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This NYC Couple Brought Effortless Cool and Fuchsia Pink to a Villa Wedding in Sitges, Spain

June 16, 2026 | justine

Ariella Pasman and Jonathan Paredes didn’t start planning with a specific venue or destination in mind. What they did know was how they wanted the celebration to feel: relaxed, stylish, welcoming, and filled with the people they love most.

The Hudson County couple loves to travel, values great food, and wanted their guests to feel like they were part of something special rather than simply attending another formal event. Those priorities eventually led them to a Sitges, Spain wedding at Villa Almanita, where vibrant pink florals, a meaningful Jewish ceremony, and a weekend-long celebration came together in one unforgettable setting.

Spain felt like a natural choice. Jonathan’s family would be traveling from the Dominican Republic, making a Spanish-speaking destination especially welcoming, while Ariella had spent years learning the language herself. Add in a beautiful villa, November sunshine, and the chance to spend several days with their favorite people, and the decision became an easy one.

What We Love About This Sitges, Spain Wedding:

  • The bold fuchsia pink color palette that inspired even Ariella’s wedding-day hair color
  • A Jewish ceremony thoughtfully brought to life in Spain
  • Jonathan’s vintage brooch in place of a traditional boutonniere
  • Ariella carrying her grandmother’s vintage beaded clutch
  • A wine cellar reception that turned into an all-night dance party

Featured Vendor:
Metheny and Company

The First Look Helped Calm the Wedding Day Nerves

The couple looked completely comfortable in front of the camera all day, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few nerves leading up to the ceremony. Their first look quickly changed that.

After seeing each other, both seemed noticeably more relaxed. Ariella couldn’t stop talking about how handsome Jonathan looked, while Jonathan admitted that being together again immediately settled his nerves. It became one of those quiet moments that helped them slow down and fully take in what was happening.

While the wedding was full of beautiful details and big celebrations, that private moment together ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the day for the couple.

They Wanted a Destination Wedding That Felt Worth the Trip

Ariella and Jonathan weren’t searching for a specific venue. What they had was a list of priorities: a villa with character, outdoor spaces, room for loved ones to stay on-site, and a location where guests could enjoy a few days away together.

Villa Almanita offered all of that and more. Located just outside Barcelona, the property made travel relatively easy for guests flying in while giving the couple an opportunity to extend the celebration into a longer trip. Around 25 close friends and family members stayed on-site throughout the weekend, making the wedding feel less like a one-day event and more like a shared vacation.

The setting itself also helped keep things moving throughout the day. Different areas were used for welcome drinks, the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing, allowing guests to enjoy new surroundings as the celebration progressed.

Finding a Way to Honor Tradition Far From Home

That decision added another layer to planning a destination wedding. Jewish ceremonies are not especially common in Spain, which meant finding the right officiant and ensuring vendors understood certain traditions required additional coordination. The team ultimately found an officiant living in Spain who understood the significance of the ceremony and helped bring the couple’s vision to life.

The ceremony took place beneath a huppah, and extra care went into making sure every meaningful element was properly represented. For Ariella and Jonathan, including these traditions was undeniably important.. No matter where they got married, they wanted Ariella’s Jewish heritage to have a meaningful place.

From the Junebug Editors:
If cultural or religious traditions are an important part of your celebration, bring them into planning conversations early. Destination weddings often require additional research and coordination, but giving vendors time to understand what matters most to you can make all the difference.

Personal Style Was the Starting Point for Every Design Decision

The design direction evolved throughout the planning process. Early inspiration leaned moodier, then brighter colors entered the conversation before deeper tones found their way back into the final design. The finished color palette centered around one color Ariella refused to compromise on: fuchsia pink.

That bright pink appeared throughout the flowers and decor, paired with softer pinks, shades of purple, deep greens, and touches of burgundy. Art Nouveau-inspired paper goods added a vintage glamour that worked beautifully with the villa setting.

The most memorable style details were often the smallest ones. Ariella dyed her hair pink for the wedding. Their dogs appeared on the cocktail menu. Jonathan chose a vintage brooch instead of a traditional boutonniere. Ariella carried a beaded clutch that once belonged to her grandmother. As a nail artist, she even painted Jonathan’s ring fingernail with an “A” before the wedding day.

