A lily pond ceremony, a Bad Bunny cardboard cutout, and a second entrance that brought the house down.
Kate and John met freshman year at Penn State. John grew up in Puerto Rico — San Juan has been his family’s home for over forty years. So when it came time to celebrate their wedding, there was really only one place it could be.
What struck me from the moment I arrived was how completely Kate and her family had been welcomed into that home too. This wasn’t John’s wedding in his city. It was their wedding, in a place that belongs to all of them now. That warmth came through in every single frame.
Getting Ready at the DoubleTree, San Juan
A quick note on arriving in Puerto Rico from New England in October: it is ninety degrees and humid. Coming from crisp Connecticut fall into that kind of heat felt like stepping into a different season entirely — which, for San Juan in October, is exactly the point. This is their high season for a reason.
Kate is a planner in the best possible sense. Her timeline was locked, her details were handled, and the getting ready morning ran with the kind of calm efficiency that makes a photographer’s job genuinely enjoyable. The energy in the room was warm and relaxed. Her people, John’s people, already feeling like one group before the ceremony had even begun.
The Ceremony at MAPR
The Museum of Art of Puerto Rico sits in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan and its garden is something else entirely. The ceremony took place at the base of a grand staircase overlooking a lily pond — lush, green, and impossibly beautiful at golden hour. Family and friends fanned out along the sides of the pond while Kate and John stood dead center, the light doing exactly what late afternoon light in Puerto Rico does when it decides to show up.
Kate’s aunt officiated. The vows were personal and warm. I positioned myself above on the stairs to shoot down across the pond — the kind of frame that the setting just hands you if you’re paying attention.
We spent time after the ceremony photographing throughout the garden — every corner of it earning its place in the gallery.
The Reception
Dinner was intimate and heartfelt. Toasts from the couple happened before guests made their way inside the museum and were the kind of speeches that make strangers feel like family. Then the dancing started, and the dancing did not stop.
This is a wedding with a story in two acts.
Act one: the reception, the first dances, Bad Bunny on the speakers — and Bad Bunny himself, in cardboard cutout form, presiding over the dancefloor. He made his first appearance at Kate’s bachelorette and apparently never left. By the time he arrived at the reception he felt like a legitimate wedding guest.
Act two: halfway through the evening, the bride disappeared. She reappeared in a beaded white mini dress, and with her came the entire wedding party — sneaking in from the back with leis, sunglasses, and tambourines for every guest on the dancefloor. Behind them, a live saxophone player. The room erupted. Even Bad Bunny was adorned with leis and sunglasses.
It was chaotic and joyful and completely them. The kind of moment that reminds you why you photograph weddings for a living.
A Note on Shooting in Puerto Rico
This was my first wedding in Puerto Rico and it will not be my last. The color, the warmth, the dancing culture, the particular energy of a celebration in a place people genuinely love — it all shows up in the photos in a way that is hard to manufacture anywhere else.
I also had the pleasure of working alongside a local content creator who runs her own wedding content business in San Juan alongside her social media work for local businesses. Watching how she has built something real in her own market — the relationships, the local knowledge, the specific creative voice — was one of the most genuinely inspiring parts of the trip. I hope we get to work together again.
If you’re planning a wedding in Puerto Rico and looking for a documentary wedding photographer who will travel, show up ready, and capture the day as it actually unfolds — I’d love to hear from you.
📸 Puerto Rico, I’ll see you again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you travel for destination weddings in Puerto Rico?
Yes — I’m a New York City and Connecticut based documentary wedding photographer available for destination weddings in Puerto Rico and beyond. Puerto Rico’s garden venues, vibrant culture, and beautiful light make it one of my favorite places I’ve had the privilege of photographing a wedding.
What is MAPR and why is it a great wedding venue?
The Museum of Art of Puerto Rico in Santurce, San Juan features a stunning garden with a lily pond ceremony space that photographs beautifully at golden hour. It’s an elevated, lush, and deeply personal setting — one of the most remarkable ceremony backdrops I’ve photographed in front of.
When is the best time to get married in Puerto Rico?
October through April is peak wedding season in Puerto Rico — warm and sunny while much of the mainland is heading into fall and winter. If you love the idea of a summer wedding feeling in October, Puerto Rico delivers exactly that.
Do you photograph destination weddings outside of New York and Connecticut?
Yes — in addition to my home base in NYC and Fairfield County CT, I’m available for destination weddings throughout the Caribbean, Europe, and beyond. I photographed weddings in Puerto Rico and Italy in the same year and would love to keep going.