Matt and Monica’s was held in one of my favorite ceremony locations, the Sky Deck at the Azul Sensatori Resort in Puerto Morelos. Having heard a bit about the wedding plans from Matt I really couldn’t wait to see what the day would bring. Matt and Monica put a great deal of hard work into really personalizing the wedding, so much so that I am giving in to the temptation to divide the photographs from this amazing destination wedding into two blog posts since want to share so many of the creative details that I just can’t seem to make it fit!

Just a few details from the getting ready portion of the day. After beginning the day with the Ketubah signing in a short white sundress, Monica was married in the full length gown that she had designed and hand sewn which converted to a perfect dancing dress for the reception! (yes, you heard correctly, the very talented Monica actually designed and sewed her fabulous convertible wedding gown). Words don’t do justice to Monica’s artistry or attention to detail… The wedding had a peacock theme, which showed up throughout the day and in the custom guest signing print from Bee and Leaf.

Matt and the guys before the ceremony…

Monica with her girls…

The Jewish ceremony was held on the Azul Sensatori sky deck, I think this lovely space has a very special energy and fortunately Matt and Monica’s wedding was held a wonderful sunny day. I loved how the wedding creatively incorporated both Mexican and Jewish details and so much bright color not to mention love and emotion!

Bride and groom walked around each other in the Jewish tradition.

Matt and Monica are  married, Mazel Tov!

Coming soon… La fiesta!

I am pretty sure I have mentioned here on the blog (possibly more than a few times!) how happy it makes me to hear couples say that they found their Mexico wedding venue through this blog. Makes me smile because I know for a fact that there can be no better place to be married than Mexico! One thing I don’t think I have ever talked about though is how cool it is to know that so many couples of the future check the blog for wedding inspiration!  (I am not a big one for the self promotion hype thing but I hope you will bear with me just this once as I say that it blows my mind to know the number of visits that this little wedding photography blog receives on any given day!)  Showing up at a wedding and hearing from the bride that she has been inspired by one of my past bride’s photographs almost makes me envision a world where my past and present brides would get together over coffee to flip through wedding albums, I guess I just wish such amazing people could all know each other! Fortunately for us, some of our past wedding photos actually helped Tiffany discover us (along with her “inspiration wedding”) when a relative sent her the sideshow another of our beautiful brides from the same northern state (Puerto Vallarta Kate, that would be you!)

Fast forward to almost two years later, Lauren and I were delighted to travel to Cabo to photograph Tiffany and Scott’s lovely wedding. This very special destination wedding was coordinated by the delightful Leslie Bost and Adriana Dupinet, principal wedding planners of One Happenings in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The ceremony was held at Sunset da Mona Lisa and reception at Casa Dorada…. I know I am posting way too many images for one blog post but I can’t help but guess that this beautiful wedding may also prove inspirational!

Tiffany and Scott, we loved the time we spent with you and your group, thank you all for making us feel right at home!  How about starting with a little deserted beach trash the dress magic…. All photographs Lauren and Elizabeth Medina.

The wedding day…

Peter and Francesca were married on the beach at the Hotel Esencia, a very lovely villa style boutique hotel in the Mayan Riviera. The wedding day was one of the very windiest days I can remember experiencing with the exception of actual hurricanes, just crazy windy, but it did not seem to slow anyone down a bit! One of the best things that I have noticed about destination weddings is that the cool people are the ones who are sure to attend. This crowd absolutely proved that theory true, it was a great party!

Esencias’s wedding coordinator Damarys Diaz was joined by Mayan Riviera wedding planner Yazmin de la Mora in making this beautiful day a reality. A few photos of the beautiful beach wedding details.

The cocktail hour, and dinner reception were held poolside overlooking the ocean.

Elizabeth Medina Photography specializes in destination wedding photojournalism, photographing weddings in the Mayan Riviera, Cancun, Yucatan, Costa Careyes, San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Valarta and throughout Mexico.

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!

