Anna & Deiner’s Wedding Weekend in Isla Holbox, Mexico
Anna and Deiner’s wedding weekend is a beautiful example of how to create a celebration that feels laid back and deeply intentional. Every gathering became a ritual: time with a healer, a cacao ceremony, sound baths, and quiet hours spent journaling their wishes and vows. They wrote letters to one another, setting intentions for their marriage and shaping a weekend that felt aligned with their souls rather than simply scheduled.
The Rituals
Time with a healer. Beginning the weekend with a healer set a tone of presence and release, a chance to let go of the pre-wedding to-do list and arrive in the moment.
Cacao ceremony. Ceremonial cacao has roots in ancient Mesoamerican traditions, where it was treated as a sacred drink rather than a sweet. Shared in a circle, it’s often described as heart-opening, and it’s usually paired with setting intentions. It was a lovely way for the group to connect before the wedding day.
Sound baths. Singing bowls and gentle vibrations invite the body to slow down and the mind to quiet. In a place already this peaceful, it felt like the island’s own rhythm made audible.
Journaling and letters. Writing out their wishes, vows, and hopes for their marriage gave Anna and Deiner space to say what matters most, privately and honestly. The letters they wrote to each other became a keepsake, and a promise made long before the ceremony began.
Isla Holbox: A Place That Slows You Down
Tucked off the northern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, Isla Holbox (pronounced “HOLE-bosh”) makes you slow down the moment you arrive. There are no cars here. You move by golf cart, ATV, bicycle, or on foot along sandy streets lined with colorful murals, swaying palms, and tiny cafés where the soundtrack is waves and quiet conversation.
Getting here is part of the charm. After a short ferry ride from the mainland town of Chiquilá, you step onto an island with a barefoot rhythm all its own. The Gulf waters are calm, shallow, and impossibly blue, with soft pale sand stretching for miles. The island sits within a protected biosphere reserve, so it feels wild and unspoiled. Flamingos wade in the lagoons, and after dark, bioluminescent plankton can make the water glow. (We get this in California too, so I admit I turned in early rather than trek to the part of the island where it shines brightest!)
My Journey In
I flew into Cancún a few days before the ceremony to spend time with Anna and Deiner. A driver met me at the airport for the two-hour drive to the ferry. Deiner’s family owns one of the ferries that serve the island, his home, so the journey felt personal from the start. On the island, I hopped on an ATV to my hotel, steps from the bluest water I have ever seen. And yes, there were flamingos.
That first night I had ceviche for dinner after a long day of travel. Anna stopped by to introduce herself, and soon after we shared an ATV for a tour around the island, gushing over wedding details. Girl time is so precious!
The next morning, we strolled the beach at sunrise for an impromptu fashion shoot. Later that day, we met up for a quick outfit check and a sweet beach session with Deiner.
Swimming with Whale Sharks
In summer, Holbox is also one of the few places in the world where you can swim alongside whale sharks, and I was relieved by how respectfully the tours were run. Only four guests are allowed in the water at a time, out of a rotation of several boats. Two boats each drop two guests with a guide who swims alongside them.
On my first drop, the whale shark dove deep and I only saw its shadow. My second drop was the best moment of the day. A pod of dolphins appeared several meters ahead, and two whale sharks crossed paths right beneath my feet. I stopped swimming and simply stared. As someone with so much respect for the ocean, it was nothing short of magical and hard to put into words.
The Wedding Day
On the wedding day, Anna wore a dress that suited the setting perfectly: a chic, custom wet-look gown, the dress of her dreams, she told me. She was absolutely stunning.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s possible when you have me as your destination wedding photographer:
photo @southofindigo
custom dress @dipetsa
planner @betty.holboxconcierge
video @gngra.films
stationary @tres.puntosmx
venue @hotelmawimbi
spiritual practice @samah.wellness
transportation @holbox9hermanos
