A few times every year, we have the privilege of capturing many bride’s fantasy: to marry your soul mate in paradise. Destination weddings are some of our favourite types of weddings to capture because we have plenty of time to be creative. We usually have multiple days and dozens of great locations to work with. This past December was no exception. We arrived at the Azul Beach Resort just outside Playa Del Carmen, Mexico - and from the moment I arrived, I was imagining the images I was going to capture here. The Azul Beach Hotel is a very small boutique resort with a limited number of rooms. This made for a very intimate setting and most of the guests were there for Vicki and Alvin’s nuptials.
The first time we had the opportunity to spend some time with Vicki and Alvin was during their Fall engagement session, where we captured the couple in some of Toronto’s trendiest areas with a funky, urban theme to their photos. From that day, we could already tell that the time down in Mexico would be a lot of fun.
The morning of the wedding started with a drive into Playa Del Carmen to Waves Beauty Salon, which is owned by an expatriate Canadian! On this picture perfect Caribbean morning, we captured the girls getting primped and pampered, while having fun and joking around.
From there it was back to meet up with the gentlemen who were relaxing in Vicki’s brother’s villa. We spent most of the time goofing around and creating some fun images with this hilarious group of guys. Alvin’s witty sense of humour made it hard for the other groomsmen to stop smiling and laughing!
As the gents left to make their way to the church, I had some more time with the ladies who are all dolled up and fresh from the salon. The bridal suite overlooked a gorgeous part of the resort and made for some wonderful and fresh photos.
The church was a thirty minute drive from the resort, but it was definitely worth the trek. The El Dorado Maroma Beach Chapel is about 20 metres from the Caribbean Sea and was a picturesque location for their catholic ceremony. As I followed Vicki on the long walk to the beach chapel, the wind picked up her veil and swirled it around in the air.
After the ceremony, we had plenty of time on that silky beach to have some fun with the sun low on the horizon. The long shadows made for some dramatic effects, as the cheerful group had fun playing in the sand.
From the very moment we met Vicki and Alvin back in Toronto, we could tell that they had fantastic chemistry. This really shined through in the photos of the two of them together. Their intro dance routine showed how well they work together and it really pumped the crowd up as they danced the night away only a few metres from the sea. Congratulations Vicki and Alvin!
