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!

I guess it probably goes without saying that participating in a destination wedding in the Mayan Riviera is a fantastic experience. Bringing together so many unbeatable elements…travel, love, happiness, fun people, sun, ocean, sand, and of course an amazing fiesta…I guess it would be hard to go wrong with that recipe! Oh and I almost forgot… if you are the bride and groom and so inclined you can top it all off by “trashing the dress” on a gorgeous beach the next day. Blog readers get ready because this little photo blog is going to be on fire in the coming weeks with photographs of some amazing destination weddings at the most incredible locations!

Jehda and Ken were married at the Paradisus Resort, one of my favorite locations, and in addition to the Paradisus’ team they had the assistance of ace professional wedding planner Yazmin de la Mora in making sure that every detail went smoothly on the big day. All in all it was a lovely day as I hope the day’s imagery will attest.

Jehda and Kenneth decided just a day or two prior to the ceremony that they would like to do a “first look”, and then do some photographs with their wedding party prior to the ceremony. Although it was a bit warm, (OK, that should read it was really, really hot!) this turned out to be a very good call because the ceremony ran a little longer than expected leaving a pretty tight window of daylight for after ceremony photos. It also freed up time for Jehda and Ken to enjoy part of the really fun cocktail hour with their guests.

The next two images are really two views of the exact same moment! Lauren and I seem to have each hit the shutter button of our cameras from slightly different perspectives at just the same very sweet second. The first is mine and the second Lauren’s.

The ceremony was held on the beach, such vibrant color!

I really never thought I would be mentioning snow in the context of wedding photography in Mexico, but thinking about Scott and Sara’s big day reminds me that weddings are a little like beautiful snowflakes in that no two are ever alike! (another similarity that occurs as I edit a mountain of images this week is that as beautiful as they both are, neither a pile of weddings or a pile of snow is very easy to dig your way out of!)

If I had to list one skill that is important in photography I would have to say the ability to be truly observant. That may seem obvious, but it can be so easy for us to get caught up in recreating a preconceived idea, following the latest trends, or worrying about the camera and lighting technology or a million other things and end up overlooking the moments that can tell the story.

Sara and Scott and their group traveled from Canada for an intimate destination wedding. The couple was very creative in making use of several different areas of the Grand Sirenis resort and the hotel’s architectural details and the natural beauty of the Mayan Riviera coastline combined to provide a striking context for the wedding  photographs. Thank you Scott and Sara!

Sara and Scott did not see each other before the ceremony, as they waited to enter I thought Scott had a lot of discipline not to turn around a take a peek at his bride!

The dance reception was held in a very breezy palapa right on the ocean, this is a really nice spot, very private and peaceful.

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photographer located in Yucatan, Mexico, photographing weddings in the Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Yucatan and throughout Mexico.

Dreams Tulum…what can I say, I have never really learned too much about Feng Sui but having visited Dreams Tulum several times now I am pretty sure that this place has a special energy….maybe floating over from the Mayan ruins down the beach in nearby Tulum. Each wedding I have photographed at Dreams Tulum has truly been a dream. Kimberly and Farid’s, where to start? Such a beautiful couple and so happy together. I love it when couples choose to see each other prior to the ceremony for a “first look”, I think that somehow it can actually be even more emotional to have that moment separate from the first ceremony moments, very intimate and special. I was so happy that Lindsey and I were able to document the first moments when Kimberly and Farid saw each other as bride and groom. Time must have stood still, because there are so many photographs. I think we could make a whole sideshow of our photographs of just that sequence alone! (And in case anyone is wondering, there were still tears left for the ceremony.)   :-)  Kimberly and Farid, thank you for allowing Lidnsey and I to photograph your destination wedding, it was unforgettable!

Elizabeth Medina wedding photojournalist, specializing in destination wedding photography in Mexico. Elizabeth Medina photographs weddings throughout Mexico for the world’s best couples.

With 2010 here for a while and it is great to be able to share one last 2009 wedding! Thank you, thank you Angela and Chris for your patience and total lack of bride (and groom) zillaness as I slowly but surely edited the many photos from your Dreams, Tulum wedding! I will stop the chatter now and let the photos of this bright and happy destination wedding at one of my very favorite locations do the talking. Congratulations, Angela and Chris, thank you so much for letting Lauren and I photograph your beautiful and very special destination wedding!

A few details: the colors of the flower’s in Angela’s bouquet really “popped” and had to love her choice of spunky purple shoes!

Getting ready and a photograph of the beautiful bride. I can’t mention enough how much I appreciate it when the bride is able to dedicate a window of time to bridal photos before the action begins.

Angela and Chris planned to meet for a “first look”, those moments are some of my favorites from the day.

Anglela and her girls pre-ceremony.

Dreams Tulum has such serene and beautiful ceremony site!

The happy groom awaiting the ceremony…

Group hug!

During the ceremony some clouds rolled in, just enough to bring a very brief shower and an amazing rainbow!

Bride and groom, sunset beach photographs, I don’t know how it could get much better.

Luego la fiesta…con muy buen ambiente!

Destination wedding photographer Tulum Mexico. Elizabeth Medina, wedding photography in the Mayan Riviera, Yucatan, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, San Miguel de Allende and throughout Mexico.

Unforgettable! Lauren and I had a wonderful time photographing Erica and Doug’s weekend at the beautiful Barcelo Mayan Palace in the Mayan Riviera. These two make an awesome couple and had a really fun group of family and friends make the trip to Mexico to celebrate their marriage.  Erica is a graphic designer (I have had quite a few graphic designers as brides and grooms and always expect that it will make for an eye catching event!) and had applied her artistic vision all through the wedding planning. It was fun to see all the details that she had prepared, here is a little peek a the many photographs from the welcome dinner white party that was held on the beach the night before the wedding and the wedding mass the next day at the Barcelo’s Catholic chapel. Thank you Erica and Doug, it was an amazing weekend! We loved spending it with all of you! Mucho amor para siempre!

The welcome dinner was held the evening prior to the wedding. We were able to do some more casual photos of the bride and groom before heading to the party on the beach.

All the guests dressed in white for this event, the photo below is of both immediate families together, its not every day a photo op like that comes along.

Jsut a few detsils from the beach party…

The wedding day… details from the getting ready portion of the day.

Erica looked awesome, we LOVED her dress especially because it was jsut perfect for her.

It was fun to see how happy Doug was on the wedding day!

A few ophotographs from the ceremony and some group portraits on the beach, it was another very hot day, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were such troopers!

The reception was held in a beautiful French restaurant at the Barcelo Maya Palace. It was perfect for Erica and Dougs elegant destination style. This crowd know how to party, they were dancing from the very start of the reception!

Elizabeth Medina, Mexico’s premier  wedding photgrapher. Elizabeth Medina photographs destination wedding photography throughout Mexico in locations including the Mayan Riviera, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Costa Careyes, Yucatan and San Miguel de Allende.