I have never been one to put much faith in first impressions, but I guess I may rethink that after this wedding. As I walked into the salon Brigette flew out of the chair to hug the stylist who had just finished her hair. My first impression was, “this bride moves really fast!” Totally true all day! I especially enjoyed photographing Corey and Brigette’s wedding because they were such fun people be around and it was such a high energy, joyous occasion.

Corey and Brigette were able to use different areas of the Cancun JW Marriott for their destination wedding, the ocean-front gazebo for the pre-ceremony Ketubah signing, the wedding ceremony was held on the beach just a few feet from the incredible Cancun water, the cocktail hour in an area overlooking the ocean and the reception itself was a really fun poolside party. Amazing! Thank you Brigette and Corey for choosing me to photograph such an unforgettable day!

Could they be any cuter? I thought the shoes and the sand pails full of petals were perfect!

That turquoise blue Cancun water made a stunning backdrop for the chuppah decorated with white roses.

The reception…

The father daughter dance.

Cancun destination wedding photography by Mexico wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina at the JW Marriott Resort and Spa.

One thing I hear over and over at the weddings I photograph in Mexico is that rain on the wedding day is “buena suerte”, but of course no one wishes for that lucky wedding day rain! Cari and Nick had planned to meet me on the morning of the wedding to do a bit of more casual portrait photography and everything went as planned, but the minute I started photographing it began to rain and we had to run for cover! Fortunately the rain stopped, and not only did the sun came out but the day could not have been more perfect for the wedding! Mucha suerte! I really appreciated Cari and Nick’s decision to do the photographs of the to of them as a couple pre-ceremony, although bright sun was a bit of a challenge it worked out great because they were able to completely go with the flow of the party after the ceremony and not leave their guests at all. The Moon Palace was a great setting for this gazebo wedding which was simply beautiful and full of happiness.

In the morning…this was taken on the restaurant balcony where we took cover from the rain much to the enjoyment of the women at the next table!

Fortunately in a few minutes we were able to head for the beach.

Getting ready…

Bride and groom before the ceremony, the “first look”.

Nick waiting in the gazebo…

Cari and her father arrived in a horse drawn carriage, it was really a spectacular entrance.

The ceremony was held in Moon Palace Tucanes wedding gazebo.

The reception site overlooked the ocean.

The first dance.

Some of my favorite images were from the father daughter dance.

The toasts were so funny, I was laughing too!

Moon Palace destination wedding photography, Cancun Mexico, by Elizabeth Medina, wedding photojournalist.

Amy and Brian were great to photograph because together with a great group of family and close friends they enjoyed every minute of their wedding celebration. They were married in a very special beach wedding ceremony at the El Dorado Royale in the beautiful Riviera Maya. Amy warned me that the wedding would be an emotional one, and there were quite a few happy tears! Although the resort is fairly large, their ceremony site overlooking the ocean was very private, peaceful and natural. The reception afterwards took place in a poolside palapa and was a lot of fun! Gracias Amy and Brian for including us in your wedding celebration, best wishes to both of you for a long and happy marriage! Felicidades!

A few portraits of the bride and groom from before the rehearsal dinner, this was the night before the wedding at the El Dorado Royale.

Amy’s mom helping with the veil…Amy got ready on the Casitas side of the resort which I loved because of its casual feel.

Amy and Brian did not want to see each other prior to the ceremony, but we were able to do some bridal photography with Amy, I loved being able to create these images.

The ceremony was held at the very edge of the El Dorado Royale, the view of the Maya Rivera coast was breath taking.

Brian and his guys waiting…

For Amy and her dad…

A few photographs from the beach ceremony.

The sand ceremony, so pretty with black and white sand…

I thought this shot of the whole bridal party on the beach was a lot of fun, I had never seen black bridesmaid’s dresses before and thought that they looked great with the colorful flowers.

Amy’s flowers were very bright and tropical.

Amy and Brian made a great entrance into the reception, they were ready to PARTY!

Yummy colors…

The maracas on the tables were a huge hit with the guests.

Amy’s dad gave a funny speech…

Amy and Brian, the first dance.

