Manuela Stefan Toronto Wedding Photographer | Manuela Stefan Toronto Baby Photographer » Destination weddings

A stylish wedding at the Four Seasons resort, Scottsdale AZ

Manuela Stefan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:26:51 +0000

One of my very best experiences so far has been traveling to beautiful Arizona to capture Michelle and Stephen’s wedding events. Their celebrations started with a Western style rehearsal dinner at the quaint Pinnacle Peak patio in Scottsdale. I really felt like I stepped back in time, I would have not been too surprised if John Wayne himself suddenly crashed some of the local bar’s doors open, jumped on his horse and rode into the beautiful sunset Great party, fun crowd, tasty food and extremely friendly staff! Next day we continued on at the super elegant Four Seasons resort. Despite the super hot day, we enjoyed an impeccably blue sky and the sun shining over the perfectly kept patches of dessert surrounding the resort. I do not think I could have asked for more in terms of photo taking opportunities. The ceremony took place while the sun was setting behind the mountain creating a surreal, romantic atmosphere and casting a fabulous light. Cocktails followed and shortly after the party started. Michelle, Stephen and their guests danced away, almost non stop, throughout the night. I will never forget the vibe in the room once the High Energy tune began…I can still hear and see it all

Dear Michelle and Steve, thank you for the amazing opportunity of having spent some great days in one of the most beautiful corners of the world. I had a blast traveling around and discovering such majestic landscape! May you live happily together, enjoy each moment and hope to see you again in NYC soon and have more fun together! Hugs, Manuela.

A lovely destination wedding in Punta Cana

Manuela Stefan — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 17:56:13 +0000

Mona and Emon decided to get married at the beautiful Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana resort, surrounded by loving family members and great friends. Needless to say I was ecstatic to fly down and join them for the week. There is no better time to do this than January and take a nice break in a sunny destination by crystal clear waters.
Infused with both traditional and modern flavors, their celebration was a blend of colourful and visually appealing symbols. Creatively put together under the gazebo, the Sofreh (traditional Persian table covered by items rich in meaning) was beautiful and a perfect match to the beach atmosphere.
Below are just a few photographic details of the many symbolic elements, like: wallnuts = fertility, honey = sweet life, apples = divine creation of mankind, coins = wealth and prosperity.
The reception was held at the fantastic Jellyfish restaurant half an hour away from the resort. This place is a must see! It is spectacular, located right by the ocean and offers an unexpected experience on all levels: visual, culinary, service excellence. Needless to say the fun group hit the dance floor (setup right on the sand) and barely stopped for breaks throughout the night.
The party continued on the bus back to the resort and would have probably gone on til sunrise if we did not have to extend our adventure together with a ‘trash the dress’ photo shoot the next day. But about this a bit later.

I would like to particularly mention lovely Rebecca Elias from Luxe Destination Weddings for her great help throughout the day. She is simply a pleasure to work with and has a very special way of subtly making sure everything goes on smoothly. Plus, her suggestion for the reception to be held at the Jellyfish restaurant was fantastic! Rebecca, thank you for everything and particularly for pulling Mona, Emon and I out of the imminent storm!!

Mona and Emon, thank you for having made me a part of your wonderful celebrations, I trust your life together will always taste like the honey you fed each other during your wedding ceremony! Hugs, Manuela

Trash the dress in Los Cabos, Mexico

Manuela Stefan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:00:59 +0000

After a splendid wedding day at the Riu Palace, Reyhaneh and Will decided to continue their adventures with a ‘trash the dress’ photo shoot. But the photo taking was just a part of the journey the three of us have embarked on that day. We made a first stop in Cabo San Lucas, the little town just 10 minutes away from the resort. What I recall as a dominant feeling throughout the day was our willingness to live through things as they came. Not a lot of planning ahead, with just a general time frame guiding us, welcoming each moment as it presented itself, we soon found ourselves floating away in a little boat taking us to the Lovers’ Beach, our next stop. I guess our Mexican friend somehow managed to tap into the way we were that day, so he decided to give us a little ‘tour’ before dropping us off on the beach. We drove around on choppy waters, getting extremely close to birds and sea lions, smelling the ocean, feeling slightly frightened at times but being immediately comforted by the calm on our Mexican friend’s face. Once on the beach, I felt it was really hard to take all that unusual beauty in. We needed a while to get over the initial amazement which literally left us speechless. The images below are just glimpses into the wild pure beauty of the place. Even though the surroundings were absolutely stunning, I am certain the photos would have not turned out the same if it wasn’t for the way Reyhaneh and Will are. Simply put, a dream to be around and photograph.

