Punta Cana wedding venue suited for the kings. Simone and Kowan’s Kukua wedding.

Punta Cana wedding venue suited for the kings. Simone and Kowan’s Kukua wedding.

by | Aug 16, 2021 | Blog

Since, Simone herself is a wedding organizer, she did due diligence to research all the Punta Cana wedding venue, Dominican Republic. One of them was keep popping up in the feed, with countless positive reviews and couples’ experiences. The choice was made: Kukua Punta Cana. Oh, boy, they did live up to the expectations!

Simeone and Kowan met during a mutual family event. Kowan eat jalapeno poppers, by mistake and by pure coincidence there was Simone to offer a relief for his aches, neither of them knowing that they will be each other’s reliefs and supports in decades to come! Yeah, I know, life is funny that way.

Many dates, parties and events later together, Kowan popped the question at the annual BBQ party, and since their following year was filled with traveling, he had an idea of making the event for the entire family. What is better to have all your family and friends on the vacation and in absolutely the best mood for your wedding, then choosing perfect tropical destination in the Caribbean.

Wedding ceremony was at the beach, with round fresh floral gazebo, that had matching colors of the wedding, yellow and royal blue. The reception tables were adorned with high floral centerpieces and the sweetheart table had cascading floral boa. Everything was made from fresh flowers, yellow roses, blue hydrangeas and sunflowers.

After the reception, party was spiced up with fire dancers and continued deep into the night.

Scroll down to see our stills of amazing wedding day of this gorgeous couple.

 

Vendors List:

– Venue: Kukua restaurant Punta Cana

– Wedding designer: Mayte Mari

– Wedding planner: Rachel At Kukua

– Photography: Photo Cine Art

– Videography: Photo Cine Art

– Ceremony Officiant: Alejandro Angulo

– Hair and Makeup Artist: Jazmin Abad

– DJ: DJ Sens

– Bride Dress: Bridal Reflections

– Bride shoes: Badgley Mischka, Sneakers: Nike

– Rings: Zales

– Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal

– Brides robe and sequin hanger: Totally Brides

– Groom Suit: Men’s Wearhouse

– Groom’s Shoes: Undandy, Sneakers: Nike

– Groom shirt: Hockerty

– Groomsman Suits: Men’s Wearhouse

– MC: Iamtheplaylist

– Fire Show: HOTS Productions

– Custom acrylic signs: Lillabeas

– Coasters: Kay Belle Designs

– Broom: Bed, Bath & Beyond

– Coloring books: Elizabethpaperstudio

– Custom Handkerchief: Embroiderablelinens

– Wooden Hanger: Bed, Bath & Beyond

– Squad shirts: Caylianna’s Boutique

– Wooden family sign: Ten23designs

 

 

Hard Rock Destination Wedding at Punta Cana, Kristen Ann and Wade

Hard Rock Destination Wedding at Punta Cana, Kristen Ann and Wade

by | Jul 1, 2021 | Blog

Hard Rock Destination Wedding at Punta Cana, Kristen Ann and Wade

 

Kristen and Wade grew up in a small Delaware town. They’ve graduated together, shared many of the same friends, but they never dated. Not until later in life, when Wade wished Kristen a Happy Mother’s Day on Facebook, which ignited conversation that led to date at Timothy’s Newark Delaware.

Proposal was magical as Kristen explained. After asking all 4 of the kids for their blessing, Wade surprised Kristen with a proposal in their home.

They’ve chosen Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana for their wedding venue. Bride and groom wanted the beauty of the beach to shine, it was pretty important for them to have white sand and blue water as a back drop, so, the ceremony took place at Isla Beach. Also, they incorporated a Glass ceremony into the wedding. The bride told us: “We went to a local glass blower with our kids and each selected a color of glass powder. The ceremony was setup like a traditional sand ceremony, but the kids poured the glass into a vessel. When we return home, we will go back to the glass blower and each child will make a glass piece with the mixed glass powder from the wedding.

We included our kids in every decision we made, they are the center of our lives and we wanted them to be a huge part of our wedding. They helped us pick the resort, their dresses, the cake flavors, menu, etc.

Another touching detail was that the bride took a quote from the last late grandmother’s letter to her and incorporated it to her wedding dress. Kristen’s Grandmother passed away years ago, but their special bond still remains true. It was a special way to keep her close to the heart.

