All it takes is to walk through the streets of Cartagena, Colombia, for it to transport you to the magical time of the past. It is hard not to be captivated by the romantic color palette of terra cotta, vibrant yellows, and blues of the houses that line up the city’s small winding streets with the wooden balconies hovering above both sides of the road with purple & white flowers draping off of them. All of which add to the amazing atmosphere of this colonial Caribean city. Therefore it is no wonder why this magical city keeps being one of the favorite destination places for couples around the world to tie the knot. Cartagena is the place where we once again had the chance to make Daniels and Sheila’s (Chay’s) dream destination wedding come true. The couple that lives in New York City, was drawn to the history and tropical vibe of the city.

Daniel and Sheila fell in love with the Casa del Conde de Pestagua. The house itself is like a museum since in the times of colony it belonged to a count for Spain, Don Andres de Madariaga y Morales. Once known to be on the Regal Street or Calle Real of the old city, the house is now a boutique Bed and Breakfast. We were very much inspired by the charm of this place – the ruines wall in the main patio, the intern water well, the arched windows, and a spiral staircase that lead to unexpected rooms, terraces, and the most amazing views of the city and ocean. The objective was to combine the tropics and the old by playing with mixed textures to create a wedding with a decadent feel and vibe. Our design was to create a modern date Havana Theme. The idea was to blend age-old Colombian traditions with a distinctly modern approach for a one of a kind wedding experience for the guest. As Planners, our motto is to always do the unexpected and create experiences that make people feel alive.

The house has an amazing great room that could be used for the ceremony, but we choose the large walkway next to the hidden well because of the tropical vibe it generates. Their ceremony took place just before dusk and as the last bit of daylight faded away, the string lights provided by IVC productions, gave a dream-like illusional atmosphere. After they were pronounced husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon the guests were led to the cocktail reception to the spectacular Great Room on the second floor of the house where they had a chance to refresh with mojitos cocktails and tantalizing culinary hors d’oeuvres. This gave time for the couple to sneak away for a quick photo session by themselves.

For the reception, the guests were guided to the main large patios (one of the few large patios in all the city houses). Tables with large tropical arrangements highlighted the rustic wall to create a walk to the past experience for the guests. In keeping with the Old Havana theme, a Cuban son band played throughout dinner, but the party truly got started after the couple cut the cake and danced to their first song. From then on, guests danced under the stars until the sun came out to the beat of International Dee Jay, Vargas Productions.