Sonja and Dave were married at Le Reve in Playa del Carmen, Lauren and I loved photographing these two, not only do they have amazing energy and planned a beautiful wedding with an elegant but rustic feel (insert big shout out to le Reve wedding planners Arlenis and Mariana and their team, as well as the fantastic Planner 1), they also proved themselves to be up for anything, and definitely not the kind to let a little rain get in the way of having a great time! Between the wedding day and trash the dress session I know this is a very long post but I can’t help wanting to share! Getting ready, Sonja’s mom seeing her daughter as a bride…

Such lovely flowers…very much in sync with the wedding’s organic chic theme.

Bride and her girls before the ceremony…

Just as bride was set to enter the ceremony the rain rolled in! Everyone ran for cover and fortunately it passed and the show could go on!

Reception decor, so relaxed and beautiful.

As the guests were seated for dinner I noticed that the bride and groom were not to be found… going out for a few photographs of the exterior I found them in  this beautiful spot just  having a moment together while waiting to be announced and join their guests.

I will have to say my expectations of Sonja and Dave actually showing up for the planned trash the dress session were a little low… not only was it very early the morning after the wedding… it was actually RAINING! Fortunately they were up for it and I loved the images we captured both between and during the rain showers!

One final blog post for Alexis and Alain’s wedding, of course you know I could not resist sharing photographs from the hacienda trash the dress session! Lindsey and I great time wandering around Yucatan with Alexis and Alain! I know that from the time I first met Alexis months before the wedding she had a vision of a hacienda TTD session, it was such a pleasure to be able to see the result come to life so many months later. Alexis and Alain, congratulations and we hope to see you in back Merida in the future!

All photographs (c)2011 Lindsey and Elizabeth Medina.

While the decision to travel so far for a wedding celebration might be a big one the weddings themselves are so special and enjoyable I would be willing to bet that everyone who is fortunate enough to travel to Mexico to attend a destination wedding is glad they made the trip! Jenn and Scott’s group of family and friends traveled all the way from Canada for this February wedding in the Mayan Riviera a the Gran Palladium White Sands Resort. It seemed to be such a sunny group, not only totally happy and excited for the couple but content to kick back and enjoy. Lindsey and I could not help but have a wonderful time capturing a bit of the magic not only  the wedding day with it s smiles and tears but also early the next morning when we joined Jenn and Scott for a sunrise trash the dress session.

A couple of bridal portraits (you know I love it when there is time for these!) and Jenn’s proud mom seeing her daughter as a bride…

We were able to photograph Jenn on the grounds of the resort prior to the ceremony…

Time to head for the ceremony in the ocean side gazebo…

Jenn’s ring did not want to go on but Scott gave it his best try! Photos by both Lindsey and Elizabeth…

Next shot is Lindsey’s….

Taking wedding crashing to a whole new level…

Photographs on the beach as the sun set and then it was off to enjoy the reception….

The next morning we were up bright and early for the day after session… thank you Jenn and Scott for being such total great sports! We loved photographing your wedding!

This blog post is the last to feature a 2010 event and is all about enjoying a taste of Mexico’s natural beauty with a wonderfully sweet newly wedded couple. First we played in the jungle and the waters of a cenote near Akumal and then as the sun set it was time to travel down the coast for photos on a secluded Tulum beach. Krista and Mark… we loved our adventure with the two of you, but maybe I should have just kept quiet about the catfish!   :-)

Remember the old question about being trapped on a desert island and who you would want to be trapped with? Jean and Walt’s amazing wedding and next day trash the dress session at the Moon Palace in Cancun brought a similar question to mind.  Lauren and I now know without a doubt the answer to the question “If you were trapped in pouring cats and dogs rain at 6 AM (usually known as “sunrise” but that implies being able to see the sun) on a one hour march around an enormous resort hoping for a chance to trash the dress who would you want to be marching with?”  Jean and Walt were such a fun, patient and laid back couple I can’t think of anyone I would rather spend an hour of pre daylight limbo with. Thank goodness our faith was rewarded and the sun made its appearance! First the photographs from the relaxed and beautiful wedding day (I know Jean worked hard on the decorations and it all looked fantastic!) and finally the TTD photos that I think were worth the trouble. Congratulations Jean and Walt!

A few bridal photos from before the ceremony…

The ceremony was held in a gazebo overlooking the ocean…

Bride and groom beach photos after the ceremony….so much fun to photograph these two…

Jean had a really funny surprise for Walt… an xbox wedding garter!

Photos from the next day TTD session,

Casey and Ron’s wedding was the first of the fall season for Lauren and I and we thoroughly enjoyed photographing this beautiful tie the knot on a Mexican beach. This wedding and the morning after TTD session at the Dreams Riviera Cancun resort in Puerto Morelos was a great way to get our feet wet (literally!) and jump back in right where we left off shooting amazing weddings for incredible couples. We are looking forward to a wonderful season and adding weddings featuring both destination and local couples to the blog very soon.

