Kukua wedding Punta Cana, Vickie and Andre

Kukua wedding Punta Cana, Vickie and Andre

by | Nov 14, 2022 | Blog

Kukua wedding Punta Cana, Vickie and Andre

 

“Our wedding day was simply amazing and magical.” Vickie told us.

The theme was romantic elegance with roses and hydrangeas as the floral decor. The color palate was lavender, light blue, ivory, and champagne. The inspiration for the color palate was from Vickie’s late grandmother who passed earlier this year in January at the age of 97. She was one-month shy of her 98th birthday. Her favorite color was pale lavender, and her favorite flowers were roses.

Kukua Punta Cana, as usual, did a fabulous job decorating the beach ceremony site with a floral infinity arch, gold Chiavari chairs, and lavender and ivory chair corsages. The Kukua wedding reception was decorated with lavender and ivory floral centerpieces with lots of candles, hanging floral centerpieces over each table, a floral swing for the wedding cake, the same floral infinity circle from the ceremony behind the sweetheart table, bistro lights, hanging perimeter lights, a floral welcome table, floral seating chart, a floral memory table, gold Chiavari chairs, gold beaded charger plates, lavender napkins, menu cards, and escort cards. The dance floor area was decorated with a huge LOVE sign with lights and bistro lights, and we had shooting sparklers (cold-fire) during the first dance, there were white lounge chairs with floral centerpieces on the cocktail tables as well.

Vickie added some unique elements, instead of table numbers they had table words for example Table of Love, Table of Commitment, etc. They also did personalized luggage tags as favors and a personalized round wooden board as the guest book. “We had our baby pictures on the welcome table as well”.

They had flowers EVERYWHERE and for everything (can’t you tell that Vickie loves flowers lol). Lavender roses in a few shades, ivory roses, ivory and blue hydrangeas, baby breathes, and lots of greenery. Flowers were used for all of decor, bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, etc. Flowers played an integral role in their wedding because it reminded Vickie of her grandmother. “We felt her presence there with all of her favorite flowers”.

The bride and the groom also decided to do an African American tradition of Jumping the Broom at the end of the ceremony.

They had a Caribbean Carnival (Crazy Hour) by HOTS Productions, incorporated into their reception and also a 360-photobooth. The whole wedding was our favorite lol, Vickie and Andre told us, but if we have to choose one thing, that would definitely be the Crazy Hour as our top favorite entertainment.

Vickie styled both the ladies and gentlemen for their Kukua wedding: “I knew I wanted the girls in champagne-colored dresses, and I knew I wanted a mermaid silhouette as well so that was easy. But the guys on the other hand created a challenge. I knew I wanted them to be in linen suits since that is the best fabric for hot weather but wasn’t sure on the color. I knew Andre would be in tan linen suit to stand out. Initially, I was thinking navy blue linen suits for the guys, but Men’s Warehouse didn’t have navy in the slim-fit style, only classic-fit and nobody wears that anymore lol. So, they had a light blue linen suit in the store, and I was like OK, I like that, so we rolled with it, and it all turned out absolutely perfect.

For my bridal gown, I knew I wanted something light and airy, no big ruffles or poof lol. I wanted a mermaid silhouette with a nice long sheer train. And my max budget was $3k. I went to 8 different bridal shops and tried on at least 50 different gowns before I found “the one”. I found it at Betsy Robinson Bridal in Pikesville, MD. The designer is Essence of Australia and it happen to be on sale because the bridal salon was having a trunk sale for that designer. So, I came in under budget for the dress price BUT the alterations took me to my max budget, my dress had to fit me like a glove, the goal was to need zero undergarments lol and the goal was accomplished.”

Vickie and Andre met on Facebook in a group; it was mainly for singles ready to mingle. Andre made a post in the group suggesting going “Drunk Ice Skating” and Vickie commented saying “that sounds like fun, let’s do it”.

“So, Andre hopped into my inbox and asking if I were single and suggested us to hang out. We exchanged numbers and talked every day for a while. We both had hectic work schedules so trying to plan dates was a bit challenging, but we did it. Our first date was to a restaurant called Ra which is a sushi spot. This was an interesting first date because I never ate sushi before and certainly never ate with chop sticks. But on our first date, he introduced me to both, and I loved it. We talked, laughed, ate, drank and just enjoyed each other’s company. Andre was a perfect gentleman. After that, we had several other dates and finally became an official couple in July 2018. We’ve been inseparable ever since.”, they told us.

“Andre proposed on Christmas Day 2020 during our family morning brunch. He gathered us all in the living room to say the prayer before we ate and as he began to pray, he got down on one knee and proposed. And of course, I said yes! Our family cheered us on and then we ate lol. “

Reading the wedding vows was the most special moment for Andre and for Vickie, was her oldest son crying uncontrollably walking her down the aisle. Absolutely adorable!

