Decor & Flowers
Being a minimalist destination bride, I had to let go of all control and put a lot of trust in my decorators, Mossaico. I basically told them, white & silver with touches of yellow, and keep it clean & modern. From there, they ran with it and made our ceremony & reception locations look amazing within our budget.
This vendor was the most professional and best communicator out of all the vendors we worked with. The responded quickly and clearly to any questions I had, and their proposals were very detailed and organized. I would very highly recommend working with these guys if you are doing a wedding in Puerto Rico. Thank you, Mossaico, for your beautiful work! They even put micro basil in my bouquet b/c I really LOVE sweet basil and could sniff it all day long.
Also, I’m glad I went with the extra lighting they suggested. It made everything in the room look just that much more special fora special day!
Cake
My cake was by Amy Cabrero of Cakeland Designs. I also did not have a ton of vision here with the cake. I told her clean and modern and have at it. We discussed some designs and sketches when we sat together and the end cake was pretty, if not the best looking cake I’d ever seen, and not really anything like the drawings she had shown me. Like I said, not a big deal to me. I will say that the sugar flowers were beautiful and the cake tasted AMAZING. Super moist and flavorful! So, I was happy with that!
Ceremony Music
Pancho Irizarry was recommended by my wedding coordinator, Anne Marie, and I was very happy with his beautiful spanish guitar. As I walked down the aisle on my dad’s arms and looking at Colin while he strummed away at his beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” I felt like this was exactly what I’d hoped for in that moment.
I had also told Anne Marie, my wedding planner, that I would have friends doing a dragon dance at the end of the ceremony and had gone off to buy a little toy drum. When Anne Marie saw the drum, she was like, “Kim, I have some Puerto Rican drummers. I think it would be better.” I said, “OK.” So glad we did that, b/c they were awesome, and I loved having a little Puertorican-Asian fusion party at the end of the aisle to get the party started! Special thanks to my friends Phu Phu & Christina for being an awesomely energetic dragon!!
Reception Music
Anne Marie also introduced us to DJs from The Music Factory. Hector sat down and listened to what we want and did a great job getting the whole party army jumpin’! Loved the music he played – everything from big dance anthems to soul train classics – and loved that all my guests were such dancing machine party animals!!!
Rehearsal Dinner Venue
When Anne Marie took us to Hosteria Del Mar, we loved it immediately. It is relaxed beachy chic and a complete departure from the high-energy slickness of La Concha. We decided to do the rehearsal dinner & simplified Vietnamese engagement ceremony here. The venue is very romantic, quaint, and peaceful with the ocean breeze licking at the napes of our necks and the sound of waves as background music. It was a perfect setting for the smaller group for the rehearsal.
We served food buffet style with two kinds of amazing ceviche, roasted veggies, Puerto Rican rice, and flan for dessert. We also ordered a whole roast pig, because it was one of Colin’s only asks for the wedding, and because it is a traditional thing to have at the engagement ceremony. I think it may have been the best roast pig I had ever tasted!
The food and service that evening was wonderful. Thank you to Christopher and also Anne Marie for extra oversight. The little hotel also has a restaurant, Uvva, and I would recommend you stop by for a a great meal in a beautiful setting if you are in San Juan.
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