Derek Cookson Photography – Royal Oak, MI Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Stephanie and Rob asked me to just do engagement photos with them last September, and we had a ball! We talked about a lot of stuff, but when they mentioned they were getting married in Mexico, I jokingly said to them, “Hey, just bring me along, I would love to share that experience with you!” and with a glint in their eye, they said “Hey, we just might!” Fast-forward a few months, and I get an email asking me to do just that – come along and share their wedding in sunny Cancun!

I jumped at the chance, as I had ALWAYS wanted to do a “Destination Wedding”, and hey, escaping Michigan for a few days wouldn’t exactly HURT now would it? Little did I know, what a BLAST that would be had with them, and their entire wedding party….

Right from the moment I got off the plane, Rob and Stephanie’s friends and family took me in as one of their own, and what a fantastic group of people to share a tropical paradise with, at the Gran Caribe Real, in Cancun Mexico! We sat around the pool enjoying the sun, went parasailing in shark-infested waters (the beach was closed the day before for a shark sighting – Yikes!), and braving a Mexican marketplace – all in the day before the wedding! I honestly felt like I was there with friends and family I had known for a long time, and I couldn’t thank them enough for the experience.

Then, the wedding day arrived. Breakfast with the groom, salon with the bride, poolside with the wedding party, it was a day to remember! Through all the sun, sweat, laughter, sunburn, and amazing hospitality, Rob and Stephanie got to share the wedding of their dreams, right on the beach with an Ocean breeze through their hair, ending the perfect day with a perfect full moon over the crystal waters in the background; it was in every way, a tropical dream!

Congratulations to the happy couple, and I can’t WAIT to share these images with them, with you, and everyone who is even thinking about getting married in paradise…Just remember, you can have a stranger at the resort capture their job-required 30 or 40 images of your wedding, or you can bring someone along who will steal a coconut RIGHT off a tree for the groom’s Mom who REALLY wanted one, (True Story) or share a pack of Cuban Cigars with you because you’d never HAD a real cuban. (and as it turns out, thanks to the shysters at the market who sold us fakes, you STILL probably haven’t…haha!). The point is, think about bringing someone along to share the experience with you…you will be glad you did!

Enjoy! Bueno!