It is truly something special to have a destination wedding. Where all your loved ones can spend time with one another in an almost heavenly place. Cabo, Mexico was like that for B+V’s family. Enjoy their destination wedding photos!

Musical Credit: Coldplay
Kingdom Come (X&Y)
Strawberry Swing (Viva La Vida)
Lovers in Japan (Viva La Vida)

***You can view the photos on facebook too! Be sure to check them out in my photos section***

with love,

Kenny

Contact – Portfolio – Facebook – Twitter
New Chicago Studio in Lincoln Park: 855 W. Blackhawk Chicago, IL 60642 *by appointment only*

After a blog post with wedding teasers, and a whole blog post about the pre-wedding activities…we have arrived to Brittany & Vaido’s destination wedding photos from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! It was an honor to be flown down to Cabo San Lucas from Chicago to be their destination wedding photographer. I was treated like family and I absolutely loved every minute of paradise that is Cabo San Lucas.

We stayed at the Fiesta Americana, on the Cabo del Sol resort property and the ceremony and reception were held at the Clubhouse elsewhere on the Cabo del Sol property.

Cabo Del Sol: Los Cabos Mexico
Km. 10.3 Carretera Transp.
Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S.
C.P. 23410

Luz was the event manager and she was wonderful at providing a great atmosphere and taking care of all the little details involved in this destination wedding. Roxanne from Baja Weddings worked with Brittany and Vaido in coordinating EVERYTHING so that the bride and groom could really sit back and enjoy their time in Los Cabos!

Here’s a photograph of the Cabo Del Sol clubhouse entrance- I love the architecture and the palm trees! Can you tell that it was a perfect day for a beach front wedding in Mexico?!?!

I brought my invitation down to Mexico to take a photo of it with some Mexican decor…such as this masonry work.

A ring shot…Nakai Photography style! We are in Cabo San Lucas, and we are definitely utilizing any Mexican artwork we find.

A photograph of Brittany’s Jimmy Choo shoes, on top of a wooden trunk.

A gorgeous dress. We took the standard ‘hanging the dress in the window’ shot, but I love the Mexican decor and I much prefer this one!

A little make up getting applied-

Brittany took a break from all the pre-wedding festivities to enjoy a moment on her balcony. That’s one thing I LOVED about Brittany and Vaido…they were continually soaking everything in…

Some detail photos-

Grooms details-

Vaido getting ready photos

A nice timeless image of Vaido. A photo that is clean and simple…yet highlighting Mexico and Los Cabos.

I love this photo of the groomsmen-

But this was how it really was throughout the whole wedding day! These guys were always laughing at something. And you gotta love a photo with a reflection!

Vaido’s Rolling Stone photo op-

Another photo with these blooming pink flowers. They were so colorful…we just had to utilize them in the photoshoot.

Brittany’s phenomenal bridal bouquet. I love the colors and the flower selection. So unique!

The ladies helping Brittany into her wedding dress

Mom got a little emotional when singing ” going to the chapel and we’re…”

Cheers!

A photo of the beautiful bride and her bridesmaids

It was such a relaxing day and the ladies were really able to enjoy the time together-

We had to grab a couple photos of Brittany by herself. She was stunning!

I loved her earrings. Gotta have another photo of those.

Though the bride and groom opted to not see each other before the wedding ceremony, this is a unique way to incorporate both of them in the same photo!

Their wedding program.

Once Luz and Roxann told me the wedding ceremony set up was complete, I got driven out there to grab some photos of their fabulous job! Destination wedding on the beach…ridiculous! And I love the rock formations in the water…it just screams Los Cabos!

When you have a wedding at the Cabo del Sol property, you are driven on these limo golf carts-

The bride and her father making a grand entrance!

Vaido was grinning ear to ear-

Beautiful sun…I did mention that it was a perfect day for a wedding? Not too windy, not too hot, and not too cold.

When they were planning their wedding, B & V wanted a beach front destination wedding. And while they had their pick of locations (bahamas, aruba, etc) they chose the gorgeous location of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I hope this photo always reminds them of their dream wedding come true on the ocean..at the tip of Baja California.

Real laughs and real smiles. =)

And it’s done! Let the goodtimes begin!

Before the creative portraits began, we just started with a nice photo of them on the beach with a warm sun setting behind them.

One thing Brittany and Vaido appreciate about my photography (among other things) is my ability to capture the real emotions and to allow my clients to really shine in my photographs. This photo is one of those. I LOVE this moment.

A photo of the groom checkin out his bride!

Another wonderful moment between the two of them in the middle of a photoshoot!

Crashing waters in Baja California!

The sunset was just perfect. Roxann from Baja Weddings really knew how to time everything!

I love Vaido’s personality coming out in this photo

And I LOVE this photo

AND I LOVE THIS PHOTO! =) Though not award winning by any means, I love the emotion I feel when I look at this photo.

The B&G had a surprise for all the guests as they began cocktail hour…a live Mariachi band!

You have got to love the Mariachi band outfit details

Just married in Los Cabos, Mexico! Whoo hoo!

Reception details at the Clubhouse on the Cabo del Sol resort property.

The room setup

A photo of the centerpieces.

Some cuban cigars for later on-

A photo of the wedding cake

While we waited for all the guests to get seated, I stole Brittany and Vaido to take more creative portraits!

I love the sky changing colors and the palm trees-

As they waited for the last guests to be seated at the reception, they started dancing and enjoying another moment on their wedding day!

I love this warm toned black and white interpretation of this moment.

The first dance!

Party time!

I apologize for the monster blog post, but I absolutely loved my stay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was my first time, and I am so thankful to have such wonderful clients who take such good care of me!

