It’s a little secret of mine (but I’m willing to let you all in on it) that I pretty much know I’m going to have a great time shooting when the groom is the one who handles the communication about their wedding photography. This was definitely the case with Ben and Meghan. I had such a wonderful time with them and a reaaaally fun Trash the Dress session afterward which I’ll do a separate post on.

I was really excited for this wedding because it was in my little pueblito, a small town called Bucerias, 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Not only did they get married 3 blocks down from my house but they got married in the same villa that my brother and his wife were married in. It’s also right across the street from the house where my brother’s baby was born, and yeah…. I was really excited to be photographing on my turf.

To make matters better, this was a Dazzling Details wedding. You will surely see their unbelievable work in these photos.

I had my brother and amazing awesome photographer/designer Ed Fladung, and my right hand woman, my editor of 3 years turned second shooter Yanen with me shooting as well.

And here are Ben and Meghan…

Ed’s photo:

Ed’s photo:

Ed’s photo:

Detail grid images by Elizabeth, Ed, and Yanen:

Ed’s photo. I love this shot!

Felicidades!!

What an amazing pair!

Lacey’s a fitness guru, now filming a show for MTV and a really fun, sweet girl. Jessica is a stunning model, and a truly lovely person, and together they make a perfect match. They have a tv show which they’ve just filmed the last episode for, called Lesbian Love where the two of them speak together about love and relationships. I’ve included a link to the video and a few of their words at the end of this post.

Their beautiful wedding was at Las Caletas, which is at the southern point of Vallarta’s Bay of Banderas and accessible only by boat! The day was coordinated by the awesome Kelley of Adventure Weddings. Here is a taste of their amazing wedding and the Trash the Dress session that followed.

Here is the last episode of their show, which includes some video of their wedding, and a letter that Lacey wrote to their fans. They are an inspiration.

Felicidades chicas!!

1 Texan boy
1 Cajun girl
Family and great friends to taste
1 gorgeous villa overlooking the ocean
1 amazing Mexican beach
1 gigantic, warm sun
Lots of palm trees
The Dazzling Details coordinating, designing, and turning said villa into a classy, fantasy world
Cocktails, cervezas, and a little water here and there
His and hers cowboy boots a must
Every kind of cheesecake you can imagine
1 dance floor to get down on
2 fire dancers and 1 drummer
1 pool to cool off in when the festivities wind down
2 rings
1 best friend to officiate the union
And last but definitely not least, a whole lotta love

QUE RICO!!!!!

We made a slideshow with Amanda and Micah’s faves AND my faves which makes for a whole lot of faves so grab a big glass of something good and enjoy.

To view the slideshow press play:

Original record cover:

Scott and Liz’s Save The Date:

A few favorites from their beautiful wedding day in Indianapolis!!

WOWOW. Another wedding for the books. One of my favorites to date!
Lauren and Jon are my kind of people. Very creative – She’s a talented clothing designer, he’s a film producer for really cool films, they live in LA, frequently visit New York, and get married in my favorite two-horse, surf, beach town in Mexico. What’s not to like?

I don’t always get the chance to meet my clients before photographing their wedding but Lauren and I happened to be in New York at the same time, and got the chance to have coffee in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. I promptly coveted her necklace, bag, sun-glasses, personality, style, and especially her silk shirt which was one of her own designs, and which she so graciously gave to me on the day of her wedding -what a pleasant surprise that was, the gift that keeps giving!

Jon’s uncle lives in San Pancho (among other places) and owns my favorite restaurant in all of the Bay of Banderas, Mar Plata (it actually ties with Cafe Del Mar which he owns as well), where they had their reception. The wedding was held at his uncle’s villa… I hope you can see how amazing this place is through the photographs. I, along with all of their guests, was completely floored.

Lauren’s dress? She designed it! The most amazing thing about it is that she put a line of velcro just above the knees. It was a big surprise to all of the guests when they did their first dance. Jon stepped on the dress and the bottom half came off! Party time! The bridesmaids’ dresses she designed as well.

The light was perfect, the guests and location were gorgeous, and Mar Plata and their staff pulled off a truly stunning event.

Sergio from the popular Mexican band Zoe DJed which made for great music and a lot of getting down. Everybody went to TOWN in the photobooth so check those out at the end.

Thanks to Kiersten Rowland for second shooting! She’s a great photographer from New York and shoots weddings through my studio in Mexico during the winter. I’m lucky to have her! Another special thanks to my insanely talented brother Ed Fladung for coming through to shoot some details. Due to the schedule Kiersten and I couldn’t get to the reception site before dark.

Enjoy!

Evelina and Dave’s wedding featured on the Wedding Channel!! Lovely couple + paradise + Prisar Vallarta on the planning and decorations = perfection.