Kristen and Wade said that the most anticipated moment of the entire Hard Rock Destination wedding day was the First Look. It was a special time for just the two of us, Wade explained. Kristen was late, which caused a few jokes. We are each other’s best friend and we always find peace when we are together. Seeing each other before the ceremony calmed down any nerves and allowed us to stop and appreciate the love we share.

The reception was set up at Harmonica Gazebo with the highlight of the evening – hired entertainment HOTS Production with the Black and White Crazy Hour. The bride and the groom kept them as a secret from their wedding guests, but once the entertainers were on the dance floor so was everybody else, and that is how it was the entire evening.

Here is the bride and the groom’s words of advice for the future couples planning a Hard Rock Destination Wedding:

“Let the location shine, it’s beautiful and stops you from stressing over all those irrelevant details! We knew no one would remember the color of the tablecloths but we can guarantee everyone will remember the Crazy Hour!

The only people who know things were not as you planned are the two of you! A few details were lost in translation with our coordinator, but it didn’t matter to any of our guests!

Stop a few times during your day, look around and appreciate everything that is going on!”

 

Vendors List:

– Venue: Hard Rock Punta Cana

– Travel Agent: James Berglie with Be All Inclusive

– Photography: Photo Cine Art

– Videography: Photo Cine Art

– Ceremony Officiant: Bride’s Sister Jamann Casselles

– Hair and Makeup Artist: Gisselle with Posh

– Florist: Lings

– Cake: Hard Rock

– Bride Dress: Davids Bridal

– Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal

– Entertainment: HOTS Productions

– Gifts for the guests: sea glass from Wofford Calligraphy

– Booze Cruise with: Renny Travel

 

When a Rock & Roll couple has a beach destination wedding at Kukua to honor the Caribbean heritage

When a Rock & Roll couple has a beach destination wedding at Kukua to honor the Caribbean heritage

by | Mar 13, 2021 | Blog

Yes, you read that right… a Rock & Roll destination wedding at Kukua! Jo and Brandon’s dream was to have wedding on the beach that reflected who they are and they did just that at Kukua Beach Club in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Their wedding was one of a kind, with a classic black theme incorporating skulls, all the while keeping it romantic. Jo dreamt of her vision a couple of years back and it was brought to life by the passionate Mayte Mari – a true wedding designer magician! Everything about this wedding was awesome, from the rock music that was played while the bride was getting ready, to edgy reception décor, to the black wedding cake, it was all drop-dead-gorgeous (no pun intended)! Even the bride’s shoes with thorns were cool!

As you may guess, this wedding had equally unique and incredibly loving bride and groom! Jo and Brandon told us their love story on the day we had our Trash the Dress photo-shoot at Macao Beach. They met 8 years ago at the Spartan Race and they instantly “clicked”. Brandon is a veteran of the US Army, now working as a firefighter (hence the axes for the groomsman gifts) and they both volunteer for the veteran support groups. Jo is a computer engineer enjoying running competitions with obstacles and marathons. They have daughter Bayley aaaand you guessed it …. they are all into the hard rock music! You should see Bayley singing songs from Tool, knowing the words by heart of course!

But what struck us the most, was the extraordinary amount of love they all have for each other! That was one incredibly loving group of family and friends having the best day ever. There had a carnival with dancing, jumped into the famous swimming pool (with their clothes on), cut the cake with an axe, and set a new standard in post-wedding photo-shoots that included the idea that Jo had “sending the wedding dress away” thingy. At the end of the Trash the Dress photo-shoot, Jo and Brandon walked into the ocean with their wedding clothes on, so Jo could take off her wedding dress to send it off as a symbol of the end of their wedding celebrations.

 

Highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCcyEsU47bo

 

Jo and Brandon choose majority of the local Punta Cana wedding vendors:

 

Wedding Venue: Kukua Punta Cana https://kukuarestaurantpuntacana.com/

Wedding Photographer and Videographer: Photo Cine Art

Hair and Makeup: Monica Ynosent @weddmakeup

Bride Shoes: Bakers http://bakersshoes.com/

Groom’s shoes: Aldo https://www.aldoshoes.com/us/en_US/men

Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal https://www.davidsbridal.com/

Groom’s suit: Express https://www.express.com/mens-clothing/suiting/cat1830016

Cake: Cake Studio Bavaro https://www.facebook.com/cakestudiobavaro

Wedding Officiant: Alejandro Angulo https://www.facebook.com/mcalejandro/

Wedding Design: weddings by Mayte Mari @weddingsbymayte

Entertainment: HOTS Productions https://www.hotsproductions.com/

Wedding Rings: Kay Jewelers https://www.kay.com/

 

Kendra and Elysia’s jaw-dropping and elegant beach wedding at Kukua Beach Club in Punta Cana

Kendra and Elysia’s jaw-dropping and elegant beach wedding at Kukua Beach Club in Punta Cana

by | Oct 13, 2020 | Blog

“Our love story started before we knew it started.”

