We just photographed our first international wedding and it was an absolute dream from start to finish!

Rylee and Austin are from Boise, Idaho. They met in middle school, and have been together ever since. When they shared their private vows before the ceremony, Rylee said, “We grew up together, and now we get to grow old together.” Cue ALL the happy tears.

This was the second time that I photographed Rylee & Austin in the sand… but this sand was much nicer than the sand at their engagement session at the Bruneau Sand Dunes in Idaho. 😉

Rylee and Austin chose to get married at the Iberostar Selection resort in Cancun, which was a phenomenal choice. The resort does a lot of weddings, so they really have things down to a science (the staff is very confident in setting up, choosing locations, and serving guests, which makes a huge difference). We saw four different weddings in the week we were there, and they each had unique elements, decor, and locations, which I thought was really neat!

Rylee and Austin’s wedding was truly well planned and very well coordinated by the resort. I was impressed with both the experience for Rylee and Austin as well as the experience for their guests during the time we were at the resort.

On Monday, we arrived and did a site walk-through to get an idea of what things looked like, where we would be, and what lighting would be like. Doing a walk-through with your photographer is an absolute MUST when it comes to destination wedding planning!

On the wedding day, Rylee and her bridesmaids started getting ready around noon. Austin’s Mom had a balcony suite that was the perfect “getting ready” room. The lighting was great, the view was great, and there were multiple areas where people could get ready. As far as getting ready rooms in a hotel go, this was a 10/10.

Rylee chose to get into her dress on her own and then do a reveal with all of her bridesmaids, her Mom, Mother in Law, and her Grandma. Then Rylee and Austin chose to exchange private vows together before the guests and groom were escorted to the ceremony site on the beach.

The ceremony was absolutely stunning. A clear day with unrestricted views of the ocean and semi-private beach. The beach was technically reserved for their ceremony, however the neighboring resort infinity pool overlooked the ceremony, and everyone at the pool was watching these two exchange their vows, which was fun.

Rylee and Austin’s ceremony was beautiful. The only thing better than their ceremony was getting to hear them share their private vows. These two have so much love for eachother, and it’s clear that they are meant to be together.

\The reception site at Iberostar Selection was absolutely perfect. It was private, large, and picturesque. It fit Rylee and Austin’s vision really well. One amazing thing about working with a resort is that your service is going to be exceptional. All of the servers and bartenders at Rylee and Austin’s wedding were phenomenal. The guests loved them, and by the end of the evening, considered them all friends. Plus they got to see them throughout the rest of their stay at the resort, which was so fun.

Rylee and Austin shared their first dance as the sun started to set framed with cold sparks provided by the resort, which is always just an added bonus to a special moment.

We headed for ten minutes of sunset portraits, and got some of the most beautiful portraits I’ve taken in my career. Rylee and Austin are so photogenic, it was so easy and fun to get to take beautiful portraits of them around the resort.

One of my goals was to not only photograph the stunning beach where they got married, but also showcase the Iberostar Selection resort where they got married. We took a lot of photos on the beach, but finished our portrait time in the heart of the resort, surrounded by stunning greenery.

Rylee and Austin danced the night away with their family and friends. When the party ended, another party began as almost their entire wedding party jumped in the pool… multiple times. We had so much fun with these two, were treated so well by Iberostar Selection Cancun, and cannot wait to come back to photograph more resort weddings in Mexico. Enjoy the photos below!