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When I first met Monique + Thomas last year, it was apparent from the start that they were a special couple. They had booked me for their wedding in July at a venue near Harrisburg. After spending 5 minutes with them I knew that their wedding would be a memorable one. I just had no idea how memorable. A few months ago I received a frantic email from them. Their venue had double booked and they were scrambling to find a new place. They wanted to know if they could move their date as long as I was available, and knowing that this was not their fault I of course said yes. Weeks went by without me hearing anything. I was growing increasingly concerned, wondering what was happening. Then, I get an email from them asking if I would be open to shooting their wedding on a new date…in Mexico. My immediate answer was yes. They arranged the travel for me, and I started the work of planning for every possible contingency I might face. Destination weddings may appear to be a fairly simple thing, but the reality is that my job becomes exponentially harder because of the remoteness of the location. You are truly on your own, completely removed from the support network of colleagues and friends that you have at home. I take what I do extremely seriously, and that means that besides creating great images, I’m responsible for the safety and security of those images. That means that every step of the process – from transporting the equipment there to getting the images safely home – needs to have not just a plan A and B but also C and D. Fortunately, the entire trip went as smoothly as possible and I had the opportunity to work with some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. Monique + Thomas and their guests treated me like family the entire time. It was an experience that I have a hard time verbalizing, and one that I will be eternally grateful for. Below are some of my favorite images, and yes, they really did trash the dress.