Secrets Cap Cana wedding, amazing Missouri couple Katie & Nick

Secrets Cap Cana wedding, amazing Missouri couple Katie & Nick

by | Nov 17, 2021 | Blog

 

Secrets Cap Cana wedding, amazing Missouri couple Katie & Nick.

Our gorgeous couple, met at a Seven Lion’s concert at the Old Rock House in St. Louis. There was a long line for drinks, Nick offered to show Katie to an area with a shorter line or to keep her company until she realized he was right… He turned out to be right. They shortly after made plans for a proper date before dancing the night away.

Nick and Katie had plans to jet set to Europe on May 7th, 2020. Nick’s plan was to propose in their house with a romantic scavenger hunt the day before their departure. He had a series thoughtful and clever clues hidden throughout the house in gorgeous money envelopes. The last clue read, “You’ve come so far and so have we, there’s adventures to be had and many more to seek. Clue #7 is the luckiest you see, it’s you and me what’s meant to be. There will be life to live and love to give. Give me your heart and for life we’ll live. You’re oh so close to earning a toast, look to the one that loves you the most…” Katie turned to find Nick on one knee with a beautiful Marquise diamond family heirloom diamond ring.

Due to Covid-19, they could not celebrate in Europe, so instead took the doggies to Nick’s family cabin in Piedmont Missouri. Leading to the joke #PiedmontOverPrague.

Nick and Katie share a passion for traveling. They love to explore new places, food and music scenes, meet new people, and learn about new cultures. Nick travels frequently for work, earning the companion pass with Southwest, leading to more frequent travels and the use of their #companionpassendeavors. In 2012, Nick and Katie traveled to the Dominican Republic together and absolutely fell in love with the scenic views and people. Shortly after becoming engaged, they very soon realized they wanted to incorporate their love for travel into their wedding day. The Dominican Republic was the perfect setting.

The natural beach setting was the inspiration for the color palette. The setting of Secrets Cap Cana is picturesque in itself and did not need a ton of additional decor in order to look beautiful. Bistro lighting, soft pastel flowers, and natural elements such as wood trivets were small accents that accentuated the already amazing natural backdrop.

The venue, Secrets Cap Cana, helped make a custom wedding arch shaped as a triangle, like delta, representing the change. The arch was decorated with hydrangeas, roses, and greenery with soft pastel colors.
The bridal bouquet was roses and lilies with greenery. The something blue was a bracelet gifted by Katie’s Aunt Mona and was wrapped around the bridal bouquet. Something old/borrowed was a beautiful handkerchief the groom’s mother Joetta brought to the Dominican Republic that originally belonged to Nick’s Great grandparent in Italy.
Our couple requested coconuts with rum to give the reception an island feel, as well as bonfires and tiki torches to for a true beach party vibe.
With the Caribbean setting, the couple wanted fabrics and designs that would speak to the setting.
The groom found a collarless linen shirt from Cubavera and a tan linen suit from Men’s Wearhouse. Linen was in high demand in 2021 with limited sizing, yet he finally found the perfect suit. The groom wanted a shoe that would not trap sand and found a pair of leather loafers on Etsy. While shopping in St. Augustine while visiting the Groom’s mom, they found the perfect hat to accent his linen suit.
The bride originally aimed for a romantic and flowy dress, but instead found a crepe spaghetti strap gown from Cleo Bridal. The buttons down the entirety of the back and intricate lace applique made the dress stand out above the rest. Shoes were champagne satin from Belk.

The most anticipated moment of the day was seeing each other for the first time. The bride stayed in a separate room and the couple did not see each other until walking down the aisle. It was a truly special moment.
Now, wise words of advice for future couples planning a wedding in Dominican Republic:

“Take in every moment, it goes so quickly!”

 

Vendors List:

– Venue: Secrets Cap Cana Preferred Beach
– Travel Agent: Shanna Fowler with Dream Vacations
– Photography: Photo cine Art
– Videography: Photo Cine Art
– Ceremony Officiant: Pastor Harold Diaz
– Hair and Makeup Artist: Marilyn with Secrets Cap Cana SPA
– Florist: Secret’s Cap Cana
– Cake: Secrets Cap Cana (They surprised us with a first ever lemon cake!)
– Bride Dress: Sincerity from Justin Alexander
– Shoes: Badley Mischka
– Headpiece: flowers picked fresh from orchid plant in the Bridal Suite
– Bridesmaids Dresses: Birdy Grey in seaglass
– Groom Suit: Joseph Aboud
– Groomsman’s suits: Joseph Abboud pant
– Shoes: Etsy
– Entertainment: Spotify currated by Nick Scodary

 

Their Highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTJ1ku7w4vY

 

Other Cap Cana weddings you might find interesting:

Secrets Cap Cana, Audra & Tyler wedding, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Hyatt Ziva Zilara weddings. Samantha and Robert, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Blondie and Dave’s Vows Renewal at Hyatt Ziva, Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

 

 

Dreams Dominicus Wedding, La Romana, Chelsea and Jeff

Dreams Dominicus Wedding, La Romana, Chelsea and Jeff

by | Oct 25, 2021 | Blog

Dreams Dominicus Wedding, La Romana, Chelsea and Jeff

This Ocean side destination wedding had all the perks of the already present gorgeous scenery, mighty Ocean as a backdrop for the wedding ceremony and breathtaking sunset as a canvas for the reception. The bride and the groom wanted to compliment beach wedding venue with a lot of seashells, driftwood centerpieces and fresh flowers. Main color scheme was purple, the bride’s favorite color and blue which was a perfect match with tropical surroundings.

