you know those moments, where life just seems too good to be true? well, this whole shoot was essentially four straight hours of “oh my gosh, is this really happening?!” for me.

i had the pleasure of going to photograph a cancun, mexico wedding with a best friend this past year. as a destination wedding photographer, you really can’t ask for any more than that! i knew that i’d fall in love with photographing weddings in mexico, so i decided to prolong the joy, and we reached out to a ridiculously talented wedding planner in the region.

and that’s where the lovely ilse of diamant events comes into play! i don’t know if i have ever met a more inspired or dedicated wedding industry individual… ever. she’s full of fire and passion and everything beautiful. so, brides looking for destination wedding planners… look no further! seriously. when teamed up with gabi lavor of planner 1 events, you can’t go wrong.

for the shoot, we were inspired by the bright caribbean waters of playa del carmen and similarly bright colors of traditional mexico culture, so we pulled in lots of happy colors and traditional mexican elements– custom gowns made by local designers, hand-painted invitations and alter artwork, mexican tiles, and of course, locally-grown coconuts! i am in love with the delicate-but-beachy design of the lace dress, the chapel on the beach, and the bride’s handmade bridal headpiece. working with such kind and inspired individuals in such a beautiful location was really one of  my career highlights thus far. and i’m so happy with how the beach wedding photos turned out!

i’m dying to get back to shoot a destination wedding in the caribbean again soon with my mateo, but until then, i’ll just have to keep dreaming of this shoot…

i honestly can’t say GRACIAS enough to all of the talented vendors involved in this shoot, and of course, a special thank you to the sweet bethany petersen for letting me be her sidekick on the trip. i cannot recommend all of them enough.

VENDOR AMOR: planning/coordination: diamante events venue: secret jewel celebrations venue tables/flowers: planner 1 events models: runway management cancun dresses: erica flores makeup: carolina bellavista invitations/artwork: marisol d’estrabeau

until next time, mexico. besos, anna

engaged, soon-to-be engaged, or dreaming of being engaged and getting married in a beautiful, faraway land? anna +mateo are a destination wedding photography/videography team that would love to capture your happiest days, wherever that’s taking place! and we’re offering a few sweet deals for a select number of destination brides getting married in 2015 and 2016, so contact us, all right?!