They Planned the Wedding Around How They Wanted Guests to Feel

From the beginning, Ariella and Jonathan wanted guests to feel comfortable, welcomed, and taken care of. Food was a major priority because both of them genuinely love dining experiences and wanted people to remember the meal long after the wedding ended. Keeping the guest list around 70 people also helped create a more personal atmosphere where every person present had a meaningful connection to the couple.

One of the most emotional moments came during their thank-you toast toward the end of cocktail hour. Looking around the room, they shared how grateful they were that everyone had traveled to Spain to celebrate with them.

That moment landed because everyone there knew they meant it. The same care went into the events surrounding the wedding day. The night before, close family and friends gathered for a relaxed rehearsal evening at the villa. The morning after, everyone reunited for brunch in the courtyard, spending hours laughing, sharing stories, and reliving favorite moments from the night before.

A Wine Cellar Turned Into the Dance Floor Everyone Remembered

While the ceremony was deeply meaningful, Ariella and Jonathan also wanted a reception that felt energetic from start to finish.

Music played a huge role in the planning process, and they were determined to avoid a stiff or overly formal atmosphere. Instead, the celebration moved into the villa’s wine cellar, which transformed into the perfect late-night party space.

Guests filled the dance floor all evening, and the energy never seemed to dip. Between the music, incredible food, flowing drinks, and excitement of being together in Spain, the reception felt exactly the way the couple had hoped it would.

By the end of the weekend, it was easy to see why so many guests went out of their way to tell the Junebug vendor Metheny and Company how much they loved the wedding. Every part of the celebration felt carefully considered, from the guest experience to the flow of the day. Add in a stunning villa, a packed dance floor, and a group of people who were genuinely thrilled to be together, and it became the kind of wedding guests didn’t want to leave.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Shots by Sam
Event Planning – Metheny & Company
Content Creator – Vow Visuals
Floral Design – Bodas Loving the Flowers
Catering – Dini Catering
Officiant – Chazan Danny
DJ – Time Machine Studio
Makeup + Hair Styling – MLI Beauty

 

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The Wedding Hashtag Died. Here’s What Couples Are Doing Instead

June 15, 2026 | marissa

Weddings are always evolving. What felt fresh and of-the-moment a decade ago has a funny way of becoming the thing you cringe at in old photos. Ten years ago, ceremonies were full of bowties and suspenders, floral crowns, and Edison bulbs—basically a Lumineers music video come to life. And woven into all of it was the wedding hashtag: that carefully brainstormed, pun-forward mashup of two last names that couples spent real time perfecting. There were even businesses that launched with the sole purpose of crafting the perfect one for you.

But like the chalkboard signs and mason jars of 2016, the hashtag has quietly slipped into the category of wedding-trends-past. And in its place, something genuinely better has taken over. QR codes for wedding pictures streamline the process for both couples and guests, so that the silly selfies and heartfelt candids never get lost. Everything lands in one shared photo album, safe and accessible long after the last dance.

So, Where Did the Hashtag Go Wrong?

The core problem is that the hashtag was always a workaround, not a real solution. In the early days of Instagram and Twitter, the idea was simple: tag every guest photo with a shared umbrella tag and, in theory, you’d have a tidy archive. In practice, photos stayed scattered across feeds, required active management to track down, and were only as good as your guests’ ability to remember and correctly spell a custom phrase after two glasses of champagne at cocktail hour.

There was also the subtler pressure of the platform itself. With the question of “Is this Instagrammable?” hovering over every candid moment, plenty of guests simply didn’t post at all. The shots that would have meant the most (the spontaneous ones, the ones that didn’t need a filter) never made it into the hashtag feed to begin with.

Beyond the practical failures, there’s been a real cultural shift in how couples want to remember their wedding day. The public-feed model the hashtag depended on no longer fits. For Gen Z couples especially, broadcasting your wedding to a publicly searchable tag feels distinctly of another era—one defined by performing milestones online rather than actually living them. Couples today want their memories somewhere private, curated, and theirs. And rightfully so.

The New Answer: Shared Photo Album for Weddings

Your wedding photographer is one of the most important hires you’ll make for your wedding day, but even the best photographer in the world can’t be at every table, in every corner of the venue, at every second. That’s exactly where a shared photo album comes in.

