Cartagena Colombia Wedding | Kevin & Dahyana

You may remember Kevin & Dahyana from their super fun NYC engagement session over a year and a half ago! We set off on a mission to find nature while capturing these two love birds surrounded by the concrete jungle. It was so much fun getting to know Kevin & Dahyana and we connected with them immediately. That same day, these two took us out for dinner and we chatted about their future wedding day. They told us that it would be in Cartagena Colombia and asked us if we would potentially like to be a part of their destination wedding day. Without knowing details or dates, we said “absolutely!” Fast forward to February 2018, when their special day finally came. We were so excited to see their plans come to life and mostly grateful that they chose to bring us along to capture another milestone in their journey.

We traveled to BEAUTIFUL Cartagena, Colombia to document their special day. Upon arriving, the 80 degree sunshine that landed on our skin was so welcomed after leaving Charlotte’s cold rain in the rearview. Cartagena was colorful and diverse with palm trees and scenery for miles. Our taxi brought us into the walled city, where we would be staying and also where the wedding would be taking place. It was incredible to see the historic wall that surrounded the old city and we even got to go walk on top of it. In one direction we could see colorful walls, buildings, and rooftops with people working and touring all over. And in the other, the sea spread wide across the horizon and huge waves crashed against rocks right next to the beach. The weather and views took our breath away and we couldn’t wait to see more.

Roaming around the walled city, we quickly fell in love. The cobblestone streets, the bright yellow & orange walls, the wooden balconies hovering above every side road with purple & white flowers draping off of them.. the historic architecture and all the busy people coming in and out of every hidden doorway.. We couldn’t get enough of the atmosphere. When wedding day came, we walked over to the Casa Conde de Pestagua to meet up with the happy couple. When they opened the doors to the casa we were grinning from ear-to-ear as we slowly explored the entire place and began planning pictures out in our minds. Arched windows and a spiral staircase led us to the gorgeous getting ready rooms. We also continued to climb stairs to find a private terrace and the most amazing views of the city and ocean. It was killer having all of this to ourselves and we wasted no time getting the couple ready to see each other for their First Look. Kevin wore a blindfold over his eyes so that Dahyana could walk up and surprise him. But first, she decided to walk up and greet Kevin properly with a little butt squeeze! It took Kevin by surprise which was exactly what Dayana wanted.

Our favorite moments of the day were getting to roam all over the casa and photographing the couple with these amazing backdrops throughout the day. We couldn’t have asked for more from them and that’s why we love working with couples who love our style and want to get awesome art from their day. We did just that!

Their ceremony took place just before sunset, on a rooftop at the Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa. The views were stunning and it was the perfect spot for the couple to officially tie the knot. After the ceremony, drummers and dancers escorted Kevin & Dahyana (along with all of their wedding guests) through the streets to their reception venue. It was dusk and as the last bit of daylight faded away, the party started perfectly to the beating of the drums and the gorgeous dancers flipping their white dresses all around! The couple fit right in and danced in sync with the dancers to lead everyone to the celebration. And we loved that Kevin chose to wear a traditional Colombian hat for the occasion. Everyone circled around the couple and even tourists stopped in the streets to take pictures of the event and joined along in the excitement. It was such a fun moment to witness!

Kevin & Dahyana are such a sweet couple and have glowing personalities that make everyone want to be around them. Their smiles and love are contagious and they both have huge hearts. If you’re lucky enough to call these two friends, then you know you’re going to have a friendship more loyal than the rest. That’s just the type of people they are and we feel so lucky to know them.

K&D, thanks again for bringing us to Cartagena to document this incredible day. We enjoyed it so much and hope these photos are something you can look back on for years to come. Love you both!

XO,
Mark & Kelly

Vendor team for the day:

Ceremony venue – Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa
Reception venue – Casa Conde de Pestagua
Wedding Planner – Itala Vasquez, Mi boda en Cartagena
Catering Service and Linens – Adriana Santos Eventos
Dress – Grace Loves Lace, Gia Gown
Accessories – Hera anklets & Amilla gold earrings from Grace Loves Lace
Hair & Stylist – Carlos Torres
Production and Lighting – Playa Producciones
Flowers & Decoration – Florarte Decoraciones
Video – MAT Fotografía
PhotoBooth – Epic
Wedding Cake – Elsy de Figueroa
Ceremony Music – Miro Pablo
Party – DJ Camilo Hernández
Hair and Makeup Stylist – Diego Moya