There’s a version of a wedding day that exists only in the schedule — hair at nine, first look at eleven, ceremony at five. And then there’s the version that actually happens, which is almost never about the schedule at all. Sam and Tito’s day at Casa Colonial was the second kind: unhurried, full of family drifting in and out of rooms just to say hello, and — by the end of the night — dancing in the rain without even noticing it was raining.
Getting Ready
Sam and Tito got ready down the hall from each other, surrounded by parents and their wedding party, with friends popping in throughout the morning simply because everyone was staying on property. That’s the kind of morning I love photographing most — not staged, not quiet-on-set, just a family in and out of each other’s rooms because they can be.
The First Look — and the One Before It
Before Tito, there was another first look: Sam with her dad, then her grandfather, then her brothers. By the time she and Tito saw each other, alone, for their private vow exchange, it was already the most emotional moment of the day — which is exactly why they chose to keep it private, just the two of them.
A Garden Ceremony
They skipped the beach for the ceremony and chose the garden instead — a choice that gave the day its own rhythm rather than following the expected Dominican destination-wedding script. Dr. Eaton officiated, kept it short exactly as asked, and Vivalfesta met them at the end of the aisle with tequila before sending everyone straight into cocktail hour.
Cocktail Hour, Rooftop Views
Sam and Tito made it a priority to actually be present for cocktail hour with their guests — something couples plan for and rarely get to fully enjoy. Between the rooftop views and the time spent with family who’d traveled in from everywhere, it became one of the quieter favorite stretches of the day.
[Photo: rooftop / guests during cocktail hour]
The reception was staged beachfront at Casa Colonial — a temporary structure built in the days leading up to the wedding, designed by Vivalfesta to feel elegant without losing the tropical setting, and built to comfortably hold 200 guests on the dance floor. Watching that space come together in the days before, and then walking through it finished with the team who built it, is its own kind of quiet magic that guests never see.
Speeches, a Second Dress, and an Hora Loca
Under a clear tent in the sand, both fathers gave speeches — one in Spanish, one in English. Sam changed into a second dress for the night’s dancing, they slipped away mid-party to cut the cake before anyone noticed, and closed the night with an Hora Loca. Somewhere in there it started pouring rain — and nobody on the dance floor even stopped to look up.
Sam and Tito’s day at Casa Colonial: unhurried, full of family drifting in and out of rooms just to say hello, and — by the end of the night — dancing in the rain without even noticing it was raining.
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