Vallarta Wedding Films

Two Men and A Baby – How our daughter was born after Chandler & Eduardo’s Wedding at Casa Karma in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

On the morning of January 28, 2022, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. in pain. I was 39 weeks pregnant. The night before I had had a dream that I was in labor. When I got up, I realized my water was slowly starting to break.

I was scheduled for a planned C-section in two days. I wasn’t going to make it.

When Chandler and Eduardo woke up on the morning of the 28th, they knew that this would be the best day of their lives, the culmination of months of planning. They were ready to join their lives together in marriage, in the presence of the people they love the most.

I went to my doctor for a checkup in the morning, and she confimed that labor was starting. I was having Braxton-Hicks contractions, which meant that I could be in labor for a few hours to a few days.

“We have a wedding today,” I said.

Ernesto and the rest of the crew were scheduled to do the photography and video at Chandler and Eduardo’s wedding from 4-10 p.m.

“Take these pills every hour and relax at home,” she said. “The pills will slow down your labor.”

I went home and did as instructed.

When Ernesto and the crew arrived at Casa Karma, Chandler and Eduardo were getting ready. They were both dressed in stunning tailored gray suits. The rest of the wedding party was dressed in gorgeous sand-colored suits and light pink dresses. In fact, all of the guests were dressed in matching attire. Everyone in attendance was draped in the colors of champagne and rosé. Everyone was beautiful. They matched the flowers perfectly.

Chandler and Eduardo’s vows were touching. They said their I-do’s in front of the Pacific Ocean, standing on the Labyrinth at Casa Karma, a place that is very special to them.

The speeches made by their family and friends were equally touching, as well as funny.

Chandler’s dad – a public speaker – mentioned that he frequently speaks about equality, and each time, he thinks of Chandler. He is so happy that his son has the freedom to marry Eduardo.

By 8:00 p.m. my contractions were 3 minutes apart and lasting for 30 seconds each. I knew I was not going to make it until the morning. At 9:00 I called my doctor and I called Ernesto. I didn’t want to take him away from his job as the wedding photographer, but it was time to head to the hospital. He was able to finish photographing the wedding, pack up and meet me at the hospital.

My parents were with me, and we took an Uber to the hospital. I have always found that funny. When my son was born two years prior, I also took an Uber to the hospital. In Vallarta, it’s common to not have a car. I was in full-on labor in the Uber. The driver told us congratulations and good luck.

We all arrived at the hospital at roughly the same time – my doctor, Ernesto, and me. My doctor had come straight from a medical conference. She was dressed to the nines, having left the dinner party early to attend to me.

I was screaming with contractions as the nurses prepped me for surgery. After my epidural, Ernesto came into the operating room, fully dressed in scrubs. He took his place seated at my right shoulder. He knew what to do; this was our second time.

The large digital clock on the wall said 10:45 p.m. when the surgery started. The wall timer readout in large digital numbers that everyone on the surgical team could easily see, and so could I.

I was able to watch the surgery in the mirror above me. It was the most interesting thing I have ever witnessed.

Lucy was born at 11:32 p.m. on the night of Chandler and Eduardo’s wedding, just 20 minutes after surgery began. She was perfect, and my doctor and the neonatologist put her directly on my chest. She stayed there for 35 minutes. Then, the neonatologist weighed her and applied vitamin K right there in the operating room, then wrapped her in a warm blanket and gave her to Ernesto to continue skin-to-skin contact. After some cuddle time with her dad while they sewed me up, the doctors gave her back to me.

The entire surgery lasted only 47 minutes.

I was very lucky to have “gentle caesareans” with both of my children. During both births (two and a half years apart), the doctors gave the baby to me immediately and never took them from me during my entire hospital stay. They never went to a nursery. It was a wonderful expereince. My medical care during two pregnancies and births in Mexico has been excellent.

One can only guess what Chandler and Eduardo did on their wedding night, but I know it was a night that we will all remember for the rest of our lives!

Venue: Casa Karma
Wedding planner: Kelley Kahrhoff from Younique by Kelley Event Creations
Photographer: Ernesto Gallardo
Videographers: Daniel Marquez Ortega, Karina Pola, Benjamín Berges
Video Editor: Aran Rosales Trejo
Post-production Supervisor: Corie DuChateau