Patrizia & Sheldon - Trash the Dress

After a few days of relaxation and fun in the sun, we awoke at the break of dawn for an wild and fun "Trash the Dress" session. Well, I think it came out cleaner than when we started, so it was in fact more of a "Wash the Dress" session...







I wanted to get some sunrise photos before we braved getting into the water. The light was amazing!






It was getting warmer so now there was no excuse...time to get wet!










We took a lot of cool shots playing around in the water and I couldn't decide which of these two I liked best:




We couldn't let Patri have all the fun...time to get Sheldon into the water:




I hope you two had as much fun as I did! What a blast!
Hope you had a safe flight home and I can't wait for you to see the results!

Michael

Patrizia & Sheldon - Wedding (Mexico)

Last week I had the great pleasure of being part of Patri and Sheldon's wedding celebration at the Grand Sirenis Resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. We had a group of about 50 family and friends show up from across Ontario, Saskatchewan, the US and Italy. We all had an amazing time!

Here are a few of my favourites from the time we spent at the lavish resort spa in the morning:






After the girls got pampered at the spa, we were whisked away (and blazing speeds) across the resort and back to the room by a crazy singing shuttle driver! Time for the dress, some flowers and a few photos before we made our way to the ceremony on the beach.


A nice beach-themed detail, kept safe by the brother of the bride.


Patri being walked down the aisle by her two brothers:


The two dress-holding flower girls were so adorable earlier as they methodically planned out their strategy for holding the train back at the room:


We had perfect weather - a nice breeze off the ocean and the clouds were kind enough to give us a break from the sun, just in time for the ceremony:


When a peck on the cheek just won't do:




As much as I love taking dramatic, posed portraits, sometimes the candid moments can make the best photos:


The whole gang...ready to party!


The wedding party:




The schedule was about the same as a non-destination wedding with the usual events and time restraints, but somehow everything seemed much more relaxed. I guess walking barefoot on the beach does that!


After a few shots on the beach, we took a tour of the resort grounds, including the botanical garden:




I love this kind of relaxed, candid portrait. For some reason, we always get better expressions when the couple is interacting with each other, rather than staring into the camera. ;)


Definitely one of my favourites:






A low camera angle, polarizer, off-camera lighting and setting sun combined to make for an interesting image:


Even though we weren't supposed to use this staircase, I knew we had to get a shot up there when I saw it the day we arrived. I'm glad we risked it. ;)






It's amazing what one little off-camera flash can do to make a scene more dramatic:


The resort had these cool four-poster beds set up around the pool. Talk about relaxing in style!


We took a few more shots of the bride while waiting for the guests to arrive at the reception:






The happy couple were musically announced by a traditional Mariachi band:




They had these awesome jazz musician portraits all around the room. I knew I had to include them in some shots:




...and sometimes all you need is a plain red wall for the perfect shot to end the perfect day.


Thanks to Patri and Sheldon for allowing me to share their special day in sunny Mexico. It was an experience I won't soon forget!

Stay tuned for the "Trash the Dress"...or more like "Wash the Dress" session coming soon!

Cheers and "tequila boom-boom!"

Michael