Words of advice from Vickie and Andre for the future couples planning their destination wedding in Punta Cana:

“START PLANNING EARLY, the sooner the better. When you start early, you get first dibs on a date, venue, and vendors. Once you lock those in, everything else is pretty much smooth sailing.“

 

Vendors List:

– Venue: Kukua Beach Club and Restaurant

– Travel Agent: Wanderlust and Us Travel Co.

– Photography: Photo Cine Art

– Videography: Photo Cine Art Videography

– Ceremony Officiant: Alejandro Angulo

– Hair and Makeup Artist: Pippa Valette

– Florist: Kukua Punta Cana

– Cake: Cake Studio Bavaro

– Bride Dress: Essense of Australia is the designer, and the bridal salon was Betsy Robinson

– Shoes: Barefoot sandals by Nelipot

– Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids

– Groom Suit: Men’s Warehouse

– Groomsman’s suits: Men’s Warehouse

– Shoes: Nordstrom

– Entertainment: Crazy Hour by HOTS Productions and 360-Photobooth by FunBooth

– Stationary: Lucky Lady Paper on Etsy for wedding invitations and Stationary Invitation

– Gifts for the guests: Personalized luggage tags by Escort Tags on Etsy

 

More beautiful Kukua weddings:

Destination wedding in Punta Cana, Jerelyn and Mariano. Kukua restaurant

Kukua beach destination wedding, Cindy and Hector. Punta Cana

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

 

 

Indian wedding in Punta Cana, Lakshmi & Manoj, Hard Rock Punta Cana

Indian wedding in Punta Cana, Lakshmi & Manoj, Hard Rock Punta Cana

by | Aug 31, 2022 | Blog

Indian wedding in Punta Cana. We have a great pleasure to present this incredibly beautiful event, Lakshmi and Manoj wedding celebration, that took place at Hard Rock Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

As you may already know, Hindu weddings are vibrant, well planned multiple day festivities full of joy and traditions. This wedding was no exception.

Exceptionally planned by Ateeth Ahuja from Indian Destination Wedding and accomplished the same way with onsite Hard Rock wedding organizers, Lakshmi and Manoj’s wedding celebration started with joyful Sangeet. Both families merged together for the evening full of singing, dancing and all-round happiness. In the Mehndi ritual artist was hired to do the designs for the bride and the guests. The artists created beautiful and pretty complicated designs on the hands or feet of the bride and her friends and family, using henna paste to attract good energy for the soon-to-be wedded couple.

Second day the Haldi ceremony took place. The Haldi ceremony is a ritual holy bath and it is one of the pre-wedding ceremonies in India where turmeric (haldi), oil and water are applied to both the bride and the groom by their families as the form of blessing and for protection. For Lakshmi and Manoj wedding it was and intimate ceremony but very emotional and bonding experience for everyone involved.

Third day, was the wedding day which started with traditional Baraat. Manoj were riding in Rolls-Royce “The Duchess” behind his procession, as his entire family and friends all lead him to the wedding altar.

Wedding ceremony was performed by Master of the ceremony: Pandit Bhargava Marthi under absolutely gorgeous Mandap, ceremony canopy, which was both modern and traditional at the same time, decorated with lush tropical fresh flowers and greenery as a nudge to the place they choose for their destination wedding. After exchanging floral garlands – the Milni Malas, as a symbol for their acceptance of one another the event continued with the reception.

All the events were led by professional south Asian Indian weddings MC and DJ Monish Tandon from DSD Lighting and Events. Food was provided by Pranama Restaurant and famous Punta Cana Indian chef Krishna Duddukuri. HOTS Productions provided special entertainment “LED party”.

Here is Lakshmi and Manoj love story to get to know these divine couple little bit better before you plunge into their wedding photos:

“July 2021, we met through a matrimonial site. We communicated through text messages and we liked each other based of our personalities. After many discussions, Manoj came to meet my home and we were initially nervous to meet in person. There was a period of silence in between conversations to break the ice. In order to spend some time alone, we went out for lunch at our local Mexican restaurant. After our date, there was clearly some chemistry between us. We met a couple of times after and with some hugs and laughs then decided we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Fast forward to August 2022.  The big day! Our wedding in Punta Cana was here“.

 

Venue: Hard Rock Punta Cana

Photography: Photo Cine Art

Videography: Photo Cine Art

DJ : Mohnish Tandon

Master of the ceremony: Pandit Bhargava Marthi

Flowers: Mercaflor

Entertainment: HOTS Productions

Food: Pranama – Krishna Duddukuri

Jewelry: Radhika jewelers

Clothing brands:

Groom: Manyavar Mohey

Bride: Santhana Silks

Tijore

Gifting Boutique

Makeup artist: Deepali shah, Styling Trio

Travel agent: Indian destination wedding (Ateeth Ahuja)

 

More Indian weddings by Photo Cine Art:

– https://photocineart.com/hyatt-cap-cana-indian-wedding-punta-cana-hyatt-ziva/
– https://photocineart.com/hard-rock-vows-renewal-ceremony-at-punta-cana-beach-anisha-and-nitin/
– https://photocineart.com/punta-cana-photographer-and-videographer-rovina-aaron-wedding/

 

Hard Rock beach wedding at Punta Cana, Cassandra and Don

Hard Rock beach wedding at Punta Cana, Cassandra and Don

by | Sep 11, 2021 | Blog

If you are looking for an inspiration for a Hard Rock beach wedding, this is the right place to be!

