Cancun Wedding on Film - Unico 2087

Weddings

Nov 3

The bride and groom in a coconut tree grove during golden hour. ©Jess Living Photo

A peek into this destination wedding in Cancún, Mexico, at the luxury resort Unico 2087, that felt like pure magic — captured through a focus on film photography. Set against the turquoise coastline and framed by the soft light of the tropics, this celebration was a study in intentional design, effortless elegance, and emotional connection. Every detail — from the refined experience and lush florals to the laughter shared during golden hour — told a story of timeless romance and artistry.

As a luxury destination wedding photographer, I’m always endlessly inspired by weddings like this — where every frame feels cinematic, every texture feels alive, and every photograph becomes an heirloom. This gallery captures not only the beauty of a Cancún wedding, but the emotion, atmosphere and friendships that make each memory unforgettable.

The Day Before

As all of their friends arrived to Cancun to begin the celebration, Madison and Travis welcomed each one with a beautiful gift bag, a huge hug, so many margaritas, and so much love. The night before the wedding, the bridal party and family gathered to rehearse the ceremony, and celebrate over dinner. After the dinner, all of the guests gathered at Unico 2087’s bar to begin the group celebration with Welcome Drinks.

Getting Ready

One of the benefits of a destination wedding is that the people that show up are absolutely the people that care the most. It makes so many moments of a wedding day so much more meaningful - including getting ready.

Details

I love destination weddings when I get to stay at the hotel that the wedding is happening at. One of the things that’s fun about it is that I’ll often go grab the details from the bride in the morning, or the day before the wedding, so that I can take my time with the details and bring them around the hotel, take my time, under low pressure, and get creative. I was able to shoot the jewlery and flatlay around the hotel - then when the wedding schedule itself begins, any detail shot I get later is just extra!!

The coconut ring shot (on film) nearly broke my instagram analytics when it was posted. The cool thing about that shot is that because I had already done the details, I had the freedom and the lack of pressure to be able to get extra creative with them later on. (I also feel lucky to always have brides and grooms that are so trusting of me and will hand me their wedding rings if I ask them to!!) We were walking on the beach for their golden hour portraits when I saw this perfect coconut on the ground. I immediately asked them for their rings and ran over to it!!

Ceremony

Unico 2087’s ceremony location is so inconic - a near-sand ceremony location that incorporates the tropical greenery, teal ocean waves, and soft sand.

Cocktail Hour

After the ceremony, the guests gather to celebrate the new union with iconic champagne cheers, strong martinis, and of course plenty of tajin-rimmed margaritas.

Decor

The decoration details on this wedding were one of my favorite parts of the day. I thought the decor did a really good job at balancing a classic white wedding decor, with the tropics, and elevating the tropical aesthetic while blending the two vibes.

Portraits

Between their first look, and about 20 minutes of golden hour/sunset portraits, we had plenty of time to get some beautiful photos around the Unico 2087 property, and for Madison and Travis to spend some time together in the busy schedule of their wedding day.

Bridal Party & Family

The closest friends and family, always a favorite part of the day - and some of the most important photos I’ll ever take as a wedding photographer.

The Reception

This was one of my favorite receptions. Having stayed at the hotel with the couple and guests, and being a part of multiple days of events, I felt like I got to know the guests so well. When the reception came around, I really was able to channel my wedding-guest-with-a-camera persona - which is always the most fun for me, and the most comfortable for all of the guests - and always shows in the photos.