Think of it as a safety net running alongside your main photographer: a portal into the casual, spontaneous, behind-the-scenes version of your wedding day that only your guests can see. The silly dance floor selfies. The tearful toasts captured from the second row. The moment between your grandmother and your new spouse that happened while the photographer was across the room. A guest-perspective album doesn’t replace your professional coverage; it simply completes it.

How QR Code Shared Albums Work

The process is straightforward. With a platform like Guestlense, it comes down to four steps:

  1. Create your gallery. Set up your free Guestlense gallery with details like the gallery name, date, and an optional password for privacy.
  2. Customize and activate. Design a digital guestbook and generate custom QR cards styled to match your wedding aesthetic.
  3. Display at your venue. Place QR cards throughout the space. Guests scan with their phone camera and upload photos and messages instantly — no app download required.
  4. Relive the memories. Watch photos populate in real time, then download your favorites or the entire collection whenever you’re ready.

Instead of signage throughout the venue reminding guests of a hashtag they may or may not remember, a single QR code does all the work. Place them at dinner tables, the bar, the photo booth area, the guestbook station, and yes, even the bathroom (which has quietly become one of the most reliably candid spots for guest photos.) Anywhere guests are gathered, and phones are already out, a QR code turns into an instant on-ramp to the shared album.

Why a Dedicated Platform Makes a Difference

You might be wondering whether you could just set something like this up yourself, such as a shared Google Photos link, a group text thread, or a folder in the cloud. And technically, you could. But the difference a purpose-built platform makes is real.

Guestlense offers custom-branded galleries so the album itself feels like part of your wedding, not an afterthought. They handle print fulfillment, offer photo booth filters, allow unlimited guest uploads, and get your QR codes to you quickly and directly. Most importantly, no app download is required for guests, which removes the single biggest barrier to actually getting people to participate. Privacy is built in from the start, and the whole experience is designed to be seamless on both ends.

Your photographer will take care of the big moments, the classic portraits, and the carefully composed shots. But for everything else—the unguarded, unscripted, utterly irreplaceable guest-perspective photos—a shared photo album for weddings is the way to go. Visit Guestlense and use code JUNEBUG at checkout for 15% off.

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A Barefoot Beach Wedding at Golden Hour in Nosara, Costa Rica

June 14, 2026 | justine

By the time Zoe and Pete exchanged vows on the beach at Restaurante La Luna had already become woven into their relationship. The destination had hosted family vacations, memorable trips together, and Pete’s proposal on Playa Guiones. Choosing it as the setting for their Nosara, Costa Rica wedding felt less like a decision and more like the natural next chapter.

Their story began on a November night in Aspen when mutual friends introduced them at a local restaurant. Pete was celebrating his birthday, and Zoe had agreed to go out for “just one.” The connection was immediate, but between travel and illness, nearly two months passed before they were finally able to spend time together. Once they did, everything felt easy. Over the years, they built a life filled with adventure, family, and plenty of laughter together.

What We Love About This Nosara, Costa Rica Wedding:

  • The barefoot golden-hour ceremony overlooking the ocean
  • The tropical-modern design that complemented the natural surroundings
  • Zoe’s mother’s watercolor artwork woven throughout the paper goods
  • The candlelit reception under the palms at Restaurante La Luna

Starting With a Place They Already Loved

For Zoe and Pete, the location came first. They immediately knew they wanted to get married at Restaurante La Luna in Playa Pelada, one of their favorite places in Nosara. The oceanfront setting, palm trees, and relaxed atmosphere captured everything they loved about the area. “We started with the location and let everything else grow from there,” Zoe shared.

A planning trip to Costa Rica in late 2024 helped bring their ideas into focus. Rather than bringing in a completely separate vision, they wanted the wedding to feel unmistakably tied to Nosara.

That decision influenced everything that followed. White florals, lush greenery, woven textures, raw wood tables, and candlelight all complemented the natural surroundings instead of competing with them. The result was a tropical-modern aesthetic that felt elevated without feeling formal.

Finding Local Experts Who Know the Area

Planning a destination wedding came with unique challenges, which made local expertise especially valuable. Their coordinator, Esperanza Casanova, became an essential part of building the wedding team. During an early planning trip, the couple quickly connected with her and came to trust her recommendations.

