Wedding Inspiration: Spanish Nights Styled Shoot

Another act of racist, senseless violence to wake up to. Hate crimes against our Asian American communities are climbing (Stop AAPI Hate report) and I am trying to find individual actions I can take to help. One shared with me was to consider taking Bystander Intervention training to help stop xenophobic harassment (here) and I also plan to donate and wanted to share organizations that we could all support:

AAPI Women Lead https://www.imreadymovement.org/
Asian Health Services https://asianhealthservices.org/donate/
Asian Mental Health Collective https://www.asianmhc.org/
Asian Pacific Fund https://asianpacificfund.org/make-an-impact/covid19-recovery-fund/
Korean American Coalition – Metro Atlanta https://kacatl.org/
Asian American Journalists Association https://aaja.org/
Asian Americans Advancing Justice https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
Heart of Dinner (delivering meals to Asian elders in NYC) https://www.heartofdinner.org/

As with all things in life, there’s a balance between the awful that happens and the beauty & good that still occurs too. So while we condemn and call out the racist violence, we also continue to share beautiful things on this blog. Including this Spanish Nights inspired wedding.

From the planner: The theme was inspired by my late father, late grandfather, and my Hispanic culture. My grandfather was originally from Cuba, but he decided to bring his family to the United States for better opportunities. Although, my father left Cuba as a teenager he never forgot his traditions and instilled them into his family. I am proud to not only showcase my heritage, but also to include personal elements from my late loved ones in my shoot.

Spanish culture is known for having bright colors, loving celebrations surrounded by family, and tradition. I wanted the styling elements to communicate love and my heritage in each shot; love for your home, your newfound love, and love for your family.

The floral centerpiece, bouquet, floral headpieces were DIY elements. The lush floral centerpiece runner included real and silk flowers. The table scape included a lush floral runner, soft votive candles, and a small family heirloom vase positioned in between the couple. The party favor was a mini Patron bottle, and at each place setting, each guest would receive a bottle for toasts/speeches. The glasses and tableware were a part of my father’s collection that was gifted to me.

The stationery and calligraphy items embraced the bright Spanish theme. The stationery was created with a custom tile design. The cigars were also individually wrapped with this pattern, and the cigar signage, table numbers, and name cards was created with handwritten calligraphy on ceramic tiles.

This beautiful shoot allowed me to tell my story and honor my family in a beautiful way. It is because of my strong foundation and morals that I am the entrepreneur I am today.