Too beautiful to be true, Tulum, located on the eastern coast of the Yucatan peninsula, is one of Mexico's most treasured national preserves and a nesting ground for turtles. It's also the location and inspiration behind Malisa and Todd's intimate seaside wedding. "I had a vision of white sand beaches, which are very hard to find in today's environment of the mega resort,” Malisa says. “I stuck with my vision, though, and it led us to Tulum, where sea turtles nest and hotels are solar-powered in order to avoid light pollution and keep the turtles happy.”
To kick off their early morning celebration, the wedding party took a 15-minute stroll along the beach to a perfect spot with an uninterrupted view of bright blue waters, lush palm trees and hills of white sand—not a single building in site. Malisa and Todd gave each guest a lei (image 2) made of vibrant, local flowers (to complement the event's all-white dress code) and asked their attendees to take an active role in the wedding ceremony; instead of sitting in chairs, the couple's friends and family stood in a circle around them, literally enveloping Malisa and Todd in support as pair pledged their vows at sunrise (image 1).
Photos by
Nathan Welton, a carbon-neutral photographer.
