Evgenia Kostiaeva — Puerto Vallarta Wedding Photographer
Wedding & portrait photographer · Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
I've called Puerto Vallarta home for over 16 years. My clients know me as Jenya — and what they remember most isn't a formal portrait session, it's the images they didn't know were being taken. The glance between the vows. The laugh that snuck out. The quiet moment before the first dance.
My approach is photojournalistic and story-driven. I work quietly, I don't direct much, and I'm not interested in stiff or staged. I want your gallery to bring you back to how the day felt — not just how it looked.
Over 16 years I've photographed more than 500 weddings along Banderas Bay — intimate elopements on the beach, grand resort celebrations at Garza Blanca and Grand Miramar, private villa weddings in the jungle, boat-access ceremonies at Las Caletas. Each one different. Each one a story worth telling.
My work has been featured in Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Style Me Pretty. I've received the WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award every year from 2020 through 2025. None of that is what I care about most. What I care about is the image that makes a bride call her mom crying — the one a couple shows their kids twenty years from now.
My approach
I work quietly and move around the edges. I position people in good light and then let them be themselves. Most of my favorite images are ones where no one was looking at the camera.
I balance candid, spontaneous storytelling with elegant, well-composed portraits — so your gallery has both the feeling of real life and the beauty of images you'll want to print.
Why Puerto Vallarta
Banderas Bay is one of the most beautiful places in the world to get married. The light here is extraordinary — especially in the dry season, from November through April. The water, the mountains, the cobblestone streets of the Old Town, the lush coast north toward Sayulita — every corner offers something.
I also know this place deeply. I know which beach faces north and catches the sunset at what hour. I know the light at Grand Miramar at 4pm versus 6pm. That local knowledge is in every frame.
Who I photograph
Mostly couples from the US, Canada, and Europe who are planning their wedding remotely and need a photographer they can trust completely. They want images that feel genuine — not a catalog of beautiful-but-blank portraits. They trust me to find the moments rather than choreograph them.
If that sounds like you, we'll probably work very well together.
Beyond the wedding day
I'm also a co-founder of Vallarta Photo — a full photography and video team for couples who need multiple photographers, video coverage, or larger production. For couples who want more intimate, personal coverage, kostiaeva.com is me, working alone with my camera.
500+ weddings along Banderas Bay · 16 years in Puerto Vallarta · 255+ five-star reviews · WeddingWire Couples' Choice 2020–2025
Let's work together
Tell me about your wedding or session and we'll see if we're a good fit.