A Love That Crossed Two Countries: Samantha & Martin’s Dreams Riviera Cancun Wedding

Some love stories are so full — so layered with meaning, laughter, and the kind of community that makes you believe in something bigger — that a single wedding day simply cannot hold all of it.

Samantha and Martin understood that.

So they gave their love the space it deserved. A Catholic ceremony in Dallas for the family who couldn’t travel. A sun-soaked week in Mexico for the community that would fly across the country just to be in the same room with them. A boat day on the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. A barefoot taco party on the beach. And then — an oceanfront celebration at one of Mexico’s most beautiful resorts that went so deep into the night, the dance floor never once emptied.

This is the story of a wedding that didn’t just happen in one place. It happened everywhere love could reach.

Before Mexico: A Sacred Moment in Dallas

Before Samantha and Martin ever stepped foot on the white sands of the Riviera Maya, they stood at the altar of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas.

This part of their story holds a weight that is quietly extraordinary. Samantha’s father was unable to travel to Mexico due to health — and so they made sure he was still part of one of the most important moments of her life. He walked her down the aisle. He was there. And in a season that could have felt like loss, it became one of the most tender, grace-filled moments of their entire wedding celebration.

There is something so deeply human about a family finding a way. About a daughter making sure her father doesn’t miss the moment he’s dreamed of since she was small. That is the kind of love that I love to document — the love that moves quietly underneath the surface, that doesn’t need a spotlight, that simply is.

If you’re a Dallas couple considering a destination wedding and wondering how to honor the people who can’t travel — this is how you do it. You make space for them. You go to them. And you hire someone who will document that moment with the reverence it deserves.

📍 Interested in Dallas wedding photography alongside your destination celebration? Kyrsten Ashlay Photography serves couples throughout the DFW metroplex, including at St. Thomas Aquinas, the Dallas Arboretum, Hotel Crescent Court, and beyond.

Welcome to Puerto Morelos: Why Dreams Riviera Cancun Is One of Mexico’s Best Wedding Resorts

Nestled between downtown Cancun and Playa del Carmen in the lush stretch of Puerto Morelos, Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa is a destination wedding venue that earns every bit of its reputation.

Just 20 minutes from Cancun International Airport, the resort sits along a pristine stretch of Caribbean coastline. With 486 premium suites — the majority boasting ocean views — nine gourmet restaurants, six bars, and a world-class spa, it is the kind of place where your guests don’t just attend a wedding. They experience one of the best weeks of their lives.

For couples planning a destination wedding at Dreams Riviera Cancun, the venue variety alone sets it apart. You can exchange vows on the beach, in a garden gazebo, on an ocean-view rooftop terrace, at a beach deck, or inside an elegant ballroom. The resort’s dedicated on-site wedding team is exceptional — two designers work alongside you from the moment you reserve your date, guiding every detail from florals to table settings to lighting.

It is also a deeply family-friendly property, with a Mayan-themed Explorer’s Club for children and nanny services available — so your guests with little ones can celebrate fully and without worry.

For couples who want their wedding to feel luxurious, effortless, and breathtakingly beautiful — Dreams Riviera Cancun delivers all of it.

The Boat Day: Getting to Know Samantha, Martin & Their Crew

Before the wedding, before the vows, before the tears and toasts — there was a catamaran, crystal-clear water, and the kind of afternoon that reminds you why you chose the people you chose.

Samantha and Martin’s boat day was intimate and intentional. Just their wedding party and closest friends, out on the Caribbean together. They snorkeled, danced on the catamaran deck, and laughed in the way that only truly close groups of people can — the kind of laughter that has years of history behind it.

As their wedding photographer and videographer, this day was one of our favorites of the entire experience. Getting to know a wedding party before the actual wedding day is something we genuinely value. By the time we arrived at the ceremony, we weren’t strangers with cameras. We were old friends. And that changes everything about the way the images feel — because connection is something the camera always finds.

The candids from the boat day are some of the most authentic, joyful frames from their entire celebration. Sun-soaked. Unguarded. Alive.

The Welcome Party: Tacos, White Linen & Barefoot on the Beach

The evening prior to the wedding, Samantha and Martin gathered all their people — this time on the beach at Dreams Riviera Cancun for their all-white taco welcome party.

The vibe was exactly what it sounds like: relaxed, warm, barefoot, and full of easy joy. White linen everywhere. The sound of the ocean. Tacos passed around by candlelight. Guests who had flown in from all across the United States, finally in the same place, finally exhaling.

This is one of the most underrated parts of a destination wedding — the welcome party. It is where the week truly begins. Where your guests shift from travel mode into celebration mode. And for us, it is golden hour for candid photography. People are loose. They’re happy to be there. They’re hugging your couple without being prompted, whispering things in their ears, laughing with their whole bodies.

