Throughout the relaxed and low-stress destination wedding of couple Mandy and Patrick in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, photographers Bryan and Mae strived to capture not only the love story of this darling couple, but the beauty of the unique tropical location they chose to be the home of their meaningful destination wedding. And what a great job they did!

The Newlyweds: Mandy and Patrick

Junebug: What were your most important goals in planning your wedding?

Mandy and Patrick: Our most important goals were to steer clear of stress and to make the most of the entire experience, from engagement to wedding and all the moments in between. Having the resort wedding planner do 80% of the work really allowed us to appreciate more of our time with family and friends during the week of the wedding, swimming with dolphins, snorkeling and sipping piña colada ocean-side. Putting our trust in the hands of the wedding planner really paid off for us and our wedding turned out to be a perfect reflection of us - we wouldn't have changed a thing!

Junebug: How would you describe your personal wedding style?

Mandy and Patrick: Our wedding style was relaxed, simple and classic.

Junebug: Where did you hold your wedding and reception, and why?

Mandy and Patrick: We got married in a beautiful chapel on the resort just big enough to fit our family and have a private ceremony. We then had our reception dinner at the See & Sea restaurant open to the warm Caribbean air and ocean and then moved down to the beach for the second half of the reception.

Junebug: What three adjectives describe your wedding best?

Mandy and Patrick: Relaxing, Easy, and Fun

Junebug: What were you looking for in a photographer?

Mandy and Patrick: We were looking for someone with a simple, clean, and elegant style. Bryan and Mae were a perfect fit for us.

Junebug: What did you enjoy most about working with Bryan and Mae?

Mandy and Patrick: They were easy going, and did a great job understanding and capturing what we wanted in our wedding photos.

The Photographers: Bryan and Mae

Junebug: How did you approach this particular wedding and what did you most want to capture during shooting?

Bryan and Mae: We approached this wedding the way we approach all of our weddings: with the goal to tell the story of our couple. For Mandy and Patrick, that meant capturing their love for each other, the friends and family who traveled thousands of miles to celebrate with them, and the great destination they had chosen for their day.

Junebug: Were there any special photographic requests from the couple that made this wedding especially exciting creatively or personally?

Bryan and Mae: Nope. Our couples choose us not only because we have cameras, but also because they embrace our vision and the work they've seen, so we don't typically get special requests.

Junebug: What was the most fun part of this wedding for you to photograph?

Bryan and Mae: We enjoyed the entire day. We love telling the story of the couple as they get ready, during their ceremony, and during the party. The portrait time was especially fun at Mandy and Patrick's wedding because we were in a completely different climate and environment than normal. Light is always the most important when choosing portrait locations. We got lucky in that our portrait time was right as the light was getting low, which just opened up more possibilities for background locations. We loved incorporating palm trees and the ocean, something that we don't get to do when we're shooting in Michigan!

Junebug: How did the locations available to you affect the type of images you shot and how you shot them?

Bryan and Mae: We were blessed and honored to be shooting this wedding in the Caribbean, which meant palm trees, ocean, and colorful buildings. Since Mandy and Patrick made the extra effort to have a destination wedding and to bring their family along with them, we wanted to capture that. The location was a big part of the story of their wedding day, and so it was important for us to include it as much as possible.

Junebug: What kind of equipment did you use while shooting this wedding?

Bryan and Mae: We both used Canon 5DMark II's. We shoot with a variety of prime lenses. For this wedding we used mostly the 35mm f/1.4 and the 85mm f/1.2, which are our favorite lenses.

Thank you for sharing your destination wedding and with us Mandy and Patrick! And thank you for the images Bryan and Mae!

To learn about all of the wedding professionals who contributed to this destination celebration, be sure to visit Mandy and Patrick's page in our Real Wedding Library!