I have never heard words that better describe true love! This beach wedding at Kukua, that happened just couple of days ago (October 2020), was all about that – celebrating true love!

There’s nothing we love more than a totally personalized wedding that is a show-stopper. Kendra and Elysia’s destination, beach wedding at Kukua Beach Club in Punta Cana was exactly that and then some. With help of Kukua’s wedding planning team Rachel and Mayte Mari, these ladies created an extraordinary day with Kenrdra & Elysia’s loved ones witnessing while they profess eternal love to each other.

With a million (and this is without exaggeration) flowers filling every corner and an airy color palette, highlighted with black and gold details pronouncing the beauty of tropical space, this wedding was a page straight out of a fairy-tale. Kendra told us: “I knew before being engaged that I wanted a destination wedding. I had somehow found this venue called ‘Kukua’ and was in love with it. I lived on Pinterest while planning our wedding. I knew I wanted flowers and lots of them. Our wedding planner said we had over 6000 flowers and yes, all of them were real. I changed our wedding colors 7 times lol. We finally decided to go with black, white, ivory, and blush pink. We had a gazebo for our wedding cake and it was beyond beautiful. We even had a memory table with photos of us, showing the years that we had been together, it was a big hit. I wanted us to have a wedding that was unique, elegant, and EXTRA lol. Every time I saw something on Pinterest that caused my mouth to drop, I would say to myself, “oh I got to have this.”

Kendra and Elysia have known each other since middle school and after high school they became best friends. Even then there was a spark between them. Elysia told Kendra: ”I have been watching you since high school, when you use to wear that red dress all the time to school.”

This is how Kendra relived their love story for us: “We started dating in 2008 until 2010 when broke up slowly stopped talking. The break-up was very hard on the both of us. I honestly think we were just young at the time and we both needed to grow. Throughout the years Elyisa and I would talk from time to time but it was nothing major, unfortunately our friendship faded away from the breakup as well. Four years passed when on May 26th 2014, while on Facebook I get a message from Elysia saying “you still have that scarf I see,” the scarf was something I bought when Elysia and I were together. At first, I was saying to myself, “what does this girl want?.” Lol Since then, I can honestly say we have been inseparable. We do almost everything together. We have seen each other at our lowest and highest.

I totally believe in the saying “if you let someone go and they return, then it is meant to be.”

Elysia proposed to me on March 8, 2019 and I knew it was going to happen but after we finished dinner and nothing happened, I said to myself, “well it’s not happening tonight,” so I excused myself and went to the ladies room. When I came back our waiter brought me dessert and when he took the lid off the plate there was a beautiful ring. Elysia, was recording the whole thing and I, I did not even know it. The proposal was priceless. It’s been a joy doing life with Elysia. And it doesn’t hurt that I’ve known my wife since middle school!“

So, if you want to see how gorgeous a destination, beach wedding at Kukua with 6000 real flowers on the beach in Punta Cana looks then scroll down for photos!

 

Update: We just found out that Kendra and Elysia’s wedding was published in famous Munaluchi Bride Magazine!!!! Printed edition no less!!! We are over the top happy, honored and thankful to be a part of this spectacular wedding and to be published in one of the most important wedding magazines today! Here is the digital version of the publication: https://issuu.com/munaluchibride/docs/munawinter21-woody-amani-mafs/144

 

Elysia and Kendra choose majority of the local Punta Cana wedding vendors:

Wedding Venue: Kukua Beach Club Punta Cana

Wedding Photographer: Photo Cine Art

Kukua wedding planner and decoration: Rachel and Mayte

Destination Wedding Specialist: Carol, Barefoot Bridal

Wedding Videographer: Dominicanca Photo & Video

Hair and Makeup: Pippa Valette

Rings: Gold & Diamond Source Clearwater, FL

Head piece and earrings: Elena’s Bridal accessories, Brooklyn New York

Elysia shoes: Aldo shoes, Tazio

Stationary: Pro Wedding Invites

Suit: Tazio

Robe: Kaftan and Brides

Cake: Cake Studio Bavaro

Wedding Officiant: Alejandro Angulo

DJ: Resident DJ at Kukua

 

Looking for perfect beach wedding dress for your Punta Cana destination wedding?

