Dream Destination Wedding: Puerto Rico

I hear the church bells ringing in the distance as I peak out from behind the ancient wooden doors of the Hotel El Convento. The sun shines down and the tropical breeze feels hot against my face. I squeeze my mother’s hand as we walk over to the church together.

All morning my mom and I have been getting ready. We arrived last night, and upon hearing that tomorrow was my wedding day, Hotel El Convento graciously upgraded us to one of their best suites. The suite has doors that lead out onto a colorful balcony. Below one can see the blue, yellow, and orange streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. This colorful city is full of life; people laugh and sing on the streets, new and old meld together in a gorgeous array of colors and textures. The cobblestone streets provide a feeling not unlike that of Europe. It makes sense, considering the heavy Spanish influence here. People of all ages hop from bar to bar, drinking rum and eating mofongo. The evening we arrived, my mother and I went to the rooftop of the hotel. We swam in the rooftop pool, staring in awe at the grand church next door, San Juan Bautista, in disbelief that tomorrow I would be getting married. 

Now here I stand, ready to walk into that very church to marry the love of my life. The church before me is beautiful; stark white and yellow, with a Mediterranean-looking facade. This year, San Juan Bautista is celebrating its 500 Year Anniversary. It is the oldest church in North America. Hotel El Convento, where we are staying and having the wedding reception, used to be the convent for the church. Now, it is a beautifully restored boutique hotel. The touches of tropical Spanish elegance are everywhere in this hotel, from the open-air courtyard to the ancient wooden beams adorning the ceilings. 

Planning this wedding has been a breeze. I know, who do you know that has ever said that about their wedding? But it is true. We decided to have a small, intimate ceremony with just our immediate family members present. With only 11 guests in total, it allowed us the wiggle room to create something truly magnificent. We planned everything ourselves, from the menu to the travel itinerary, and we could not have been prouder. We delighted in arranging all of the details- from cake toppers to table settings.

Now, all of our planning is coming to fruition. Every part of the wedding today feels totally and authentically “us”. I know that if we had to worry about who was sitting with who and plus ones, our day would not be as special. This wedding feels so intimate, a moment only our closest family members are allowed to share with us. 

Months before, we sent out wedding invitations. To stick with our travel theme, they were created to look like boarding passes. A “Wedding Weekend” itinerary was also part of the invitation. The itinerary we sent included the wedding and ceremony, relaxing by the pool, a Bacardi Rum Factory tour, and snorkeling. We even rented a beach house in Rincon for the whole family to stay in. Our goal all along was for this destination wedding to feel like a vacation for everyone. 

All of our guests wear variations of champagne, and as I walk into the church I love how coordinated they all look. I begin to walk down the aisle, clinging tightly to my father’s arm. I lock eyes with Luis, who looks phenomenal in his custom suit. He had a hand in the entire design process, from choosing the buttons and fabric all the way down to the cut of the vest. I wear a slinky silk dress designed by Spanish designers Yolancris and a hand beaded pearl veil. I notice a tear roll down Luis’s cheek as I near the altar. 

The ceremony is beautiful; it is a traditional Catholic Mass. We even include the old Spanish tradition of the 13 coins, which represents our loving promise to always take care of one another. At the end we share a kiss and step out into the Puerto Rican heat to take photos with our husband and wife photography team, aphotogallery. 

We parade the streets with our little wedding party, taking joyous snapshots in the middle of the old city. After many kisses, laughs, and cheers, we all file inside the Hotel El Convento to cool off.

We host a cocktail hour in the open-air courtyard of the hotel. Servers bring hors-d’oeuvres of ceviche and white sangria while we all drink and talk. Greenery hangs from the hotel balconies like a tropical dream. We visit with family and sneak off here and there to take more photos around the gorgeous hotel. Usually, at large weddings, the bride and groom don’t get to participate in this portion of the wedding day. We feel lucky that we get to enjoy it.

When it is time to be seated for dinner, Luis and I rush in first to take a look at the reception room. We chose a special room at the hotel named “Salon Martorell”. The walls are hand painted by a Puerto Rican artist and depict various religious themes to stay true to the hotel’s roots of being a convent. The golds and greens of the room tie in perfectly with our orange flowers and color scheme. One long table sits in the middle of the room. Large wooden doors open out into a tiny patio with plants where our cake table stands. The orange and gold tones feel like a warm summer sunset. My father kicks off the dinner with a toast that brings the entire table to tears.

Our wedding dinner is tapas style. Five different plates are set up along the back wall of the room. We offer salmon, steak, octopus, pork, and vegetables. Each small dish is beautifully plated; it looks like art. “This is the best cilantro rice I’ve ever had!” I hear my brother exclaim. To top it all off, we have a mojito bar all night long. We toast and talk, sipping coconut and guava mojitos, sharing laughs and memories together as one family. I keep thinking how lucky we are that it is just this small group of us, no pressure or rush, just a simple joyous day that we get to thoroughly enjoy. 

As the night comes to a close, we all step out into the streets of Old San Juan. Down the road from the hotel is La Barrachina. According to the plaque on the front of the building, it is here where the first pina colada was invented. We order a round for everyone and drink them in the streets.

The rest of the weekend is filled with relaxing and fun; we snorkel through the coral reefs, listen to the ocean lapping the shore, swim under waterfalls, and dine together as a family at the beach house in Rincon. The next week, Luis and I slip away to the mountains to enjoy some time alone. But not without first thanking everyone for the best weekend of our lives.

Puerto Rico is a dream location for a destination wedding. The warm weather, charming architecture, and delicious food make this little island feel like paradise on earth. The white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters rival that of any famous Caribbean or Mediterranean location. Our entire wedding felt like a vacation; there was no stress, no fighting, only love and happiness. Out of all our trips and travels, Luis and I will forever look back on our wedding day as the most beautiful adventure we have ever planned together. 

(All wedding photos were taken by our phenomenal photographers, aphotogallery.)