We could not stop photographing Samantha and Martin with their guests that night. The love in those images is palpable — not because anyone was posing, but because they weren’t.

The Wedding Day at Dreams Riviera Cancun

The Ceremony: Rooftop Terrace with an Ocean View

When the morning of Samantha and Martin’s wedding finally arrived, there was a feeling in the air that something truly special was about to happen.

Their ceremony took place on the rooftop terrace at Dreams Riviera Cancun — one of the most breathtaking ceremony locations we have ever had the privilege of photographing. With the deep blue of the Caribbean Sea stretching out behind them and the sky open above, it felt like the whole world had made way for this moment.

The color palette was vivid and alive — pinks, oranges, yellows, blues. Florals that felt sun-warmed and tropical and joyful. The bridesmaids wore mismatched silk dresses in shades of butter yellow, soft blush, bright coral, and vivid pink — each one a little different, each one perfectly themselves, and together they created a visual that was both cohesive and effortlessly beautiful.

The Reception: Dancing Until the Night Said Stop

If the ceremony was emotion, the reception at the poolside beach deck was pure joy.

The space itself was stunning — a deck set between the pool and the sand, with the ocean just beyond. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the reception came to life with the glow of a light-up dance floor that became the heart of the entire evening.

And then Samantha and Martin’s guests did what Samantha and Martin’s guests were always going to do: they danced. All night. Without stopping.

There is something we always say about a reception dance floor — you can tell a lot about a couple by the energy their people bring. And this group brought everything. Everyone was on that floor from parents to the youngest little guests. 

It was, simply put, one of the most fun receptions we have ever photographed.

The Community That Came: What Makes Samantha & Martin Extraordinary

We have photographed hundreds of weddings. And in all of those experiences, there is one thing that is always true: the energy of a wedding reflects the couple at the center of it.

Samantha and Martin are the kind of people that others are simply drawn to. Warm and magnetic and genuinely present with everyone around them. The type of humans who make you feel seen — not because they try to, but because that is simply who they are.

The proof was in the guest list. People traveled from all across the United States to be there. Friends and family who did not think twice about booking a flight to Mexico, because missing this wedding was simply not an option. That is the mark of a couple who has built a true community — people who show up because they love you, not just because they were invited.

Documenting that community, capturing the way these people looked at Samantha and Martin, the way they held them — that is the part of wedding photography that we never take for granted.

A Note on Destination Wedding Photography & Film

Choosing a photographer and filmmaker for your destination wedding is one of the most important decisions you will make in the planning process. Your vendors travel with you. They are there for the welcome party. The boat day. The getting-ready morning. The rehearsal dinner. The day after.

That means the right team is not just someone who takes beautiful images — they are someone whose presence feels like an addition to your celebration, not an intrusion into it.

We built our relationship with Samantha and Martin long before Mexico. We photographed their Dallas church ceremony. And, spent a day on a catamaran with them and their wedding party. By the time their wedding day arrived, we were family — and that is exactly what their images reflect.

If you are planning a destination wedding at Dreams Riviera Cancun or anywhere in Mexico, we would be honored to be your photographers and filmmakers.

Samantha + Martin’s Riviera Cancun Wedding Photos

Samantha + Martin’s Riviera Cancun Wedding Film

Planning Your Dreams Riviera Cancun Wedding: What to Know

If Samantha and Martin’s celebration has you dreaming of your own Riviera Maya wedding, here is what we love most about Dreams Riviera Cancun as a venue:

Location: Puerto Morelos, just 20 minutes from Cancun International Airport and 45 minutes from Playa del Carmen. Easy for guests traveling from the United States.

Ceremony venues: Multiple stunning options — rooftop ocean terrace, beach, gazebo, garden, and more.

All-inclusive experience: Nine restaurants, six bars, world-class spa, pool, and beachfront. Your guests will be well taken care of.

On-site wedding team: Two dedicated designers help you build your aesthetic from the moment you book. The service is exceptional.

Family-friendly: Explorer’s Club and nanny services available — perfect if guests are bringing little ones.

Photographer-friendly: The light at this resort is beautiful. The rooftop terrace at golden hour is unlike anywhere else we have photographed.

Ready to Tell Your Story?

Whether your love story unfolds in Dallas, Mexico, or across two countries like Samantha and Martin’s — we are here to document every layer of it.

Kyrsten Ashlay Photography serves DFW couples, Texas weddings, and destination celebrations around the world — with a specialty in Mexico. We bring both photography and film to every wedding, because your story deserves to be seen and felt.

We are currently booking 2026 and 2027 weddings. If you are dreaming of a destination wedding at Dreams Riviera Cancun, another Mexico resort, or a wedding right here in Dallas-Fort Worth — we would love to hear from you.

Let’s start a conversation →

Timeless photos & films, crafted with heart. Where every moment becomes art.