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!

Amazing, amazing, amazing… possibly the most overused adjective in the English language! One bad habit I would like to put behind me in the new year is the overuse of this superlative. Unfortunately I will have to start tomorrow because here is no way I can avoid saying AMAZING  just a few more times in describing Karah and John’s big day! Karah and John chose a destination wedding and  the Hacienda San Jose Cholul as the wedding venue. This location is truly special, it has a very intimate scale, authentic rustic charm, and of course the incomparable local Mayan culture. Located very near my home base of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, this colorful venue has hosted some of my favorite weddings to date. The Hacienda San Jose somehow seems to attract the most amazing (oops) people and Karah and John and their whole group certainly were just that.

Karah and John’s choice of colors really complemented the location and the team from Baku Events did an amazing outstanding job with the wedding set up.

After finishing up with photos Karah and John joined their guests at the cocktail hour held near the pool, I loved being able to capture the quiet moment when they walked down the path to meet their friends and family.

One thing I love about this hacienda is the way the spaces visually separate. The walk from the pool area to the garden area area where dinner and dancing took place had a very dramatic and beautiful ambiance.

Fotografia de boda, Hacienda San Jose, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

Ember and Jon Paul tied the knot in a gazebo ceremony at the Royal Resort near Playa del Carmen’s Quinta Avenida. It was a great day and Lindsey and I were delighted to be their wedding photographers! Destination weddings can be so much fun for everyone, especially in the case of a thoughtful (and really fun!) couple like Ember and Jon who seem to want nothing more than to make sure that their friends and family are well taken care of and having an amazing time. Congratulations to you both, we wish you all the best!

The beautiful bride, a few pre-ceremony getting ready photographs.

I love to find out that my current brides get inspiration from brides whose weddings I have already photographed! Yes, Britni if you are still reading this blog, that shout out would be for you! And in this case the inspiration is especially fantastic… Toms Shoes are super special because for each pair purchased a new pair is given to a child in need. Ember’s comfy but sparkly Toms seemed like the perfect wedding shoe for this fast moving and very energetic bride!

Bridal portraits, I love it when there is time for these!

Jon Paul and some pre-ceremony photos with his entourage….

Ember and John Paul discovered a wonderful young singer named Tiger Darrow and were able to bring her to Mexico to provide the music for their wedding… she did a fantastic job and her performance added a special dimension to the wedding… certainly an artist to watch!

Jon Paul at the altar as Ember makes her entrance on her father’s arm…

The ceremony was held at the Royal’s gazebo overlooking the ocean.

A photo of the whole group, then a few bride and groom photos on the Playa del Carmen beach.

Time to party… the cocktail hour and dinner reception were held in the Royal’s ballroom, it was a great party.

After the reception the bride and groom where serenaded by a mariachi band as they lead their guests to continue the party on the Quinta Avenida….

It was absolutely lovely. Carla and Angelo’s wedding took place at Dreams Riviera Cancun, super fantastic “second shooter” Lauren and I very much enjoyed spending time with this very kind couple and their Latin and Greek group. You know that when those two groups come together its going to be a great party!

Carla and Angelo exchanged handwritten notes before the ceremony and they were surprised to have chosen the EXACT SAME CARD for each other!

The “first look”….the next shot is Lauren’s…

The ceremony was held in the gazebo overlooking the ocean…it was so pretty and of course you know I do love yellow!

A few relaxed wedding party photos…

Then a very short bride and groom photo session on the beach before heading off the the cocktail hour. I always love it when timelines permit the bride and groom to experience at least part of the cocktail hour with their guests!

The next image is Lauren’s.

Yellow signature cocktails! Perfecto!

The first dance, father daughter dance and reception…

Photos from the trash the dress session the next morning…it was so peaceful to be have the beach all to ourselves.

Mexico’s premier destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, photographs weddings in the Mayan Riviera and other amazing wedding locations throughout Mexico.

Best friends. Sunny day in paradise. Perfection. Jannae and Ryan, thank you so much for letting us be part of your very unforgettable day.

Jannae and her flower girls before the ceremony…so much excitement and anticipation during this part of the day! The time always seems to fly by.

