Luxury Wedding at the Marriott Stellaris Hotel in Condado, Puerto Rico

Timeless elegance.

     As a destination wedding photographer based in Puerto Rico, I thrive on capturing the beauty and essence of luxury weddings. This past weekend, I had the privilege of documenting not only stunning event décor and floral designs but also my first event at the magnificent Marriott Stellaris Hotel in Condado, Puerto Rico. This experience reinforced my passion for creating bespoke photography for couples seeking opulent wedding celebrations.

     This opportunity came about through a connection with the tenured wedding planner, Ana Agosto, who introduced me to a talented event decorator and floral designer. Our professional synergy led to an ongoing partnership that has already produced exceptional results. Over the weekend, I was hired to capture two events at the Marriott Stellaris—a rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself—both impeccably designed and styled.

The Marriott Stellaris: A Dream Destination for Weddings

Sometimes less is more.

     The Marriott Stellaris Hotel in Condado is a premier venue for couples seeking an elegant and luxurious destination wedding in Puerto Rico. Nestled in the heart of Condado, this hotel offers unparalleled amenities, breathtaking ocean views, and sophisticated ballrooms, making it an ideal choice for couples looking to say “I do” in style.

     While I have photographed weddings at numerous venues across Puerto Rico, this was my first opportunity to work at the Marriott Stellaris. The venue’s charm and versatility left a lasting impression, and I am hopeful to return in 2025 to document more unforgettable moments.

     During the rehearsal dinner, the decor featured warm tones that harmonized beautifully with the forest-like carpet of the room, creating an inviting and intimate atmosphere. In contrast, Ballroom III for the wedding reception was transformed into an opulent space with lilac floral arrangements and bouquets, complemented by orange lighting that added a warm and sophisticated glow to the walls.

Sophistication is a choice.

     Capturing these intricate details is one of my favorite aspects of wedding photography. From shooting through the decorative holes in chairs to framing scenes with foreground elements that add depth, I love creating images that tell a story and draw the viewer’s eye to the heart of the moment.

     For couples seeking a bespoke wedding experience, choosing the right photographer is paramount. As a destination wedding photographer in Puerto Rico, I specialize in delivering images that encapsulate the elegance and grandeur of your big day. My approach blends creativity and precision to ensure every detail—from the décor to the candid moments—is captured in its full glory.

Planning Your Luxury Wedding at the Marriott Stellaris

Compositional creativity.

     If you’re envisioning a wedding that combines tropical beauty with sophisticated elegance, the Marriott Stellaris Hotel is the perfect venue. Its versatile event spaces, exceptional service, and prime location make it a top choice for destination weddings in Puerto Rico.

     Let me help you immortalize your dream wedding with timeless photography. Whether you’re drawn to the lush landscapes of Puerto Rico or the refined ambiance of venues like the Marriott Stellaris, I’m here to bring your vision to life.

     Working alongside talented vendors and capturing the beauty of luxury weddings is what I love most about being a wedding photographer in Puerto Rico. I look forward to continuing to create stunning imagery for couples who value bespoke experiences and unforgettable memories. If you’re planning your wedding at the Marriott Stellaris or any other luxury venue in Puerto Rico, let’s make magic together.

Magazine worthy.

Ending the Year with Elegance: A Stunning Wedding at El Convento Hotel in Old San Juan

La Rogativa

     As a destination wedding photographer based in Puerto Rico, my journey to capturing love stories has taken me to some of the most breathtaking locations on the island. However, closing the year at the prestigious El Convento Hotel in Old San Juan was an absolute career highlight. Known as one of the most sought-after wedding venues in Puerto Rico, El Convento blends history, elegance, and unparalleled charm—making it a dream location for any Puerto Rico wedding photographer.

   El Convento Hotel, originally a convent for nuns, has been beautifully transformed into a luxurious boutique hotel. Its architecture and ambiance exude timeless sophistication, transporting couples and their guests to a world where old-world charm meets modern luxury. Hosting at least two weddings a month, this iconic venue has solidified its reputation as a top destination wedding venue in Puerto Rico. From its Spanish colonial architecture to its picturesque courtyards, every corner of El Convento provides an exquisite backdrop for creating timeless wedding photography.

Ring shot

     When David and Lorraine, a wonderful couple from North Carolina, shared their decision to marry at El Convento, I was over the moon. As a Puerto Rico wedding photographer, I often find myself working in diverse and beautiful locations, but this venue holds a special place in my heart. With the talented Hayxanair Hernández of Nayas Event leading the planning, every detail of their wedding was meticulously curated to create a bespoke experience that reflected their unique love story.

    Lorraine, originally from Liberia, infused the day with vibrant African traditions and colors, honoring her roots in a way that was both personal and celebratory. This cultural richness blended seamlessly with the venue’s elegance, making for an unforgettable event.

