Mexico Archives - Krista Photography Blog

Posted on December 14, 2012January 8, 2013 by CoCo Boardman

Averie + Keith — Hacienda Tres Rios Wedding Details

Here’s a little peak into the seemingly endless details of Averie & Keith’s glorious destination wedding at the Hacienda Tres Rios Resort in Playa del Carmen Mexico!

We’re going to start off at the welcome party the night before the wedding, it was tucked away in a little grove of palm trees, lit with colorful paper lanterns and flags.

There were plentiful desserts, and tamarind margaritas abound! YUM.

The tables were topped with sombreros, maracas, and little mustaches and beards to get everyone in the spirit, and hopefully prompt some silly pictures!

It worked :) Photographers gotta have a little fun too ya know!

Averie handed these Bridal Biddie cards out to her girls, along with a cute present.

A night time view of the beautiful and HUGE Hacienda Tres Rios.

So on wedding day we woke up in the morning to THIS amazing view. The Hacienda Tres Rios in addition to be an amazing resort, is a nature preserve as well, and had amazing foliage and animals running all over the place!

Alright, now onto the really good stuff! I just can’t get enough of this DRESS!

It’s just so dang pretty!

You know we liked the bling!

Averie had her soft tropical themed stationery on hand, love her message in a bottle save the date!

Averie gave Keith a sweet memento, a custom engraved pocket watch, with a picture of his deceased mother inside, so so so sweet.

What a fun monogrammed box! Plus cigars for the guys!

The belt detail on Averie’s dress is just so lovely and delicate.

Averie had her girls wear mis-matched coral dresses and gold shoes, they were so festive and beachy!

White sand and blue blue skies everywhere! LOVE!

There were lounge beds all along the shore line, so we had to take advantage.

Look at this romantic bungalow!

Complete with beautiful sprays of snapdragons…

…white rose petals,

…MORE snapdragons, and straw fans for the guests.

From the bouquet, to the ceremony, to the centerpieces, everything was tied in so well!

The flowers were simple and rustic and festive but still so elegant.

Averie & Keith made a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in memory of Keith’s mother in lieu of favors.

I love their Señor and Señora signs! Such a fun twist!

Mariachi music!! YES!

There was chic lounge furniture on the deck for people to relax after the dinner.

And Averie’s mom decorated the cake with flowers!

Averie had a message in a bottle guest book set up so everyone could write a secret note to the couple.

I feel like there is one word for this wedding STUNNING. Such thoughtful details, simple and elegant, it was such a pleasure to document! You can thank these wonderful people for them!

Location: Hacienda Tres Rios Resort
Wedding Planners: Leanne + Maju from LM Weddings Riviera Maya, Edna Dratch-Parker from EFD Creative and Gabi Lavor from Planner 1 Events
Invitations/stationary: Ellie Snow from Hello Tenfold
Welcome Bags: Three Eggs Design
Rings: Long Jewelers
Flowers: Planner 1 Events
Wedding Dress: Marisa Bridal/Madeleine’s Daughter (Portsmouth, NH)
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Jewelry: Tejani
Hair/make-up: Melissa + Edgar from MVP Hair and Make-up Artistry
Tuxedo: Hugo Boss
Sign on beach: Love the Unique
Frames: The Rusty Roof
Photo Booth Props: The Manic Moose

Photography: Krista Photography

Second Shooter: CoCo Boardman

Posted on December 12, 2012December 17, 2012 by CoCo Boardman · 3 Comments

Averie + Keith — Hacienda Tres Rios Destination Wedding

Alright folks, hold on to your hats, this is a big one!

For months and months Krista and I were endlessly talking about shooting this wedding. From flights, hotels, transportation, visas, equipment… WHEW! It was a LOT of work to get prepped for this shoot but was so incredibly worth it. Averie and Keith worked tirelessly to bring this event together, along with their TWO wedding planners of course! They had a very select number of family and friends attend the wedding. If you ask me it was the PERFECT amount of people, their nearest and dearest, and even Krista and I felt like part of the crew in the end. It was an absolute BLAST!

