I hope I am not overloading my blog with images, it is so hard to edit all the photographs from a full day’s wedding coverage into a reasonable number! Sara and Neil were married a the Shangri La Caribe in Playa del Carmen, I felt very honored to have been chosen to document the wedding, especially when I saw the care that Sara had put into choosing each and every detail. The Shangri La Caribe had been on my short list of venues where I would like to photograph and it did not disappoint, I really enjoyed the vibe there…relaxed but beautiful. Sara and Neil, thank you for letting me be a part of your day, and congratulations to you both.

I have to mention the flowers…the color was incredible, absolutely perfect for the theme of the wedding.

Getting into a wedding dress can be a little tricky!

Sara dn her girls looking gorgeous.

I love the little bungalows on the beach at the Shangri La Caribe, this one had a little spot that was perfect for the “novios”.

Sara and Neil had a few moments alone before the ceremony.

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A few moments from the the beach wedding ceremony.

Drinks by the pool, so tropical…

It rained for just a few minutes and when it stopped the sky and ocean were amazing.

A few photographs from the reception.

Wedding photojournalism by Mexico wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina at Playa del Carmen, Mexico in the Maya Riviera.

One of the first things that impressed me about this wedding was the distance that so many of the guests had travelled to attend…most of the guests flew in from the other side of the world to share in Chris and Nichole’s day. The beach front ceremony went off perfectly and Nichole and Chris were wonderful sports about being photographed all over the grounds of the Dreams Tulum resort, despite the very warm weather. Thank you both for letting me share your day with you! Here are just a few of the images from that amazing day…

The ceremony on the beach…

Tulum has so much scenic beauty and the beach right next to the ceremony site was an incredible location for a post ceremony photo session with this wonderful couple, I thought it looked like a desert island from a movie! And Nichole…wow!

Like most of the couples I photograph, Nichole and Chris started off a tiny bit camera shy and then really relaxed during the photo session (I think I wore them down, they were so patient!) and the result is many special photos of the two of them together.

Maya Riviera wedding photography by international destination wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

Russell and Brit were a fabulous couple to work with…I could tell Russ was a sweetheart when I saw the note he had left for Brit before the wedding made out of bracelets and necklaces! Brit was very beautiful and sweet and I could tell immediately that they are crazy about each other! It was so much fun to catch the spontaneous, joyous moments between the two of them. What more could a wedding photographer hope for? Muchas felicidades Brit and Russell!

It looked like rain right up until the time of the ceremony, so the ceremony was held in an alternate location, fortunatley the weather cleared up and we were able to photograph outdoors afterwards.

Brit wore a mermaid style dress, the train bustled in the coolest way!

The reception location was one of the loveliest I have seen, the palapa was very open and had a breathtaking view of the ocean. The sky cleared completely to reveal an amazing full moon.

Playa del Carmen wedding photography by international wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina.

During the planning stages for her marriage to Mark at the Excellence Resort Denise’s emails never failed to brighten my day, they were always cheerful and full of funny little comments. It was great to meet Mark and see that he had such a similar sense of humor and fun, they are a great couple to spend time with! Unfortunately, about an hour before the ceremony the weather took a turn for the worse and the beach ceremony that had been planned all along was not possible, it was pouring rain! Everyone took it in stride and fortunately the weather improved just in time for our planned day after or “trash the dress” session the next morning. Denise was my first “two dress” bride, I loved that! I think both dresses probably got wet…one in the rain on the wedding day and one when Mark threw her in the water. Thank you for everything Denise and Mark!

The day after session..

I lvoed this wall, the black an white photographs there are spectacular with all that texture.

I thought this image was so peaceful…

Denise and Mark wanted some photographs in the spot where the ceremony was originally planned.

Finally it was time to throw the bride in the water!

Having written back adn forth with Gladys for a few months before the wedding I knew a little about her, for example that she was in a visual, creative, profession, and that she was hoping for colorful, artistic photographs of the wedding she was planning in Playa del Carmen. It was great fun seeing how she put her creativity to use in planning a very special wedding to be enjoyed with the guests that had traveled to Playa del Carmen. ¡Muchas felicidades a una pareja lindísima!

