People always ask, “do you regret spending money on a wedding?” And my answer after having one is, HELL NO! Our wedding weekend was a literal dream come true. Worth every penny. It was the one time in our lives we were able to get our closest friends and family to essentially vacation together and it was a blast. Our wedding weekend went a little like this:
Our guests arrived to Cartagena and were immediately greeted by curated welcome bags at their hotel filled with local treats, aguardiente (obvi), a turkish towel, hangover kit, shot glasses, etc. Thursday evening kicked off our wedding weekend with a rooftop welcome party at sunset. We had live music, hors d’oeuvres, drinks flowing, and the best view of the walled city. After the sun descended we got on the mike and welcomed our guests to the beautiful and magical Cartagena. As aguardiente shots were passed out to our guests, fireworks erupted behind us and the DJ blasted Ritmo by Black Eyed Peas and JBalvin. Following the welcome party, we rented a Chiva Bus with our closest friends to continue the party and give them a real taste of Colombia.
Friday was our beach day party. We rented a bunch of boats and transported our guests to an island twenty-five minutes away from the walled city where we exclusively rented out Blue Apple Beach House. Guests arrived to the beach house and were welcomed by “palenqueras” with a watermelon mule plus the choice to wear a Panama hat or a palm crafted headband. Guests played volleyball, giant connect four and jenga, received massages by the water, took a dip in the pool, and drank in the sun. After a delicious lunch guests engaged in a fun dance class. We had the best day with our family and friends.
Finally our wedding day arrived! I spent the day getting ready with my bridesmaids at a gorgeous airbnb. Before I knew it we were all dressed and taking photos. I hopped in an antique convertible car with my little brother and we made our way to the gorgeous and grand Catedral De Santa Catalina De Alejandria. The black and white checkered aisle was aligned with hundreds of candles and trees filled with hanging white roses. After the ceremony we were led by Colombian dancers and drummers by parade to the reception venue- Casa 1537. The reception venue was fully transformed into a tropical oasis filled with greenery and romantic white flowers at every corner. During cocktail hour guests enjoyed an open bar, cigar roller, electric band, charcuterie station, and hors d’oeuvres. We kicked off the party with a first dance to My Boo by Alicia Keys and Usher followed by a set from a local band. Guests ate food catered by Juan Felipe from Cartagena’s well-renown restaurant Don Juan and enjoyed typical Colombian coffee from our coffee station. Hora loca came around one in the morning and was complete with an electric band, giant LED balloons, and delicious mini cheeseburgers. We partied with our closest family and friends until five in the morning! At the time we didn’t know it but it was everyones last hoorah before Covid-19 took over. We got so lucky with the timing of our wedding and left on our incredible honeymoon to South Africa a day later.
Life with Lex 