Villa Bokéh Wedding Weekend in Antigua Guatemala
Aura & Felix | 2 Nov 2025 | Antigua Guatemala
Aura and Felix’s wedding weekend in Antigua Guatemala perfectly blended timeless fashion, old-world architecture, and immersive guest experiences into a celebration that was elevated and deeply personal.
Centered around Villa Bokéh - Relais & Chateaux and unfolding across several days, the destination wedding moved between Antigua’s historic streets, rooftop gatherings overlooking the volcanoes, and candlelit garden celebrations designed to feel elegant without ever losing their beautifully unique sense of warmth or fun.
With Aura’s Honduran roots, Felix’s Dominican heritage, and a guest experience inspired by Guatemala, the wedding weekend was full of music, movement, and spirited details.
Welcome Party & Portraits Through Antigua Guatemala
Surrounded by lush gardens and hidden pathways just outside central Antigua, Villa Bokéh became the center of the wedding weekend.
Aura spent the wedding morning getting ready inside the property’s garden suites while details from the day slowly filled the space around her, handwritten notes, her bouquet by Nestor Gamez, pale blue wedding heels hidden beneath layers of lace, and her long sleeved Elie Saab gown hanging beside the open windows of the suite.
The atmosphere throughout the morning felt calm, elegant, and naturally connected to the property itself. Light moved through the rooms while guests, florals, music, and anticipation slowly built toward the ceremony ahead.
Even the smallest details reflected the couple’s personality throughout the weekend, including their French bulldog who quietly appeared across portraits, getting ready moments, and celebrations with guests.
Wedding Morning & Getting Ready
Wedding mornings at Villa Bokéh feel calm from the start. Natural light fills the garden suites early, creating the kind of soft atmosphere photographers dream about for getting ready moments before the ceremony begins.
Aura spent the morning surrounded by her bridesmaids and family while final details slowly came together throughout the suite. Handwritten notes rested beside her bouquet by Nestor Gamez, designed with soft lavender roses, white tulips, orchids, and delicate textured florals that carried the romantic palette seen throughout the wedding weekend.
One of the standout bridal details from the morning was Aura’s pale blue Manolo Blahnik heels, chosen as her “something blue” beneath layers of lace and tulle. The soft blue tones paired beautifully with the bridesmaids’ lavender dresses and floral arrangements, adding subtle color into an otherwise timeless bridal aesthetic brides continue searching for across destination weddings in Antigua Guatemala.
Aura wore a long sleeved Elie Saab wedding gown featuring intricate lace detailing, sheer sleeves, and a dramatic full skirt that moved effortlessly throughout the day. Styled with a sleek low bun, natural makeup, and understated jewelry, the overall bridal look felt classic, elegant, and fashion forward without ever feeling overdone.
Some of the most emotional moments from the morning happened quietly. Aura sharing champagne with her bridesmaids overlooking the gardens of Villa Bokéh. Her mother helping her into the dress beside the windows of the suite. Final makeup touch ups while music and conversation moved naturally through the rooms before guests began arriving for the ceremony.
Throughout the morning, Joseph Nance documented the balance between polished editorial portraits and genuine in between moments, allowing the energy of the wedding morning itself to shape the imagery naturally rather than interrupting it with heavy direction.
Even the smallest details reflected Aura and Felix’s personality throughout the weekend, including their French bulldog who quietly appeared across portraits, getting ready moments, and celebrations with guests.
First Look & Family Portraits at Casa de Alma
Before the ceremony, Aura and Felix shared their first look inside Casa de Alma at Villa Bokéh, one of the property’s most private glass garden spaces surrounded by tropical greenery and natural light.
For couples planning a destination wedding weekend in Antigua Guatemala, spaces like this are part of what makes Villa Bokéh so visually unique for photography. The white glass architecture reflects light softly throughout the room while the surrounding gardens keep the atmosphere feeling quiet and intimate even in the middle of a full wedding day timeline.
Rather than heavily directing the moment, Joseph Nance allowed the first look to unfold naturally from a distance, giving Aura and Felix the space to actually experience it together while still documenting every reaction, movement, and pause as it happened.
