Is it just me, or is Sayulita some magical place that produces beautiful images bursting with personality? Maybe it’s just the uber talented Jillian of Jillian Mitchell Photography that made me realize a trip to this gorgeous surfer town needs to move up on the to-do list. This engagement shoot is just too lovely, and the absolutely perfect way to get your weekend off to a sunny start, so be sure to spend some time soaking up the full gallery of images!
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride-to-Be… My fiancé and I began the arduous task of planning a destination wedding in January of this year. Destination weddings are easy breezy, right? Perhaps for the laissez-faire, hands-off bride. For a bride that is hands on, like the let-me-do-it-myself me, finding the perfect dynamic was an anxiety-filled road.
Then I found Jillian Mitchell’s Web site, a wedding photographer based out of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I knew photography was the most important piece of my wedding, so I had planned to interview photographers in the states and bring the best one with us – wherever we decided to get married. Jill 180-ed that plan with a few page-clicks through her gallery. I suddenly knew there’d be no need for interviewing state-side photographers.
When I realized we’d have an opportunity to meet Jill in Mexico prior to our wedding and actually do an engagement shoot with her, I was over the moon. And she did not disappoint. These photos were taken in Sayulita, a small town about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Sayulita is the kind of place where time really does slow down, where sipping in the air off the coastline really is medicine for your insides. It’s a bohemian inspired surfer town in an all-things-vintage-Mexican-kinda-way. It’s charming. It’s endearing. And Jill captures it perfectly. Her photos are art. But they are more – they capture warmth and authenticity of emotion.
Even before meeting her, I knew the person behind the camera had to be a warm soul as well. Our initial email correspondence proved me right. Jill is not only willing to help with photography, she is willing to help with a slew of details related to do-it-yourself-wedding-planning in a faraway place. Her introduction is how I met the gorgeous faces behind Sea of Dreams, the wonderful individuals that styled our engagement shoot. Their storefront in Sayulita’s downtown plaza is Mexico’s version of Etsy in a shop; adorable handmade fabulousness. If you visit Sayulita – and can take a break from surfing the waves – you have to check them out.
Jill stole my heart. Sayulita stole my heart. I think my fiancé would be jealous, except he’s too focused on channeling his inner surfer when we return for our wedding in May.
Photography: Jillian Mitchell Photography / Design: Sea of Dreams Weddings