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.

Alejandra and Jorge came to see me about photographing their sunset ceremony on the Gulf coast of Yucatan more than a year ago, and we walked the beach where the ceremony was to be held. While I envisioned a beautiful beach ceremony in this very special place the actual event was beyond my wildest dreams. What could be better than photographing such a happy couple, in the midst of so much beauty, love and good times?

Paradise…

I loved the contrast in texture between the rough palm bark and the very clean design of the rings.

This was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have witnessed.

The bride and groom make their grand entrance into the reception.

This has to be my favorite dessert photograph ever…ice cream in a coconut shell, I love it!

The first dance was spectacular.

Parent dance, what a moment to capture.

I am fortunate to have known Lauren since she was young and so was very happy to be able to meet her fiancée, Byron, and to photograph first an engagement session on the beach at Uaymitun last summer and then a year later the wedding in Mérida. I hope their photographs will be a real legacy for their new family, telling the story of the life that they are starting together, and bringing back happy memories for a long, long time. Congratulations, Byron and Lauren, and may you continue to be blessed in your life together.

Beach photo session, summer 2006.

Last minute wedding day preparations, the weather got very, very dark and windy about this time, I was sure it would rain, but amazingly the sky completely cleared and it was a beautiful evening!

The ¨novios¨decided to see each other before the ceremony and I was able to “hide” and photograph from a distance the moment when they first greeted each other before the ceremony.

A few moments during the ceremony.

Lauren and Byron’s first dance as husband and wife. I love the way both of their rings are together in this photograph.

Reception fun…

It almost wouldn’t be a wedding in Mexico without Mariachis. They even serenaded Lauren and Byron as they made their exit from the ballroom.

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.

Ever since I met Susana I know it would be a joy to photograph her wedding, first because she is a close friend of one of my favorite past couples, second because she told be right away that the photographs were very important to her, and third because she and Felipe wanted to be photographed at the beach, something that is not extremely common here in on the Gulf side of the Yucatan penninsula. This is a little look at just a few of Susana’s and Felipe’s photographs.

Desde que conoocí a Susana supe que sería un placer fotografiar su boda, primero porque es muy buena amiga de una de mis parejas favoritas, segundo porque me dijó enseguida que las fotografías eran muy importantes para ella, y tercero porque ella y Felipe pidieron hacer fotografía en la playa, algo que no es muy común en está parte de la peninsuala de Yucatán. Estos son unas cuantas fotografías captadas el día de la boda de Susana y Felipe. ¡Muchas felicidades a los dos!

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!

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!

There is nothing better for a wedding photojournalist than being able to use unposed images to tell the story of the real moments that make up the day. Diana and Alberto were a wonderful couple to work with, because of their gift of being completely open to the moment, as well as very much in love. It was a joy for me as a photographer to be able to capture some of their magic.

No hay nada mejor para una fotoperiodista de bodas que poder contar la verdadera historia del día atravez de sus momentos reales y espontaneos. Fue maravilloso trabajar con Diana y Mario porque ambos posean el don de gozar completamente cada momento y porque están muy enamorados. Fue una alegría para mi como fotógrafa poder captar algo de su mágia. Diana y Alberto, les felicito de todo corazón y les deseo lo mejor.

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…

Lucy and Rodrigo´s wedding reception was held at the Quinta Montes Molina, one of the beautiful old mansions that line Mérida’s Paseo de Montejo. The antique mansion was decorated with a very modern ambience for the fiesta, the contrast was great! I have been very fortunate to photograph the most wonderful couples and Lucy and Rodrigo are one of my very favorites. I wish them all the best!

La fiesta de boda de Lucy y Rodrigo se celebró en la Quinta Montes Molina, una de las bellas mansiones del Paseo de Montejo, y se contrastaba de forma muy espectacular lo antiguo de la quinta con una ambientación muy moderna. He tenido la buena fortuna de fotografiar parejas maravillosas y Lucy y Rodrigo son de mis favoritos. Felicidades, les deseo lo mejor!