That balance between editorial composition and real emotion is a large part of what defines Joseph’s approach throughout the weekend. Portraits never pulled the couple out of the experience itself. Instead, photography moved with the rhythm of the day.
Following the first look, the couple explored Villa Bokéh’s garden pathways, bamboo forest, fountains, and bridges for portraits before the ceremony began. Family portraits were captured beneath the property’s towering bamboo gardens while Antigua’s volcanoes remained visible quietly beyond the landscape.
A vintage classic car later carried the couple through the property, adding another timeless layer to the atmosphere of the wedding weekend.
Catholic Ceremony at San Juan del Obispo Church
Aura and Felix chose Iglesia San Juan del Obispo for their ceremony, one of the most historic churches near Antigua Guatemala and a setting known for its quiet atmosphere, cobblestone streets, and dramatic colonial architecture.
For destination weddings in Antigua, churches like San Juan del Obispo create a completely different visual experience than ceremonies held inside traditional venues. The scale of the stone façade, oversized wooden doors, and centuries-old architecture immediately give the ceremony a sense of permanence and grandeur before guests even step inside.
The entrance itself was transformed with climbing floral installations by Nestor Gamez that framed the church doors in layers of soft lavender, ivory, and greenery, creating one of the defining visual moments of the wedding day. A red carpet aisle extended through the church entrance while guests gathered outside waiting for Aura’s arrival beneath the towering facade.
Inside, Joseph Nance approached the ceremony with the same documentary perspective carried throughout the weekend, allowing moments to unfold naturally rather than interrupting them for direction. From quiet exchanges during the vows to the emotion shared between family members seated throughout the church, the focus remained on preserving the feeling of the ceremony exactly as it happened.
Some of the most memorable images came immediately after the ceremony as Aura and Felix exited the church doors together while guests tossed flower petals across the cathedral steps. The energy shifted instantly from emotional and intimate into celebration, with the architecture, movement, and reactions all unfolding at once in front of the church entrance.
Rather than pulling the couple away for extended portraits, Joseph used the momentum already happening around them, documenting the atmosphere as family and friends gathered outside San Juan del Obispo celebrating together in the streets just beyond Antigua.
Cocktail Hour & Mariachi Procession
One of the most memorable moments of the wedding weekend unfolded as a live mariachi band guided guests through the gardens of Villa Bokéh from cocktail hour into the reception.
With champagne in hand, Aura and Felix led family and friends across the property’s bridges and garden pathways as trumpets, violins, and traditional guitars echoed through the open air behind them.
For destination weddings, experiences like this are what guests remember long after the weekend ends. Rather than rushing everyone from one event into the next, the celebration itself became part of the movement through the venue.
Guests followed the procession through Villa Bokéh together, turning the transition into an experience of its own while mariachi music carried across the gardens and water features surrounding the property.
Joseph Nance documented the moment as it unfolded naturally, preserving not just the atmosphere of Villa Bokéh, but the feeling of being fully inside it alongside the people who came to celebrate Aura and Felix in Guatemala.
Wedding Reception Design & Decor
Designed by Nestor Gamez, the reception transformed Villa Bokéh into an open-air garden dinner party layered with candlelight, woven textures, fresh greenery, and soft neutral florals that blended naturally into the property’s landscape.
Long wooden tables stretched beneath suspended basket installations and hanging greenery while muted lavender roses, white tulips, orchids, grapes, woven chargers, and candlelit details created a tablescape that felt organic to Antigua rather than overly formal or heavily styled.
One of the most memorable guest details from the reception was the couple’s interactive “Ring, Sip & Be Seated” wine seating chart installation. Guests found their tables through individual wine pours incorporated directly into the escort display, turning the seating chart itself into part of the cocktail hour experience rather than simply a functional detail.
As daylight disappeared behind the gardens of Villa Bokéh, layered candlelight and woven lantern installations slowly transformed the reception into a completely different atmosphere for the evening ahead.
The design throughout the reception reflected the overall tone of Aura and Felix’s wedding weekend, elegant and elevated while still feeling warm, welcoming, and genuinely connected to Guatemala itself.
First Dance & The Full Celebration
As the evening continued, Villa Bokéh transformed from an elegant candlelit garden reception into a packed dance floor layered with music, movement, and late night celebration.
