AJ & Nate Wedding: Riviera Maya, Mexico

This wedding was absolutely beautiful, in so many ways. Shooting a destination wedding was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in wedding photography. I loved spending days with the couple, their family and friends before the wedding even took place. I took pictures on the beach, at dinners together, hanging out playing volleyball in the sand, photos of the groom body surfing in the waves, I captured moments with the bride & groom’s friends that wouldn’t have otherwise been caught. It was an entire weeks’ worth of photos, frozen in time for the bride & groom to cherish forever. I was absolutely honored to be there doing this for AJ & Nate. They are such a fun-loving couple with a great body of support in their family and friends.

I have so much I could write about this wedding. The pictures below (be sure to click on the slideshow icon) are more about the wedding day than the actual week. I plan on documenting the week in another entry. What I really wanted to focus on was the story that was told on the beach at the Sandos Caracol Resort on January 10, 2010. The way the bride had carefully traveled with her wedding gown on the plane, the detail that was put into the invitations, the gift bags for those traveling that included an ‘emergency kit’ for anyone who may have forgotten to bring bandaids or chapstick (with SPF). The toasts that were made at countless dinners we all had together, the 80+ people that all made their way to Mexico for this wedding, the laughter that the bride & her bridesmaids had when I asked them to ‘pose like aj’ for certain shots (backstory: AJ is an actual model and has been for years, this was a piece of cake for her!), the true nature of the groomsmen – they were so much fun to be around and, as you can tell, didn’t even flinch when asked to pose. The way Nate looked at AJ as she made her way down the aisle, seeing her for the very first time as his bride…ah, the whole thing was just beautiful. There was laughter, tears, and more memories made than can even imagine.

AJ & Nate, I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to be a part of your incredible journey to Mexico for your wedding! It was truly a blessing for me spending that much time with you guys and your incredible family and friends! What a memorable and amazing week for the two of you. I hope these images are something you treasure for years to come. There are so many more coming your way…but this is your little sneek peek. Enjoy married life to the fullest – blessings to both of you! Love, Jac