A few pre ceremony getting ready shots…

Gladys and Carlton decided to see each other before the ceremony which allowed me to photograph these very special moments when they met.

I thought the groomsmen looked like something out of a movie as they walked up.

The ring bearer was a little shy, but his colors weren’t!

I loved the bridesmaid’s colors!

A moment during the ocean front ceremony at the Royal Porto Real Resort’s gazebo.

One of my favorite parts of the event was when the wedding party walked down Playa del Carmen’s 5th Avenue (la Quinta), while being serenaded by a trio. I later found out that Carlton used to play football and Gladys runs marathons..they seemed to move very quickly, but of course I was running backwards and photographing with two cameras most of the time!

The reception was as the Yaxche restaurant. Yaxche is very cool because the open air banquet area it looks just like a Mayan ruin. I loved it that Gladys used one of my photographs from Guatemala for her save the date and place cards.

It’s hard to know what to say about this wedding…other than the fact that it could not have been more beautiful and that there could not be a nicer and happier couple than Mallory and Matt, It was inspirational to be around them, and their joy and that of their families and friends was contagious. It was hard to stop smiling! Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph the wedding!

The festivities included a welcome dinner the night before the wedding, I was happy to be able to get some casual photographs of Mallory and Matt on the grounds of the El Dorado Royale.

Mallory before the ceremony.

The ceremony was held in the chapel, which was perfect for the size of the congregation.

After the ceremony a golf cart took us to a beautiful natural area to do some photography of the bride and groom.

In the months leading up to Jackie and Don’s Cozumel wedding I got to know Jackie quite well through her emails and I could tell that she and Don would be having a fun, informal beach wedding, surrounded by a large group of family and friends. They decided to see each other before the ceremony which was great, I was able to photograph the emotional moments when they first saw each other, and we were able to do the photographs around the grounds of the Meliá without Jackie and Don missing out on any of the reception.
Jackie and Don, thank you for making us feel so welcome and congratulations to the both of you!

This bridal photograph was taken on a balcony outside of the room where Jackie and her girls got ready…I love how all the bright yellow (which you may have guessed is one of my favorite colors) bounced of the walls and gave such a warm glow to the image.

Anyone who has been to the Yucatan Penninsula knows that hammocks are everywhere! This is one of my favorite hammock shots so far!

A few moments during the ceremony.

Mariachis of course!

I love how the sun sets over the water in in Cozumel.

The reception was held just a few steps from the site of the ceremony, it started indoors and ended with dancing on the beach.

Cozumel wedding photography by Mexico wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina, Meliá Resort, Cozumel, Mexico.

I was really excited when Jen contacted me about photographing their wedding, since it would be my first wedding in Puerto Vallarta. Finally April 20 rolled around, and I was even more thrilled, Puerto Vallarta is amazing, Playa Fiesta is a very high spirited venue devoted exclusively to destination weddings and Mike and Jen are as beautiful, and laid back a couple as a photographer could hope for. Here are just a few images from the day….

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To see a mini slideshow freom this colorful Vallarta wedding, click here.
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Jen on her balcony at Playa Fiesta, since the resort is built into the hillside the views are spectacular…and Jen is looking pretty spectacular too!

I just loved this photograph of Jen and her mom before the ceremony.

The wedding was held on a sun deck overlooking the ocean.

The ceremony was very moving and over very quickly, I was so happy to be able to be able to captue the panoramic view as well as the close ups.

Each guest had a set of maracas to celebrate the marriage. ¡qué buena idea!

Jen and Mike after the wedding ceremony.

Jen and her girls…

La cerveza…

Playa Fiesta is so pretty at night, the dance floor is actually a bridge.

Yes, there was a burro at the reception! I have photographed a lot of weddings in Mexico, but that was a first for me.

Puerto Vallarta wedding photography at the Playa Fiesta Resort, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, all photographs by Mexico wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina.