Beneath oversized woven lantern installations suspended in cascading greenery, Aura and Felix shared their first dance surrounded by family and friends while speeches, champagne toasts, and parent dances unfolded across the open-air reception. Warm lighting reflected across the gardens and pathways surrounding the property while guests moved between candlelit dinner tables, cocktail bars, lounge spaces, and the dance floor itself.
The reception design remained deeply connected to the atmosphere established earlier in the day. Soft lavender florals, layered candlelight, woven textures, natural wood tones, and abundant greenery allowed Villa Bokéh’s architecture and landscape to remain central throughout the evening rather than overpowering the setting with excessive production.
As dinner transitioned into dancing, the tone of the night shifted completely.
What began as a refined garden dinner party slowly unraveled into one of the most energetic and visually unforgettable parts of the wedding weekend. The dance floor filled with glowing foam sticks, oversized sunglasses, custom crowns, country flags representing guests who had traveled from across Honduras, the Dominican Republic, the United States, and beyond, along with oversized cutouts of Felix’s face that instantly became part of the night’s funniest moments.
Cotton candy circulated through the crowd while performers in brightly colored carnival-inspired costumes moved through the dance floor beneath the lantern installations overhead. Guests danced shoulder to shoulder beneath layered greenery as music, lighting, and movement transformed the reception into something immersive, emotional, and completely uninhibited.
What made the celebration feel especially memorable was how personal every detail remained despite the scale of the wedding itself. The late night favors never felt random or overly produced. Every element reflected Aura and Felix’s personalities, their humor, their cultures, and the energy of the people surrounding them.
For destination weddings in Antigua Guatemala, this kind of transition is often what guests remember most. The reception did not feel separated into formalities, dinner, and after party. Instead, the entire evening evolved naturally over hours, allowing guests to feel fully inside the experience from beginning to end.
Joseph Nance documented the reception the same way he approached the entire wedding weekend, staying inside the celebration rather than interrupting it. The result preserved not only the scale and design of Villa Bokéh at night, but the feeling of what it was actually like to be there, crowded dance floors, layered lighting, music echoing through the gardens, and hundreds of fleeting moments couples would otherwise never fully see themselves.
Antigua Guatemala Wedding Vendor Team
The right creative team changes everything.
When planners, photographers, filmmakers, florists, and designers have worked alongside each other before, the entire wedding weekend moves differently. Timelines flow naturally, communication becomes intuitive, and every moment is documented without interrupting the experience of actually living it.
That sense of ease could be felt throughout Aura and Felix’s wedding weekend in Antigua Guatemala. From the welcome party through the final dance, every creative partner contributed to an atmosphere that felt seamless, intentional, and deeply personal. Surrounded by family and friends who traveled from across countries and cultures to celebrate with them, the couple were able to remain fully present throughout the weekend while an experienced team brought the celebration to life around them.
Welcome Party
Venue | @casatroccoli
Photography | @josephnancephoto
Dress | @silviatcherassi
Shoes | @aquazzura
Suit | @saks
Loafers | @ghbass
Wedding Day
Venue | @villabokeh
Wedding Planner | @helenrussevents
Photography | @josephnancephoto @francogiomiphoto
Getting Ready Dress | @hillhouse
Makeup | @jessieharrisonmakeup
Hair | @yolimacal
Wedding Dress | @eliesaabbridal
Something Blue Shoes | @manoloblahnik
Tuxedo | @zegna
Decor | @nestorgamez
Videography | @rodrigozadro
DJ | @lpliang
Content Creator | @behindthebridefilms
Entertainment | @showcompany_gt
For couples planning a destination wedding in Antigua Guatemala, our journal includes additional planning resources, venue inspiration, and trusted wedding professionals throughout Guatemala find more resources on here: The Trusted Professionals Behind Antigua’s Best Destination Weddings and Your Guide to Hosting an Idyllic Destination Wedding on Lake Atitlán.
For couples planning a wedding in Antigua Guatemala, we have a decade of experience and know how these weekends actually run. Get in touch here.
To see more of our work, explore the wedding gallery or follow along at @josephnancephoto on Instagram. For weddings in Guatemala, Spain, or anywhere that matters to you, we would love to hear from you.