So let us begin! After a day or two in Cancun, Krista and I made our way down to the Hacienda Tres Rios to meet the crew, hang by the pool, let our equipment get used to the crazy humidity, and ya know shoot some pictures.

First up… the welcome party! Complete with sombreros and maracas to get everyone in the spirit!

Its always good to have FUN at your rehearsal.

And it continues…

Everyone loved the mustaches!

Their party was tucked away in the gorgeous little grove of palm trees, so dreamy.

Ok now onto the BEAUTIFUL bride! Krista started with Averie as she got ready, safely hiding in the AC :)

Her dress was absolutely perfect, fit her like a glove and just BEAUTIFUL.

Love all of the coral dresses, such a wonderful accent color for the all of Averie’s other details.

Keith gave Averie a lovely present and the sweetest card, you know I love a girl who can cry!

Meanwhile, I started out with Keith and the boys. Where Keith was focused, and the boys….

…were busy with other things, hahaha.

Ok enough horsing around, time for the first look!

Check it out! Love the kick at the bottom of her dress.

Its a good thing you can’t tell from the pictures how HOT it was… whew!!

Pretty sure, I’m fixing Averie’s shoes at the bottom of this frame, whatever it takes!

Dang girl!

Ok, time to hide away for the ceremony! Love this of Averie and her dad, no jitters for this girl!

I waited up at the top of the altar for this one, wasn’t this place gorgeous!?

Tied together for life!

Krista and I waded around in the water to grab these shots, slightly dangerous… totally worth it!

Woohoo!

A mariachi band led them through the resort to the reception site!

We were on a nice big patio at the edge of one of the main pools, they had lounge furniture and lights strung around, and a gracious breeze!

Twilight approached as everyone ate, man oh man that sky!

Then it was time to dance!

Averie had a costume and hair change too!

The mustaches and beards made their way into the dance floor too!

Whew! That’s it guys! What a blast it was reliving this wedding, and there’s still more! Stay tuned for Averie & Keith’s Trash-the-Dress and impeccable details posts coming up this week!

Out of the country!

Well, it’s about 4 hours before I have to leave for the airport, and I still haven’t packed for my trip to Haiti! But, such is life :) It’ll all get done somehow, even if it means I don’t sleep – at least I’ll sleep on the plane that way. haha!

I’ll be in Haiti until late Monday night, June 2nd. Please pray for a good safe trip. Pray that I would stay healthy, and that this picky eater would be able to eat whatever is put in front of her ;), and pray for some awesome photographs that HFCH will be able to use to increase their ministry in Port-au-Prince!! Thanks for taking this journey with me. I can’t wait to come home and share some photos with all of you!

I will be without email & internet access until Monday (eek!), so if you don’t hear back from me, that’s why :) I’ll do my best to respond to all emails when I get back to work next Tuesday.

and because posts without photos are lame… here’s a shot from my very first missions trip to Mexico back in 2002…

Have a great week!!

Posted on March 12, 2008August 25, 2009 by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

Abby-Jill

Today, I found out that a dear friend of mine passed away. Abby-Jill was an AMAZING woman with a faith and a heart to help others that you rarely see. She was always full of energy, enjoying life to the fullest and giving God the glory along the way.

I met Abby-Jill when I went to Park Community Church in Chicago. She was the Missions Director for the church, and lead the very first missions trip I ever took back in 2002. These photos are of Abby in her 2nd home – the Baja of Mexcio and the Foundation For His Ministry.

Then in early 2004, I got to travel half-way around the world with Abby on a missions trip to India with the Gospel Association of India.

Here’s Abby-Jill with a friend she made in India who told us his name was George Bush :)

It was later that year that Abby took a full-time position with the Foundation For His Ministry, and moved away from Chicago. Her friends & family threw her the BIGGEST going away party. In true Abby fashion, it was a BLAST complete with dancing and singing. This is how I like to think of Abby-Jill… dancing up a storm with a huge smile on her face.

