On a warm afternoon, somewhere along the coast of Los Cabos, two brides exchanged vows aboard a yacht, their wedding framed by the sparkling sea and an endless horizon. It was a quiet affair, but it became an unforgettable story in the hands of Ximena Zermeño, the photographer assigned to the day. Ximena’s lens captured a connection—intimate moments that would otherwise fade into the hum of memory.
“I was most excited to capture the genuine love and connection between the two brides,” Ximena says, recalling the day. “Their relationship had a beautiful mix of strength and tenderness, and I wanted to highlight that.” She focused on candid, natural moments: the brides laughing, their hands intertwined, the glances exchanged when no one else was watching.
Ximena’s background is not typical of a wedding photographer. A decade ago, she was practicing criminal law in Mexico City. Then she walked away from it all, bought a camera, and began building a reputation as the first female wedding photographer in Mexico city. She settled in Los Cabos, a favorite for destination weddings. Now, with over 500 weddings behind her, she has become a trusted name for couples who want more than posed, traditional portraits.
LGBTQ+ Weddings and the Photographer’s Lens
For Ximena, LGBTQ+ weddings offer something different, not in the superficial sense of gender, but in how they often break away from the usual, expected wedding format. This, Ximena notes, allows her more creative freedom and a chance to tell stories that are not always confined by tradition. “Same-sex weddings often break traditional norms, allowing for more creativity in how I tell their love story,” she says.
Her experience photographing LGBTQ+ couples—while still a fraction of her overall body of work—has been transformative. The Los Cabos wedding, like many she shoots, did not focus on grand gestures. Instead, it leaned into the smaller, more meaningful moments. Ximena took full advantage of the setting—the expansive ocean, the slow-moving boat—to highlight the openness and strength of the couple’s bond.
These weddings, Ximena believes, are not about making statements or reinforcing stereotypes. They are about love. And, as she sees it, love, in its purest form, defies conventions. It is what makes these weddings unique, and it is what makes photographing them both challenging and rewarding.
The Photographer as Storyteller
If Ximena is known for anything, it is her ability to blend into the background while remaining an integral part of the day. This, she says, is key to capturing authentic moments. She can also connect with the couples she photographs and understand their story in a way that is both intuitive and professional.
For the Los Cabos wedding, this connection was essential. Ximena loves to spend time with the brides before the wedding, getting to know them and their stories. “My personal connection with the couple played a big role in shaping my approach,” she says. “Knowing their story and how important this day was to them allowed me to capture their bond in a more meaningful way.”
This understanding led to some of the most intimate and emotional moments of the day. One bride wiping away a tear, the other looking at her as if no one else was in the room—or, in this case, on the boat. These are the moments Ximena lives for, the moments that remind her why she left law behind. She captures them quietly, without fanfare, and without disrupting the flow of the day.
A Different Kind of Tradition
There is a kind of unspoken pressure when it comes to weddings, a need to conform to certain expectations. But in recent years, couples have been moving away from tradition, opting instead for ceremonies that feel more personal and less scripted.
For Ximena this change is welcome. She has seen it in how couples approach their weddings, from the locations they choose to how they interact with their guests. Her work mirrors the evolution of the wedding industry itself—more fluid, more personal, and more open to the unexpected.
Ximena Zermeño Instgram Account: @ximenazermeno
Florist: Casa Selva: @casaselvamx
© Ximena Zermeño
© Ximena Zermeño
© Ximena Zermeño