Congratulations Evelina and Dave!!

Alex and Matt’s wedding featured on With This Ring!!!

Alex and Matt had a gorgeous wedding at the Four Seasons in Punta de Mita, Mexico. The stunning back drop, this lovely couple, and the decorating talents of Alex and her mom made this wedding a dream to photograph. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, they decided just before I left on their wedding night to do a Trash the Dress session in the awesome bohemian surf town of Sayulita. I’m a junky for local Mexican scenery coupled with a bride and a groom! Congratulations Matt and Alex!

To view the slideshow press play:

This wedding took place in the fall in my home town, or my self-defined home town as I’ve lived all over the country with many years and my heart, in Brooklyn. I came to know Naomi and Nicholas through my friend and awesome San Francisco photographer Matthew Reamer who was also the officiant for their wedding. My good friend DJ Platurn kept everyone dancing and happy with great tunes. It was a beautiful, touching wedding, filled with tears, joy, and amazing people. Nicholas brewed his own beer with names like ‘Empire Stout of Mind’ and ‘Pitcher Me Rollin”…. It was AMAZING, I’d buy lots of it if I could. Prospect Park is a very special place for me, I’ve spent a lot of time wandering it’s woods, hills, and lakes. I even taught my dog Pancho to swim at the dog beach, it is a wonderful oasis in the heart of the city. I was really excited when Naomi told me that they were into the idea of spending some time before the wedding wandering around the park to take photos. It was the perfect combination of a magical place, two equally wonderful people who found each other and will continue to enrich each others lives (and at least one more… there’s a bun in the oven!… Pregnancy photo session this summer!), and all of the smart, talented, loving people that came from far and wide to share this moment and support their union.  Naturally Delicious had The Picnic House and ceremony area looking enchanting with decorations, planned the wedding flawlessly, and had everyone’s mouths watering with really special food. Special thanks to the lovely and talented Lindsey Thorne for doing a great job of second shooting. Congratulations Nicholas and Naomi!

Lindsey’s photograph:

Lindsey’s photograph:

Lindsey’s photograph:

Lindsey’s photograph:

I love this shot of Matthew waving to all of the ladies as he walks down the aisle to officiate the ceremony.

Naomi had such a great bouquet idea. Each of her girlfriends held a rose for her and as she walked down the aisle she greeted them and accepted their flowers until she had a full bouquet! Those girls had her in tears by the time she reached her parents who were waiting to walk her down the aisle. It was a beautiful sight.

There came a point during the ceremony where nobody under the Chupppah could keep it together including their friend Matthew the officiant. Nicholas decided to take a moment to ‘hug it out’. Lovely.

Grandma’s hands.

Kat from Crown City Rockers played piano while their friend sang Stevie Wonder’s ‘Ribbon in the Sky’.

Lindsey’s photograph:

I adore this photograph of Naomi’s grandmother watching Naomi and Nicholas so proudly.

Photobooth time!!

The wedding design and coordination was expertly executed by the insanely talented and all around super team The Dazzling Details. They never cease to amaze me with what they come up with. Every detail is original, never the same thing twice, which makes their weddings a photographer’s dream to capture! Stay tuned for a recap of past Dazzling weddings soon….

Congratulations Amanda and Steve!

I met these two a few months before their wedding and immediately knew that I was going to love working with them. We realized we had a few mutual friends in the art and music world and a lot in common: Zak’s a DJ and producer and I used to DJ and do music photography. To make things even better, they adored the idea of doing a Day After/Trash the Dress session in the cemetery…I was really looking forward to that! My fabulous second shooter Kiersten Rowland and I had a blast documenting their wedding. Zak and Tricia looked stunning and their day was amazing with a sunset ceremony, mariachis, a cigar roller, fireworks, and breath taking views all coordinated by the lovely Laura Cardenas of I Do Vallarta. And their day-after session…well…you’ll see how awesome it was. There is a full slideshow at the bottom.

A reflection in the pool…

As a nod to Zak’s DJ and producing career I had to start our Day After Session at the Luz y Sonido (Light and Sound) DJ truck. I have a thing for those traveling DJ trucks.

Something about this one reminds me of a film still.

We rolled up to the cemetery just as they were closing and I had to beg the caretaker to let us in for just 5 minutes. We got really caught up in shooting and they locked us in the cemetery!! There we were, Zak with his injured knee and Tricia in her gown, discussing how we could jump over the wall onto my car. Luckily a guy at the corner store saw our little heads peaking over the wall and came over with a key to let us out. Pheeew. They are troopers.

Congratulations Zak and Tricia!

Press play to view the slideshow: