RF Wedding of The Week: A Romantic Antigua Wedding by Shaun Menary Photography

November 6, 2013

By Laura Brauer

This is one of those glorious destination weddings most photographers dream of: An alluring setting, an equally sweet and beautiful couple, an emotive ceremony in an ancient chapel and a vibrant party that carries on into the morning.

And this is exactly what Shaun of Dallas, Texas-based  Shaun Menary Photography got when he showed up to shoot the wedding of Michelle and Antonio in Antigua, Guatemala.

berto_story_017_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_025_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_005_WEB_ShaunMenaryOf the wedding, Menary says on his website, that aside from first being able to experience another culture there are several reasons this was an incredible photographic experience: “Second, Antigua is probably the coolest city I’ve seen with gorgeous, historic architecture. Third, the venue, Hotel Santa Domingo, is built around old ruins and has incredible character and history built into the very walls. Finally, not only are Michelle and Antonio two of the most beautiful people in the world, their love for each other is tangible and inspiring … also, Guatemalans know how to party.”

berto_story_026_WEB_ShaunMenaryBecause of scheduling, says his wife Shannon (who now doubles as Shaun’s assistant/second shooter, album designer, marketing team and blogger), “Shaun did a day-after bridal session. The shoot was originally planned as a day-after couple shoot, but alas, the groom didn’t hold his liquor quite as well as the bride did. She got up, showered, threw her dress back on, and that was the shoot. Crazy, right?,” she says. “You wouldn’t even believe she was running on a half a dozen tequila shots and a few hours of sleep…she looks stunning.”

berto_story_015_WEB_ShaunMenary“The couple are Michelle and Antonio Berto. Michelle is from Guatemala, and Antonio is from Spain. They both went to school here in the States, where the actually met, and they got married back in Guatemala, where her family still lives. Michelle and Antonio live here in Dallas now, where she is a lawyer and he a specialist in Endodontics,” Shannon says.

berto_story_057_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_050_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_059_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_041_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_009_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_002_WEB_ShaunMenaryAccording to Shannon, “Shaun said the most interesting thing about this wedding was that everything was in Spanish–and he speaks no Spanish! Other than that, the Guatemalan wedding culture is very interesting. The ceremony is very formal, and for lack of a better phrase, the guests party hard! It’s more of a celebration of families joining together, so everybody’s just going for it. Shaun stayed until four in the morning, and the party was still ragin’.”

berto_story_071_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_077_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_083_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_082_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_085_WEB_ShaunMenaryTo shoot this wedding Shaun used: Canon 5d Mark II (2); Canon 50mm 1.2 L, 24mm 1.4L, 24-70mm 2.8L, 16-35mm 2.8L, 24mm 3.5L T/S and 70-200mm 2.8L lenses; 580exII flashes (2); Pocket Wizards; and a Fuji x100 (for all the travel/downtown Antigua shots).

berto_story_067_WEB_ShaunMenaryBerto_141_ShaunMenaryBerto_158_ShaunMenaryBerto_197_ShaunMenaryberto_story_097_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_103_WEB_ShaunMenaryberto_story_099_WEB_ShaunMenarySee more of this wedding here.

View more RF Weddings of the Week.

Email Lindsay.Comstock@EmeraldExpo.com if you have a wedding you’d like us to consider.