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The girls were not the only one with colorful footwear!

The bride looked amazing! I just love it when there is enough time for a few bridal portraits before the action begins.

Time to go! Jannae and Ryan were so excited to see each other before the ceremony!

After the big reveal we were able to do some photography on the grounds of the Riu Palace, it was a very warm and bright day and I really appreciated the bride and groom being such good sports.

The bright maraca wedding favors were custom painted in Puerto Vallarta by Mishka Designs. I dare any Mexico wedding guest to try not to have a good time with these!

Kind of like parades or fireworks destination weddings are spectator sports!

A few post ceremony beach photographs of the new husband and wife….

La fiesta started off with a mariachi band…

One of my very favorite wedding venues, a couple who could not have been more relaxed and happy, a fun, emotional group of family and friends…this wedding weekend seemed to flow. It was a real treat to get to know Amy and Matt. We started off with a very informal mini photo session before their rooftop welcome dinner at La Posadita restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. The next day the action took place at the amazing Hacienda Las Trancas. I have photographed some fantastic weddings over the past years at Las Trancas and have to say that it never gets old! Well actually the hacienda is already really, really old, but somehow I am always surprised to discover something new each and every time I visit.  I can’t say enough about this very special piece of Mexico and the hacienda’s staff of local people who care so personally for each of its guests.

Feliz aniversario Amy y Matt! We hope the photographs bring back lots of happy memories!

The next one is Lindsey’s, it is one of my favorites because it really seems to me to capture Matt and Amy together.

Amy seems to pretty much be laughing and smiling all the time, but I was happy to be able to capture more serious portraits as well.

A few photographs from the welcome dinner festivities…

The sunset was amazing.

The wedding day… at the one and only Hacienda las Trancas, Hidalgo, Mexico.

The following image is one of my favorite photographs ever.

The next two images from the first look are from my camera and Lindsey’s respectively. If you take a good look at the left side of the first image you will see that we also had some very discreet back up by both of the moms!

Amy presented each of the mothers with the flowers they would carry down the aisle prior to the beginning of the ceremony, thank goodness for waterproof mascara!

Mexico Hacienda Wedding, San Miguel de Allende wedding photography by Mexico’s premier wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

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!

This wedding had so many fun elements! What a joy it is to tell the story of a day like this! A traditional Mexican Catholic mass, a mariachi serenaded stroll down the streets of Playa del Carmen, a dinner dance reception in the garden of the Royal Resort (one of my favorite locations), a romantic bride and groom photo session on the beach and of course a bride and groom who were obviously crazy about each other and happy to be celebrating in Mexico with a close group of family and friends! ¡Fue un dia inolvidable! Thank you so much Rocio and Eliazar, I loved photographing your happiness and love on your wedding day in Playa del Carmen!

A getting ready shot…when I see the bridesmaids pitching in to get the bride ready I always remember the saying “it takes a village”.

Details….

Is this little guy cute or what?

The Catholic church in Playa del Carmen where the wedding ceremony was held.

I always have an eye out for both the “big picture” and the small elements that quietly illustrate the day’s story.

Los novios, joined by the lazo en the Mexican tradition.

Los mariachis started playing when the bride and groom made their exit from the the church.

Everyone walked from the church to the reception at the Royal, a beach front resort. I think that is so much fun!

Arriving at the Royal…

The mariachis must have been a bit tired after that walk…but they never missed a beat! I wish I could remember what song they were playing here…I think it may have been “Somos novios”

Bride and groom pictures…what a great couple!

I confess, as much as I LOVE wedding photojournalism I am very proud of my skills as a portrait artist, and envisioning and creating expressive images like the next one makes me very happy.

First dance in the garden area of the Royal Resort.

I don’t know if this groom toss looks like fun to me or jsut plain scary…but Eliazar actually seemed to be enjoying it!

Great way to end a reception on a hot, hot, hot day!

Elizabeth Medina is a wedding photojournalist located in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. She specializes in destination weddings and photographs weddings in the Riviera Maya, Cancun, Cozumel, Tulum, and Isla Mujeres, San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and throughout Mexico.