First thought when I was invited by Laura and Alejandro to photograph this destination wedding in Laura’s hometown was I don’t speak any Spanish and no one except the couple speaks English.
After contemplating this thought, I told myself that our job is to document what is happening and since I don’t understand what they are saying, my other senses would be heightened.
So, there we go, we are headed to Medellin Colombia. The wedding was to be held in an old castle on top of the mountain with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.
Getting Acquainted with the People and Culture of Colombia
Alej and his family were travelling from Argentina. It was also a unique experience for them. The city itself is very interesting. The people are very laid back, warm and hospitable. Although, Medellin may have once had a history of being an unsafe city, today I personally felt very safe during our 4 days in this city.
Visiting South America was an experience of its own. The people here are very warm and welcoming. Two things Colombians are also known for are their beautiful women and their dancing ability as Shakira puts it best: “Hips don’t lie”. Laura warned us that this is going to one crazy dance party.
Getting Acquainted with the Wedding Venue
We did a tour of the castle a day before and met with the wedding planner Laura from Crata events. It is the Museum with the largest collection of Decorative Arts of Medellín, a significant tourist attraction for lovers of culture, art and history.
A medieval gothic castle was built in 1930 by José Tobon Uribe. It is located in the middle of parks and gardens in the El Poblado neighborhood. In 1942, it was acquired by Diego Echavarría Misas with the desire to turn it into a museum to house an important collection of art works referring to cultures and traditions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as a contribution to the development of their city.
Since this was an outdoor ceremony and Medellin weather can be unpredictable with rain she showed us the plan B locations at the castle.
Colombia Castle Wedding Ceremony
Our wedding day started from Alej’s house and then moved to the castle to meet the bride. Carta events meanwhile had the castle wedding ready with florals, sugary delights and spectacular table designs. Most of the Destination weddings like this are very intimate and here we had only 100 guests.
Check out our blog about things to know before planning a destination wedding.
We were fortunate enough to be invited to Colombia to photograph a wedding and my main goal was to ensure that I document every bit that shows off the couple’s personality. Laura is a high-energy bubbly fun person, she is the definition of a laid-back bride and we tried our best to show that in her wedding images.
Bride Getting Ready Images
We started her makeup and getting ready photos at the castle and she confidently looked flawless in that wedding dress. Shooting in a crunch of time, we managed to take Laura and her mom around the castle to take some pictures.
This castle in Medellin was built in the late 18th century and was with the beautiful Spanish architecture. We wanted to show this off alongside our beautiful bride. On the other side, Alej was anxiously waiting for his bride.
This outdoor ceremony was blushing with fresh flower and the altar was facing the beautiful fountains right outside the Museo El Castillo
Bride’s Entrance
Soon, it was time for the bride to walk down the aisle alongside her mom and dad with the sounds of Spanish guitars. You could see tears in the groom’s eyes when he saw his bride for the first time. Moments like that are memories we absolutely want to capture for the couple.
The ceremony was blessed on the foothills of Medellin. Just as the ceremony was concluding, it started to mist on this beautiful wedding. Fun fact: If it rains on your wedding day, they said it is God blessing your union in matrimony.
Colombia Castle Wedding Reception
Moving over to the reception; the father-of-the-bride started the cocktail hour with a beautiful speech. It was so different photographing at a wedding where you do not understand language. Although, the benefit is you are always in search of moment and your sixth sense somehow is overpowering to capture specials moments.
As we were just starting this reception evening, in this beautiful castle, guests were already very eager to dance. As you know Colombians are known for their dance moves.
No Colombian wedding is complete without the beats of drums, flutes, live performances and dancing to the wee hours to great music.
Soon, it was nonstop dancing at this wedding and trust me you can’t beat Colombians at dancing.
Here are some images of this beautiful Colombia castle wedding.
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