So this post isn’t about the wedding itself at all- it’s about all the events surrounding the wedding! If you’d like to see Maria and Sean’s wedding- you can head to the other blog post all about that here

Part of having a destination wedding is about giving your friends and family the experience of being in an amazing location- getting to travel and to spend more than just one day with the friends and family- but a whole weekend (if not more!)

Maria and Sean held their wedding in Valle de Bravo, Mexico – the most amazing and beautiful colonial lake town! But most of their guests were coming from the United States- and so had no idea where to begin in terms of activities. There were several days of planned and unstructured events- all of which I was able to capture as their personal photographer!

Coverage isn’t as formal as the wedding day- its a wonderful time for me to get to know all of your guests and VIPs… so that come wedding day, they are SO much more relaxed in front of the camera- and you get better pictures! It also helps you unplug, not have to think about getting your phone out, and just be in the moment to enjoy. I’ll take care of the rest!

Day 1

We arrived in Mexico city at the same time as the bride and groom (and some important family members, and wedding party)

We took a quick peek at Mexico city, and stopped along a favorite restaurant for some food.
All the while- I’m taking photos of everyone- so that nobody has to worry about getting a good enough photo! I take group photos in front of monuments, candids of everyone interacting- and the surroundings themselves so that you can have art to remember the trip by.

It’s important to hire an experienced destination wedding photographer, especially for locations like Mexico. Not only do I come prepared with backups for my backups for my backups, I have a plan B for every single scenario. In fact, right in the middle of the wedding day- MY MAIN CAMERA STOPPED WORKING! (It ended up having to be professionally repaired afterwards) An inexperienced wedding photographer may have only brought one main camera- but I had backups, and it didn’t slow me down.

The Welcome Bag!!

If you spent money and time on it, I want to photograph it.

Maria and Sean’s family put together an incredibly curated selection of goodies for guests whose first time it was in Mexico- including local sweets/candies, maps, and gear for all the exploring.

Day 2

Excursions

One of the main attractions near Valle De Bravo is the butterfly sanctuary called Piedra Herrada- it’s about a 30 minute drive from Town Center- and it was an absolutely incredible experience.

A small hike up to where the butterflies migrate- and you can see hundreds of thousands of butterflies. But all I could think about was how to get photos of our people in front of them!

Day 3

Boating on the lake

The Rehearsal Lunch was at a famous resturaunt in Valle de Bravo called La Michoacana which also doubles as a party venue. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and we were able to photograph almost everyone in front of that view! (iphones, too!)

The Welcome Party

This was a great opportunity for newly arrived guests to meet and greet each other before the wedding! Luckily the bride’s family had a space large enough to host with an incredible view of the lake. The bride’s family also made some traditional Mexican dishes just for the occasion.

We also captured the “day-after brunch” but thas was a lot more calm (we spent all the night before at an epic party after all) so it’s not pictured here.

To see the whole wedding, head over here