Casey had planned a good window of time for the pre-ceremony photos, I love this type of schedule because it gives us time for getting ready candids of both bride and groom as well as photos of the yummy bridal details (and Casey’s were to die for!) not to mention bridal photos…there is not always time for these so I consider it a luxury to be able to have some quiet time to focus on the bride before it all begins.

The photo of the shoes is Lauren’s, I have noticed that when I tell Lauren that a detail shot she’s in the process of making won’t work it tends to end up on the blog! Oops…Lauren I love this shot and I promise to have a little more faith!

One “getting ready” photo of Ron before the ceremony…

No one wants to get emotional and risk ruining the make up prior to the ceremony…Casey took one look at her mom’s proud and happy expression and it was inevitable that she would get choked up as well. I loved how this photo tells the story.

Another story telling image, while Casey’s mother was attaching a wedding brooch that has been handed down through the generations and worn by each bride she told the flower girl that someday she may wear it herself, I loved her reaction to this little piece of family history.

Bride and groom on the grounds of Dreams Riviera Cancun before the ceremony.

A few photos from the beach ceremony, the flower girl and a proud father of the bride.

Bride and groom, a few happy beach photos after the ceremony…

Casey and her girls…

A few photos of the bright orange and fuschia ceremony decor for the pool side reception overlooking the oceean.

First dance and fiesta…

The day after session… bright and early! Casey and Ron, you were such good sports, or maybe you were really just very obedient sleep walkers…either way I thank you for your patience so early in the morning!

Elizabeth Medina is Mexico’s premier destination wedding photographer, photographing weddings in Puerto Morelos, the Riviera Maya, Cancun, Yucatan, Campeche and  thoughout Mexico

Viva Mexico, viva Hacienda las Trancas and of most of all viva Tobias and Veronica!  Located in Hidalgo Mexico in a village between the charming and historic cities of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, this hacienda has an energy that I find entirely magical.  Tobias (who is also a wedding photographer!) and Veronica hail from the  US Midwest but seemed beautifully at home, I loved being able to add these photographs to their family history.

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.

Good energy. Sometimes you just can´t help but feel surrounded by it. Hayley and G. are such a joyfully spirited couple, Lindsey and I had an amazing time photographing the two of them as they lived their ¨big day¨ in Mexico to the fullest.

I know Hayley and G. will not mind a little parenthesis for a shout out to studio teammate Lindsey… Lindsey has been a part of Elizabeth Medina Photography since she began helping out in high school. We have been through a lot together on this crazy, crazy journey! Aside from her role in keeping things running smoothly as studio manager, Lindsey has also been an incredible photography assistant and second shooter as well as attending college full time and taking on independent photography projects as well! Congratulations, Lindsey on your graduation, and on being the amazing person you are, I could not be more proud or excited about what the future has in store!

Hayley before the ceremony… I think I already mentioned the good energy, it was apparent from the start that bride and groom were walking on sunshine and that this was going to be a very happy day!

Time to go get married!

The ceremony site was surrounded by tropical vegetation and overlooked the bright blue Mayan Riviera water, it was a very peaceful and intimate.

The next two photos are Lindsey´s…

Hot pink really popped against the natural colors of the bright blue ocean and bright green palms!

La fiesta… the Barcelo Mayan Palace has a very long stretch of undeveloped beach, it is quite amazing actually. The reception was held at Playa Azul´s palapa, this was a fun, fun group and a great party!

The next morning, time to trash the dress. I am pretty sure that Hayley and G. had to be totally exhausted from their reception fun the night before… but they gave the TTD session their all, even when we were joined in the ocean by a very good size Manta Ray!

The next shot is SO Hayley and G.

Mexico destination wedding photography at the Barcelo Mayan Palace in the Mayan Riviera by Mexico´s premier wedding photographer Elizabeth Medina.

Something I really enjoy about photographing destination weddings is the chance to meet and spend time with such a diverse group of people from all over… and I have to say that it has been proven over that when you come right down to it no matter what nationality you have there is nothing that brings people together like the destination wedding experience. Also (and this is off the record) I have also noticed that there is no one like Canadians  to be totally crazy when the party gets going!  Tiffany and Colton came to Mexico with a very close knit group, I am actually pretty sure that all of their guests were family and that made for a really relaxed and emotional celebration. It was hard to narrow down the images for this blog post, here are some favorites from the wedding day and TTD session the next morning.

The weather was all over the place, pouring rain, crazy humidity, and later bright sunshine… fortunately everyone rolled with it and all in all it could not have been a more beautiful day! Details photos by Lindsey.

A few moments from the ceremony… so many different emotions. I love the first image that was captured by Lindsey.