Kristi and Mark were married last Saturday in a lovely gazebo at the Royal Porto Real resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It is very hard to edit down so many photographs to share just a few on the blog, I hope these few will give an idea of the beautiful details and atmosphere Kristi planned for her guests as well as how relaxed and fun the day was for everyone. Another great part of the day was working for the first time with videographer Paul Shrank of Playa Weddings, his videos are the best! Mark and Kristi, lots more photographs of all the fun are coming next week, thank you for the honor of photographing your destination wedding!

Kristi and Mark right after Kristi entered the wedding gazebo.

A few moments during the ceremony.

The sand ceremony, so perfect in this setting.

I love the bridesmaids’ expressions in the this photograph.

Photos on the beach after the ceremony, Kristi never stopped smiling!

The reception was right on the beach, I think these were my favorite centerpieces ever!

A few photographs of the bride and groom at sunset.

The evening lights at the Royal Porto Real, what a setting for a party.

Kristi and Mark during their first dance.

Mexico wedding photojournalism by Mexico wedding photojournalist Elizabeth Medina. Royal Porto Real wedding photography, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

I have been fortunate that so many of my clients are very hip creative professionals…as an architect and graphic designer both Mónica and Einar certainly fall in that category and it was wonderful to have been able to get to know them in the months before the wedding. Mexico has so many great haciendas, I was glad to hear that they chose to celebrate the reception at the Hacienda San Ignacio Tisip, I epecially enjoy wedding photography in such a beautiful, intimate setting. The wedding was great fun to photograph and although I don’t want to give anything away we have big plans for a VERY hip and creative post-honeymoon photo shoot and to design a very original album, so there is still more photography to look forward to! Here is a glimpse of just a few of the images from their wedding at the hacienda San Ignacio Tisip, outside of Mérida, Yucatán, México.

The flowers were amazing.

Bride and groom, pre-ceremony.

The moon over the palm trees…

First dance….

The two little dancers were just adorable, they would watch the ¨novios¨and imitate all their dance moves.

Hacienda wedding photography by Mexico photographer Elizabeth Medina. Fotografia de boda por Elizabeth Medina, Yucatan, Mexico.

Ever since I met Susana I know it would be a joy to photograph her wedding, first because she is a close friend of one of my favorite past couples, second because she told be right away that the photographs were very important to her, and third because she and Felipe wanted to be photographed at the beach, something that is not extremely common here in on the Gulf side of the Yucatan penninsula. This is a little look at just a few of Susana’s and Felipe’s photographs.

Desde que conoocí a Susana supe que sería un placer fotografiar su boda, primero porque es muy buena amiga de una de mis parejas favoritas, segundo porque me dijó enseguida que las fotografías eran muy importantes para ella, y tercero porque ella y Felipe pidieron hacer fotografía en la playa, algo que no es muy común en está parte de la peninsuala de Yucatán. Estos son unas cuantas fotografías captadas el día de la boda de Susana y Felipe. ¡Muchas felicidades a los dos!

For those not familiar with Mexican custom, it is very traditional to have two weddings, a civil ceremony and a religious wedding. The two can be performed on the same day, or as was the case with Gabi and Mauricio couples often have two complete wedding celebrations. I was disappointed to not be available to photograph Gabi and Mauricio’s religious wedding, but so happy that I was able to photograph the lovely civil wedding. Thank you Gabi and Mauricio, I wish you all the best!

Aquí en Mexico es muy común celebrar las bodas des veces, con una ceremonia civil y una ceremonia religiosa. Se pueden hacer el mismo día, o como en el caso de la boda de Gabi y Maurico se puede convertir en dos ocasiones especiales. Estuve triste de no estar disponible para la fecha de la boda religiosa de Gabi y Maurico, pero muy contenta de poder fotografiar tan hermosa boda civil. Muchas gracias Gabi y Maurico, ¡Les deseo todo lo mejor!

I think that after being a wedding photojournalist or a family portrait artist my idea of a dream job would be as a travel photographer for a magazine. I try to communicate with images the feeling and mood of the place. Rather than just showing what the scene looks like I would like to encourage the viewer to feel something that makes him or her want to be there. I always enjoy doing photography for the beautiful boutique hotel, Hotel Villa Mérida, and even though this was a commercial photo shoot rather than a wedding I thought it would be fun to share a few images from the Volla Merida photo session on my blog.