Karen and Shawn’s destination wedding in San Juan Puerto Rico was opulent and beautiful with no detail left out. I have had the honor of photographing Karen and her family for over 10 years, so their wedding felt like an extended party on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. They hosted a select group of close family and friends, and were surrounded by their kind and loving families. The other day I was looking through some of the sessions I had done with Karen and her children and was just amazed at how much they have all grown over the years. Our first session was at her home where I photographed her grandmother cooking her famous soup with the help of her Mom, sister and daughter. What a beautiful way to record something so special with your family.
For Karen’s daughter’s Quince I had the absolute pleasure of working with Jacqueline, their event planner. We had a blast that day, since Jacqueline is super organized and took care of every little detail. So you can imagine my delight when I heard that she would be coming with us all down to San Juan for Karen and Shawn’s wedding! The entire experience was flawless, even down to all of us escaping the island just in time for Tropical Storm Beryl!
Karen was stunning in her beaded gown by Victoria Kyriades, topped with those feathery perfect Manolo shoes! Her suite was super spacious and had the most amazing light to do some pre-wedding portraits so you better believe I took massive advantage of that!
Photos below and above of the guys by Tammy Swales
My Engage friend Ceci did the paper, it was super intricate and gorgeous and fit their vision perfectly!
Love this shot of me working that my second photographer Tammy got!
Shawn surprised Karen with fireworks right as cocktail hour ended, it was awesome!
There were salsa dancers and flamenco dancers to entertain us all during dinner. I loved the Latin flavor so much!
The next day we head into Old San Juan for a quick family session. I was so happy to be able to get to see even the smallest bit of Puerto Rico since we weren’t there long enough for me to really go explore… next time for sure!
Every turn yielded such gorgeous corners and textures and colors. I could have photographed them ALL DAY LONG!
Even this simple pink wall turned out to be such a winner of a spot and gave us a little reprieve from that hot noon sun!
We went back to this mural because the kids wanted more photos! Perfect way to end our whole Puerto Rico trip. Thank you Karen and Shawn for continuing to trust me to document your beautiful families, I am your photographer for life! XOXOXO
Creative Partners for the day:
Wedding planning: Jacqueline Vazquez of Lifetime Events by Jacqueline, New York / Venue: Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, San Juan Puerto Rico / Florals + Decor: Akua by Event Design Group, Puerto Rico/ Stationery: Ceci New York / Cake: Luxury Wedding Cakes by Lourdes Padilla / Entertainment: Sak Entertainment / Gown: from Kleinfeld NY / Gown Designer: Victoria Kyriades / wedding shoes: Manolo Blahnik / Bridal Jumpsuit: from Bridal Reflections NY designed by Galia Lahav / Shawn’s Tux: Leonardo Fifth Avenue / Hair: Lissette Alvare / Makeup: Maira Ortiz / Wedding Party Custom Gifts: Lunessa / Fireworks: Puerto Rico Fireworks / Bridesmaids Dresses: Jenny Yoo / Rings: Mallove Jewelers / DJ: High Set Up Official + DJ Rock Hand / Ceremony + Reception Music: La Cuatrista Maribel Delgado / Officiant: Cory Casterson / Second Photographer: Tammy SwalesÂ
Carla I was honored to be on the same team as you for the second time and I am looking forward to working with you again. It is great working with professionals who know exactly what the client wants, but also love working with professionals who love what they do and are awesome at it. Thank you for capturing the details and the essence of the clients vision.
Matt Banever from Daswani Clothiers in West Hartford, CT made Shawn’s custom suit.
These photos are actually incredible. You have an amazing talent!
Well done, sir!!! Thank you for including the credit XO