Wholesome.

     The couple exchanged vows at La Rogativa, an iconic outdoor location overlooking the ocean in Old San Juan. This historic statue area is as stunning as it is challenging for photographers. The backlit conditions require careful planning and the right tools. Thankfully, my trusty circular polarizer reduced the glare and enhanced the richness of every image. Capturing the magic of their ceremony in such a picturesque location reinforced why destination weddings in Puerto Rico are so extraordinary.

     Every great wedding story requires a stellar team. My second photographer, Carola, and Erwin, our skilled videographer, were instrumental in documenting David and Lorraine’s journey—from the intimate getting-ready moments to the lively reception. Together, we ensured that every moment was beautifully preserved, creating an heirloom collection of images and videos for the couple to cherish forever.

La Rogativa

     As a destination wedding photographer specializing in luxury weddings in Puerto Rico, my mission is to provide couples with more than just beautiful photos—I deliver bespoke experiences. El Convento Hotel embodies the essence of luxury and elegance, elevating every image to new heights. For couples seeking a wedding venue in Puerto Rico that combines history, class, and beauty, El Convento is the ultimate choice.

     Ending 2024 at El Convento Hotel was more than just a professional milestone—it was the exclamation point on a year filled with love, creativity, and growth. David and Lorraine’s wedding was a reminder of why I am passionate about what I do. It reaffirmed my commitment to serving couples who desire bespoke, luxurious experiences at some of the most stunning wedding venues in Puerto Rico and beyond.

Ballroom at Hotel El Convento

     For those dreaming of a destination wedding in Puerto Rico, I invite you to explore the possibilities. Whether it’s the timeless charm of El Convento or another breathtaking venue, my team and I are dedicated to crafting an experience as unique and beautiful as your love story. Let’s create something extraordinary together.

Tamiaka & Willie Wedding at Caribe Hilton

Lounging…

     This is the wedding that almost didn’t happen, for a plethora of reasons. Firstly, Tamiaka & Willie were not meant to be my clients. It just so happens that a pair of colleagues were contacted by this couple but, because they were already booked that day, my fellow Puerto Rico wedding photographers reached out to me to see if I had availability. Fortunately, I looked at my calendar and saw an opening. Shortly thereafter I’m put in contact with Tamiaka and Willie so that we can get the ball rolling on a potential union. They were looking for a short, four-hour intimate wedding and those just so happen to be some of my favorites. We hit it off from the get-go and agreed we’d be a wonderful fit

     As the special day got closer, we decided it’d be best to keep in touch. I asked Tamiaka to provide me with a ‘shot list’: that is the group portraits of both family and friends that to her are ‘must-haves’ & make my life as a wedding photographer in Puerto Rico a lot easier. Whenever we get a shot list we basically do a roll call of the people on it so that we’re efficient yet effective with the couples’s time (specially when they only booked me for four hours). They weren’t working with a planner so I had my work cut out for me as far as a timeline was concerned. More responsibilities fall on the photographer’s shoulders when wedding planners aren’t hired because, for the most part, the documentation vendor is second-in-command; we got on the same page and dove head first.

“Put your hand in mine…”

     It was about 4 p.m. when I got to the Caribe Hilton on July 13th: wedding day. Tamiaka’s parents, Kevin and Frances, met me downstairs as the entire bridal was still getting ready in their hotel rooms. They were the nicest people coming in from Grand Rapids, Michigan; I told them that Eddie, my assistant for the day, and I would be in a few minutes to start documenting some of the behind-the-scenes process. The heat and humidity was already getting to us as we broke out in. sweat just by sitting down at the hotel lobby; this is something that you can expect when you’re getting married down here and a feeling I know all too well as a result of being a Puerto Rico destination wedding photographer.

     As we made our way up to Tamiaka’s room, I was greeted by one of her bridesmaids who was kind enough to let us into the busy room. Tamiaka herself was still in the bathroom getting ready so Eddie and I decided to start shooting pictures with her immediate entourage. She has a lovely dress, nice pair of shoes, a few bouquets for her main girls and a whole lot of charisma that pairs well with the pendant she had on her head. Miscellaneous shots of her bridal party were take and, as soon as she was fitting into her dress, Eddie and I decided to move onto the venue area to snap a few pictures of the scenic sights and sounds photographers in Puerto Rico love to see and hear shortly before the ceremony is about to start.

When I got to the ceremony venue, I saw a lot of empty chairs; I imagined the entourage just hadn’t made their way to the site but that wasn’t the biggest concern at the time. When I looked up, I saw I had no blue skies or white clouds but an overcast afternoon instead. In the grand scheme of things that’s not the worst thing in the world because an overcast day provides a natural softbox of light for photography (which is welcome when you don’t have one but that wasn’t the case here). I made some friends among the guests and took their pictures while I wanted the first order of business to kick off. That’s when I started seeing the immediate bridal party lining up to start making their way onto the ceremony grounds. As I thought we were just about to commence, I catch wind of another possible inconvenience: the DJ was late.

