Charles & Jessica: ‘The Plan B’ Wedding at Hacienda Siesta Alegre

You and me, baby…

     Krizia Díaz, one of Puerto Rico’s best wedding planners, reached out to me last minute because one of her clients was on the fence about who to hire to document their wedding. Krizia and I have worked numerous times in the past and she knows I’ll always tend to her messages and emails. It turns out Charles and Jessica were looking to have their wedding day start at La Concha Renaissance Hotel and finish it at Hacienda Siesta Alegre. I look at my schedule and, to my surprise, I had nothing for that day so I quickly get on the computer and put together a proposal that I think might pique their interest. As expected, we immediately started bantering back and forth about how to perfect it and eventually landed on an agreement that would have us working together.

     I decided to schedule a virtual meeting shortly thereafter to break the ice, at least online, so that we could see face-to-face and get to know each other a little bit. Most of my couples travel to Puerto Rico to get married which means a Google Meet or Zoom session is the norm for my booking process. We were online for about an hour talking about their backstory, how they met and when as well as what their vision was for their special day; this is paramount for wedding photographers in Puerto Rico: I love knowing about how you see your wedding playing out so that my team and I can capture it just as you imagine.

     The plan, according to Krizia’s timeline was to show up at La Concha a bit early to take pictures of their details. Details, as you know, is one of my favorite things to shoot as a wedding photographer in Puerto Rico. It not only centers me but I usually show up really early for it because I enjoy getting creative with my flat lay mats and love doing so in a stress-free environment. To me it sets the tone for how I want the rest of the wedding to go and if I feel like I took great top down shots of their details, I feel empowered moving forward and the juices start flowing in my couple’s favor.

The details came out phenomenal! I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Shortly thereafter, I proceeded to ask Melina, the hair and makeup artist, about the duration of Jessica’s care so that I can determine if we were on schedule or a bit ahead. She didn’t have to say much as I glanced over at Jessica on the chair and could see for myself that she was basically looking like a princess. I took it upon myself to gather all of the lenses that I would need and headed to Charles’s room where he was getting ready with his boys on the other tower across the grounds. As you can imagine, the moment you waltz into the boys room is the instant where a cloud of cologne hits you like an uppercut. The party was already starting. I could sense it in the vibe.

One of the groomsmen introduced himself and tells me Charles is just jumping out of the shower awaiting my arrival. I then proceed to scope out the room in an attempt to decipher just how much natural light I have to work. Admittedly, the front part of the room was rather dim which eventually forced me to bounce some flash at a later point but the initial session with Charles provided me more than enough sunlight through the sliding door to capture the initial stages of his wedding. I must say his suit was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Not only was it perfectly colored (it had a light gray tone coupled with green highlights) but both his jacket and slacks had diagonal dual lines going across which one of his boys joked made him look like Eddie Murphy in “Coming to America”. Both Charles and I bursted out laughing but, at the end of the day, I really liked the ensemble. Very classy.

A little help…

     After Charles’s getting ready session, I head back out to my original destination of the ladies’s room in which Jessica was throwing on the dress for her opportunity to hop in front of my lenses all by herself. She looked glorious! Jessica had this headband (which you can appreciate above) that honestly put it all together; I don’t think her set up would’ve been complete without it. Since the bridesmaids and Mom were anxious to see her, we set up in the front part of the room so that we can do a bride first look with her leading ladies. It was so wholesome and I was very appreciative because I don’t get those requested as often as I think they should happen.

“Oh…em…GEE!”

Once we got lots of pics from the girls having fun with the bride, we then stole her away with the few minutes we had before departing for a quick, private session with Jessica. Since her room was a better lit, I chose to place her by the window. In a perfect world we would’ve have the girls help out with her attire but Hacienda Siesta Alegre was calling and she was basically all dressed anyway so all that there was left to do is have her hang out by the window and have that majestic falloff of sun accentuate every sparkle on her dress. I haven’t come across such a well put together bride in a long time and the picture that ensue really do tell the whole story.

Flawless.

I must say that shortly before this portrait of Jessica was taken, Krizia had taken the liberty of telling me that she was already at Hacienda Siesta Alegre and it was an absolutely swamp. Unfortunately it had been raining non-stop the entire mid-afternoon and we were walking into a scenario none of us like to see on wedding day: heavy rain was expected. Jessica was apparently already informed when I told her which got her down a bit but, when these things happen, I take it upon myself to cheer up my couple and take matters into my own hands. I was hellbent on making light out of an otherwise adverse situation and determined to make their day memorable nonetheless. When the script gets tweaked at the last minute, destination wedding photographers like myself have to think on their feet.

About fifteen minutes later, once we were all packed, we hopped in the car and were off to the races. The idea was to get to the second wedding venue early so that we can scope out the grounds and determine just what kind of scenario we were facing. Krizia took the lead, as you can expect a wedding planner to do, and resorted to move onto ‘Plan B’: to have the ceremony ‘indoors’. This meant that we’d all gather in one of the salons in the back that was obviously covered but had cross ventilation as it was open to the sides. It didn’t feel like this because I, as well as the entourage, was sweating bullets. The head paired with the humidity was very tough to handle but we pulled through for a very heartwarming ceremony.

“Here we go…”

‘Til death do us part…”

      After a classic departure from the grounds, Krizia’s timeline dictated we go straight to family and friends portraits. As a photographer in Puerto Rico, I know the importance of putting together what I call a ‘shot list’: this is the pairings of people with whom the bride and groom want pictures. This is essential seeing as how a wedding just wouldn’t be the same without the closest people in your life. In what I thought felt like twenty rain-free minutes, we were able to bang these out and be efficient with the Charles and Jessica’s time. Almost instantly, my assistant and I kidnapped them for a quick bride and groom session. Since Siesta Alegre is all about the old school façade and greenery, we walked the venue looking for the best spot and, if you know ‘The Bridge’ then you know where it’s at.

‘The Bridge’ at Siesta Alegre

To my surprise, the rest of the night flowed pretty smoothly. The rain never really subsided but we did what we could under the circumstances. Every now and then I’d have to scurry underneath a terrace just to make sure my expensive gear wouldn’t be damaged but, for the most part, the water coming down was tolerable and it made my job feasible. The first dance was lovely, Mom cut in as well with Jessica (which was very wholesome), tears were shed during the toasts and, all in all, I can honestly say we averted crisis and had an excellent wedding day, albeit the circumstances. Charles’s brother said it best: “They say rain on your wedding day is good luck”. Judging by Charles and Jessica’s chemistry: they won’t be needing any.

Forever…