LA CONCHA RESORT - PAOLA AND JOSE

This blog post took me a little time to compile, maybe because I went through the images from Nina Martin Photography and nearly every one made me suspire, which made it so hard to pick the ones to include here. I paused at each photo to remember the care and thought that went into planning this event. Now more than ever, I recognize and admire all the hard work that came into completing each wedding area even accommodating all the changes that came with the happenings of a global pandemic.

In a decade of planning weddings for couples from around the world, with big and small budgets, large and intimate guest lists, Paola and Jose’s wedding had everything on the list of all things that reminded me why I love what I do: creativity, authenticity, and charm. By the end of their big day, as I walked back to my car, I couldn’t have ever imagined a sweeter end to this wedding and a more beautiful beginning to Paola and Jose’s marriage.

“We’re getting married on our date rain or shine. Cancelling or postponing is not an option for us”, was one of the first things I heard from the bride on our video call. Paola, her dear mom and I, along with an incredible vendor group, took the storm of planning this wedding during a pandemic as a team. Challenge after challenge was thrown our way, and everyone was always willing to welcome a second, third, and sometimes fourth option for the plans, and our timeline.

Enjoy these extraordinary photos from Nina Martin Photography and I hope you enjoy my commentary throughout to illustrate how beautifully you can execute a wedding even in a time of great restriction and constant changes.

Wedding stationery is undoubtedly one of my favorite parts of the planning. At the time, venue capacities restrictions were constantly changing. We decided not to print for the mass of the guests, only for close family. A beautiful digital invitation was designed cohesively to send out to the rest of the guests, as soon as we heard from the Government of PR how many people were allowed to be part of the celebration. For everyone, including me, that thought going digital for wedding invitations was a big no-no, let me tell you it was the best option for this scenario and simply a part of the story that led to Paola and Jose’s marriage. Liliweds took the reins to design and deliver the most beautiful printed and digital invitations with so much love and intentionality.

After the amazing Raiza Montes finished hair and makeup services with extra sanitization protocols, Paola got ready that morning with her girls while José and the guys got ready separately. Paola was simply one of the most beautiful brides I’ve seen in her D’Royal Bride wedding gown.

While Paola and José chose not to see each other until the wedding ceremony, she did want to allocate time to have a First Look with her father. I knew by the that time I was already going to be at the church seeing the last details of the ceremony and welcoming guests, so we planned to have one of our coordinator assistants to conduct the First Look, along with Nina, and Richard and Mabel, from Blue Couch. Team work, delegating and trusting really is key in all of our events. I’m so glad we could orchestrate this heartfelt moment between them. Honestly, one of my favorite images and video shots from the entire wedding.

For the ceremony at the San Jorge Church, after some family mingling, it was finally time for the wedding processional. Violines de Marquito conducted the music of what is unarguably one the most important parts of any wedding. When we simultaneously opened the church doors and Paola walked in hand in hand with her father, I-am-tell-ing-you, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, especially the groom’s.

After wedding party and family portraits guests left to a assigned seat cocktail hour with pre-plated appetizer plates to comply with the table served food and beverage restrictions at the moment. The wedding reception was held at the nonother Perla at La Concha Resort and it was a delight to be able to plan everything along with their incredible catering team.

While guests enjoyed a seated cocktail hour inside the iconic Perla at La Concha Resort, the newlyweds headed off to take some beautiful couple portraits and video shots with Nina martin Photography and Blue Couch. Here are a few of my favorite images.

From a design, decor, and floral perspective, this wedding was all I could have imagined it to be for Paola and José. Jat Lozano and his team worked wonders in the reception space taking the bride’s vision from a dream to reality. Jat Lozano’s creative process and execution was an exciting adventure from the mockup table to the very day of the wedding. As I walked inside the room, still during setup, I couldn’t help but remark at how gorgeous everything was.

Another design element that added to the complete spread was the cake designed my Dulce Pétalo. What a fantastic and delicious sugar masterpiece! The couple was encouraged to have a dummy cake to showcase at the reception and sheet cake that the waiters would cut into and serve later as dessert. Brilliant idea for sanitary reasons!

My hope for every one of my weddings is to get creative with the clients to have a cool wedding statement that’s unique and truly special. During our pre-event site inspection, the idea of using a previous cava room (we were originally planning to cover it with fabric draping) for a photo-op popped into my head, and I immediately shared it with Paola and her mom. They were as excited as I was! Again, Lili and Walde from Liliweds did what they do best: delight us with their incredible skills and talent, and boom! A Vogue Cover Wedding Photo Op was born; one that was the talk of the night. As entertainment, DJ Eric from SBN entertainment had our reduced group of guests in celebration mode with ambiance music during dinner and then a more upbeat tone for the rest of the night. And to seal the end of the reception, Sak entertainment surprised everyone with illuminated performers that interacted with the guests and animated the closing part of the night.

I truly hope these images inspire you and put a smile on your face. Let them serve as proof the love and celebration will never ever be cancelled. Planning any wedding during the global pandemic has been very challenging, yet also, very rewarding.

I believe a beautiful wedding is not always indicative of following a checklist or micromanaging, but of forming a genuine bond and connection with your couple, as well as with the wedding vendor team. This has always been and will be my planning and coordinating style, and one that seems more that proven especially during these times.

Let me tell you friends and future couples, logistics and time keeping are important but most importantly, a successful wedding is built around a ton of trust, flexibility, focusing on what matters, and a healthy dose of the unexpected magic.

Paola and José, it was a true joy getting to know you. Take care of one another.