Where to begin! They say someone always goes wrong at every wedding, but to be honest, this Caribbean destination wedding was absolutely perfect. From the vendors to the incredible couple and their amazing family and friends, we couldn’t have asked for a better destination wedding to photograph. Oh, and did I mention the weather? Because it could not have been more perfect.

Am I biased? Absolutely. I love these two. But am I wrong? Absolutely not, and The Wedding Ring agrees with me. They published this wedding in the January 2023 edition of their magazine as a featured destination wedding of the year. Check out the feature here starting on page 49!

GIRLS’ GETTING READY

The bride and her bridal party had a super relaxed morning with breakfast at the Grand Bahia Principe, Runaway Bay buffet, and a trip to the spa for their hair appointments. Mel is such a laid-back person and her wedding morning was no exception. The bridesmaids wore matching bridal party robes and drank mimosas. Mel’s mom even surprised her with a family heirloom ring and bracelet, which resulted in lots of hugs and a few tears. There were so many beautiful moments! Our destination wedding bride opened a beautiful card and gift from her groom, which resulted in some more tears (hers and mine!!). Finally, the staff at Bahia Principe, Runaway Bay picked up the bride and her bridal party and immediate family in golf carts and transported us to the ceremony.

GUYS’ GETTING READY

When the bride and groom decided to purchase full-day coverage for their wedding, they knew they wanted every moment documented. So when Gerardo told Taylor, my incredible husband and partner here at TKM Photography, to meet him at the gym, we knew the day was going to start with a bang. Taylor photographed the groom and his groomsmen during their morning workout, and got some pretty sick photos while the guys got amped for what was to come on the wedding day!

After the gym, Gerardo opened a card and wedding day gift from Melissa, which was so beautiful and touching. The love these two have… I can’t even! It’s amazing.

Having several hours before the ceremony, Gerardo asked Taylor what they should be doing. Being documentary destination photographers here at TKM Photography, Taylor told them to do whatever they want!

We always tell our clients that their wedding is a wedding, not a photoshoot, and the best photos are going to come from you just enjoying your wedding day and us documenting what happens.

So the guys decided to go to the pool and enjoy the gorgeous day for a few hours. Shortly before the ceremony, they came in, shaved, and got ready for the wedding day!

THE CEREMONY
If you’re getting married in the Caribbean, it’s a no-brainer to have your destination wedding ceremony on the beach! That’s exactly what Melissa and Gerardo did. About ten minutes before the ceremony started, some beautiful wispy clouds rolled in which brought relief from the heat for their guests and some perfect even lighting for our wedding photography! The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, with Gerardo’s father giving a lovely wedding talk and his brother translating it. Those that couldn’t attend the wedding in person enjoyed watching on Zoom, and everything was just perfect.

PORTRAITS
We did lots of family, bridal party, and couples portraits right on the beach in that perfect light, with our wedding couple photoshoot being blessed with this perfect diffused golden light that came out of nowhere and was VERY appreciated!

Their portraits were pure magic and they were on such a high from their ceremony that we barely had to direct them. They just were so happy and so high on love that made for the perfect photos all on their own.

Our portrait time was short, but as we always say, we can do more in 20 minutes of good light than we can in 2 hours at noon. These photos are a testimony to that truth!!

RECEPTION

The bridal party made a grand entrance into the reception, and only one pair of pants split open from vigorous dancing, so I’d call that a win! After an amazing dinner, a mix of touching and hilarious speeches, and cutting the beautiful cake, the party started!

I swear, for a small destination wedding in the Caribbean, the dancefloor felt packed and the energy was insane!! We had so much fun with this super dynamic group who danced the night away.

Congratulations Mel & G for an insanely fun, touching, beautiful, impactful Caribbean destination wedding that we will never forget. We love you!!!

TKM Photography is made up of Kat and Taylor MacDonald. We are a Canadian husband and wife wedding photography team who now call Roatan, Honduras home. We favour a documentary approach and live to capture true, raw, beautiful emotions of people in love.

Want to talk about your photography needs? Hit us up here!

Want to see more of our work? Check it out here!

THE WEDDING VENDORS:
Every Caribbean destination wedding photoshoot takes a village, here are a few fabulous wedding vendors who supported this Caribbean Destination Wedding:

Photographer: TKM Destinations
Videographer: Wedding Visuals Jamaica
Florals, Venue, Hair, Catering: Bahia Principe, Runaway Bay
Dress: Justin Alexander
Suits: Azzaro
Her ring: Livia Diamonds
His ring: Edwards and Davies

Wedding Visuals JA, the videographer, was an absolute delight to work with. As you already know, we lean heavily towards a documentary-style approach to our photography and he was on board with our fun and dynamic prompts that result in such fun and natural photos.

Our Caribbean destination wedding bride, Melissa, absolutely stunned in her Justin Alexander dress (so much so that her sneak peeks led to brides from all over North America reaching out to her on Instagram to talk about it!), and of course, Gerardo looked amazing in his Azzaro suit.

Above all else, the team at Bahia Principe absolutely crushed it in everything they did. From destination wedding coordination to décor, to the hair and makeup team, and the delicious meal, every detail was thought of, planned, and executed to perfection. We were blown away by their work.