Real Wedding: Carla & Rubén

“Heaven on Earth" themed wedding in Puerto Rico with beautiful set design

Romance in Puerto Rico | Bridal Inspiration with Bread Set Design, Bows and Handmade Stationary

A wedding overlooking the incredible picturesque landscapes of Puerto Rico, isn't that a dream come true? Carla and Rubén had this “Heaven on Earth” come to reality at their wonderfully intimate wedding with the wedding theme of the same name. The couple chose trendy but classy and elegant decorations and set design with shaped bread, fresh fruits, satin bows and roses. Read below to discover more details about organizing a destination wedding in Puerto Rico and enjoy the beautiful visuals created by our talented members, Love Bears.

Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you meet? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?

We’re both attorneys and met at work. While we work in different areas of the law, Ruben deals in corporate transactions and I work real estate, we were drawn to each other due to our various shared interests beyond the law - our passion for experiencing new cultures, finding new music, trying new culinary experiences, and identifying emerging artists in art fairs throughout the world.

Can you share your engagement story?

We got engaged in St. Barthelemy during the summer of 2022. While it had been something we’d talked about, the engagement took me completely by surprise on a sunny afternoon in Shell Beach. After he asked for my hand, we collected 23 shells to commemorate the day of our engagement, which are now displayed in our home. For the ring — Rubén remembered that I had, in passing, mentioned I loved a ruby ring I had seen once when I was in high school. While the particular ring had been discontinued many years ago, he worked with Wilfredo Rosado to source the ruby of my engagement ring and design a simple but beautiful ring to highlight the center stone.

Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?

Our wedding was held in the mountains of Puerto Rico, in Cayey. We wanted to celebrate our wedding somewhere easily accessible for our families (since it was a family-only event) and we also wished to incorporate elements of nature in our wedding. We ultimately chose Casa America for its wide-angle views of the green-black mountains and its other-worldly feel.

What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?

The concept for the wedding was “Heaven on Earth.” This concept, designed by our wedding coordinator and designer Romantics Anonymous, guided every aspect of our very intimate, family only wedding. An installation of floral clouds hung above the dining table where the four-course dinner was enjoyed. The vision also came to life by having bespoke textiles that beautifully reflected the light. We also incorporated our love for art and music in various elements of our wedding. The invitation, for instance, was a Victorian Valentine’s puzzle purse with intricate designs and lyrics from one of your favorite songs, “Quien eres tú” by Ile. The invitation was a roadmap for the wedding and contained a secret in plain sight. On the day of the wedding, Rubén brought Ile as a surprise to sing “Quien eres tú” for our first dance.

How long did it take to plan your wedding? Did you encounter any challenges during the planning process?

The wedding planning process took around a year. Romantics Anonymous carefully curated every detail of our wedding, providing our family members with an exceptional experience from the moment they were picked up until the moment each returned to their doorstep. Since the wedding was in Puerto Rico, we sometimes faced challenges in sourcing certain items locally. Given that we started the planning process with sufficient lead time, Romantics Anonymous was able to overcome this obstacle by creating multiple bespoke items for our wedding and working directly with vendors across the globe to source the perfect items to make the concept come to life.

How many guests did you have? And what was the seating arrangement at the wedding like?

We decided to have a small, family-only ceremony, and invited only our closest relatives. Ultimately, we capped our guest list at 27 family members, which allowed us to shower our guests with details to make their experience truly special. For the ceremony, benches were custom made to create the sensation of floating in the mountains. For the dinner portion, we had a single imperial table. We sat at the head of the table and had our families join us on the corresponding sides.

Tell us about your outfits. How many different styles have you tried?

Going into wedding dress shopping, I knew I wanted a dress that reflected the setting of the wedding. When I tried on the Venus gown at Monique Lhuillier, I knew I had found the one — light and airy, the dress was ethereal and embodied true romance. I worked on the veil with Ecliptica Atelier, a local designer duo from Puerto Rico. The veil was simple but continued to incorporate the nature motif — we included a beaded trim along the edge to reflect the light, and longer, teardrop strands of crystal beads to emulate the morning dew. For Rubén, we worked with La Tigre to create a bespoke tailored linen suit, complete with our wedding date embroidered on the inside of the collar.

What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph or improvise?

Since our event was so intimate, we hadn’t originally contemplated having a first dance. When I shared with Romantics Anonymous that the song “Quien eres tú” by Puerto Rican artist Ile was among my favorites, they quickly got to work and conspired with Ruben to bring Ile for a special rendition of this song at our wedding. When I heard the first few chords of the song, I looked at Ruben and told him they were playing our song. He replied by pointing to my right, where I quickly saw Ile serenading us with her beautiful voice. I was completely overcome with emotion, and we got up and shared our first dance.

Did you have any special performances or entertainment?

In addition to the Ile performance, music played an important role in our wedding. We welcomed our guests to the ceremony with a pair of acoustic guitars playing some light music. I walked down the aisle to an acoustic rendition of “Video Games” by Lana del Rey, and walked out to an acoustic rendition of “Rises the Moon” by Liana Flores. We also had a Sylvia Rexach tribute for the cocktail hour and DJ Tayshayra, who played actual vinyl records for the dinner portion. The variety of music explored a wide range of genres and evoked many emotions.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

For the food, we wanted to offer a selection of breads and butters as an ode to my favorite food. Romantics Anonymous collaborated with Panoteca San Miguel to craft specialty butters and breads, including bread vases and a literal bread basket (bread in the shape of a basket). We also worked on a 4-course dinner menu with Cocina Abierta, which featured seasonal and local ingredients. For the wedding cake, we opted for a vanilla sponge cake with a mixed berry compote and vanilla bean frosting crafted by Dulce Pétalo. The design of the wedding cake incorporated different elements and textures evocative of the venue and nature. Finally, our wedding photographers, Love Bears, met with us prior to the wedding to get a feel for our vision for the photographs. They made our vision come to life by focusing on candid moments and by giving posed pictures a more editorial feel.

What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?

While the weather in Puerto Rico is always unpredictable, it’s well-established that by November most of the rain has stopped. To our surprise, it had been raining nonstop all month and we were coming to terms with the possibility that our wedding may need to be held indoors. To everyone’s surprise, the rain stopped at noon on our wedding date, and we were able to proceed with our ceremony outdoors. At twilight, we were graced with one of the most sunning sunsets we’ve ever seen - the sun glowed orange and cast a beautiful, warm tone over everything. The sunset, combined with the music, made the evening feel truly magical.

Did you make a gift for guests, and what was it? What did you give each other as a gift?

We worked with Romantics Anonymous to create special merch for our wedding, including Maison Louis Marie candles, L.L. Bean tote bags and forest great baseball caps embroidered with the “Heaven on Earth” logo, and match boxes with art created by Nannette Mariela for Romantics Anonymous to commemorate the special day.

What helped you cope with the anxiety before the wedding?

The days leading up to the wedding can be very tense, and Ruben had asked me on a dinner date (a last supper, of sorts) the day before our wedding. We went somewhere casual and close by, but having that special time together calmed my nerves and reminded me that, ultimately, the wedding was about us and our future together.

What advice would you give to couples who are currently planning their wedding?

We really focused on incorporating elements that are very personal to each of us and our relationship into our wedding to create the ultimate guest experience. I suggest couples incorporate details that they love and appreciate for themselves, so their personality shines in every element of the wedding. We loved hearing how much our family members appreciated feeling like the day was as much about them as it was about us.