Lyndsay and Marshall have known each other since they were children. They have been lifelong sweet hearts and finally tied the knot on Culebra Island in Puerto Rico. I was so excited to have the chance to photograph their wedding on Flamenco Beach. Flamenco beach is ranked the third most beautiful beach in the world, it is always a pleasure to photograph weddings there. I asked Lyndsay a few questions about love, marriage and how she and Marshall met. Check out the photographs from their wedding day and her answers below.
What do you think makes for a good, life long marriage?
“Love isn’t finding someone you can live with, it’s finding someone you cannot live without.” Marshall and I have this quote hanging on the wall at the foot of our bed so that we see it every morning. Let’s be honest, we’re all human and are bound to get on each other’s nerves, but it’s never giving up on your spouse.. even on their worst days, if you are understanding and there for each other 100% of the time, you will live a good, lifelong marriage.
When did you and Marshall fist meet?
We went to the same middle school.. Marshall was two years older than me. We became best friends when I was in 6thgrade (2006) and started dating in 2007.
What was your favorite thing about your wedding day?
My favorite thing about our wedding was when I first stepped foot into the sand and laid eyes on the amazing set up that Peri had created for us. Seeing Marshall standing under the coral and white pergola just gave me goose bumps.. This is really happening..
Apparently, there was a bad storm the night before that ruined the pergola and she had to completely redo everything minutes before the ceremony. I thought oh well… no matter what it looks like I will be Mrs. Marshall Olson today. Once I saw how beautiful it was I couldn’t even believe Peri was fussing around. It was an absolutely magical sight that we will never forget.
How did he ‘pop’ the question?
December 30, 2013 we were curled up on the couch watching TV and I told him we needed to go get balloons because the 31st is my little sister’s birthday.. I had to freshen up before we could go and he went out to start the truck. When I came out to put my shoes on.. BAM there he was on one knee.. I was so surprised I didn’t know how to react but start crying and shake my head yes. When we first starting talking about marriage, I said I didn’t want a fancy proposal.. this couldn’t have been more fitting for us. So casual and I wasn’t suspicious at all!
What are you most excited about when you think of spending the rest of your life with your partner?
When I think about spending the rest of my life with Marshall, it excites me to no end to think about the precious little family we will eventually make. Step by step we are slowly molding our lives around the children that we hope to have and cherish in the future.
Why did you choose a destination wedding on Culebra Island in Puerto Rico?
We chose a destination wedding because we are in no way “traditional”. I could not see myself in a big white gown at a church. Plus, we both have very large families are we did not want a huge wedding. By choosing a destination we were able to keep it down to 9 guests, which made it so much more intimate.
We chose Culebra as our destination because my family and I had been visiting Culebra since I was three years old!! One vacation, I was maybe 8 or 9 years old, my dad and I were walking to the tank at flamenco and I looked up and said “daddy, one day I will get married on this beach.” We consider it our home away from home. When Marshall and I had been dating for 1 year, my parents allowed him to come along on our family vacation.. that was six years ago and he loves it as much as us!! Flamenco beach is very special to our family, and now that we tied the knot there, it gives us all the more reason to visit every January… for our anniversary!
What advice do you have for brides having professional pictures taken for the first time?
With all the chaos of the wedding planning.. don’t forget to take some time to talk with your photographer and look at different wedding poses that you may want.. I did not take much time to look at different poses, but I had talked to Frances multiple times and explained that I had no clue what kind of pictures I was looking for.. I left my picture faith in her hands.. She did an absolutely wonderful job in capturing the most beautiful moments.. I basically left all of the thinking to her and was not disappointed!
Puerto Rico Wedding Photographer 