican custom, it is very traditional to have two weddings, a civil ceremony and a religious wedding. The two can be performed on the same day, or as was the case with Gabi and Mauricio couples often have two complete wedding celebrations. I was disappointed to not be available to photograph Gabi and Mauricio’s religious wedding, but so happy that I was able to photograph the lovely civil wedding. Thank you Gabi and Mauricio, I wish you all the best!

Aquí en Mexico es muy común celebrar las bodas des veces, con una ceremonia civil y una ceremonia religiosa. Se pueden hacer el mismo día, o como en el caso de la boda de Gabi y Maurico se puede convertir en dos ocasiones especiales. Estuve triste de no estar disponible para la fecha de la boda religiosa de Gabi y Maurico, pero muy contenta de poder fotografiar tan hermosa boda civil. Muchas gracias Gabi y Maurico, ¡Les deseo todo lo mejor!