Looking for perfect beach wedding dress for your Punta Cana destination wedding?

by | Sep 17, 2020 | Blog

 

Than you are at the right place. As destination wedding photographers and videographers… Nah, it’s even better, as wedding photographers and videographers living and working permanently at the destination that hosts over 80 weddings a day in a wedding season, here are our two cents on the subject of how to choose the right wedding dress style for a beach wedding. Although we are not wedding dress designers, nor we are associated with one, having the opportunity to see that many brides in all kinds of Caribbean weeding settings, kind of give us right to say we know what we are writing about.

Majestic bride by Photo Cine Art

 

The most important aspect of your overall wedding look is your wedding dress. The dress is going to set the style for your whole look. So, you’ll agree, it is one of the most important task to tick off when you are planning the wedding.

Punta Cana destination wedding by Photo Cine ArtWedding dress by Sottero and Midgley

 

If you are one of the recently engaged couples planning a Punta Cana destination wedding on the beach, then you probably did your fair share of Google research and now you are certainly quite confused with restrictive guidelines many, surprisingly even reputable, sites are suggesting.

Let’s go over them together:

  1. Choose wedding dress that is made out of lightweight fabrics

This is probably the only one of the tips with which we agree. If you can, then yes, choose chiffon, lace, organza … and allow your body to breathe. But for argument sake, most wedding venues make the ceremonies in the afternoon (some weddings that we photographed last year, had ceremonies even as late as 6pm (see here), so the heat is not too big problem. Plus, on the beach there is ALWAYS light breeze so, unless you are on direct sun at noon in July, you’ll never feel the actual heat.

  1. Dress Style

There are many recommendations online for the brides to choose a bohemian wedding dress for their beach wedding ceremony, all together with an explanation that “a beach wedding is a casual event” (?!). Let’s dive into this statement some more. If your wedding will be in bohemian style because you like it, then yes, go with the same style wedding dress. But please, for God’s sake, do not choose bohemian dress only because you’ll have your wedding at the beach! Beach weddings can be glamorous, bohemian or black-tie events if you want them to be! According to their wedding decor design, our brides rocked very successfully many, different wedding dress styles including both fabric and silhouette shapes. There were ball gowns, mermaid and A – lines, from both high-end designers and casual. And they ALL looked AMAZING! Bottom line, you should choose the style of your wedding dress according to your preferences and what flatters your body type the best.

 

Ballroom with mid length veil by Photo Cine ArtBallroom wedding dress by Essense of Australia

Kukua amazing decoration by Photo Cine ArtExamples of elegant wedding decor at destination wedding

Kukua elegant decoration by Photo Cine ArtExamples of elegant wedding decor at destination wedding

Punta Cana destination wedding Macao beach by Photo Cine ArtMermaid style wedding dress

Kukua tables Punta Cana destination weddingWedding decor at destination wedding

A-line wedding dress by Photo Cine ArtA-line wedding dress by Made with love

Bohemian wedding dress by Photo Cine ArtBohemian wedding dress by Riki Dalal

Huracan Cafe by Photo Cine ArtWedding decor at destination wedding

Wedding dress at Hard Rock by Photo Cine ArtSheath Wedding gown by Anais Annette

 

3. Dress length

In my 15 years of experience as a professional wedding photographer, I think I saw short wedding dress two times only. And there were the times when I did weddings almost every day. I think this in itself is quite self-explanatory. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with short wedding dress if that is your cup of tea, but do not feel obligated to go scouting for short wedding dresses because beach is the place where you’ll exchange your vows.

To sum it up, yes, for destination wedding, long is ok.

Wedding couple at Kukua Restaurant by Photo Cine ArtWedding dress by Luciana Vieira – Dalu Atelie

 

Sand doesn’t stain. Train may catch up along some dry seaweed which can be cleaned easily. Also, all wedding venues in Punta Cana take pride in their locations, so beaches where the ceremonies are held, are cleaned frequently.

