When Nicole and Jordan asked me to photograph their destination wedding at The Finest Resort in Cancun, Mexico I jumped for joy!

I suggested to Nicole that while we were in Mexico, we do a “Trash the dress” shoot. Extra time was hard to find but she loved the idea so we vowed to find  the time.  Between all of the wedding madness we found a 45 min time period to meet at the beach ready to rock. All of their guests had been poolside all day drinking and eating in the sun and word got around that we would be shooting at the beach. I can’t say I was shocked when 30 people showed up with drinks in hand cheering them on, but I was surprised at how much fun Jordan and Nicole had with it. They didn’t get shy or let it affect them at all, instead they used it to fuel their excitement of spending this moment in the ocean together, hand in hand with a crazy photographer making intimate suggestions. lol My favorite part of their visit to the beach is the image captured in the highlights below.

Did I mention my 10 year old daughter served as my assistant andI don’t know what I would have done had she not been there to hold a towel over my head and camera as it rained! By the time this shoot was over my cheeks hurt from smiling, we were all soaking wet from either the ocean or the 10 minute downpour and there was about 30 minutes left to get ready for their family style rehearsal dinner.

I couldn’t be more excited to share some of these steamy images on my blog. The tropical weather leant itself to a fabulous shoot because within the hour it went from cloudy, to black clouds, to pouring rain, to the magic hour with a pink sunset. It was pretty incredible…

For anyone considering a session like this during their wedding week, I highly recommend it! I know I will never forget the laughs we had and their friends cheering them on (only for the beginning)! Those memories are priceless.

BRIDE TIP: Have hesitations about ruining your dress but love the idea of trashing your dress? Get a cheap white dress on overstock.com and got for it! Who says it has to be YOUR dress that you likely spent loads of money on… There’s always a way!