If you consider yourself a serious floral lover – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t? – this wedding is for you. Starting with a cascading bouquet followed by one incredible ceremony arch, and ending with tabletop florals fit for a tropical reception, this entire day is a Bows + Arrows masterpiece. They styled a destination celebration set in Vieques, Puerto Rico infused with a mid-century vibe, and sourced their blooms straight from the island locals and land. NBarrett Photography captured the gallery, with lots more to see in The Vault.
From NBarrett Photography…Willie and Maria’s destination wedding weekend was filled with memorable experiences for friends and family set in the un-touched tropical island of Vieques, Puerto Rico with pristine beaches, wild horses, and the incredible bioluminescent bay!
The wedding was designed with a Tropicana vibe, think mid century tropical glamour. The bride and groom wanted to convey a low key/high end vibe. Inspiration was gathered from 1960 Caribe Hilton and Palm Springs as well as the sleek modern lines of mid century interior design.
The Punta Mulas Lighthouse was the beautiful sight of the ceremony and reception. It’s quaintly nestled off the Vieques main port, North if Isabel Segunda. “Faro Punta Mulas was built by Don Juan Puig Cerber in 1895, and it was restored in 1992. As you walk up you will enjoy a beautiful vista of Isabel II, and the colorful boats of fisherman along the beautiful blue waters. You can watch ferry arrive, and in the distance enjoy the views of the main island of Puerto Rico and the sister island of Culebra. El Faro Punta Mulas is now a small museum, which exhibits a collection of artifacts and photos of the island’s history, the natural history of the coast, and marine time history.”
For the flowers, Bows + Arrows wanted everything to feel fresh and “of the land”. They sourced much of the flora from the land, foraging and working with the locals to buy straight from their gardens! Native floral included bougainvillea and queens wreath.
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WILLIE’S VOWS TO MARIA…
Maria Teresa Rodriguez,
I, William Burton Binnie,
offer you my blood and my bones,
my flesh and my collection of souvenir pens,
the one’s with the parts that move when you tilt them.
I stand before you today,
surrounded by our absolute dearest friends and family,
to offer you my heart and my soul,
and the other guts no one ever talks about, like the gall bladder,
as well as my perpetual and infinite love.
What I’m trying to say is: I give you everything I am,
not just the one or two organs people usually mention.
My hope is that our respective minds, bodies, and souls will continue to join together, becoming one, not in a literal way, forming some mutant hybrid creature,
but in the figurative way, forming a sacred bond of eternal and everlasting love.
I promise to always care for you when you are unwell,
to carry you when you are weary,
celebrate you, cherish you,
and try to offer critical analysis of your writings,
even when I do not fully understand all of the concepts, the big words,
or the small words that mean other things in a theoretical context.
I take you as my wife, to love you and hold you as long as I shall live,
despite being an left-handed person,
who, statistically, die earlier than the right-handed majority.
I shall always be your sidekick in adventure,
your consoler in despair, and backup vocals when the stereo is playing Puerto Rican music I only yet know mostly phonetically.
You are the salsa to my chip and the bean to my rice,
my best friend, my greatest critic, and the love of my life.
I was lost until I met you. I owe you my life, today and always.
Además, voy a mejorar mi español. Te amo, ahora y siempre.
I offer myself to you as your husband.
Me ofrezco a ti como tu esposo.
MARIA’S VOWS TO WILLIE…
William,
I stand here today to affirm my deepest love for you,
to cherish and commit myself to you forever.
I treasure you now and always as my companion,
and vow to love and care for you,
to be a true and loyal friend,
to actually refill the Brita pitcher after I’ve served myself a glass of water,
and to encourage, cherish, and honor you,
in sickness and in health,
through sorrow and success,
for all the days of my life.
I take you as you are, loving who you are now and who you are yet to become.
I love you infinitely and unconditionally,
and I promise to listen to you and to learn from you,
to support you and stand by you through all that life may bring us.
You like to say I’m ever the optimist
But it is that with you, the world is full of wonder and promise
of finding beauty and humor everywhere.
Life is wonderfully intriguing with you.
It is a constant adventure,
one that I will happily share with you as long as we both shall live.
I promise to always care for you,
to be your loyal proofreader and ad hoc studio assistant,
and your steadfast sous chef
to respect you and celebrate you forever.
You are the warmest soul, my greatest friend, my favorite conversation.
You are everything.
Me ofrezco a ti como tu esposa.
I offer myself to you as your wife.
Photography: N Barrett Photography | Coordination: Restaurante Bili | Wedding Dress: Nordstrom | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Jewelry: Heirloom | Catering: Restaurante Bili | DJ: DJ Paul Gonzalez-Chavez | Venue: Punta Mulas Lighthouse | Bridal Boutique: Nordstrom | Event Rental: Arquetipo | Floral Design + Styling: Bows and Arrows | Invitation Design: Willie Binnie | Invitation Printing: Boxcar Press