It has always been a dream of mine to have a job that would allow me to travel the world, and I never expected that it would actually happen! When Tracy and Dallas asked me to photograph their wedding in Mexico I did such a huge happy dance around my bedroom. Besides the fact that it was in Mexico, Tracy and Dallas are some of the nicest people ever so I knew it was going to be a great trip. It was also only a month away so I didn’t even have to wait long to embark on my first trip down south. I have gone to Europe a few times, but had never gone down south, so I was excited to say the least!
Before I knew it, I was flying down to Mexico to shoot my first destination wedding, my sister at my side! When we stepped off the plane in the Cancun airport, I thought we had stepped into a sauna! I had no idea just how humid Mexico is! Wow. It was definitely nice feeling warmth after leaving chilly Kelowna behind.
Pulling up to the Barcelo Maya Palace, I was pretty much just thinking, “Holy gorgeous!” The Barcelo Maya Palace is one of the most popular resorts for destination weddings in the Mayan Riviera, and I could definitely see why after exploring the place. Beautiful curvy architecture that makes you feel like you are in a sultan’s palace, and all of it right next to a beautiful white sandy beach filled with palm trees! The Barcelo Maya Palace owns 2 kms of beach so it definitely doesn’t feel cramped! I went for a swim in the pool the first night and had the whole pool to myself. Seeing as it is the biggest pool I have ever and will ever see, it was pretty magical.
The first few days, the weather was sunny and beautiful and I did some really cool excursions (snorkeling, cenotes, and Tulum… oh my!). The day before the wedding, it started getting really cloudy due to a hurricane in the area. It stayed cloudy the rest of the trip, but it was still super warm and so was the sea, so it didn’t hold us back from enjoying the resort. It was pretty cool experiencing some tropical rainstorms/downpours. If you ever go down in the rainy season, bring shoes with grip on them people! I almost bailed like 6 times. lol. Bug spray is a must too.
The day of the wedding arrived and everything was an exciting flurry of activity. The hair salon ran late with the bride so she had about 10 mins to put her dress on and do her makeup. Did I mention it was pouring rain outside at this point and it looked like they weren’t going to have their dream ceremony on a beach? Tracy took it all in stride though and still had smiles for everyone. Twenty minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start, the downpour miraculously stopped. The wedding planner radioed to have all the chairs moved out to the beach and everyone rushed down to start the ceremony before we got rained out.
Luckily, the rain stayed at bay in time for the ceremony to go off without a hitch (except the two people getting hitched) and we had about an hour or so of daylight to get family portraits and wedding portraits done before the sun went down. It was definitely the least amount of time I’ve had for wedding portraits. I could have photographed for hours all over the place if time had allowed, but the setting was so beautiful that we had lot’s of options at least! The reception was so SO gorgeous. Oh man, most beautiful reception ever for sure. The setting was so elegant and decked out and had great lighting.
I’m so happy that Tracy and Dallas got their dream wedding on the beach and that everything worked out so well. All of her guests were so friendly and inclusive and you could tell they all cared a lot about their bride and groom. Tracy and Dallas were up for anything (as you can see in their Trash the Dress shoot!) and their beauty definitely isn’t skin deep. They are fun, down to earth, and totally perfect for each other. If laughter and having fun are as important as I think it is in a marriage, than these two are in it for the long haul! Thanks so much for letting me a part of your adventure!
Mexico, I hope to see you again soon and I can’t wait for my next destination wedding in Costa Rica at the Hotel Riu Guanacaste, this January! I’ll be going to Europe for a month in May as well to do a wedding in Italy (favourite place on earth) and one in Wales as well!! Thanking my lucky stars and can’t wait for all of them! : )
I love this shot showing the frantic 10 minutes Tracy had to get ready. Two bridesmaids did up her dress, while the other put mascara on her.
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