Tropical Romance Abounds in Puerto Rico Destination Wedding

When Jenna and Abe started planning, they were shocked by the cost of a wedding in New England. One thing led to another, and soon enough, the answer was clear: They would tie the knot in Puerto Rico, where Abe was born. Inspired by their venue, Jenna envisioned a day that wove together antique elements with traditional island styles. A color palette of sage, olive, ivory, and gold captured the rich hues of tropical foliage while softening the tone with elegant details. The ceremony was held in a romantic garden, where Jenna surprised Abe by reciting her vows in Spanish. The reception space, an al fresco veranda, was decked out in greenery and cafe lights to create a magical setting. Jenna DIYed much of the decor, including pressed floral table numbers and hand-lettered seating assignments written on palm leaves picked from Abe’s abuela’s yard. She also thrifted the gold candleholders and antique books that dressed the tables. After a night of dancing under the stars, the newlyweds stayed in Puerto Rico to enjoy their honeymoon on the Island of Enchantment while their guests headed home.

We originally were trying to have our wedding in Massachusetts or Rhode Island but quickly became discouraged when we heard the prices. After a phone call with my sister, she mentioned a destination wedding in Puerto Rico, where Abe was born. I had always been so against destination weddings because I thought no one would come, and I was a person who valued friends and family so much that I didn’t want anyone to be missing. I swear that after this phone call, God had changed my mind on this. I stayed up late looking at PR venues online and fell in love, there was no going back. The next day, I met up with Abe and told him I was “highly considering having the wedding in Puerto Rico” to which he stood up and put both his hands up and shouted “YES!!” I then showed him two of the venues I had found and liked, and he loved my top choice, too; we booked it within that week and had our date set! June 30, 2023 in Río Grande, Puerto Rico.

I wore a form-fitted long lace dress with a customized lace edge/train. The back had a deep V, and Lacey’s edge looked like vines growing up. The straps were thin and also looked like vines growing up. The front was also a v shape. The lace was a tropical floral print that faded out to a vine print. My veil was long, and the bottom edge was lined with the same lace as the dress. The edge of the dress was to fade out to it, and the veil lace would grow in to meet it. My shoes were ivory with a low heel and pointed toe that was sheer and topped with lace from my dress. My something borrowed was a gold ring that my Vovo gave my mom when she got married.

I loved seeing Abe’s face at the end of the aisle, seeing my dad’s face at our first look, and my sister giving me a family ring as my something borrowed. Our vows were so special. I surprised Abe and said my vows in Spanish, his face was priceless! Abe also loved seeing both me and my dad crying down the aisle.

Another big theme we really wanted to make sure was prominent (besides our love for each other) was God. He has played such a major part in both of our lives and we also strongly believe that He brought us together so we wanted to make sure he was intertwined with our ceremony.

As soon as I saw that venue, I knew I wanted an antique and island styles intertwined. I immediately thought of antique gold candle holders everywhere with stacks of antique books and dried florals and palm leaves. I began researching tropical wedding bouquets and found the flower “king protea) and fell in love, I had to have them. We have always said that “our color” was olive green because it looked best on our skin tones and we both loved it, so our color choice was easy! Olive Green, Sage Green, Ivory, Beige linen, and gold.

I thrifted all of my gold candle holders and green antique books for the tables as well. I made our table numbers using gold edge see-through frames, put dried florals inside, and then used a gold paint pen to do my own calligraphy. I also DIY-ed my table numbers by doing calligraphy on big palm leaves that we picked from Abe’s Abuela’s yard. I also designed our wedding programs and invitation suite with every detail I loved because I am a graphic designer!

Our sweetheart table was both of our favorites. An ivory cheesecloth was draped over with candles all along, gold details, green antique books, the palm leaves draped over the edge and my our feet, the florals from our ceremony. We sat on a gorgeous antique wooden bench that was carved with florals and swirls. The candles had greenery and flowers melted into them, giving tropical vibes.

We both had a moment after dinner where we made sure we sat there and soaked the whole moment in. The lights above the dance floor lookied like stars, the castle-look of the venue and all our loved ones around us was just truly, truly magical, we couldn’t believe we made it!