Isla Mujeres Destination Newlywed Session

Lani and Justin’s destination newlywed session took place the day after their wedding in Cancún, Mexico. Their wedding day was a giant celebration (check out the link below!). But besides having their nuptials in a tropical paradise, they wanted some intimate, romantic portraits with just the two of them. I mean – what better way to spend the first day of your marriage? We jumped on a ferry to Isla Mujeres and spent the afternoon creating some of my favorite portraits to date.

The three of us got around the island on a go-cart (thanks for driving, Justin!) and went straight to the southern point, or Punta Sur. Fun fact: this is also the easternmost point and highest elevation in all of Mexico. The temple to Mayan Goddess Ix-Chel is there, rested on cliffs beyond a modern sculpture garden. There was a time when the entire island was devoted to Ix-Chel, ruler of fertility, motherhood, and the moon (basically all things feminine). When Lani and I started talking about her wedding photos over a year ago, incorporating Mayan ruins was a must. I think we did pretty good 🙂

We dodged some tourists, explored the ruins, and started making our way back to town when we came upon a hidden treasure called Playa Lancheros! Lucky for us, we arrived JUST in time for sunset. Lani slipped into her red dress, and we took a quick dip in the ocean before dark. The sea was warmer than I’d ever felt it, and the colors of the sky looked unreal. These are hands-down some of my favorite images from the entire weekend.

Back in town we met up with family before heading back to the mainland. I was off to Chicago the next morning, but the happy newlyweds had another week to spend together in paradise.