The wedding ceremony was at the gazebo at Dominicus beach and was performed beautifully by a friend and ordained minister. Bride and groom wanted to nod their Irish culture with adding a Hand Fasting Ceremony after reading their vows to each other. Hand Fasting Ceremony is an ancient Celtic ritual that represent the binding of two lives as one.

The wedding was personalized in a few ways. There was a handcrafted welcome sign at the entrance alongside a guest favorite, the signature cocktail signs featuring couples’ cat and dog who couldn’t be there to celebrate with them. Since Chelsea love pictures, they decided to add a Polaroid cameras to the welcome table. So, the guests were able to capture fun images of themselves while writing a fun little note.

The cocktail hour was at the oceanfront pier exactly when the sun was setting into the Ocean just in front of it, accompanied perfectly with exquisite cello player! To say that was amazing would be a serious understatement!

The bride had a gorgeous lace and sequin elegant wedding dress that complimented her figure. The dress had an open back design with lots of sparkle coming from the beaded straps. From there the lace drops down into a beautiful and intricate lace detailing making for a beautiful gown all around. The groom is always dressing up for work and knows a lot about style. He decided to go with a custom-made gray suit with a white shirt and he wore a blue and purple bow tie and pocket square gifted that Chelsea give him for Christmas. He wore his late grandfathers cuff links in honor of him as well as dress socks with their dog and cat printed on them.

The couple entered to the reception with the song of their favorite band, Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was the best way to start the reception and fun part of the evening.

Chelsea and Jeff had the most romantic proposal story that we ever heard of! They’ve met through Match.com and dated for three years before Jeff decided to propose. He decided to do it on Valentine’s Day in Paris, at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He insisted that Chelsea look into one of the scopes looking out into the city. As she impatiently waited for him to drop a quarter into the machine, she turned around to find him on one knee!

We asked them about the favorite special moment of their wedding day and to share some advice for the future couples planning a destination wedding in Dominican Republic. Here is what they told us:

“The most anticipated moment for me was seeing my vision all come to life in person after 20 months of planning. What we both anticipated was dancing the night away at our reception with friends and family. The most special moment, was our first touch. I am so glad we fit time in to share such an intimate moment just the two of us. It made me feel even more ready to say I do after sharing that moment with my husband.

Wedding planning advice I would say: it pays to do your research! I spent lots of time researching vendors that fit our style and what we were looking for and we ended up with exactly what we wanted and more! Also, it never hurts to ask! I asked so many questions which I felt was very annoying on my part but when planning a wedding, especially a destination it’s better to be informed than to be left wondering or making assumptions. There were lots of questions I doubted asking but ended up feeling so much better and informed afterwards. Also don’t forget to take breaks and to enjoy the process. Your mental health will thank you for it. As far as marriage advice I would say don’t forget you are a team! Wedding planning was very stressful at times but my husband and I were always supportive and helpful to one another through the process which is definitely an aspect I would like to carry on throughout our marriage for years to come. Don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy your time together.”

 

Full Vendors List:

– Venue: Dreams Dominicus La Romana Resort

– Travel Agent: Nina Hites with Lighthouse Travel Tennessee

– Photography: Photo Cine Art

– Videography: Photo Cine Art

– Ceremony Officiant: Ghassan Khoury friend and ordained minister

– Hair and Makeup Artist: Dreams Spa at Dreams Dominicus La Romana

– Cake: Dreams Dominicus La Romana

– Wedding Dress: Christina by Sottero & Midgley

– Wedding dress store: Bri’Zan Couture Naperville Illinois

– Shoes: Noura by Nina Shoes

– Veil Purchased at: Bri’Zan Couture Naperville Illinois

– Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal

– Groom Suit: Custom Suit by Joseph Aboud

– Groomsman’s suits: Men’s Warehouse

– Shoes: To Boot New York

– Entertainment: GC Star DJ for reception, chelo player provided by resort for cocktail hour

– Stationary: Shutterfly.com

– Gifts for the guests: personalized koozies by Totally Promotional

 

You might also like:

Nicole and Michael’s wedding at Dreams Dominicus resort at La Romana, Dominican Republic. Photos by MilanPhotoCineArt

Angela and Marcio, Beach Destination Wedding at Kukua Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Barbie and Antonio, amazing destination wedding at Hard Rock Punta Cana, Dominican Republic