Happy 2018! Can’t believe it already we’re living week two of this year, so many of us are looking forward to.

2017? New phone, who dis?

2017 was quite a year… I don’t even know the word for it, intense maybe. In Puerto Rico, we lived moments I never thought I would see in my own land. Stuff you see in a news capsule on some far away place. They were dark, weird and, at moments, it felt like we were reliving the exact same day over and over again.

So, finally out of that rut, I haven’t gotten around to do my traditional yearly blog post of “The Best Of 2017”. I just haven’t been up to that yet. Instead, I’ve been focusing on the blessings I received after that dark day of September 20th. And… maybe they are not aware of it, but Sarah and Will were one of them.

Sarah & Will: My Own Little Post-Maria Miracle

Picture this: I was sitting down in a chair I managed to bring to the roof of my mom’s two-story house, where I was a “refugee” since the hurricane. Sweaty, and getting sunburned, getting to the roof was the only way I would get some cell phone signal. Nine days after Hurricane Maria, I got an e-mail inquiry from Sarah, on December 31st, 2017.

Are they crazy? The Island’s destroyed and they wanna get married NOW?! I thought. Well, crazy or not, I WILL be there!

So I sent them my pricing brochure, and just two weeks from the hurricane, they booked me and made me believe in love, weddings, and my business again. My own little miracle.

The Most Beautiful Wedding Decor I’ve Seen

Flash-forward to December 31st: the day was here. In just three months, so much had passed. I wasn’t sweaty on a roof but wearing a bright red dress (instead of my traditional all-black uniform) to welcome the new year, its blessings and challenges.

La Concha Resort looked terrific as ever, there was a big party about to start downstairs, but I was a VIP on a much more significant event on the Mirador rooftop ballroom. Maribel from Creating Weddings Group had been telling me for a while now of how excited she was of the decor, so I got there first.

I.WAS.SHOCKED. I had never seen a decor as stunning as this; it was tropical, chic, sparkly: all-my-dreams-put-together-in-a-room-perfect. Tropical, rare flowers I don’t know the name of, sequined tablecloths, palm trees everywhere, and of course, Maribel’s trademark: mini pineapples!

New Years Eve Wedding at La Concha Resort

After swooning over every inch of detail, I went down to Sarah’s suite, where she was waiting for me with her mom, two beautiful souls. After doing the details and capturing her getting ready, I went out of the room to meet Will, who was coming over, champagne-in-hand, for his first look with Sarah. They’re two beautiful individuals, but it’s not until they came together, that their faces lit up. This was something I noticed immediately at the first look and was able to identify during the whole wedding day.

We walked around the hotel looking for the most secluded, non-busy areas to take pictures, and after that, we went up: there was a ceremony to attend!

Sarah & Will’s recited their vows over a beautiful pink sunset: by the time Will finished his touching prose, and Sarah her creative song lyrics mashup, there was not a dry eye on that rooftop. It was a small gathering, but it was evident that every member of that guest list loved them tremendously.

We quickly moved on to the group portraits, and finally, reception time started. Sarah & Will did a first dance they had taken dancing lessons for, so you can have an idea of how great it was. After that, some beautiful words were spoken before dinner; my favorites were Will’s (I don’t remember the exact words, but I’ll try):

When I fell in love with Sarah, I realized she was a missing piece of my puzzle. What I did not know at the moment, is that all of you (family and friends present at the reception) were also missing pieces of a much bigger puzzle in my life.

Yes, thank God for waterproof mascara.

The evening continued to be amazing as you will see in the pictures. Guests were dancing their feet off until it was showtime. We did the New Year countdown from the rooftop terrace at La Concha, where a fantastic display of fireworks was the perfect ending to Sarah & Will’s wedding, which was the perfect ending to my year.

I’ll let the photos do the talking now.

Here’s to an amazing 2018 full of adventures, love, and photos! *toasts with a digital glass of the finest champagne*

XO,

Cami

Puerto Rico Wedding Vendors for this Event

Wedding Photography: Weddings by Camille Fontanez
Wedding Venue: La Concha Resort, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Wedding Planning: Creating Weddings Group
Wedding Decor: Maribel Ramirez, from Creating Weddings Group
Music & Lights: Joel, DJ Big J
Bridal H&M: Rose Es Arte.