Elegant Puerto Rican Wedding

We’ve had our fair share of destination weddings here at Ruffled, but this Puerto Rican wedding is inching its way to the top of our list of favorites. The views are nothing short of sheer perfection, and their beauty is accentuated to the fullest by the perfect images from Rebekah Murray.

From the bride, Caroline: We really wanted our wedding to convey the gratitude we felt towards our friends and family for making the trip to Puerto Rico to celebrate with us and for being such an important part of our lives. Ultimately, we wanted it to feel cozy, hospitable, a reflection of our personal styles, and most importantly… fun for all!

Our color scheme was coral, gold, white, and brown. When we first visited the Hacienda, there were tons of pink and orange flowers everywhere so we thought the combination of colors would be great against the backdrop of the venue. The wedding was tropical and rustic … which aren’t two adjectives that necessarily go together, but it was a horse farm in the middle of a rain forest which isn’t too common either 🙂 When we first started planning, I had all these DIY ideas in my head which required mailing some pretty hefty items to Puerto Rico… think burlap runners and vintage table pieces… try heavy and expensive! I quickly realized that wouldn’t be a good idea (err… my now husband convinced me I was being crazy) and found a wedding planner that would take care of all of it for us. She coordinated the table settings, dessert spread, and centerpieces with just as much (if not more!) care and style as I would have put into it and didn’t disappoint. We did end up designing all the paper products, including the Save the Dates, invitations, escort cards etc. but let Maribel and her team do the rest.

See Also

A Santorini Destination Wedding that’s Pink Perfection

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Have fun with it and don’t get TOO caught up in the details. Think back to all the weddings you’ve been to in the past and try to remember what stood out to you and what didn’t. Realistically, most people only remember the really good and the really bad so try to be somewhere in the middle and splurge on the things that are most important to you. For example, we didn’t want to spend a lot on flowers and I’m pretty sure no one noticed that there were no centerpieces for the cocktail hour or that the parents/family weren’t wearing boutonnieres.

Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “This Year’s Love,” David Gray
Bride Processional: “Can’t Help falling in Love (Instrumental),” Elvis Presley
Recessional: “Don’t Stop Believing (Instrumental),” Journey
First Dance: “Let My Love Open the Door,” Pete Townshend
Father/Daughter Dance: “In My Life,” The Beatles
Mother/Son Dance: “I’ll Be There,” Mariah Carey
Last Dance: “Empire State of Mind,” Alicia Keys and Jay-Z
We moved to Portland from NYC the week after we got back from our honeymoon so our wedding was the last time we’d be seeing most of our family and friends for awhile. Our last dance song was a homage to the home we were leaving after 10 years and the friends and experiences we had in one of the greatest cities in the world.

Wedding Location: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico / Photographer: Rebekah Murray / Wedding Planning and Flowers: Creating Weddings Group / Resort Location: Gran Melia Rio Grande / Ceremony and Reception Venue: Hacienda Siesta Alegre / Wedding Dress: Junko Yoshioka / Wedding Veil: Ann Leslie Designs / Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Necklace: Gemma Redux / Groom’s Suit: Michael Andrews Bespoke / Wedding Caterer: Chef Marisoll / Dessert Table: Various caterers coordinated and tasted by Creating Weddings Group / Wedding Invitations: Bride