Lauren + Michael's Romantic Paradise Beach Wedding in Panama (pt.2)

In case you missed the beginning of this story, Emily and I were fortunate enough to spend a week in Panama with some of the nicest people I've ever met :) Lauren + Michael are Canadians who've been living in Panama for a few years now, so it was only natural for them to get married on a beach in the paradise they've adopted as their home. Unlike most destination weddings - where the "destination" is far from home for the couple getting married - they had the wonderful opportunity to get married at their favourite restaurant on the beach, Pipa's.
The whole week was full of fun and gorgeous photographs waiting to happen, but as I've been going through those many many images it's struck me that what made the week - and especially the wedding day - so amazing and beautiful wasn't all the palm trees, sand, surf, hammocks, wildlife, or even piña coladas.. it was the 50 or so guests that flew down from Canada, and the additional 20 friends from other neighbouring countries who flew in to celebrate with Lauren + Michael. And after knowing the couple for only a few hours, I could see why 70 people would get on planes to be with them as they took this step into the future together. Warm, gracious, and thoughtful are a few of the words that come to mind when thinking of these two, and that's what set the tone for their wedding week. They have an easy sense of fun, and didn't seem to get stressed out about anything, even when about half the guests ended up getting sick throughout the week (including the two of them). And - best of all - they are totally, sentimentally, very romantically, in love with each other :)
Anyways, without further ado, here are some of my favourite images and moments from Lauren + Michael's beautiful wedding day..

One of the things I loved best about Lauren + Michael were the sentimental details.. they each had a surprise gift custom-made by the same jewellery designer who made their rings - Michael gave Lauren a heart necklace that contains a sound wave from part of their first dance song, and Lauren gave Michael a tie clip that was engraved with the coordinates and dates of their two wedding ceremonies (this one in Panama, and their upcoming one in Canada this summer) - how sweet are they?!

 

best shot glasses EVER ;) 

Lauren's hair piece was made with lace from her mother's wedding gown, which was also used to trim the neckline of Lauren's gown :)

The Sasquatch feet have a long history, and also showed up in Lauren + Michael's engagement photos (along with the rest of the Sasquatch suit!), so it seemed only appropriate for Lauren to be wearing them the morning of the wedding!

Lauren is a woman of many creative talents, and she made beautiful necklaces for her bridesmaids and for her Mom :)

Stunning..

I love this shot of Lauren and her two beautiful sisters :) 

When guests arrived at Pipa's for the wedding, they were greeted with not only a beautiful setting, but tonnes of personal details.. There was a canvas printed with a map of Panama for guests to sign, homemade hot sauce for everyone to take home, and lots of photographs to share memories of 

Lauren + Michael's adventures together, as well as some classic family photos..

Another great personal touch - the ceremony was performed by Lauren + Michael's friend Sava :) 

 

:)

Originally I'd said I was planning to do this sneak peek as a two-parter, but there were just too many gorgeous details and moments! So stay tuned and I'll share some images from the fantastic evening that followed, including the amazing Chinese lanterns..!

xo

Jessica

{We love to travel! If you've got a destination wedding in your future, please get in touch!}

venue: Pipa's Beach Restaurant

custom jewellery: Apa Design

photography (stills and film): Jessica and Emily, Jessica Lin Photography