Travel
Tulum, Mexico Destination Wedding – Traditional Mayan Ceremony
We first met Ashley and Travis while shooting their engagement session here in San Diego. They hadn’t decided on a location for their destination wedding yet, but really loved their engagement photos and wanted us to photograph it wherever they decided to go. Fortunately for us, they chose Tulum, Mexico!
Tulum is a short 2 hr drive south of Cancun, but worlds away from the crazy Spring Break vibe found there. Beyond the tropical foliage that lines the coast are stunning warm turquoise waters, white sand beaches dappled with occasional sunbathers, surfers, yoga retreats and the breathtakingly beautiful Tulum ruins. The whole area evokes a calming peacefulness and spiritual draw that makes it stand out as one of our favorite places in the world.
Ashley and Travis scored a gorgeous private villa large enough to house all of their closest friends and family in one location! They embraced the local culture and traditions of the Mayan Riviera by having an actual Shaman marry them in a traditional Mayan ceremony, emphasizing harmonious interaction with mother nature. Our favorite part of the ceremony was when everyone raised their hands over the couple to signify their support and blessings as the Shaman blew a conch shell invoking the gods to bear witness to the couple’s eternal union. The ceremony built to a crescendo as strong winds mysteriously rose around us. Our senses were overwhelmed by the touch of sand, wind, and waves crashing as we watched the couple seal their union with a kiss punctuated by the resounding call of the conch shell. SUPER-ROMANTIC, right?!?
Following the ceremony was an awesome outdoor reception that featured some of the most incredible entertainment we have ever seen at a wedding! A local world-beat fusion band played an eclectic mix of exotic instruments and songs so energetic that everyone (including grandma) couldn’t resist dancing their butts off! As they played, various band members jumped out on the dance floor to perform… at one point the lead singer (a dutch expatriate) rocked a traditional African dance to perfection. It was WILD! The crowd parted as fire dancers, stilt walkers, and capoeira dancers emerged to perform… it was like being on stage at a private showing of Cirque du Soleil! I remember walking over to Jen and saying “Can you believe we are getting to photograph THIS?!?”
Special thanks to Ashley & Travis for planning such an incredibly unique wedding and having us come along to capture all the fun!
Rock the Dress – Destination Wedding Moab UT & Arches
One of the most beautiful and otherworldly places in the United States is Arches National Park located near Moab, UT. Incredible rock formations soar thousands of feet out of the ground forming natural towers, bridges, and arches — a landscape that is truly awe inspiring. Years ago, Shane and I camped and hiked throughout the park and always hoped for an opportunity to come back and photograph it with clients. When Lynn and Peter contacted us and asked us to travel to photograph both their destination wedding AND a Rock the Dress Session here, we were floored!
The day after their amazing wedding was held in a natural canyon just outside Moab, we headed back out with the goal of creating some incredibly unique bridal images in Arches National Park. Weather moves quickly across this state, and the perfect blue sky day quickly became tumultuous and stormy as we drove through the entrance gates. We had originally envisioned landscapes with full sun and vivid colors, but the soft light and cloud cover revealed a romantic and unexpected glow that we find to be captivating.
Happy 2009!!!
Well, it was a crazy 2008. We witnessed some of the most profound events in history, for better or for worse. Despite much of the bad news that we heard throughout the year, Jen and I look back at 2008 as a year of Change. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know. That was Obama’s campaign slogan, but Barrack winning the election was just one of the major changes that we experienced!
Jen and I planned and made the BIG MOVE from Colorado to California. We sold our house, lived in downtown Boulder temporarily, and finally packed up all the junk and headed out west to reclaim our hometown of Encinitas. It was a huge amount of work, and not just because Jen helped carry The Sectional Sofa either. We had the seemingly daunting task of infusing Fellows Weddings into the San Diego market while continuing to grow our business in Colorado. The result? A slew of fast paced trips back and forth to shoot weddings, meet with clients, network with pros, and have fun with friends! We’ve survived so far, and 2009 is looking to be a fantastic year.
We truly miss living in Colorado- we loved hiking and snowboarding in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, the wonderful people, and the Boulder lifestyle. It is just an amazing place. Colorado will always be in our hearts, and we will always be coming back as often as possible.
On the other hand, we are so happy to be back home in San Diego!!! One thing is for sure, you can’t beat the laid-back SoCal Lifestyle. Where else can you wear a t-shirt, shorts, and flops out to breakfast at Pipes Cafe on a Saturday in February after a morning surf session? We’ve been able to reconnect with family and friends who live here and are having lots of fun.
Among all the craziness involved with the move and work, we still found some time to play hard too. We took a short trip to Mexico, went on a never-ending road trip to Portland for Thanksgiving, and got to go on the vacation of a lifetime in Geneva, Switzerland.
If you haven’t been to Switzerland, you should definitely go- IN THE SUMMERTIME. We went in December, and while it was one of the most beautiful places we have ever been, it was REALLY, REALLY, COLD. We went with Jen’s family to visit her sister, Jessica, who is studying for her MBA in Geneva. It was great spending time with her family in such a beautiful place.
Here is a collection of some of our favorite images from the Switzerland trip. We hope you enjoy them and wish everyone a happy new year!
Congrats Mr & Mrs Stokes!
Maritza and Dan have been together as long as their friends can remember. They are one of those couples who perfectly compliment one another and are still as in love today as they were when they first met. Now 8 years later, Shane and I had the honor of photographing their wedding.
The day was gray and damp, but all morning ribbons of blue shone through the clouds. They decided to take a chance and set up for the outdoor ceremony they had planned for. As the start time approached, guests and attendants gathered together under umbrellas, watching the sky for signs. Hidden from sight in her car, Maritza prayed for the sky to clear and the rain to cease.
As if on cue, the sky brightened and the drizzle stopped.
There is something so lush and fresh about nature after the rain. Colors seem more vivid, the scent of flowers hangs heavy in the air. Into this new vibrancy, Maritza walked down the grass pathway to meet Dan.
