Lily + Ivan Wedding At Barcelo Riviera Maya Mexico

I honestly don’t even know where to begin with these two! You know the theme around here? About me having some connection to a majority of my clients? Well ya, this one is no different. See, I went to high school with Lilian and Ivan! Can you believe these two were best friends for years and years before they finally started dating? Honestly, I think it’s the sweetest thing in the world. I’m also glad that I got to photograph their wedding and reminisce with them on old times!

I’m sure you are all wondering how the revolution of their love story began from High School BFF’S into a full fledged romance so let’s begin with the proposal story, written by Lilian.

“We were on a family vacation in Yucatan (Mexico) This part of the country is specifically known for their beautiful “cenotes” or underground water caves. They are naturally formed sinkholes with crystal clear natural water. Part of our vacation was spending all day exploring multiple cenotes with a guide. Without my knowledge Ivan had already asked my parents for their blessing before the vacation, bought the ring, and even asked my parents to pack the ring in their suitcase as an extra precaution. The morning of October 25th we head out to explore all the cenotes in the area. Ivan had asked the tour guide which out of all the cenotes we were going to see that day was going to be the most beautiful. He was told the 3rd would be (Cenote Chaksikin) As we climbed down the ladder into the cave Ivan told me he wanted to take his shoes back up so he wouldn’t lose them while swimming. Little did I know he went back up to get the ring that my dad had been holding in his backpack the whole day. He came back down followed by my parents, siblings, and cousins that had been with us all day. My dad called for a group photo and I stood there in my wet bathing suit, smiling and holding onto Ivan. My dad started recording instead of taking a picture and Ivan turned towards me and reached into his pocket. At this point his shorts were so wet from swimming that the ring box got stuck and he stood there in front of me for about 45 seconds nudging at his back pocket. I knew what was about to happen and everyone was laughing and partially still confused until my brother tony helped him out and finally the box came out. Ivan bent down on one knee and my whole family started cheering. My tears came out as I stared down at him asking me to marry him. I said yes and we hugged and kissed while everyone clapped. We spent the rest of the day happy as can be swimming in the caves with my family.”

When I saw Lilian and Ivan had got engaged and were asking around for a wedding photographer I was so excited for them! (I wasn’t really offering weddings as a service yet) Fast forward they ended up booking me and I get to experience my first ever destination wedding! Which was a literal dream come true. They got married in Playa De Riviera at an all inclusive resort right on the beach. I arrived at the resort two days before the actual wedding and was just in complete awe of all the architecture around the resort. The first night her amazing wedding planners surprised her with a bachelorette party that I was able to attend as well. Poor Lilian, they told her they had issues with the hotel and that she needed to meet with the hotel planner to sort out some unforeseen issues. She was so over whelmed with emotion when we surprised her, it was pretty sweet!

The following morning we all met at the bridal suite inside of the spa at the resort for her to start getting ready. Meanwhile the boys got ready in their hotel room.

Out of all the days at the resort of course the day of the wedding it was the warmest and extremely humid! We also had a false alarm for possible showers. But they stuck it out and kept the ceremony on the beach.

Cocktail hour took place on the beach just outside of the ceremony site. We had a lot of people passing by, saying congrats or literally just watching us. They had a family member’s surprise them during this time with a saxophone player and they were sang one of their favorite songs too!

After cocktail hour we snuck away with immediate family to do portraits and the couples intimates while the guests had a nice refreshing break for about an hour and a half. During that time many of them went to get changed and refreshed for the reception back in their hotel rooms.

Technically they didn’t have a bridal party but we made sure to squeeze in some fun photos with their closest friends who made the travel for the special day.

After the traditional first dances with their parents, things started to get a little WILD. But I’m ok with that! This was my first experience with such a culturally rich wedding. I truly love learning new traditions. Especially while being in a different country! The following photos will forever make me smile because they are such a great reminder of how fun the night really was.