Mother Nature was certainly working on our side for the first of May, with the perfect mix of warm sunshine and cloud coverage relief. And as the sun was dancing around, reflecting off the waters of the swimming pool at the resort, Viva Wyndham Maya, and the distant Caribbean Sea, Joyce was enjoying some alone time with the ladies of her wedding party, having just returned from their hair and makeup session in the salon. Feeling stylish and looking radiant in her simple silk kimono cover-up, she was eager to have her bridesmaids join in the comfort. And so Joyce took a moment to hand out her gifts of appreciation to each of them, and to everyone’s delight, they were matching silken robes, though simply a reverse of the colour palette. The ladies each instantly went into a mixture of trying them on while attempting to offer Joyce a thank you hug. Smiles and hugs were a plenty among this small group of women. Before long, it was time to pop the bubbly and celebrate the upcoming wedding ceremony waiting to take place. Champagne was flowing into each of their own flutes, and some much needed lounging felt a necessary way to enjoy the new gifts before hitting the beach and the sun for the ceremony. After some giddy chatter, a few other friends came by to congratulate the bride-to-be, and with that, it was time to get into her gown, and complete the ensemble. With the help of her friends, Joyce was in her stunning wedding gown. With her completely yellow bouquet of flowers added to the ensemble, her face literally was glowing from the reflective tones of the flora. And she looked absolutely gorgeous. Taking a few moments to admire her reflection, Joyce soon had more visitors, this time her parents who came to see their daughter in her dress, ready to exchange vows with David.
The yellow bouquet should have tipped me off to the decorations for the set up on the beach, but I still had no idea just how lovely all the yellow accents of bows, ribbon and more flowers, would appear with the turquoise-teal tones of the sea this afternoon. The weather truly was perfect, as the sun was able to come through and kiss everyone’s shoulders without blinding their vision and casting unpleasant shadows. Knowing that orange and blue are complimentary colours on the colour wheel, I was pleasantly impressed with the way the blue and the yellow played with each other, popped with the white of the sand and other decorative ribbons. With less than 50 guests, you would think the ceremony would feel small and intimate however, with the location on Playacar beach, surrounded by various other resorts and boutique hotels, meant there were plenty of onlookers from a variety of locations on, and around, the beach. So as Joyce, David and her father were having a moment, there were plenty around to bare witness to this touching exchange of hugs from father to son-in-law. All was flowing smoothly, and Joyce and David kept looking so longingly in one another’s eyes and exchanging loving excitement vibes, until once unexpected blip in the day caused a “time out”. David’s wedding ring was never brought along to the ceremony, causing a groomsman to play the hero and race to retrieve them from his hotel room. This gave everyone a chance to relax their shoulders, and exchange smiles and laughter over this minor setback. Before long, with both rings in their possession, Joyce and David exchanged their vows, and had a chance to share their first kiss as husband and wife, twice when welcoming an encore came from the officiant. As friends and family celebrated their union, staff ensured all the guests had a beverage with which they could cheers the happy newlyweds. And of course, take the much needed moment to tell Joyce just how stunning she looked in her simple and elegant sweetheart wedding gown.
While we still had the perfect lighting and before the staff started to dismantel the ceremony setting, we gathered the wedding party to do some group shots using the lovely display Viva Wyndham Maya had created for the wedding. With a groomsman unwell, we moved on to photographing the bridesmaids with Joyce first, before more group shots in hopes of the entire party being able to be a part of the fun. The amount of fluffy white cloudsthat had drifted oversea highlighted the sky that was the picturesque definition of the colour “sky blue”. The beach setting was emaculate, and we endulged in the chance to photograph the newlyweds from various angles and lens with such a spectacular backdrop. It was a beach day like that day that every bride has their heart set on having when it comes to booking a destination wedding. And by the smiles strewn across both David and Joyce’s faces when we kept suggesting other photographic options while staying on the beach, they seemed to be in complete agreeance for how perfect this scene had become. Of course, all good things must come to an end, with Joyce and David requiring some time to revisit themselves before dinner, we parted ways and had the opportunity to photograph the details in the restaurant that was reserved specifically for their guests. The dinner was delicious, and far more relaxed an affair than most, with the newlyweds saying a thank you toast before cake and dessert was cut and served. And together they went to the tables of their guests to express gratitude for attending their wedding and such. The discotheque at the resort was reserved for their dance party after cake, but Joyce and David only requested photos of their first dance and the father-daughter dance, so shortly thereafter we were packing up our gear and ready to head out, leaving the wedding party and guests to their private dance party minus the paparazzi.