After a couple of hours spent on the beach, our friend came to pick us up and offered to drive us back to the resort in his boat. The tide was really high though and I recall one moment when, still in the boat and literally on top of a massive wave, I looked down at the shore and thought: we are stranded. We had to find another more calm spot and rush out of the little water taxi the moment it was pushed close to the beach for one fraction of a second. Once all safe on the shore, we watched the boat driving away and I still recall Reyhaneh’s words: ‘this feels like a movie: the boat vanishing into the sunset’…

Indeed, it all seems like a dream now. Yet, there are clear proofs of the fact that we have been there. Every time I look at the photos we took my heart fills up with joy and gratitude. Thank you again dear friends!

A superb destination wedding at the Riu Palace, Los Cabos

Manuela Stefan — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:11:09 +0000

It is a bit difficult to find the right words that would best describe the experience I have lived through while in Los Cabos this past October. After a thorough research, Reyhaneh and Will picked the stunning Riu Palace resort for their destination wedding. More used to the Mayan Riviera, this was my very first time on the Pacific coast of Mexico. After a beautiful ride from the airport, with mountains on one side and spectacular coast lines on the other, I arrived at the breathtaking resort. I was right away taken by the scenery, the fantastic views over Cabo San Lucas, the rocks at Lovers’ Beach and have experienced the first sunset at Riu while sipping cocktails on the terrace in great company. But I still had no idea what was waiting for me there. And probably, I was not the only one. What I have lived over the next couple of days might as well be the subject of a small film. We have spent some beautifully intense moments, we bonded, my inspiration got ignited in unexpected ways. The result is a stunning collection of images and of course, a friendship that was born in the midst of this unique adventure that has nurtured our souls.

I will soon post more images from the day after when we participated in creatively trashing beautiful Reyhaneh’s dress

Dear amigos R + W, first of all I would like to thank you one more time for the unique time spent together and for allowing me to witness and capture the emotion around the effervescent moments you have lived while in Cabos. I want to always see your big smiles, may your life together be filled with joyous moments and new adventures. Lots of love, Manuela

A cool ‘trash the dress’ shoot in Mexico, Grand Sunset Princess

Manuela Stefan — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:24:24 +0000

It took me a bit too long to post these beautiful photos of Annie and Daryl taken after their wedding celebrations at the amazing Grand Sunset Princess resort, Mexico (to see their wedding blog please click here). I had such a blast with the two of them, walking around the wonderful resort and stopping whenever we stumbled upon interesting corners. Needless to say we ended up by the ocean’s shore and of course, we had to go into the water. The two of them were so good putting up with the splashing waves and getting salty water into their eyes. Not only I got sand in my camera, but Annie left the beach with her dress in a heavy bundle of water and sand. Good news is the dress survived the experience, so did we. The result of our amazing time together is the great collection of images below. Don’t they look like super models?

Dear friends, thank you again for offering me such an incredible, fun loaded week!

A classy destination wedding at the Grand Sunset Princess, Mexico

Manuela Stefan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:04:57 +0000

I love to travel! But who doesn’t, really? One of the amazing benefits of being a wedding photographer is the chance to follow the couple wherever they decide to exchange their vows. Be it in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada and the globe. I was thrilled when Annie and Daryl told me they decided to have a beach ceremony in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico. Therefore, I packed my camera and followed them to this paradise location which is the Grand Sunset Princess resort. How can one not be inspired when all the eye can see is sunshine, turqoise water, white sand? Not to mention being around a group of extremely fun people willing to have tons of laughter and share some unforgettable moments together!!

From the little tea ceremony to the amazing beach party fabulously organized, I have witnessed the magic in their day and enjoyed every second as it unfolded! All I can say is that I was truly thrilled to be there. After not feeling my feet anymore from the beach walking and dancing (of course I got to do a bit of that, too!), I managed to rest until we met again next afternoon for an extremely cool and relaxed ‘trash the dress’ session. Please stay tuned, more to come!

Thank you again dear Annie and Daryl, your families and friends for offering me this amazing experience! Have a great time in Hawaii!