Ryan and I started the day with the boys in the condos at Ka’anapali and soon met up with the ladies at the Westin Maui, where they were getting married.  Once all the prep photos were done, we headed off to the Sheraton Maui for the ceremony.  The ceremony was held outdoors on the lawn in front of the beach on a picture perfect Hawaiian day.  As the nuptial were read, you could hear the waves crash on the shores.  The ceremony was short and very sweet and soon the sun was about to set.   The reception was also held at the Sheraton Maui.  The wedding party came in triumphantly to music but it was Mark’s entrance that stole the show.  He come in swinging like Manny Pacquiao.  It was quite the sight and something I won’t soon forget.  It was a fantastic entrance!  The rest of the night was a party with some tear jerking speeches, crazy dancing and some photo booth fun.

The next day was our creative shoot day.  Ryan and I had already scouted the north shore of Maui the day before the wedding so we knew exactly where we were going to shoot.  Our first location was a grassy area and there we found a spectacular tree.  After that we headed up to the cliffs of the north shore.  It was absolutely SPECTACULAR.  Our timing with the light was great as well and with our luck, some clouds came rolling in for some dramatic scenery.  Zee also mentioned she was to do a trash the dress session as well, so we found a perfect little secluded cove with a tiny beach that was perfect for our shoot.  We were about to make it hot!

Thanks Zee and Mark for inviting Ryan and I to come all the way from Calgary to Hawaii to create your wedding photos for you.  Your destination wedding was something many couples dream about, and in my opinion, it was perfect.  We couldn’t have had a better 2 days shooting you, your friends and family.   Now that everyone is back home in their respective cities around the world, we will always remember and dream of Maui again.

The weather in Calgary had not been very summery all year so when we arrived in Mexico, it was nice to feel some 30 degree heat.  When we arrived at the Royal, I could see why they chose to have their wedding here.  The resort was gorgeous and as we the week went on, we were treated to true 5 star service and dining.  We had a few days before the big event, so it gave everyone time to settle down.  I headed off the resort to go scouting for the engagement session and wedding shoot.

On the day of the wedding, D&G had a short traditional Chinese tea ceremony in the main courtyard of the resort.  From there you could feel the buzz and excitement from everyone, as the wedding ceremony neared.  I started off the prep photos with the boys, like I usually do and then headed off to see Doreen and her girls.

The ceremony, in true Mexican Destination Wedding tradition, was held on the beach.  Because all beaches in Mexico are considered public, many onlookers gathered around to watch the ceremony.  This does not make photographers like me happy, but what can you do?  The ceremony was so nice.  The vows they both read to each other were very heart warming.  You could only say “awww” when you heard it and feel nothing but jubilation for them both.

I had a little bit of time to shoot off some photos of the bridal party and some of D&G before the sun went down.

The reception was held right on the beach as a storm over Cozumel started to head our way.  When it did arrive, it came in hard and fast, but by then the Royal staff had already moved all of us inside.

A couple days later, I had to finish off the photo shoot of D&G.  I had scouted all over the area surrounding the resort, but it was packed with tourist everywhere.  I decided to rent a car and we drove  around until we found something that I liked.  We did drive around for a bit but eventually we found an area where mansions were being built.  I thought to myself how great would it be if I could shoot inside one being constructed.  So we went searching for prospects.  Low and behold we found the perfect one!  Using my slick Spanish skills I was able to get us permission to shoot in the house.  It was the perfect place for us to finish off our photos.

Congratulations Doreen & Gilbert.  I am so grateful that our paths have crossed, otherwise I never would have met the both of you.  You both are truly amazing and inspiring people.  All your friends were amazing and I really felt like part of the crew when we were down there.  I definitely can say I made many new friends in one week, but best of all, I became friends with you guys.  Congrats and thanks again for having me be such a huge part of your wedding week!

This post is a big post, there are a lot of images, so if you are looking at this on a mobile device, I apologize in advanced.