Cody + Kelly: A Mexico Wedding | 01.14.2012 (Photos)

Hello::
Even though these pics were taken almost six months ago and have been enjoyed by the bride, groom, friends, family and myself many times over; I had never actually posted them on this blog (which is supposed to showcase my favorite projects, haha). I could go on for days about how bad I am about keeping this site updated at times, but I digress...this post is all about Cody and Kelly Malak (the Groom and Bride respectively)...for those of you not familiar with them, you should know that they are two very near and dear friends of mine. I had shot some engagement pics for them back in October, so I was thrilled when they asked if I would shoot their destination wedding in Zihuatanejo, Mexico this past January, to which I was going regardless. Now, I would have been stoked to shoot their nuptials in any locale, but the fact that this glorious event would be held in one of the most beautiful "little places" on the Pacific coast of Mexico among the company of some of our closest friends, only sweetened the deal. So the plans were made and less than two weeks into the new year, we arrived in this little piece of heaven!

Now to preface...this was the first time I had ever shot pictures for a wedding (I normally do video). It was definitely a whole new ballgame for me as far as my personal role in a wedding day and the different situations I had to account for technique-wise, but I knew that if we approached the whole situation with a laid back and fun attitude, it would without a doubt make for some great images. I mean how could you not be in a great mindset surrounded by all that beauty!? It really is hard to take a bad picture in that amazing environment. Luckily we were blessed with some nice weather that day and an amazing venue, La Perla Restaurant, right on the beach (La Playa Ropa) of the Zihuatanejo Bay. Kelly was a beautiful bride in her stunning dress..they are quite the handsome couple if you asked me; that always makes the job a whole lot easier, haha. The La Perla staff was infinitely accommodating and the fact that the wedding and reception were all being held in the same vicinity made for a very stress free and easy going experience. There was laughter, tears and an all around air of care free bliss that is not likely to be matched anytime soon. All these factors made for a very smooth flowing day and a killer reception party that could only be described as "Raging"; true to form, y'all:)

Needless to say, this was one of the most amazing experiences I have had in recent years. It is rare to be surrounded by so many great friends in such a beautiful location with seemingly endless amounts of love and laughter to go around; not to mention amazing views, food and booze, lol. Plenty of new friendships were created in celebration of this fine couple and bonds were made between families and friends that will last a lifetime...I know I'm not just speaking for my myself when I say that I will cherish these memories for years to come and can only hope for more opportunities like this in the future...It's hard to consider this "work", when it was so much fun to document! We wound up staying in Zihua for a full week, so it was not just a "wedding gig", it was a full on vacation! I sincerely appreciate the Malak and Hudson families for allowing me to be part of this incredible journey!

Check out the wedding album on facebook!

I also have a ton of personal pics on my facebook page from our various adventures around Zihua throughout the week. Check them out here if you'd like!:
Day 1 and 2
Day 3 and 4
Days 5-8

thanks for looking!
~brendan