It was shortly after she moved to California to work with FFHM that she found out that she had lung cancer that had metastisized all over her body. They told her that she may only have months to live, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. For the past 3 years, it has been an honor to follow her on this path and to see her hope, her faith and her sheer determination to hold on as long as she had the strength to share her love with others.

This photo is from a wedding I shot in 2006. It was the last time I saw Abby-Jill and I wish terribly that I’d taken the time to shoot more photos of her, and to talk to her more.

Abby-Jill and I weren’t close friends, but she was dear to me and I am grieved at the loss of her. But, I’m not sad for her so much as those she left behind. I know that those who loved her will miss her terribly. But, I am thankful that she had peace in her death, knowing that she would see her Father in heaven. I imagine her up there, basking in the glory of God, dancing, with a huge smile on her face.

Posted on June 26, 2007January 28, 2010 by Krista Guenin · 1 Comment

Celeste & Troy’s Wedding!

So, Cabo was great – but the real reason I was there, was to photograph (and attend) my cousin, Celeste’s wedding. She and Troy are a fun couple, and have a gorgeous little boy named Aiden. It was so awesome getting to be there – the whole weekend was just amazing! I’m so thankful that they made me part of it all!!!

This is Celeste, Troy & Aiden walking around Cabo on our way to our sunset cruise the night before the wedding. Aren’t they cute?? :)

Celeste helping Aiden get ready…

Our Aunt Bethie gave Celeste our Great-Grandmother Celesta’s ring as her something-old and something-borrowed. This ring was given to Grandma Guenin by Grandpa Guenin like 100 years ago, before they were married. Celeste and I never got to meet Grandma Guenin, but since she’s Celeste’s namesake and all – it was pretty special.

Celestey looking beautiful…

This was the setting of the ceremony and reception – it was gorgeous!

Little Aiden again – he’s just so cute!!

Here’s the whole fam!! Well, at least everyone who could come :) We missed the rest of you guys!!

Celeste & Troy enjoying being newlyweds…

It was so fun! And the best part was that after dinner, the hotel was having karaoke night right next to us – so we got to keep having fun, with microphones in our hands :) I’m an admitted karaoke-junkie so I thought it was pretty sweet! No one needs to see those photos though… ;)

Thanks again Celeste & Troy!!! I love you guys!!

<3 kiki

Posted on June 25, 2007August 25, 2009 by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

Mexico pics – yeah!

So, I know it took forever, but here are some pics from Mexico!

Here’s the view from my VIP suite at the resort. When I checked in, my parents were complaining about getting a room with 2 double beds instead of a king, as were my Aunt & Uncle. So, when I checked in, I was expecting the double beds. BUT, the lady said “Oh, I see here that you are a VIP!” (huh?!) I had a room on the top floor, in the center of the resort, with the best view, and a King-sized bed! All for little ole me! I felt pretty special :) I almost gave up the room for my parents, but then I remembered, that I’ll be sleeping on the couch when we have our family vacation in Wisconsin next month, and I figured, it was OK for me to be pampered a little bit…
These pics are from a sunset cruise we took in Cabo – so much fun!! Thanks Dad!!

This seal is sitting on the southern-most point of the Baha Penninsula – how cool is that? He was pretty amazing.

And, this would be me, chillin’ on the boat… :)

More pics from the wedding coming soon….

Posted on June 15, 2007August 25, 2009 by Krista Guenin

On my way to Cabo!

Woo hoo! I could not be more excited! I’m sitting in the airport right now, waiting for my flight. I’m heading to Cabo San Lucas for my cousin Celeste’s wedding. I was so bummed a few months ago when I heard she was getting married in Mexico because I didn’t think I’d be able to go. Money was tight and it just didn’t look like it would happen. Then, we were chatting online one day and I was asking her what she was going to do about photography… Long story short, she decided to fly me to the wedding so I could take the photos, and get to be there! I’m so excited! I love my Celestey and I’m so happy I get to be there to celebrate with her and Troy, and the rest of the family!!