Havana Wedding Ideas and Inspiration

Ultra Romantic Wedding Inspiration in Old Havana

I could just lie in these pics all day long, surrounded by the fabric and florals and so, so much beauty. Between the classic old Havana spirit and the gorgeous work by Designs by Hemingway, this shoot from Matthew Ree’s workshop in Cuba earlier this year is pure magic. Sit back, relax and travel back to a place with dreamy dresses, stunning sites and more – all in our Vault right this way!

From Matthew Ree… We had attendees from all over the US and England attend our first photography workshop in Havana, Cuba. This was our second trip to Cuba in one year and we saw changes right away. Upon landing, we noticed a new terminal in the airport for all the exploding arrivals coming from the US. In the city of Havana, there were new hotels being built, tour buses on all major roads, and the American tourists from cruise boats were flooding the streets of Old Havana. If you want to see Havana before it really changes, plan a trip now!

We are still in love with the romance and charm of this cultural city. The weathered patina colors of buildings, amazing textures, patterned tiles, and narrow streets are like no where else. The ombre glow at sunset is beautiful against dilapidated grandeur buildings of era’s past. It really is a photographer’s dream come true to be there now before the big changes come. All the attendees were mesmerized by its charm. Cuba has a way of making you immediately feel like you have stepped back into a time warp. We had four days with all the photographers styling shoots around the city during the day and riding around in vintage cars at night exploring some of the city’s best paladors.

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CLY BY MATTHEW

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Romantic Havana Wedding Inspiration

Stepping into Matthew Ree’s and CLY BY MATTHEW’s pics from a recent trip to Havana is like going back in time, from the vintage cars that rule the road to the old world romance radiating from every single image captured. With the styling expertise of Designs by Hemingway on full display, we’re whisked away to this magical space and I don’t want to leave anytime soon. See it all in our Vault right this way!

From Matthew Ree… The trip felt like we were in a time warp traveling back to the 1940’s and stepping onto a movie set that someone forgot to tear down. Within an hour of arriving, we were wandering and exploring on foot through the streets of Havana. Drawn to the weathered patina colors, amazing textures, patterned tiles, narrow lanes and mysterious dilapidated stairwells inside of old but beautiful faded buildings. The layers of distressed colorful and chipping paint everywhere makes Havana an intoxicating backdrop to style a photo shoot.

Our styled shoot began at the famous Cuban parador, La Guarida in Central Havana. This crumbling yet grandeur building was the inspiration for our couple shoot. The grand and ornate staircases go up to three separate levels with a rooftop bar that has a splendid view of Havana. Our model, Carla, wore a Claire Pettibone dress “Raphaella” so beautiful with winged sleeves and a blue silk lining. Everything came to life after designing vintage brass candlesticks leading up the grand staircase. Flowers were in short supply and you can not ship them in so Debbie had to forge everything from locals which was fun in itself. With a dress change to a Claire Pettibone “Alma” dress, we took the shoot onto the streets of Havana. Old vintage cars are roaming around on every corner, the cobble stone streets and amazing colors and textures are everywhere! This place is seriously magical!!
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CLY BY MATTHEW

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Colorful + Romantic Havana Anniversary Session

When the amazing Rebecca Yale is your sister, you are one lucky lady. First, that means Rebecca Yale, one of the sweetest people ever, is your sister. Second, it means that Rebecca Yale, the incredibly talented photographer, can shoot the most romantic anniversary session in Havana. Three years after he got down on one knee and ten years after they first met, this gorgeous couple posed for some equally gorgeous photos (that I totally want to frame). See all the pretty and escape to paradise in The Vault!

From Rebecca Yale Photography…My family loves to travel and I have had the pleasure of shooting my sister and her husband all over the world so when we decided to all go to Cuba for New Years I knew we had to do a very special anniversary session. It was the three year anniversary of when her husband proposed (on New Years day in Antarctica) and just a couple months short of the 10 year anniversary of when they met (at a bar in New York). I found the most perfect red hat at a little hat shop in Key West a few days before we left for Cuba and we let the color red inspire us for a bold editorial inspired anniversary shoot on the streets of old Havana. We wandered the streets at sunrise, taking in the beautiful old buildings and wall after wall of chipping paint. The streets were were already buzzing with locals, waking up early to sit on their stoop and chat with their neighbors. We made our way to the city center where we grabbed a vintage taxi- a bright red Chevrolet of course- and took a few more photographs with the beautiful vintage car.

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Rebecca Yale Photography

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Romantic Old World Havana Wedding

I have an ongoing wanderlust list but all those must-visit destinations just got pushed back, with Havana taking over the lead spot thanks to Brittrenephoto’s pics from her time there capturing her stunning sister’s wedding. I’m left enchanted by the beauty of this city and this celebration sparkles even more in its warm character. Get ready for one gorgeous gallery that I guarantee you won’t leave anytime soon.

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From Brittenephoto… Oh my goodness! Talk about a wedding of the year! My baby sister got married in a city that holds so much history for our family: Havana, Cuba! I can go on and on about our week spent in a city virtually untouched by tourism, the amazing people and the fabulous time we had celebrating Suzie and Max, but I’ll let my sister do the talking and my pictures do the walking.

From the beautiful Bride… Our wedding felt like a dream from the minute my ladies arrived at our penthouse overlooking the Atlantic for our hair and make-up session. My Dad, looking dapper in a custom made tuxedo from Hong Kong, arrived shortly after to take me to the church in a 1955, Tiffany-blue, classic American car. My something blue! The church was built at the end of the sixteenth century and was the perfect setting for our ceremony.

The aisle for the walk to my groom – who looked very “1950s Havana” in his white tuxedo jacket – was decorated with rose petals and bunches of Baby’s Breath in tall glass vases for a mystical feel. We lit our unity candle from Lourdes, France and were blessed with holy water from the region as well, both of which my Grandmother gathered from her recent pilgrimage to France. The organist, soprano and harpist created the most captivating music throughout the ceremony and the most beautiful version of Ave Maria was sung, lifting our spirits!

A wedding in Havana wouldn’t be complete without a fleet of classic American cars to take you from the church to the reception. So off we went in 27 vintage cars to the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, an eighteenth century fortress complex, located on the Eastern side of the harbor entrance of Havana. Chandeliers sparkled over white modern furniture on a grassy area by the water for the cocktail hour and salsa dancers started to teach the guests some dance moves. Mojitos, cava and Cuban-inspired canapés were enjoyed by our 103 guests from 39 different countries as the sun set over the dynamic city of Havana Vieja.

Skilled fire dancers then captured our attention before the guests collected their seating cards from cigar boxes filled with coffee beans. The dinner tables were decorated with candelabras of cascading white roses and glowed under strings of fairy lights brought from Hong Kong. Speeches were given, tears of joy were shed and we danced the night away to sounds from the incredibly talented Jazz Quintet, as well as Luna Manzanares, Cuba’s soul diva, and DjoydeCuba, Cuba’s best house DJ. We couldn’t have asked for more from the city that holds so much history for my family!