Hard Rock wedding by Photo Cine Art

Hard Rock Punta Cana wedding by Photo Cine Art

 

If you are thinking about a wedding dress with a train for your Punta Cana destination wedding, that is absolutely doable. Our brides had dresses without train, with Sweep Train, Chapel Train all the way to Cathedral Trains. A wedding dress with detachable train can be convenient solution, but many wedding dresses expert providers can add a bustle to any train to ease your movement after that dramatic entrance! Again, as you can see in our photos, many of our gorgeous brides wore, to their destination beach weddings, wedding dresses with royal or monarch trains. The only thing you should be aware of is that if you walk over uneven surfaces as for example over the concrete floors, the train (or long veil for that matter) may get stuck a bit…

Off-the-shoulder trumpet by Photo Cine ArtTrumpet style wedding dress without train by Allure Bridals

Wedding dress with Sweep Train Punta Cana destination weddingSheath wedding dress with Sweep Train by Anais Annette

Wedding dress with Chapel Train by Photo Cine ArtBallroom style wedding dress with Chapel Train by Essense of Australia

Alison Enzoani Wedding dress with Cathedral Train by Photo Cine ArtWedding dress with Cathedral Train by Enzoani

Wedding dress with Extra Length Cathedral Train Royal or Monarch by Photo Cine ArtWedding dress with extra length Cathedral Train – Royal train by Essense of Australia

Essence of Australia Punta Cana destination wedding Dress with monarch train by Photo Cine ArtWedding dress with extra length Cathedral Train – Monarch train by Essense of Australia

Wedding dress with Bustled Train by Photo Cine ArtWedding dress with Bustled Train by Martina Liana

 

4. Headpieces

 

  • Veil

The most frequently used veils among our brides are definitively Mid-length and Cathedral Veils, followed by Blusher and Mantilla Veils.

Yes, there is a breeze on the beach, but also there are those tiny and very useful thingies called veil weights. You can buy them almost everywhere (from Amazon to Etsy https://www.etsy.com/market/wedding_veil_weights). They simply clip to the edges of your veil and give it just enough weight to stay straight and not fly about! Genius! Nonetheless, make sure you bring it up to your hair stylist (link na nas guide za MUA) to ensure your hair is structurally sound enough to hold it. But, no, you won’t feel it pulling down and you won’t feel it dragging your head.

Although, same as for the wedding dress train, long cathedral veil tends to stuck onto uneven surfaces, so put some attention at those details.

Mid-Length Veil Punta Cana destination wedding by Photo Cine ArtMid-Length Veil and wedding dress by Hayley Paige

Blusher veil mermaid dress by Photo Cine ArtBlusher Veil

Cathedral Veil by Photo Cine ArtCathedral Veil by Pnina Tornai

Cathedral Veil photo by Photo Cine ArtCathedral Veil and wedding dress by Martina Liana

 

  • Bridal Hair Accessories

As for the choosing your wedding dress, the first thing to take into consideration when choosing your hair accessories is your personal style and the style of your wedding. The most popular are Combs and clips, Hair Vines and Headbands.

Palma Real Punta Cana destination wedding by Photo Cine Art

Kukua Punta Cana destination wedding by Photo Cine Art

5. Shoes

One of the great advantages of having a beach destination wedding is that you can go barefoot with or without barefoot sandals, that were absolute hit recently. But if you prefer to go with awesome stilettos, you absolutely can do that too, just ask your wedding venue for a walkway option. Majority of Punta Cana destination wedding venues, if not all of them, have an option to add a walkway, so, absolutely yes, you can wear those Louboutin’s that you are dreaming about for your beach destination wedding.

Kukua round floral arch by Photo Cine ArtWalkway at Kukua Punta Cana

Badgley Mischka Shoes by Photo Cine ArtBadgley Mischka Bridal Shoes

Barefoot sandals Punta Cana destination wedding by Photo Cine ArtBarefoot sandals

HRPC wedding by Photo Cine Art

Shoes by Sophia Webster, Wedding dress by Riki Dalal

Louis Vuitton by Photo Cine ArtChristian Louboutin Bridal Shoes

 

We hoped that our experience has helped you somewhat in choosing that perfect wedding dress in which you have envisioned yourself walking down the aisle while gentle breeze is swaying palm trees and your love is waiting for you by the turquoise Ocean. The essence of this post is that the most important thing to remember is to stay true to yourself. Don’t worry what anyone else thinks you should or shouldn’t wear. It will be the most important day in your and your future spouse life. It is all about what makes you happy, beautiful and confident.

 

Here is a David’s bridal quiz to help you discover the perfect Punta Cana destination wedding gown for you: TAKE THE QUIZ