Mexico!

In 2005, while dancing in the conga line at Denise and John’s wedding, Geraldine asked me to photograph her ‘someday’ wedding in Mexico.  I laughed and said sure, an easy answer when she’s not engaged and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t  remember any of that conversation the next day.  I didn’t even have a passport.

Well, fast forward to July 2011, 6 years later.  I am in Ixtapa, Mexico, photographing Geraldine and Mark’s wedding.  I still can’t believe it!  Never underestimate the power of a girl planning her wedding.  This was an EVENT.  65 guests, family and friends, traveled to Mexico for a weeklong celebration.  Everyone made me feel welcome and hey, spending 5 days at a beach resort photographing some great people is more fun than work for me:)

Every day featured a dinner or a party.  Salsa dancing lessons were held at the rehearsal dinner by professional dancers.  Mark’s uncle brought a homemade guitar and entertained everyone during the cocktail party and rehearsal dinner.  Brightly colored, locally grown lilies decorated the ceremony site  and made up the bridal party bouquets.  The wedding day itself threatened rain, but other than misty skies, everything was perfect.  I had taken this trip without an assistant, but luckily, one of the groomsman, Peter, is really into photography.  Geraldine and Mark didn’t mind that I conscripted one of their groomsman to take one of my cameras up on the gondola during the ceremony and get some photos from high up above.  After the ceremony, Mark took Geraldine for a short walk down the beach to where he had buried a bottle in the sand; with a letter that he had written to her inside.

5 day party plus the wedding ceremony at Pacifica Resort, Ixtapa, Mexico; Dress by Maggie Sottero; Reception at El Suspiro, Zihuatanejo, Mexico; Custom wedding invitations and all graphic design Roslyn Crowell

 

Geraldine wanted to do a trash the dress session the morning after her and Mark’s wedding, then she didn’t, then she did…. I wasn’t really sure she was going to go through with it until I saw her walking down the beach the next morning.  She really does LOVE her dress.  I am so glad she did it though!  The skies had cleared up overnight and were an amazing bright blue.  Rough surf had black flagged the beach, so there was no swimming, but that really didn’t matter.  Mark, ever the romantic, brought a bottle of champagne.  And the dress is fine too:)