Personal Share {Puerto Rico} | Maine Lifestyle Photographer

A little over two years ago, my brother FINALLY proposed to his girlfriend of fourteen (yes, fourteen) years. Very soon after the proposal, they announced that their wedding would be held in Puerto Rico. Following Hurricane Maria in September, we were unsure if the trip would still take place, however, a few weeks after the disaster, my sister-in-law received the call that the venue would be re-0pened, and the wedding would go on as planned. We were unsure what the state of the island would be upon our arrival, and while I was excited to make the trip, I felt nervous about playing tourist in a place that had been so severely devastated. We quickly realized upon our arrival however, that the tourism was not only welcomed, but the gratitude of the locals who chose to remain on the island made us feel secure in our decision to relax, enjoy our time, and spend our money. And while we did see proof of the hurricane in the form of of traffic lights not working, downed signs, and devastated buildings here and there, we were surprised and pleased to see how well at least the San Juan area of the island is doing. Puerto Rican flags adorned the homes of Old San Juan, and fresh paint brought new life and color to the gorgeous area.

While I was a good photographer and did not bring my big camera to the wedding, so as to not be an “uncle Bob” as we call it in the industry (which just about killed me as the BEST light of the entire trip was during their formals….sooooooo incredible), I did enjoy photographing our adventures through Old San Juan with my extended family, and on our boat trip to the most incredibly blue waters I’ve ever seen (I promise, I did not adjust the color in those images!). This was my first time outside of the continental US as a photographer, and I have to give major credit to my lovely Molly who put up with me asking her to model her way through the streets of Old San Juan. Here are the favorites from our Puerto Rican adventures – and many many congratulations to my brother Robbie, new sister-in-law Megan (let’s be honest, you’ve been my SIL for years now), and my sweet niece Ellie on the official union of their family.