In the months leading up to the wedding I got to know the groom, JP, pretty well, we chatted several times on the phone as the plans for the wedding at one of my very favorite venues, the JW Marriot Cancun came together. Up until a few days prior to the wedding I had not really had any contact with Carolina. I assumed that JP was doing most of the wedding legwork, and that Carolina was either too busy with work to do much wedding planning or maybe she just wasn’t that in to the photography aspect. As one who often needs to do a fair bit of delegating on a daily basis this hypothesis seemed logical, but actually it could not have been more wrong! Carolina turned out to be a star wedding planner and all about doing whatever it takes for great photos, it was a lot of fun to see how the details came together and photograph in some off the path locations that she had scouted. Lauren and I were very happy to get to know Carolina and JP and their group and are very excited about the photos both of the event at the JW Marriott as well as the TTD session at Secrets Maroma beach.

The ceremony was held at the gazebo, it was a little windy that day, but so pretty!

The reception decor and some of the action,the wedding guests had front row seats to a spectacular view of Cancun’s tuquoise water.

Just a few images from the TTD session, this session was done at Secrets Maroma Beach, what a gorgeous resort!

So beautiful! Miko and Kenji were married in a very intimate and spiritual ceremony at the Hacienda Uayamón in Campeche, Mexico. Uayamón is truly one of the Yucatan Peninsula´s gems and I could not feel more happy that so many people have become familiar with this magical hacienda through my work. I tend to get multiple emails every week asking about this location which tells me one thing… that many of my blog ¨readers¨ actually skip my ramblings and just look at the pictures. Which is something that I endorse wholeheartedly! This hacienda is far off the beaten path in the state of Campeche and Kenji and Miko experienced some interesting adventures along the way that I am sure will make fun stories someday. Their spiritual wedding ceremony was truly moving and I felt honored to be present, the atmosphere was simply magnificent and not something I can easily describe in words. Rather than trying I will let the images speak. Congratulations Miko and Kenji, and thank you.

Kenji and Miko symbolically joined two candles to light one single flame, but their individual flames continued to burn next to each other throughout the ceremony.

Wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalism in Yucatan, Campeche, Riviera Maya, Cancun and throughout Mexico.

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…

What a joyful day! I actually tried my best not to photograph this wedding! Believing I could not guarantee to be back from Kate and Bill’s Puerto Vallarta wedding in time I told Robin I was unavailable and recommended a couple of very talented fellow photographers. Fortunately for me Robin was firm in her decision and not a person who lets logistics stand in the way. When she did some legwork and started finding ways to make it possible I turned out to be putty in her hands! I was almost afraid to see what she could convince me to do on the day of the wedding! Of course she and Heath are as nice a couple as I could ever imagine working with and the wedding was both a warm and happy tradition filled celebration and a feast for the eye. Thank you Robin and Heath for not taking no for an answer! I loved photographing the wedding!

Girls and guys before the wedding…

Robin and Heath chose to do a “first look” before the ceremony.

The ceremony site was just beautiful and meaningful as well.

I loved this one!

Lauren captured the next image, nice!

Robin

Destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalism in the Riviera Maya. www.elizabethmedina.com

If the Mexico destination weddings and couples I photograph were not so amazing and the energy of the wedding day so addictive, my dream would be to photograph for magazines like T+L (Travel and Leisure) or Conde Nast Traveller. Long before I started photographing weddings I would look at the images in those magazines and analyze how they were made. So when I get to photograph weddings that have that kind of cool travel vibe I could not be happier. Shaelyn and Tony were married at a private hacienda very close to Merida, Yucatan. This hacienda is quite unique in that it has kind of a funky, bohemian style and a lot of personality. The whole group seemed very relaxed and ready to enjoy the Yucatecan flavor of the wedding. All in all…a fun way to kick off 2009. Gracias, Shaelyn y Tony!

Hmm…a birdcage veil and a birdcage…couldn’t resist this one.

The ceremony was held on the front lawn, Lauren captured this photograph from the roof of the hacienda.

When in Yucatan you can’t miss trying panuchos, especially from fresh handmade tortillas.

Placecards!

