Alicia and Jonathan's Beautiful Island Wedding in Historic Old San Juan -Munaluchi Bride

Having attended the same elementary school, high school, and university, Alicia and Jonathan have known each other from the beginning. With a life long friendship as a foundation on which to establish their love, the celebration of their marriage seems meant to be. Their intimate wedding took place in beautiful Puerto Rico, and in front of loving family and friends Alicia and Jonathan declared there love for each other before saying “I do,” starting down the path of happily ever after…

Read all about Alicia and Jonathan’s love story, proposal in Italy, and experiences in their beautiful island wedding in historic Old San Juan.

Bride & Groom: Alicia & Jonathan
Occupations: Lead School Counselor, Esperanza Academy & Director of Talent Development, City of Philadelphia
Wedding date: March 3rd, 2018
Wedding location: Antiguo Casino de Puerto Rico

How did you meet? We attended the same elementary school, middle school, high school and college (Go Temple!) but were only friends. We started dating after Jonny moved back to the DC area and I was still in Philadelphia.

Tell us about the proposal. Magical. We went on a trip to Italy. Jonny had designed and picked up the ring and spoken to my mother and brother a few weeks before departure. If you ask him, he knew he was going to do it but didn’t have specifics on how, so he found himself carrying the ring around as we traveled from city to city waiting for what felt like the right moment.
A few days into the trip, we landed in Siena, Italy (literally magical – feels like one big castle). Our second night there we headed to dinner at a restaurant recommended by our airbnb host. After the meal we ordered two desserts. Jonny had the waitstaff bring the ring box out on a plate as if it were one of them. I thought it looked dark for chocolate and when I asked what it was and he smiled, and I started to realize what was happening. I feel like I sort of blacked out and don’t recall any of what was said (he swears his speech was award-winning), but I can only remember him getting up, walking around the table and getting down on one knee. There were a few other folks in the intimate restaurant that all started clapping as I ugly-cried tears of joy.

Describe your wedding attire. Our wedding attire was Black Tie Optional. Jonny wore a custom navy tuxedo with black details to pick up on his groomsmen’s black tuxedos. I wore an Eddie K dress that was beautiful at first sight but made perfect for me with some alterations from the seamstress at L&H Bridal. Our groomsmen all wore black tuxedos while bridesmaids wore different versions of blush that best suited their style (including one romper!).

What was the wedding shopping experience like for you? Ideal. So much so that we felt unsure of why so many people were asking if we were stressed out by it.

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? My mother is Puerto Rican, and we were married in a historical building in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The menu included some island staples (plantain soup, malanga mash), the music alternated between English and Spanish, and the favors came from local vendor Don Collins.

Wedding party gifts: The bridesmaids got spoiled! (They also helped SO much!) They got robes, personalized double-walled water bottles, Monogrammed dadhats, lavender eye pillows and pearl earrings. The groomsmen got bowties and ray-ban sunglasses.
Ceremony entrance song: The groom and bridal party entered to an instrumental version of Teddy Pendergrass’ “Latest, Greatest Inspiration.” The bride walked down the aisle to a recording of her father singing.
First dance song: “Take Away” by Missy Elliott & Ginuwine

What is your best memory from your wedding? All of it! To be honest, it was almost difficult to remember anyone else at the ceremony aside from each another. We’re grateful for our video which helped jog our memories. We put so much into the details being heartfelt and were so excited for our guests to share in them. But once the ceremony ended we can only remember loving it all.

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? The day is YOURS. Not theirs, not his, not hers. It is one of the few times that everything should please you. Also, we managed our planning with “Wedding Wednesdays.” We’re young professionals with busy schedules and didn’t want to feel overwhelmed by talking about/planning a wedding every day. We used Wednesdays to make payments, sign contracts, attend appointments & plan next steps and continued with our normal lives for the rest of the week. We believe it helped keep us sane.