Mexico photographer Elizabeth Medina, wedding photography at the El Dorado Royale, Maya Rivera, Mexico. Elizabeth Medina specializes in wedding photojournalism throughout Mexico.

What a wonderful day! Because of scheduling conflicts Evonne and Forrest were unable to fit in a trash the dress session that had been contemplated for the morning after the Thanksgiving day (US Thanksgiving day that is) wedding. Instead, I arrived early in Playacar the day of the wedding in time for a photo session with just the bride and groom at noon. Looking over the images I am astounded by how many special images came from that session, held at a time of day notorious as bad for photography!…Forrest and Evonne make such a spectacular looking couple and interact in a beautiful way, and while they were initially a little unsure about what to do in front of the camera they loosened up very quickly! They also turned out to be really good at the kissing pictures, actually I think they may have even forgot about the camera completely for a while!

The resort is gorgeous and the weather was a photographer’s dream. I thought the ceremony was absolutely lovely, and I appreciated very much being able to talk to the officiant prior to the ceremony. He was very open to finding out what I thought would be the best positioning for himself relative to the bride and groom, that can make such a difference, in this case the camera (and the congregation!) could see Evonne and Forrest’s faces and expressions throughout the ceremony which makes the ceremony especially meaningful for the congregation. The icing on the cake was that after the family photo session and in the last minutes of daylight Forrest and Evonne decided to go for it and do a spontaneous mini trash the dress session before the reception! Of course Evonne had it all under control and walked into the reception an hour later looking fabulous in a second beautiful gown!

Gracias Evonne and Forrest, it was such a joy to met you both.

The groom….

I usually never see this sight because I don’t usually shoot in the sun at midday…which just goes to show sometimes its good to break the rules!

This image really makes me smile, it is just the kind of relaxed, beautiful moment that I hope to capture.

Forrest and Evonne each had a longtime friend to stand up with them. I thought it would be fun to photograph the bridal party in the “palatial” lobby of the Rui Palace Rivera Maya Resort.

Final prep…

The Riu Palcace gazebo ceremony…

After “the kiss” Forrest and Evonne jumped the broom, this was the first time one of my weddings had included this African American wedding tradition that marks the bride and groom starting their life together as man and wife.

Los mariachis….

The unexpected trash the dress session! How many couples go for a swim between the ceremony and reception?

The dinner was held in a private room, which had been decorated beautifully. Evonne used shells, candles and framed pictures of her and Forrest together as a couple to decorate the tables. My assistant and I felt so honored to see that she had even included our place cards and favors with personal notes to each of us.

OK, I won’t go into it all, I will just say that Evonne’s siblings had some VERY FUNNY surprises to welcome Forrest into their Asian family, I don’t think wedding photojournalists are supposed to laugh as they photograph, but I seriously could not help it!

Rui Palace Playacar, Mexico photography by Elizabeth Medina, Mexico destination wedding photojournalist.

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 visiting some photographers blogs lately, and realizing that I am doing this all wrong! It seems like the idea is to talk about how amazing my new images are, but if you have been reading my blog you will know that that I have been way too busy going on and on about how wonderful the couples are that I photograph and about the incredible weddings that I am so privileged to document, oops! This entry is no different, but I really can’t help it. Marlena and Tom were so great to work with and Cabo was simply breathtaking.

When I spoke with Marlena on the phone several months ago she described her impression of my photographic style better than I have ever been able to. I really wish I had written that down! I could tell that she had put quite a bit of thought into her photography and it was so fun to spend time with her and her very kind and patient groom Tom before the ceremony creating photographs of the two of them around the grounds of the spectacular Esperanza resort. And of course what can I say about Cabo! I loved photographing there and want to return as soon as possible. It was all just perfectly gorgeous.

The welcome dinner was held at the Marquis de Cabo, overlooking the ocean, wow! We had time for a few photographs before the guests arrived.

The beautiful future bride…

Los novios…

The party set up harmonized perfectly with the setting.

The salsa band was excellent!

Preparations for the big day at Esperanza.

This one is from my assistant’s camera…I loved it!

A few images captured during the ceremony.

Wedding photography by WPJA member Elizabeth Medina in los Cabos, Mexico. Marquis de Cabo and Esperanza resort wedding photography.