Brian & Ariane's Wedding | Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

There is just something so special about a destination wedding in a different country. Well, I guess that could have gone without saying. But maybe you know what I mean.

The already special wedding day turns into something that must be deliberately and delicately planned. i's are dotted. t's are crossed. "300 pounds of chachkis" are escorted through customs. For the guests, there is planning as well. Passports are dusted off. Dog and house-sitters prepped. Bankrupt airlines are dealt with. They make it to the airport, survive their lay-overs and run the "time-share gauntlet" upon arrival and catch a taxi to the hotel. This is all worth it right?

It is so worth it- especially with Ariane and Brian at the helm. These two, along with their families, throw a party like no other. Every detail is impeccably planned and presented down to a welcome bag of goodies including a weather forecast (perfect everyday!) and list of local restaurant recommendations awaiting each guest in their room.

"Official" wedding events kicked off on Thursday with a Welcome to Mexico party thrown in the seventh floor penthouse. (Un-official wedding activities had ended earlier in the morning with the conclusion of what the parents called a three-day bachelor/bachelorette party. Sadly there are no pictures- from me anyway)

There were flowers EVERYWHERE and enough food and drink to feed the resort.

One could say that Ariane was leaning into being a bride. She wore white every day leading up to the wedding and she definitely pulled it off.

Oh- and there were fireworks. Tough to say whether is was a fabulous end to a fabulous night or the beginning of a great weekend.

Friday morning dawned as perfectly as the rest. Although when the weather is perfect all the time, you catch yourself getting picky- a little breezy today and maybe a little too hazy for a perfect sunset. But really it's all a matter of the day being a 9.95 or a 10.0.

The theme for the wedding was "bling" there was bling everywhere. In the flowers. On the tables. And of course on the dress and on the shoes. What can I say, the girl knows what she likes.

We had some fun using the penthouse as a photo studio before the ceremony. Oddly enough, there was plenty of room to hide Briane and Ariane from each other. And I have to give my compliments to the wedding party. They were all ready on time- especially the boys who sat patiently watching tv while waiting their turn.

The ceremony was amazing from every aspect. Did I mention they had a few flowers? And contrary to popular belief, this was a wedding at the beach NOT a beach wedding.

One more shot of the shoes.

Proud parents of the groom.

Now we know where Ariane gets her smile from.

The first look.

Walking in with Grandpa. Not a dry eye in the house.

In Mexico, you have to sign and thumbprint what seemed like 7 copies of the wedding certificate during the ceremony. As if on cue, they turned to me and gave me the thumbs up. I didn't have to ask for it and we never talked about it. Talk about the perfect clients.

The infectious smile.

So it may have not been a wedding on the beach, but we sure were not going to pass up the opportunity for photos on the beach at sunset.

This shot was a bit like herding cats, but we got the job done :)

This was NOT my idea, but I certainly wasn't going to argue with them.

Apparently Brian was feeling the Halloween mood as his inner Dracula came out.

The details continued right into the reception with more flowers and more bling and a cake that was unbelievably good.

Ariane and Brian- your wedding was an amazing experience both as a guest and a photographer. Thank you so much for trusting me with your big day. Your love for each other, friends and family was truly something to witness and I wish you many many years of love and happiness.