Having Stephanie and Deanna book us for their beach wedding at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort meant we were fortunate enough to have yet another two stunning brides to photograph! I absolutely love the opportunity to admire not one, but two gorgeous wedding gowns, plus photograph double the bouquets, double the jewelery, double the wonderful and girly details that accompany a lipstick lesbian wedding. It is no secret that Matthew and I strive to be as inclusive as we possibly can when it comes to booking weddings, and couldn’t be happier that these two lovely ladies decided to choose us to capture their every movements during the happiest day of their lives. Of course, the downside to all this is that it’s downright impossible to be in both spaces at the same time while each respective bride is putting on their wedding dresses. Deanna had a fairly impressive entourage happening in her room, with her mother beaming from ear to ear once she had her daughter fastened tightly in her gown. Final decisions were made regarding what jewelery was best to compliment the ensemble, and a final dab of natural lip gloss had Dee ready to take on the day. The atmosphere was calm, cool and collected, while Dee took the opportunity to share some important details on her bouquet. Her bouquet was beautifully adorned with pendants of her deceased father, who’s presence at the wedding way greatly missed, but certainly not forgotten. Matt, on the other hand, spent time with Stephanie, capturing her bubbly personality and cheekiness to absolute perfection. Before too long, everyone was climbing on board their respective carts to be whisked away to the beach front ceremony space.
Sandos Caracol Eco Resort has a few options when it comes to ceremony locations, and we were ecstatic to hear that Steph and Dee had booked the globular structure right on the sand. Hard to describe, really, but the pictures speak for themselves. It’s an interesting, intricate mass of spheres that make for a spectacular backdrop with photos, but also some interesting perspectives during the entirety of the ceremony. The colours the ladies chose were exquisite, and the resort did an exceptionally impressive job with the details. Such luscious purples and blues paired with the bridesmaids dresses perfectly, and was just the right pop of colour to highlight just how dynamic this duo was, or is rather. Self identifying as polar opposites, with Deanna on the introverted end of the spectrum, and Stephanie as the boisterous extroverted partner-in-crime, it came as a surprise to hear that Dee was the one to first make a move. And that first move was exactly eight years from their wedding date. So lo and behold, not only were these fine individuals marrying that gorgeous day March 24th, 2015, but celebrating their 8th year anniversary at the same time. Now that’s what I call an important date, never to be forgotten. These avid travelers have been through many highs, and presumably a fair share of lows, as does every couple, but you could see it in their eyes, with the way they looked at each other throughout that entire ceremony, that neither one of them could imagine their life journey without each other. Deanna’s brothers beamed with pride as they offered their sister to a lady they knew would treat her kindly, and gently. And it was nearly impossible to stifle my own desires to cheer along with them when they raised their fists up in victorious celebration of their final legal union.
There were hugs, there were tears, but most importantly, there wasn’t one single face among all their guests that wasn’t smiling from ear to ear. You could tell this wedding was long overdue, and everyone was exceptionally happy to see them finally be able to snag the titles “Mrs & Mrs”. We milled about on the beach for a bit, for the newlyweds creatives session, before exploring the grounds of the resort a bit more too. We didn’t want to stray to far from the rooftop reception space, considering time was of the essence, and unfortunately, slipping away from everyone faster than expected. But, having booked their wedding at an ecological resort, meant that there was still plenty of photographic opportunities all within a small radius of each other. The girls were fearless climbing through bushtails and other foliage to get some truly special and unlikely photos near a small body of water nearby. And just as fast as the ceremony zoomed by us, it was time to head upstairs for the grand entrance of these giggling maraca shaking, sombrero wearing silly brides. Each table setting was equipped with a personalized bottle opener that the guests were able to bring home as a keepsake souvenir from their time spent welcoming each other into one another’s families. Glasses were raised to toast to the occasion as everyone cheered on the ladies for their first kiss of the reception. We agreed to take a moment during dinnertime to sneak away to the beach one last time, as the sun was setting, for their requested sunset silhouette photo. And we made it outside just in time.
When everyone was sufficiently full, the evening swiftly progressed into some exceptionally heart felt and moving speeches. First came the Picketts, followed closely by The Peach Clan, as Dee affectionately referred to her family, and this time there wasn’t a dry eye for this portion of the day. The newlyweds had their first dance shortly thereafter, followed by Stephanie enjoying a jig with her father, with Deanna and her siblings taking a moment to all dance together, honouring their father’s memory and lack of physical presence on that day. The ladies were back in each other’s arms in no time at all, getting to really take in the awe and wonder of the day’s events. Originally hailing from Newfoundland, means not only do these two know how to party, but the entirety of their crew knew how to get down. No Newfie party is complete without breaking out the spoons and I couldn’t have been happier baring witness to this wonderful turn of events. Deanna’s mother plays a mean tune and has the musical skill down to a science. The drinks were flowing freely, Steph well equipped with her hefty beer stein, and the night carried forward with all the fun and festivities to be expected of a true Maritime-Canadian wedding. Photo Booth was set up alongside the dance floor, allowing the guests to freely flow from one to the other. And the bar was conveniently located in the middle so no one was ever left empty handed. As the night dwindled to an end for us, we were sad to say our goodbyes, but happy to be congratulating the newlyweds, wishing them many more years of travel and love ahead of them. And who knows, maybe the travel bug will bite them hard enough they decide to revisit the Riviera Maya and meet up for celebratory drinks in the future.
