Wedding Morning: Getting Ready at the Caribe Hilton

I arrived at the Caribe Hilton at 2:30 PM. The hotel sits on a peninsula between Old San Juan and Condado, and from the upper floors, you can see the water on both sides and San Gerónimo fort below. Location, location, location!

The brides were getting ready in separate rooms, so I started with details and moved back and forth between them. On both sides I shot beautiful, personal flat lays that told you exactly who each person is.

Cristina's: white orchids and tulips tied with long ivory ribbon on a cream ottoman, pearl drop earrings, and a delicate floral headpiece. Her gown was a strapless ballgown with a cathedral cape and a row of covered buttons down the back.

Amy's: cognac leather oxfords, a bird-of-paradise boutonniere with a white bow, gold chains, a pocket watch, aviator sunglasses, a blue glass cologne bottle, and a folded lace glove.

The First Look: Caribe Hilton Gardens

We did the first look in the hotel gardens, under the old trees that have been on those grounds for as long as the Caribe Hilton has been standing.

Cristina had told me in our first call that they would probably both cry. She was right. Amy saw her and went still for a second, then they came together, and it was just the two of them for a few minutes while Zuriel and I gave them space. When the tears settled, they started laughing, which is usually when I start getting my best frames.

Since the ceremony would be very close to sunset, we shot an extended pre-ceremony portrait session with the brides, to make use of that beautiful afternoon light.

The Ceremony: Hammock Garden Beach, Caribe Hilton

The Hammock Garden is on the beach side of the Caribe Hilton, right on the water. SIOD by Gadiel set up a circular white platform as the altar, flanked by tall arrangements of birds of paradise, tropical leaves, and white florals, all on white sand with the Atlantic directly behind it. The ceremony chairs were all surrounding the circular platform. It's a hard setup to beat.

The ceremony started at 5 PM. January in Puerto Rico means golden hour is already doing its thing by then, and the light on that beach was everything Cristina had hoped for when we talked about timing back in our first call.

Amy walked in with her two aunts. Cristina came in on her father's arm a few minutes later. It was a moment as emotional as sublime.

One of their closest friends officiated, and it felt personal in a way that only happens when the person speaking actually knows you. Guests were laughing and crying in the same sentences.

We quickly ran through the family formals under the dimming light, and we had a short window to spare for newlywed portraits before the light was gone, and we used it at the seawall with the Condado and San Gerónimo skyline.

Cocktail Hour and Reception at the Caribe Hilton Ballroom

The Caribe Hilton ballroom is a beautiful space on its own, with the cascading crystal chandeliers and the mid-century proportions. The tables had woven-gold chargers, forest-green napkins, amber goblets, and disco balls mixed into the centerpieces, with birds of paradise, orchids, anthurium, and monstera. Candles on every surface. The room was warm and rich, with a quality of being both very glamorous and very alive.

I always photograph the room before guests come in, and this one took me a while because I kept finding new things to look at.

Amy and Cristina's entrance got the reception they deserved. Cuenta Regresiva played the first dances and then kept the floor packed for the rest of the night. The SAK Pleneros set was one of the best reception moments I've photographed in years: colorful vejigante masks coming in from the sides, bomba rhythms, the whole room suddenly remembering they were in Puerto Rico.

On Photographing Lesbian and LGBT Destination Weddings in Puerto Rico

I've been photographing LGBTQ+ couples and weddings in Puerto Rico for over a decade. It's a part of my work I take seriously.

In our first call, Cristina told me directly that one of the reasons she was drawn to my work was that I have experience with same-sex couples and specifically with lesbian couples where gender presentation doesn't follow the industry's default assumptions.

To warm up to each other and help them build trust on the wedding day, we shot an engagement session last year. For all couples, especially queer or underrepresented couples, I strongly suggest taking your wedding photographer for a "test drive" with engagement photos. This will help tremendously!

The way I approach posing starts with movement and observation. Before I direct anything, I watch how two people move together: who leads, how they hold each other, where they naturally land when they're not thinking about it.

With Amy and Cristina, I could see from the first look how they fit together physically. The way Amy pulled her in. The way Cristina settled into her shoulder. The way they held hands without adjusting. That's what I was working from for the rest of the day.

The Caribe Hilton as a Wedding Venue in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Caribe Hilton Hotel is one of the most recognizable landmarks in San Juan: a mid-century property on a private peninsula in Isla Verde, birthplace of the piña colada, and one of the best all-in-one wedding venues on the island.

My last full wedding at the Caribe Hilton was nearly a decade ago. Coming back for Amy and Cristina's weekend reminded me of what makes destination weddings work so well: everything happens in one place. The Hammock Garden is a beach space for the ceremony, with white sand and open ocean. The seawall for sunset portraits, with the San Juan skyline behind you. The hotel grounds and gardens are ideal for getting-ready coverage and first-look portraits, with old trees that offer beautiful, diffused afternoon light. And the ballroom for the reception, with its own architectural presence and those chandeliers.

Thank you, Amy and Cristina, for the delightful experience capturing three days worth of wedding memories for you. I had the most amazing time and felt a bit nostalgic as I delivered these sets, but I'm hopeful our paths will cross again.

Best of wishes to this new stage as newlyweds!

xo,
Cami