Not only is he not present but he’s also the master of ceremonies and supposed to kick things off with music specifically chosen by Tamiaka and Willie. The looks of concern start appearing in everyone’s faces including my own; Eddie and I start shrugging shoulders and each other wondering what the hold up is when, our of nowhere, we see a guy with an iPad in one hand and a loudspeaker in the other making the way to the backyard which is where my couple was going to tie the knot. As he fumbles through his hear and cable management, I come to the conclusion that he was the vendor on which we were waiting and I walk over to the couple to reassure them everything was going to be alright. Little did I know I was wrong…REALLY wrong.

Brother Willie.

It started pouring.

At first I thought we were going to be able to fight the sprinkles coming down but, in a matter of two to three minutes, the torrential downpour forced us to scurry inside and me to cover up my expensive equipment. Needless to say the wedding guests were not happy and don’t even get me started with Tamiaka. She was dumbfounded as to why the DJ kept them from proceeding; he later pleaded his case chalking things up to a miscommunication on his part. The more he spoke, the more irate Tamiaka became and it looked as if she had a bomb in her chest which could explode in any second. In order to mitigate that from possibly happening, I looked out the window and later told the bride and groom that the rain had subsided. This meant that, instead of taking the event indoors (which admittedly is not what Tamiaka wanted), we could give the outside ceremony another attempt. Lo and behold, we did and it was beautiful.

It was then that I was introduced to Ana, the officiant hired by the couple, and exchanged some quick pleasantries before the entourage was back in their positions. As we were about to start, Eddie hits the record button on his Sony A7SIII so that he can record some behind-the-scenes footage for me, a strategy that I’ve recently adopted in order to use that footage to market myself as a destination wedding Photographer in Puerto Rico. The heavy clouds dissipated and we were on our way. The ceremony went on as expected with Ana swinging the microphone towards the couple for their “I dos” and I was circling everyone present so that I could capture the wonderful and heartfelt moments that make a weddings in Puerto Rico truly memorable.

Tamiaka

Willie.

As soon as the ceremony wrapped up, Eddie and I quickly grabbed our flash gear and starting looking for areas for the ensuing bride and groom session. This is the perfect time for wedding photographers in Puerto Rico to showcase their skillset using creativity knowing they’re going to have time alone with the bride and groom. As the rest of the guests made their way to the reception hall for cocktail hour, I got to work on the couple using my Godox kit while maintaining as much ambient light as possible; truthfully, there wasn’t a lot of natural light to work with but I did my absolute best to balance it with the artificial one we were using.

Wholesome.

When we wrapped up the bride and groom session with Tamiaka & Willie, they went to join their guests at the cocktail hour balcony while Eddie took a breather and I got started on the reception details. While my clients unwind, I like to sneak into the reception hall when nobody is around so that I can, in an uninterruptedly fashion, paint the picture of what it was like to be there before the raucous crowd takes over. If there’s any peaceful and or stress-free moment during a wedding I’d say it’s definitely these instances where you find yourself in a mostly empty room (aside from the venue staff still working tirelessly to set everything up). You have nobody tapping you on the shoulder and you can whip out your best lenses to get that dreamy, out-of-focus background while isoating the couple’s’s knick-knacks.

W + T = Love

Table etiquette.

As with everyone, vendors are people and we eat too. Eddie and I sat down to grab some grub while the entire entourage was also enjoying their food. As a wedding photographer in Puerto Rico, I think this is the appropriate time to do so for two reasons: it levels the playing field and allows for the couple to understand that you have needs too and also due to the fact that whenever you try to capture the guests eating dinner, they hardly ever look great with food in their mouths. The staff in charge of the kitchen served Eddie and I a lovely eggplant parmesan dish that was rather small in size but quite large in taste. I wouldn’t say it was the most lavish meal I’ve ever had but Tamiaka and Willie definitely took my request seriously and for that I’m grateful.

Dancing towards forever…with you.

I stayed behind a few minutes after the cake cutting portion of the festivities because Tamiaka had confessed that they had scheduled it for roughly the same time that I was scheduled to leave. When these things happen I don’t mind staying behind a few more minutes if it’s either going to make a huge difference and/or put a smile on my couple’s face. As they took to the dance floor, I turned on my flash trigger and dialed in my settings which I had configured as soon as I arrived onto the reception area. As they spun around and professed eternal love, I did my thing circling them back and forth trying to find the perfect vantage point to encapsulate them within my frame but also have the burst of flash be present in the compostion. Can’t blame me: this is what you can expect when I’m hired as your wedding photographer in Puerto Rico.