I’m going to start this one off by saying I’m usually a very private person who doesn’t post many life updates on social media, so this is difficult to share; but, all this to show my ever-expanding skillset as I am very proud of this project that is so dear to my heart.
I was lucky enough to be able to plan my wedding and its hundred little details with the input of my now husband, Sami. We wanted this day to be a reflection of our values, taste, and personalities. Through this lens we prioritized sustainability, inclusion, and love as themes of the event.
SUSTAINABILITY
Vendors: All of our vendors were small local businesses, the majority of which were women owned. Through this decision, we didn’t sponsor unnecessary imports into the island, supporting the local economy. Shoutout to La Sustancia for the refreshing ginger beer!
Menu: Designed and created by the wonderful Chef Pau Rocío, we had an incredibly delicious, 85% locally sourced, vegan dinner and hors d’oeuvres (scroll for menu). We got our international guests to delight in Puerto Rico’s rich agricultural and culinary scene through these meals.
Tableware: Single-use items were avoided. The hors d’oeuvres plates which were compostable, made out of pressed plantain leaves.
Transportation: Carpooling was encouraged and for the 30 visiting guests who needed a ride, we arranged for them to be transported together.
Stationary: In order to not create paper waste, our invitations were digital. For ease of access during the event we printed name cards for each guest and 20 double sided menus to be shared.
Wedding Favors: To give something treasurable to our guests that would not be discarded, we gifted them olive oil made in Nablus, Palestine (Free Palestine!) and handmade bracelets created by the guests themselves who visited us in the weeks leading up to the big day.
INCLUSION
Website: To answer everyone’s questions efficiently and optimize traveling guests’ experience in Puerto Rico, I created a wedding website through The Knot. There, I laid out common Q+A’s, Things to Do, etc. This link was sent with their digital wedding invitation to input their RSVP, food allergies, and transportation.
Group Chat: Two weeks before the wedding I created a WhatsApp group with all our guests. Sami and I were admins and the only ones who could send messages, while our guests could react with emojis. Through here we greeted them, gave them reminders and notifications, and resent the website link. All of it in Spanish and English.
Accessibility: We chose our venue not only for its beauty, but for its lack of steps to climb to accommodate all of our guests as safely and comfortably as possible. Bathrooms caddies held items to freshen up.
Food: Our menu was modified to accommodate all of our guests dietary restrictions and we had fruits decorating the tables as sweet snacks.
Languages: The entire ceremony was in English and Spanish.
LOVE
Everything I planned I planned with love. Love for our guests, the majority of which were family, love for our cultures, love for our friends, love for design, love for global music, love for unique food experiences, and our love for bringing good people together; which was our greatest delight.
Attire: For the sake of fairy-tale-like candor and fashion, we asked our guests to embrace their colors and ditch black attire. We asked them to bring their colorful selves in whatever they felt beautiful or handsome wearing.
Beach: We had a beach day the day prior to and the day after the wedding for guests to build rapport and enjoy the sun together.
Music: The music we played included salsa, jazz, Arabic classics, bossa nova, reggaetón, American classics, boleros, and a live plena group at the end (playlist courtesy of the musical groom). A Vejigante performed with them; an ode to Puerto Rican culture (3rd picture to last).
Culture: Just our nuclear family (up to our grandparents) represented Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Perú on my side; and Lebanon, Colombia, USA, and Palestine on Sami’s side. I included nods to each of these roots and cultures that shaped us into who we are.
Nature: The trees and plants (especially the huge mango tree), embellished the entire event.
Here are some gorgeous pictures A Photo Gallery took of the most unforgettable day ever. I will explain the Wedding Planning process bellow.
THE PLANNING PROCESS
The following work was done throughout a year of planning by myself, with my husband’s feedback and approvals, as I would give him options to choose from here and there.
Stationary: The idea to have “hand-made-like” graphic design for the stationary, all made by me using procreate and Illustrator, arose from wanting the event to feel personalized, light-hearted, and fairy-tale book like.
Decor: Our Decorator, Margaret’s Flowers, did a great job following my vision as closely as possible, switching out marigolds for orange peonies and such changes as necessary, creating the scene I laid out for her in a beautiful and organized way.
Venue: After looking all over for the right place (including one week of scouting in Mexico), I found Hacienda Don Carmelo and just like they always say, “When you know, you know.” This venue was the perfect size for our party, featured gorgeous nature, and even had horses running around their corrals as the guests were arriving. They provided golf cars with drivers to drive people to and from their private parking area, making sure everyone was taken care of. Also, Anthony Bourdain cooked in their kitchen which was pretty awesome information for foodies and our Chef.
Cake: The absolutely delicious carrot cake was made by Leila’s Bake Shop and there’s a funny story to it. I sent her a drawing I made of a cake to show her the color scheme I wanted, with her own incredible decorative piping, but that last detail was lost in translation and she gave me exactly the cake I drew! Although I had wanted it to be more elaborate and ornate, it was cute and felt so illustrated and whimsical. We were delighted with it!
Spreadsheets: My most valued organization tool that helped me keep all of the vendors, details, budgets, assessments and guests in order was lots of Google Sheets files (just like Excel but in the internet).
SABRINA SORONDO 