When the bride and groom kissed they were surrounded for an instant by a sudden flash of fireflies! How cool is that!

The little dolls were made by a friend…so cute I had to borrow them for a photograph of the wedding rings.

The reception was held by the pool.

In appreciation for the wonderful couples who we were privileged to photograph this year we put together this little 2008 in review slide show to share with our friends new and old. Hope you check it out! Best wishes to all for a beautifully creative 2009! Blog entries coming soon for two more lovely 2008 weddings; Jalé and Ken’s December wedding at Le Reve and Nicole and Alfredo’s wedding at the Royal in Playa del Carmen.

Click Here for the 2008 In Review Slideshow

Here we go, as promised I will be updating this blog often over the next weeks, so please be sure to scroll down so you don’t miss any amazing weddings! Rachel and Aaron’s destination wedding in Cancun…what can I say? This was a beautiful couple in every way, such a pleasure to photograph together as they experienced their day. The ceremony was held on the beach of the brand new Excellence Playa Mujeres, which is outside Cancun. It was a very emotional (somehow Rachel seemed to manage to laugh and cry at the same time!) and very joyous ceremony. Basically it was a perfect day and a real treat for the photographers.

The bride and groom had a fantastic suite with a private deck terrace overlooking the ocean, it was a wonderful spot to meet before the ceremony.

Recognize these two? We met when I photographed their Cancun wedding in late August. It was great to hang out with them again at this wedding…hopefully next time they come to Mexico it will be to Merida! Although I will have to make Reggie promise to stop stealing my thunder with his fast photo delivery.

Rachel entered the ceremony on both parent’s arms.

I loved this photograph of Aaron waiting at the “altar”.

Yes, I have said it before and I will say it again, destination weddings are the BEST! What a blessing to be able to tell the story of such a happy day!

Wedding photography in Cancun, Mexico byt destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

What a beautiful day! It was so enjoyable to photograph this adorable (I don’t use that word very often…but they really are an adorable couple!) having such a splendid time with the very diverse group of family and friends that had traveled so far to be part of the day. A much as I enjoyed capturing and putting together the collection of images to tell the story of the day I am also really looking forward to designing the wedding album, it is so wonderful to compile the images of such an important event into a tangible piece of family history.

Darlene and Manoj’ wedding was the third I have photographed at the JW Marriott and I have to say it has become one of my favorite wedding locations. There are several different spaces that can be used throughout the hotel grounds, including the gazebo which is authorized to hold a Catholic mass, so each event seems to be different. The coordinator, Francisco Roman, seems to do such a nice job of keeping everything flowing. I think the gazebo with its ocean view is really special…and of course that amazing turquoise Cancun water, WOW!

The only thing that was a little sad for me is knowing that this was the final wedding that my photographer friend Grace Kim from Seattle accompanied me to as a “second shooter”, I loved having her help and knew I would really miss her when I looked over at one point and saw her carrying, in additional to her own gear almost all of mine! Grace is not a very large person so it just looked like a mountain of equipment walking along! I guess I had been so intent on the photographs I was taking that I just left everything behind! Thank you so much Grace it was amazing to have you here! I hope some day for the chance to repay the favor!

I thought the bridesmaid’s dresses were really special, it turned out that a very talented bride’s maid had actually made them herself!

Darelene’s mother placed the finishing touches on the veil.

I think this “grab” shot looks almost posed, I think that they were all standing in a strip of shade about 6 inches wide waiting for the ceremony to begin.

A few images from the Catholic ceremony in the gazebo.

The ring bearer was very serious and did an excellent job.

Grace caught this great moment right after the kiss.

This one is for Darlene…

After the ceremony we were able to do some photography on the beach.

The reception was set up poolside right in front of the ocean, this is just a little detail from the table decoration.

Darlene “escaped” from the reception for a couple of pictures.

The toasts had everyone laughing and crying and then laughing again!

Father daughter dance.

Ok…this crowd know how to dance!

Wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina photographs destination weddings in Cancun, the Riviera Maya and throughout Mexico.