Adrienne and Evan were married at Milamores,  a secluded beach front property near Tulum, Mexico, which according to legend was originally built by famous drug king pin Pablo Escobar. Mil Amores is now living a whole new life as an “eco chic” boutique hotel and was a peaceful and private wedding location for Adrienne and Evan. Despite the weekend beginning with some weather “issues” due to pesky Hurricane Ida, the wedding day was unforgettable and the beach amazingly calm and beautiful for the oceanfront ceremony. Adrienne and Evan are a very loving couple and had planned so many thoughtful surprises for their guests it was really fun to see (and photograph!) each charming detail and how everyone had such a good time all through the evening’s celebration.

The bride and groom before the ceremony… muy guapos los dos!

Tulum’s wedding coordinator Gwen Grossett of Destination Weddings Tulum was on hand to make the wedding and reception all come together and run smoothly. Below, Adrienne walking through the jungle on the way to the ceremony.

The reception was moved indoors due to the uncertain weather, so while things may have been a little different than planned the ambiance was simply amazing.

Tulum wedding photography by Mexico destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina at Milamores, Tulum, Mexico.

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.

Monica and Francisco held their destination wedding at one of my very favorite locations. The Hacienda Temozon is a just a spectacular and unique wedding venue. Dating from 1655 this authentic Yucatecan hacienda is full of history and local flavor. For those not familiar with the area, Yucatan has its own cuisine and culture, the Mayan langueage is still spoken here and Yucatan is home to wonders like the pyramids of Chichen Itza….sorry for rambling, but I can’t help but be thankful to live in an area with so much spririt!

I also could not feel more honored or proud to be entrusted to photograph events such as Monica and Francisco’s Mexico wedding or happier to have had Lauren as my assistant photographer throughout the day. Monica y Francisco, les deseo todo lo mejor y espero verlos en Merida para festejar el aniversario!

Elizabeth Medina wedding photojouralism Yucatan Mexico. Elizabeth Medina specializes in destination wedding photography and photographs events in Yucatan, the Mayan Riviera and throughout Mexico.

Paul and Loly are a wonderful couple from California, it was a true honor to have them fly in from California for their anniversary photo session. What can I  say… each and every bride and groom I photograph is a rockstar and I am so blessed to be their photographer!    Loly and Paul, thank you so much for trusting me with such important photographs, it was a privilege.

After a bit of deliberation (Mexico´s states of Yucatán and Campeche are both studded with so many unique and amazing haciendas!)  Campeche´s  Hacienda Uayamón was chosen as the location for the photo session. I really can´t say enough good things about Hacienda Uayamón, it is a gem,  a fairy tale location run by the nicest people around. Absolutely nothing could be more satisfying than hearing people say that they have found and fallen in love with their Mexico wedding location through my photography and this year I look forward to returning to fantastic spots with couples who have found their locations right here on this blog. What could be better?

The next shot is Loly and Paul´s style…they really enjoy each other.

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photographer located in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico and photographing weddings in Yucatan, Campeche, Mayan Rivera, Cancun and throughout Mexico.

I hope no one minds if I take a few minutes break from shooting, editing and blogging up a storm to share a little studio project. This little book is volume one, (volume two will naturally feature Mexico’s fantastic beach wedding destinations) was done as a personal project to showcase some of our wedding photography  in Mexico’s incomparable haciendas and historic homes. I truly feel that there is nothing better than a destination wedding in Mexico and that Mexico’s haciendas are magical wedding destinations. Having photographed a good number of weddings at haciendas in Yucatan and throughout Mexico and just love for people to find out about the amazing locations for wedding photography in Mexico through my work!

Those that have been reading this blog for a while already know that I consider travel + leisure magazine as one of my photographic influences so I hoped this project would reflect a bit of that  T+L vibe. Being busy with work for my clients I turned to Karen Dahlquist for the design and layout of this book. That proved to be a great decision because it was way too hard for me to choose just a few images from each wedding/location! I would have given up had I not been able to send folders of images for Karen to wade through! Maybe because I was at all the weddings and have great memories of each one, but I just loved how it all came together. Not sure if amazon.com will be calling soon but I do hope it will give a bit of exposure to Mexico’s haciendas as wedding locations.

Here are a few glimpses at the book’s contents. This spread is dedicated to the Hacienda Xcanatun this is a wonderful wedding location. (Zach and Lolita I can’t wait!)

Another absolute favorite, Hacienda Las Trancas is located in Central Mexico and is a magical destination. I am looking forward to shooting Amy and Matt’s wedding next summer at this location!

The hacienda wedding photography volume includes several weddings from Yucatan’s magnificent group of haciendas operated by Starwood Resorts. This group of haciendas include amazing locations like Temozon, (So excited about upcoming 2009 weddings at that location), San Jose (love, love this one!), Santa Rosa, (very cool hacienda venue, I photographed the very first wedding at Santa Rosa!) and of course Hacienda Uyamon in Campeche, Mexico.

emedina_book_tsip

The Hacienda Chichen Itza, it has been several years since I photographed at this location but I would just love to photograph another wedding at the hacienda.

Well, enough of all that… but please stop back soon for Alex and Drew’s wedding at the Royal in Playa del Carmen, to be followed by Katherine and Jim and Kelly and Michael both at the Azul Sesatori! I can’t wait to post each of these colorful one of a kind weddings to the blog, to be followed by Benny and Sandra’s Maya Rivera wedding and finally Jessica and Scott’s incredible San Miguel de Allende wedding.

Mexico wedding photography by Elizabeth Medina, a wedding photographer based in Yucatan, Mexico and available for photographic coverage throughout Mexico and internationally.

Paraiso de la Bonita is a very charming boutique hotel near Puerto Morelos in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. It is a favorite travel destination for Crystal and Kevin and of course absolutely perfect for this fantastic couple’s destination wedding. I loved the colors and the resort’s unique vibe, which seemed to be Mexican with a kind of chic twist. Gracias Crystal and Kevin for sharing your day!  Muchas felicidades!

I really love to look for little details that communicate a sense of the feeling of a place.

The first look….so glad Kevin and Crystal planned this and a pre wedding photo session, it really made the day go smoothly.

The ceremony site at the beach of the Paraiso de la Bonita, very secluded and beautiful.

The beautiful guest below is one of the few peopel I have ever seen take more photographs than I do! I am sure she got some great shots thoughout the day!

A few reception details…