I perform over 30 full weddings each year, a lot of engagement and family sessions, and on top of that I've been officially photographing elopements in Puerto Rico for the last three years. So, some projects fall through the cracks and I never get to blog them. Every September, the rain talk happens more often with my clients, and I always point them to the Blog on Rainy Wedding Days, it occurred to me that I never blogged Dana and Cullen's day. We had a rainy one for most of our time together, so I wanted to share with you how the day went.

Bride and Groom's Getting Ready at Embassy Suites Isla Verde

Dana and Cullen were getting married at Old San Juan, but they wanted to get getting ready portraits before that at their hotel in Isla Verde. First, I met with Cullen in the lobby for portraits, and then we did Dana's portraits at their room as she got ready with the help of Ana Maria, also the planner and officiant for this event.

Old San Juan Elopement Transportation Logistics

Normally, I would perform Old San Juan elopements by foot, as there are so many beautiful photo spots steps from each other. In this particular case, the couple booked a transportation service for both of them, the officiant and myself, which proved to be very useful on a rainy day. Cullen went ahead to Old San Juan separately, because they wanted a first look on one of the beautiful Old San Juan alleys. For the logistics to work on this one, we got an uber to drop Dana at the first look location.

Their first look was magical. Dana and Cullen are a bit shy on their own, but you could see how their faces lit up and looked so energized once they got into each others' arms. As usual, I let them bask in the moment before we started portraits, and after a while, we hopped into the van and moved to a second photo spot. We did most of the portraits before the Ceremony, which would be at el Morro for our final spot before returning to the hotel.

Quick Stop for Elopement Photos at Hotel El Convento

In a particular point of our photo session, it started raining pretty badly. Of course, there's always a restaurant, bar or shop we can take cover at, but we were pretty close from Hotel El Convento, so we walked in. I have to mention that Dana and Cullen kept it together pretty well. They were so positive and easygoing that it made the process so much easier.

We weren't planning on photographing at the Hotel, but I stumbled upon my friend Ely, which is the hotel's event coordinator. She kindly gave us access to the third floor which is very private and photogenic, so we were able to use that time until the rain stopped. Huge shoutout to Ely and the welcoming staff of El Convento.

El Morro Elopement Photography

You need a permit to perform ceremonies and film them inside of El Morro Fortress, but Dana and Cullen didn't necessarily want a whole portrait session inside the fortress, so we did the elopement ceremony in the frontal field, which was empty thanks to the rain. It was a beautiful, moving, heartwarming ceremony, and I'm so happy we were able to have such a beautiful and successful day together.