Kate and John met freshman year at Penn State. John’s family has called San Juan 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 was their wedding, in a place that belongs to all of them now.

The ceremony took place in the garden of the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico at golden hour — family and friends fanned out along the sides of a lush lily pond while Kate and John stood center, exchanging vows as the light did exactly what Puerto Rican light does when it decides to show up. Kate’s aunt officiated. The garden gave us everything we needed for portraits after.

Then came the reception — dinner, toasts, and dancing that did not stop. Bad Bunny on the speakers, Bad Bunny in cardboard cutout form presiding over the dancefloor in leis and sunglasses. Halfway through the evening the bride reappeared in a beaded white mini dress, the wedding party snuck in from the back with tambourines and leis for the guests, and a live saxophone player brought the whole room to its feet.

It was the kind of night that reminds you why you photograph weddings for a living.

Planning a wedding in Puerto Rico or beyond? I’d love to connect.