I’m so pleased to announce (albeit a bit belatedly) that Sarah and Stefan’s wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty!  I photographed their gorgeous Puerto Vallarta wedding last spring, and I enjoyed both their attention to detail and their very easy affection for one another.  You can see their Style Me Pretty feature by clicking here, or you can go to my original blog post about about their wedding by clicking here.  In the interim, here is a screen shot of their lovely featured wedding- congratulations Sarah and Stefan!  What a wonderful way to celebrate your first anniversary!

I’m also pleased to announce that Annabelle and Rachel’s gorgeous Vallarta wedding was featured on Zankyou Dutch weddings.  Annabelle and Rachel’s wedding was incredibly touching, and I loved working with both of them!  Their son also gave one of my favorite speeches ever (and I see a lot of speeches)– I don’t often tear up at a wedding, but this one had me sniffling behind the camera.  You can see the article by clicking here, and you can also see the screenshot below:

Congratulations, Annabelle and Rachel!

Post by Puerto Vallarta wedding photographer Michelle Turner.

When Teresa first contacted me several months ago, I was really excited to hear her vision for her wedding week.  She wanted several days of coverage, and each of the events had some sort of cultural component to it that showed the beauty, color, and music of Mexico.  She explained that most of their friends and family in attendance had never been to Mexico, and she wanted them to have the chance to really experience Mexico during their trip.  And she and Guy definitely delivered– from fire dancers to Mexican rodeo performers on horseback, from traditional dances (by award winning dance troupes) to mariachis, the entertainment during their wedding week was fabulous!  Add to that the fact that Teresa and Guy are two of the sweetest people and they were surrounded by a wonderful group of family and friends, and you end up with a truly fantastic wedding.

Teresa and Guy were married at Martoca Beach Gardens in Bucerias, Mexico.  I have been in and out of this region for years, and I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the venues that are available.  So when Teresa told me that she was getting married at Martoca, which boasted a huge expanse of green lawn shaded by palm trees that went right up to the edge of the beach and the ocean beyond, I thought it sounded too good to be true.  But Martoca was an unbelievably pleasant surprise, allowing for a traditional outdoor, garden wedding with lush greenery and a beautiful ocean backdrop.   The wedding was coordinated and designed by Odette and her team at Martoca Weddings, and they did a wonderful job with the space!

Here are a few of my favorite images from the day:

Congratulations, Teresa and Guy!  And many thanks to Eric, my second shooter for the wedding.

Post by Puerto Vallarta Wedding Photographer Michelle Turner.

I have so many wonderful things to say about Sarah and Marc’s beautiful destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  But my FAVORITE thing about their wedding is the fact that from the moment she walked down the aisle, they quite literally beamed at one another.  Their never-ending smiles were infectious- I challenge you to look at the two of them below and not beam right back at them.  For me, at least, it’s an impossible task.  I’m smiling right now as I write this blog post!

Sarah and Marc met at work– they are both teachers in California.  Sarah is a special education teacher, and Marc is a math and science teacher.  When they started working at the same school, their classrooms shared a wall, and Sarah said that she first noticed the sound of Marc’s voice from the other side of the wall.  They became friends first, though, and didn’t start dating until they had been friends for more than a year.  They started spending time together in a group during happy hour after work, and Sarah told me that they shared their first kiss after work in a dive bar!  They decided to get married while Marc was teaching in South Africa– Sarah visited him there, and he surprised her with the ring!

I asked Sarah and Marc to share their favorite moment from the wedding with me.  Sarah said: 

When I came around the corner to walk down the aisle- I remember hearing the ocean, which I love deeply- I had both my parents next to me and I felt like I locked eyes with almost all of my friends… and then I saw Marc and we both started laughing we were so excited. I was stunned by how much fun I had at our actual ceremony. I have never lived more fully in a single moment.  Marc said that his favorite moment was right after our ceremony, when we got to spend a few minutes in Yichud. In a Jewish wedding the bride and groom spend a few minutes in seclusion after the ceremony to let what has happened sink in. We got to taste all our great food- we toasted each other. It was so special to have those few minutes alone just us- at the same time we could hear our friends laughing outside which made us both realize how lucky we were to have each other and to be surrounded by these incredible friends and family.

Here are a few of my favorite images from their beautiful wedding at the Playa Fiesta Hotel:

I asked them why they decided to have a destination wedding, and Sarah said:

Since our best friends are scattered around the country we knew we wanted some real time with each one of them. A destination wedding allowed us to be on a vacation with them. We both felt we got to have meaningful extended time with each one of our 34 guests and we both commented on how we felt closer to every one of them after the experience. We also wanted our wedding to reflect who we are as a couple. Marc and I have both been profoundly changed by our time teaching in other countries and we bounded over our passion for this early on- so a wedding with a global theme seemed like the perfect fit.

Sarah and Marc had some wonderful details! They shared them with me:
 
*Dress- Anne Barge- Bliss Bridal in Del Mar, California (also where Sarah bought her earrings and her hair piece)
*Shoes- Badgley Mischka (Zappos)
*Invitation- Made by minted and then Sarah and Marc stamped and cut out the compass embellishments.
*Programs- The covers were designed on Esty by Robin Bellomy. Marc and Sarah designed and assembled the rest.
*Menus- designed by Marc, assembled by Sarah
*Favors- Since Marc and I met as teachers we wanted to pay tribute to that. We chose to donate school supplies through the United Nations Children’s Fund to Children in Internally Displaced Person’s Camps. I also spent time working for a school in an IDP camp- so this was a great opportunity for us to celebrate who we are while honoring the students who have enriched our lives. Marc designed and printed the cards.
*Table Cards- I purchased the international mailing stamps on Etsy, and then used rubber stamps to create the rest of the table card. This was another opportunity bring in our shared passion for teaching and learning around the world. Each table was named for a place we have taught or a place where we have worked on educational policy.
*Additional Table Décor- (Globe, suitcase,plane, etc)- Pottery Barn
*Escort Cards- Purchased on Etsy by SunshineandRavioli
*Chair signs, cake topper- Purchased on Etsy by Morgann Hill
*Straws- “Coconut Kiss Margarita, Love S & M.” – Classy with a touch of irreverence We had these made on Etsy and then cut them down ourselves to fit the margarita glasses.
*Chuppah- Handmade by Marc’s mom and completed with Marc’s grandmother’s lace table cloth
*Ring Box- It was a vintage cigar box that belonged to my grandfather. It used to hold his harmonicas. Hearing him play was a favorite childhood memory of mine.
*Yarmulkes- handmade by Sarah’s dear friend Mary Piper as well as Marc’s step mom.
*Welcome Bags- Marc designed and printed the tags to match our menus. He designed the perfect little vintage looking plane.
 
Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful week!  Post by Puerto Vallarta Wedding Photographer Michelle Turner.