DREAMY PASTEL WEDDING INSPIRATION IN CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

Colombia has a very special place in my heart. I loved spending idyllic summers there as a child, riding horses and dirt bikes with my cousins, playing among the talking tropical birds and monkey my grandmother kept at her country house, and eating exotic fruits plucked right from the trees.

When I partnered with New York City-based planner Dawn Goldsmith of DM Events & Design to bring our dream shoot to life, we decided that the perfect location for the editorial we were envisioning was Cartagena, Colombia.

In Dawn’s words, inspiration abounds in this colonial city on the Caribbean coast full of natural and architectural beauty. Often, Cartagena evokes images of rich jewel tones and vibrant colors, but we were inspired by the breathtaking sunset views from the old city. Our palette grew from watching the sun melt into the ocean and the dusty, soft pastel hues that saturate the sky.

As with every wedding, the venue is one of the most important decision you will make. Our list was very short, in fact, it only had one venue on it, the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara. Originally built as a convent 1621 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, this landmark property embodies the essence of old meets new. It was important to us to partner with local vendors and we were so incredibly lucky to have found a dream team of talented vendors and just all-around beautiful people. We teamed with Don Eloy Events to create stunning florals that elevated the pastel palette without detracting from the already natural beauty of our surroundings. The majority of our tabletop details were sourced in markets around Cartagena although we did bring linens and napkins from our favorite New York rental house, Nuage Designs. When it came to bridal attire and accessories, Sposamia Cartagena was a dream to work with. The bride wore a Willowby by Watters dress paired with the most gorgeous pair of rose-colored Manolo Blahnik shoes. Welcome bags are always such an important part of any destination wedding so we knew we had to go big or go home! We worked with the talented Simone Lejour to create festive hand-painted fans to pair with goodies we collected from around the city. We wanted our guests to bring home a piece of Cartagena so they would always remember such an amazing city. They say if you love what you do, it will show. We hope our love of what we created and this beautiful city shines through in this shoot. Cartagena is an enchanting city with beauty around every corner!

To see more, head over to the feature published on Style Me Pretty!