Sand ceremony containers, this beach wedding tradition is similar to the unity candle, the two different containers of sand our joined into one.

Oops, almost made a big mistake on positioning here… as a symbol of their good wishes the guests all threw stones into the ocean that were engraved with meaningful words like “love” family” “balance”, etc. At the very last minute I realized that if I remained in my vantage point facing the guests in the shallow water I was about to be pelted with stones! Probably not too healthy for the camera lens, let along the photographer!

Such a sweet couple! Tiffany and Colton, I loved photographing the two of you!

The photos of the maraca player and the very energetic mini flower girl are Lindsey’s.

The flower girl listened to all the toasts and applause throughout dinner. When she was finally able to get her hands on the microphone she gave one of the most entertaining toasts ever!

The following photo was taken by Lindsey Medina.

Elizabeth Medina Photography, Mexico’s premier destination wedding photographers, photography throughout Mexico in areas including the Mayan Riviera, Cancun, Tulum, Merida, Yucatan, Campeche, Puerto Vallarta, Costa Careyes, Los Cabos and Guanajuato, Mexico.

Such a wonderful couple, surrounded by family, Lauren and I really enjoyed this wedding! The weather on their wedding day could not have been crazier, bright sunny skies and then a very sudden downpour just as the ceremony was ending. Group photos in a gazebo filled with 100 guests taking shelter from the rain was a first! I had to admire Mitul and Loan for taking the change in weather completely in stride and continuing to have such a great time with their wedding party and guests! It was just awesome that we had a trash the dress session scheduled for the next morning. The weather was perfect and I really loved the additional bride and groom photographs we were able to take around the resort as well as photograph Mitul and Loan with the dress (and suit!) in the ocean. Thank you so much Mitul and Loan! Can’t wait to get cracking on your album!

Wondering about the weather…

All the guys in the wedding party wore khakis and white shirts with fun white and tan tennis shoes, this little nephew was one of the guys!

This wedding party had an awful lot of personality as yoy can see in the next photo!

These two make such a great couple! While I suspect that being photographed might not be Mitul’s favorite activity he was such a great sport and never complained even thought I don’t think he had more than a few hours of sleep before having to wake up for the day after session.

Hola! Slowly getting caught up with December weddings! Tt was a pleasure to finally be able to photograph Milena and Gerry´s wedding! Planned originally for a date in the very midst of the Swine Flu outbreak, Gerry and Milena´s much awaited May 2009 wedding had to be postponed at the very last minute. Fortunately they and their guests who traveled in from both North and South America were able to go with the flow and gather in Mexico for a very memorable December celebration. What a fun, fun group! Be forewarned I am including many detail photos in this blog post! Milena and Gerry, aside from being lots of fun to photograph, are a very creative couple and they incorporated many projects and a lot of style into their wedding plans, let me tell you Martha Stewart has nothing on these two!

The cermony was held on a rooftop “Sky Deck” overlooking the ocean. I was not sure what to expect of this location but was very favorably surprised, the ceremony was just lovely.

More details! The Capiz shells made the most beautiful sound all through the ceremony.

Lindsey’s photo…

The reception, more details…I had to share the children’s place settings because it was such a cute idea and something we had not seen before. I am sure it was a huge hit with the flower girls and ring bearers (and their parents!) because it kept the little ones entertained all through the reception.

A few images from the TTD session, also at the Azul Sensatori. This session was actually done the evening before the wedding and was a great chance for us to get to know the bride and groom before the big day. Non wedding day sessions are really special to me because they give an opportuntiy to really focus on the couple and their interaction with each other.

The next two images are from Lindsey’s camera… I may be a bit biased but I think they are just beautiful.

Azul Sensatori wedding photography by destination wedding photographer, Elizabeth Medina. Wedding photojournalism in the Mayan Riviera and throughout Mexico.

What a fun session this was! Michelle and Brian are a very sweet couple from Canada. They were married a year ago and traveled to Mexico’s Mayan Riviera to celebrate their anniversary. As much as we LOVE non wedding day portrait sessions (being used to the craziness of the wedding day it is very rare and inspiring for us to have the luxury of unhurried time alone with the couple). Because of our full schedule of weddings we are usually only able to reserve the day after, honeymoon or anniversary sessions along with complete wedding coverage but due to some persistence and planning on Michelle and Brian’s  part fortunately we were able to make it work. It was a treat to photograph such a charming couple in such a peaceful and very romantic setting. Michelle and Brian, I hope on those cold winter days in Canada the photographs bring back warm memories of your time in Mexico!

TTD Trash the dress photo session in Mexico. Elizabeth Medina specializes in wedding photojournalism and wedding photography. She photographs weddings throughout Mexico, in locations including Playa de Carmen, Yucatan and the Riviera Maya.