Choosing a photographer is overwhelming, especially for a destination wedding! Once my husband and I chose a date and locations for our May wedding I started reaching out to all the photographers in the Tulum area. Lisa, the studio manager for FineArt was extremely responsive and I was immediately impressed. After spending hours looking at portfolios (and comparing package prices) we decided that FineArt Studio was the one for us! We knew we wanted more of a photojournalist approach. We really wanted the emotion of the day to be captured on film and to feel that when we looked back at the photos. Boy, did they deliver!

Throughout the planning process Lisa was sure to keep in touch and we were provided with various surveys to allow FineArt to really get to know us. This made us feel great about our decision and also got us thinking about the shots that were really important to us.

We had a hard time choosing between Alvaro and Diego as our photographer, but ultimately decided on Alvaro. Ironically, Diego ended up as our 2nd photographer on the day of. They were both extremely nice and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. I will say that for the "getting ready shots" my husband felt as though Diego gave him and the guys more direction than the girls and I received from Alvaro. We both ended up with beautiful shots, but I think if you're trying to decide between the two like we were, it may be a good idea to consider how much direction you want to be given. We were also trying to decide between the 4 and 6 hr packages. I ended up asking if we could do 5, which Lisa said was fine, and this ended up being the perfect length of time for us.  It ended up raining on our wedding day, which proved to be challenging all around but all in all I think Alvaro and Diego handled it well and were able to deliver beautiful shots despite the weather.

The biggest surprise for us was the incredible turnaround time! After our wedding, we went on a 12 day honeymoon and came home to find that our final portfolio had been e-mailed while on the flight home (within 2 weeks)! I know this may not always be the case, but it is clear the FineArt strives to get you your photos as soon as possible, which I very much appreciated. I asked about getting a few more photos from a specific location and about re-touching one, which they did very quickly.

The actual photos are incredible and evoke the very emotion we were hoping for! I honestly can't imagine having received a more beautiful portfolio! 

Advice: The most important advice I have is - BRIDES, GET YOUR HAIR AND MAKEUP DONE FIRST! I had received that advice, but when my hair and makeup artists said they would do me last I ignored that little voice in my head telling me to insist on going first and went with it. I figured they knew what they were talking about and that this way the photographer would be there for great "getting ready photos." The problem is that all those photos are of me getting my hair and make-up done, because my hair person didn't finish until 20 min past the intended start time of my ceremony. I didn't get any photos with my girls, drinking champagne and enjoying my last few minutes as a single woman (obv at no fault of the photographer). :-( I was in a rush to get dressed and the whole process was just stressful. Have the makeup artist wait to put on mascara and the hair artist wait to do finishing touches, those things will get you the photos you want. Please, trust me on this!

I also didn't take the time to think about the little details that I wanted photographed and looking back it makes me sad that some of those things were missed. Be thorough in the pictures that are important to you and assign someone other than yourself to make sure that gets done.

I am so happy with my choice to choose FineArt Studio as our wedding photographer and I know you will be too!