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.

Want to see what we did the day before? Check out their Cancún destination wedding at Villa del Palmar!