Brittany and Vaido: Your love for each other is so apparent. It almost made shooting your wedding too easy. =) It was an unforgettable weekend and I am thankful to have shared it with you and your family!

***for anyone interested…there will be more photos posted in facebook next week…so check that out next week for even more photos!***

with love,

Kenny

Contact – Portfolio – Facebook – Twitter
New Chicago Studio in Lincoln Park: 855 W. Blackhawk Chicago, IL 60642 *by appointment only*

All the guests stayed at the luxurious Fiesta Americana Hotel on the Cabo del Sol property. Fabulous views of the ocean and amenities made for a relaxing atmosphere away from the busy touristy downtown Cabo San Lucas. To help kick off the wedding…Brittany and Vaido had a small intimate bonfire on the beach. A great time to catch up and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere that is Cabo.

The cliffs on the shoreline in Cabo…

Bonfire w/the girls on the Fiesta Americana beachfront

A quick photo with Jeff and Inga…a former bride and groom of mine from 2009! Vaido was actually a groomsmen at that wedding…and that’s how they heard about Nakai Photography!

Cheers!

Stealing a moment away from everyone for a quick moment

The following day…all the ladies were decked out for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner~

We met up at the Cabo Del Sol clubhouse where we took “limo golf carts” to the beachfront where the ceremony would be held.

Father and daughter enjoying a laugh together

As we were waiting to return to the Fiesta Americana for the rehearsal…the sky just lit up on fire. It was pretty ridiculous to witness!

It was a fiesta at the Fiesta Americana- the party area had an ocean view…sweeet!

Lots of photos of the details. Cabo San Lucas is in Mexico…why not have a Mexican themed party?

And of course…live Mexican music!

Warming up on the dance floor

All the sisters put together a fun game for the bride and groom to play. I love this photo all of them laughing in the background

One of the highlights of the night was a video compiled by by Brittany’s sister who was unable to make it to Cabo. It was heartfelt slideshow…and I didn’t even watch it…I was watching Brittany the whole time…a photo tells you just how much it meant to her.

And of course, we couldn’t end the night w/o a creative photo. We headed down to the beach and captured this photo using a Fiesta Americana beach umbrella! Love.

Stay tuned this week for the actual wedding photos! I loved Cabo…and there are so many amazing photos, it’s really difficult to narrow it down!

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New Chicago Studio in Lincoln Park: 855 W. Blackhawk Chicago, IL 60642 *by appointment only*

I fell asleep to the crashing waves echoing up through my balcony doors. I saw whales spouting water through their blowholes. A gorgeous wedding dress. Beautiful flowers. Perfect weather. Photography was a cinch. It was like I could close my eyes and click the shutter on my camera and still create fabulous photography!

Uh. The beach. The sand. The sun. Oh…and for those of us in Chicago…there is a blizzard approaching that could dump 18 inches of snow tomorrow evening. I gotta find my red shoes and click my heels. There’s no place like Cabo. There’s no place like Cabo. There’s no place like Cabo.

Darn. I’m still here. But I wanted to share with you three ‘teaser’ photos with you guys from this past week! And I hope this will warm us all up in the midst of the blizzard. C’mon and dream “destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas” with me.

A quick shout out to Roxann from Baja Weddings, who helped coordinate this beautiful destination wedding! Another shout out to Luz from Cabo Del Sol for a great job of execution and making us all feel so welcome!

And one last thought: B + V are still down there in Cabo…for another WEEK! So feel free to comment here or on a facebook link and leave these two honeymooners some love! This way when they get back…they can read all the comments!

On the beach front where the wedding ceremony was held. Cabo Del Sol resorts…

Beautiful bride and an alright looking groom.

Destination wedding in Mexico in January? Um….yes please!

Thanks so much for reading! Come back soon for some more photos from this Cabo San Lucas, Mexico destination wedding!

With love,
Kenny

Contact – Portfolio – Facebook – Twitter
New Chicago Studio in Lincoln Park: 855 W. Blackhawk Chicago, IL 60642 *by appointment only*

I also took time to visit Phuket, the resort island of Thailand. It is a popular place to have a destination wedding in Asia. If you remember the tsunami from a couple years back, you may remember that Phuket was hit pretty hard. The island has recovered and the only visible signs of the past destruction are new warning signs along the beachfront.

As I would love to shoot a destination wedding in Phuket, I looked online and found wedding and event planner Jeanette Skelton through her website www.luxuryeventsphuket.com. Jeanette was a great resource sharing her experiences about the wedding scene in Thailand. It was obvious that Jeanette knows all the vendors and people you need to know in order to have a successful destination wedding in Phuket.

She not only works with the five star resorts on the islands, but also more intimate villas which overlook the ocean. Here are a handful of villas she showed me.

You see this pool…look at it from a different perspective-

And check out the view!

Meet Paul & Alison, a couple from Hong Kong having their destination wedding in Phuket. They were so awesome to hang out with, I just had to grab a couple shots of them!

A more modern styled villa. Looks straight out of Dwell magazine. And in case you didn’t know, I love Dwell magazine.

Incorporating the rocks into the architecture!

The view from the master bedroom-

A villa with a more traditional style and architecture-

I really wish I could have stayed here instead of a hotel! And in case you couldn’t tell, that is a pool- =)

Can you imagine how awesome a destination wedding would be at this villa?!?

You could have your ceremony on the private beach!

This last villa had a lot of space with a killer view-

Way down there is Surin, a town in Phuket. And if you look very carefully…you can see the hotel where I stayed at…

Thanks again to Jeanette for showing me just how amazing a destination wedding in Phuket could really be! You provide a great service and your weddings are a testimony to that! I hope to work with you again!

with love from the States,

Kenny Nakai