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A year later, after so many cancellations and postponements from the pandemic, we were finally back in Mexico. On this occasion, it was to photograph the elopement of my friends Mela & Zac.
For how special this elopement was, it needs a little backstory! I met Mela years ago in Los Angeles through Instagram, and we instantly hit it off and stayed social media friends. Mela and Zac had planned a backyard wedding in New York, but during COVID, even a small get-together was proving stressful and challenging. I spent months giving Mela information, hoping to plant the seed about the benefits of eloping, and, eventually, something clicked.
3 weeks before we’d planned to fly out to Mexico for another wedding, Mela texted us saying that she felt overwhelmed. Wedding planning was becoming too much, and she decided she wanted to elope instead! We told her about our Mexico trip and a little beach town called Puerto Escondido where we’d been DYING to shoot. I sent her a link to the dreamiest Airbnb I’ve always envisioned shooting an elopement at, and she booked in that same day!
After a very long and bumpy dirt road, we pulled up to one of the most magical properties I’ve ever laid eyes on. A 30-minute drive out of town led us to Casa Orgullosa, a modern wonder amidst the coastal desert. We had lunch cooked by the sweetest Mexican abuelita, then swam in the pool before they slowly got ready.
We explored the property and walked over to the beach as they exchanged their vows with no one around. I couldn’t hear a word they were saying with the sound of the crashing waves, but I could see it all in their faces and their tears.
I can’t put into words how honored I am to have couples that run with my wild ideas. Couples that trust me enough to travel to places they’ve never heard of and are willing to go with the flow to have a meaningful experience over a “perfect” day. Perfection isn’t in having everything go according to plan. It’s being fully present at the moment and being able to see the beauty around us.
Afterward, they threw their swimsuits on, and we all jumped in the pool! Then we drank mezcal until the sky got dark and had one last magical meal together.
Thank you, Zac and Mela, for being the best couple out there and for sharing your day with us! We are so thrilled that you two were our first Oaxaca elopement.
We’re forever grateful. ❤️
