Jorge Weddings

Antigua, Guatemala

Ana & Jose

San José el Viejo Ruins

A wedding story

Long candle-lit reception table runs through the vaulted nave of San José el Viejo Ruins with a lush floral installation in the foreground — Ana and Jose wedding in Antigua Guatemala.

How they met

Ana and Jose met in a city neither of them was originally from, and they have been moving ever since. Most of their relationship has been built across borders, between work assignments and long visits to family in different countries. By the time they decided to get married, the guest list already felt like a map: family in Guatemala, close friends scattered through Europe, and a long invitation list that ran from Vienna all the way to Antigua. They knew the wedding would only work in a place that asked for the trip on its own terms, and Antigua was the easy answer.

The day

The wedding pulled together guests who had flown in from Vienna along with family arriving from across Guatemala, and you could feel the weight of that travel in the room from the morning on. Ana got ready slowly, in a hotel near the venue, and we used the colonial light through the windows for the first portraits of the day. Jose and his groomsmen stayed close by.

The ceremony was held inside the open ruins of San José el Viejo, where the original colonial walls frame the altar without needing any decor on top. Cynthia Carrillo's design leaned into restraint, with low florals along the aisle and natural greenery against the stone. Casa Troccoli's catering set up dinner inside the ruins, with long banquet tables under string lights and a service flow that made room for long conversation between courses. The reception ran late, with toasts in three languages and a dance floor that did not empty until the last guest gave up.

At the venue

San José el Viejo is the kind of venue that does not need help. The ruins are partially restored but still carry the rough edges of their history, and the open-roof ceremony space catches the late sun in a way that you cannot fake. We worked the property in three layers: ruins for the ceremony and dinner, the surrounding gardens for portraits, and the candle-lit stone walls after dark.

Photographer's note

When friends fly across the ocean for a wedding, the day always carries more weight than usual. Ana and Jose knew that, and they built their wedding around the people who had made the trip. The photographs hold every minute of it.

Creative team

  • Catering·Casa Troccoli
  • Decor·Cynthia Carrillo
  • Venue·Ruinas San José el Viejo
Bride and groom hold hands and lean in to share a smile, backlit by warm sunset light through the garden trees at their colonial Antigua wedding.
Black-and-white portrait of the bride and groom smiling at each other in a sunlit colonial garden in Antigua Guatemala.
Bride and groom pose hand-in-hand for a classic black-and-white portrait in the garden before their wedding in Antigua.
Wide couple portrait in a leafy walled garden at golden hour, with the bride's textured ivory gown catching the light — Antigua Guatemala wedding.
Black-and-white profile portrait of the couple holding hands in front of an ornate colonial facade in La Antigua.
Couple walk hand-in-hand under a tall white arch beside a slender cypress at a colonial ruins wedding in Antigua Guatemala.
Black-and-white image of bride and groom embracing in the candle-lit nave of San José el Viejo Ruins, between long reception tables.
Close-up of a reception table dressed with peach and ivory florals by Cynthia Carrillo, gold place settings and candles inside the ruins — Antigua Guatemala wedding.
Long reception table aligned with the ruined arches, warm uplighting on weathered walls — colonial ruins wedding in Antigua.
Black-and-white portrait of the bride and groom standing in the candle-lit nave of San José el Viejo Ruins with the long reception table behind them.
Bride seated in her ivory gown with the groom standing behind, framed by the vast vaulted nave of San José el Viejo Ruins — black-and-white editorial portrait.
Bride seen from behind in her embroidered gown, gazing toward the candle-lit altar between two long banquet tables — intimate wedding in colonial ruins.
Bride twirls her embroidered gown between two glowing banquet tables in the warmly lit ruins — intimate wedding in Antigua.
Black-and-white moment of the bride lifting her gown mid-spin inside the ruins — colonial Antigua wedding.
Bride twirls in the center aisle of San José el Viejo Ruins, gown unfurling under the cathedral arches — editorial bridal portrait.
Black-and-white groom portrait leaning against a column at the open doorway of the ruins — Antigua Guatemala wedding.
Tiny silhouette of the couple framed inside the towering carved archway of the ruins, glowing reception behind them — destination wedding in Antigua.
Bride and groom lean side-by-side against the giant wooden door of the ruins, candle-lit nave glowing behind them at their colonial Antigua wedding.
Couple walk hand-in-hand down the brick path leading away from the carved baroque entrance to the ruins in Antigua Guatemala.
Bride wraps her arms around the groom from behind, both smiling at the camera in front of the weathered colonial facade — colonial Antigua wedding.
Black-and-white version of the bride embracing the groom from behind in front of the ruins facade in Antigua.
Long reception table with cascading peach and white florals by Cynthia Carrillo, taper candles glowing against the brick arches of San José el Viejo Ruins.
Symmetrical view down the central aisle between two banquet tables framed by floral bases and votive candles — intimate wedding reception in the ruins.
Wide vertical view of the empty nave of San José el Viejo Ruins set up for the reception, with two long tables flanked by floral installations and candle towers.
Black-and-white wide shot of guests seated under the towering vaulted ceiling during the wedding reception in Antigua Guatemala.
Guests gather around the long table during dinner — catering by Casa Troccoli inside the candle-lit ruins in colonial Antigua.
Bride and groom raise their champagne flutes for a toast as guests cheer at the candle-lit reception inside the ruins.
Ana and Jose embrace under the warm-lit baroque facade of the ruins at night, the glowing reception visible through the open archway.