“For a destination wedding, that local knowledge made such a difference,” Zoe said. They looked for vendors who understood the area, communicated easily, and could help create a beautiful experience without adding unnecessary complexity.

For photography, they immediately connected with the warm and natural style of Junebug vendor Kuba & Sol Okon. Music came from DJ Kika, whose energy kept the celebration going well into the night. Florecer Nosara handled the florals, creating arrangements that felt perfectly suited to the tropical surroundings.

Featured Vendor:
Kuba Okon Weddings

Keeping the Ceremony Simple and Personal

Despite the incredible setting, the ceremony itself remained refreshingly simple. The couple exchanged vows barefoot on the beach, surrounded by family and friends who had traveled from around the world to celebrate with them. Rather than adding elaborate ceremonial elements, they focused on simple choices that mattered to them.

One of the most special decisions was asking Zoe’s cousin, Katie Lawson, to officiate. “Having someone from my family officiate made the ceremony feel especially personal,” Zoe said.

Walking down the aisle with her father was another moment she remembers vividly. Seeing all of their guests gathered together on the sand created an overwhelming sense of gratitude and connection.

Finding Wedding Fashion That Fit the Setting

The couple’s wedding day fashion followed the same approach as the rest of the celebration: relaxed, elegant, and right at home on the beach. Because the ceremony took place on the sand, everyone went barefoot.

Pete wore a custom Italian linen suit that felt polished while still fitting the beach environment. Zoe chose a silk Michelle Mason gown that balanced structure with ease. “I loved that it was clean and understated, with beautiful movement and just enough structure,” she shared.

For hair and makeup, Zoe wanted to look like herself. Her natural curls, sun-kissed makeup, and a single orchid tucked into her hair created a look that felt effortless and perfectly in step with the relaxed atmosphere of the day.

Weaving Family Creativity Into the Details

Some of the most meaningful details weren’t visible at first glance. Zoe designed the entire paper suite herself, including the save-the-dates, invitations, place cards, table numbers, and thank-you cards. The artwork featured throughout the suite came from her mother, an artist who painted watercolors of locations that held special meaning for the couple during a visit to Nosara in 2024.

The paintings appeared throughout the wedding weekend, from invitations featuring the beach to thank-you cards showcasing the family pool where guests gathered during the celebration. Those details helped guests feel connected to the places that meant so much to the couple. Rather than serving as decoration alone, they became a way to tell the story of Nosara before guests even arrived.

Focusing on the Experience Instead of More Decor

Because so many guests were traveling internationally, Zoe and Pete focused their budget on the parts of the day everyone would experience together: the venue, food and drinks, music, photography, florals, lighting, and overall guest experience. The natural beauty of La Luna made that easier.

The ceremony took place directly on the beach at golden hour, with the ocean behind them and guests gathered barefoot in the sand. As sunset faded, the celebration moved into an open-air reception beneath palm trees and string lights.

Long wooden tables were dressed with woven chargers, white orchids, anthuriums, monstera leaves, palm fronds, and candles that glowed throughout the evening. Instead of adding layers of decor, they focused on details that complemented what was already there.

 

Leaving Room for Guests to Enjoy the Destination

While many destination weddings fill every hour with activities, Zoe and Pete intentionally took a different approach. They hosted a rehearsal dinner at Lagarta Lodge and a welcome party at Pete’s family home in Playa Guiones. Both events were relaxed and outdoors, giving guests an opportunity to connect before the wedding day. 

Beyond that, they left plenty of free time. The couple wanted guests to experience Nosara for themselves, whether that meant spending time at the beach, surfing, exploring town, or simply relaxing. That balance helped the entire weekend feel less like a packed itinerary and more like a shared vacation with the people they love most.

For Zoe and Pete, sharing Nosara with their family and friends was one of the most meaningful parts of the celebration. By the time guests headed home, they had experienced firsthand why this place has become such an important part of the couple’s story.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Kuba Okon Weddings
Event Planning – Nuvem Events
Venue + Catering – Restaurante La Luna
Floral Design – Florecer Nosara
Officiant – Katie Lawson
DJ – DJ Kika Arguello

 

Sponsors
Email [email protected] to advertise on Junebug Weddings
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