Cassandra and Don met through mutual friends and during a dating they grew really close and they said when they started living together, they knew that it is for forever. Don told us how magical the proposal was: “In March 2019 we were in New York City to see a Broadway show with my family. After the show and before dinner, we were having drinks at the hotel bar which included a rooftop patio. I asked Cassie to go outside and take a picture with me and after the picture, I grabbed her hand told her how much she meant to me and how much I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I dropped to my knee and asked her to marry me and she said YES!!”

Cassandra and Don dreamed about having a destination wedding for a long time. They’ve found the perfect match at Hard Rock Punta Cana Hotel in Dominican Republic.

With light color palette, white and blush pink and blue skies and the Ocean as the backdrop, this Hard Rock beach wedding was an epitome for a classy. The bride and the groom opted for drapes and flowers to the ceremony structure, as well as the love sign and sweetheart table for the reception.

Among other things, the bride had absolutely breathtaking bouquet! It was fairly big natural flower bouquet made of hydrangeas, roses, pampas grass, eucalyptus, and blue thistles with colors of blues, pinks, oranges, and whites and what it makes it even more special, it was matched with the centerpieces and the flowers on the structure from the colors of the bouquet. It was absolutely beautiful!

We asked Cassandra how they choose the outfit for the wedding, here is what she told us: “Even though it was a beach wedding we knew we wanted the look to still be formal as these would be our wedding photos to look back on forever. Don went with a blue suit that would pop with the beach colors and the groomsmen with the matching pants and shirt. But we did cut them a break in the heat and not have them in full suits, instead went with suspenders and bow-ties to still give it that modern formal wedding look. For the bridesmaids we went with a capri blue that would match well with the blue Don’s suit. We let the bridesmaids pick the style of dress they wanted to allow them to look and feel their best and most comfortable. Cassie’s dress was elegant and fitted. She always wanted to have the focus to be on the back of the dress and the train. The veil was borrowed from a good friend, Jaelene who was also the hairstylist and makeup artist.“

Family friend officiated the ceremony and for the reception bride and groom had a choreographed first dance, with their special song “Yours” by Russel Dickerson which ended perfectly with cold firework. They also decided to surprise their guests with adding a Carioca crazy hour and guests absolutely loved it! It brought the Dominican culture in with dances and music and added a special aspect to the wedding which none of the guests have ever seen before. It was a great way to jump-start the party after the reception and brought everyone right on the dance floor.

Some of the special moments of the Hard Rock beach wedding day was during the first look, the time they got to spent together just before the ceremony helped them, take all the emotions in and fully enjoy in the day. Since the couple anticipated this day for almost three years with all ups and downs because Covid, moment when Don saw first time Cassandra in her wedding dress was a total highlight of the day!

Planning advice for the future bride and groom:

“The best planning or wedding advice I could give is what several people told us. No matter how much you plan, something isn’t going to go according to plan on your wedding day, but the only people that will notice is the two of you. It won’t be a big of deal as you think it is, so take a breath and just smile through it, because it’s the day you have put so much into and deserve to enjoy it!”

 

Vendors list:

– Venue: Harmonica Palifette & Element Terrace at Hard Rock Punta Cana

– Photography: Photo Cine Art

– Videography: Photo Cine Art

– Ceremony Officiant: Cameron MacKay

– Hair and Makeup Artist: Blush and Wave by Jaelene Zyjewski

– DJ & MC: JSAV

– Bride Dress: Sottero & Midgley from Mariella Creations

– Bride shoes: Badgley Mischka

– Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff

– Groom Suit: Indochino Chatham Navy

– Groom’s Shoes: Macy’s

– Groomsman Suits: Indochino Chatham Navy

– Entertainment: Carioca Crazy Hour HOTS Productions

 

More Hard Rock weddings:

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

Isla beach Hard Rock boho destination wedding, Crystal and Jaylan, Punta Cana

Destination Wedding Hard Rock Punta Cana, Taylor and Nicholas, Dominican Republic

 

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

 

 

Kukua restaurant Punta Cana, amazing Kayla & Jason boho wedding

Kukua restaurant Punta Cana, amazing Kayla & Jason boho wedding

by | Jul 15, 2021 | Blog

Kukua restaurant Punta Cana was a host for a wedding of stylish New York couple Kayla and Jason. They always shared the love for each other and travel and adventure! Kayla and Jason organized a never-seen-before bohemian wedding on the beach in Dominican Republic. Elegant local venue, Kukua restaurant Punta Cana was filled with pampas grass, hanging centerpieces, and A LOT of fresh flowers!

“Our wedding decor was boho based! So much thought was put into my decor that I think the wedding planners themselves wanted to fire me! It was so important to me to design my own decor from flowers, specific placement, and centerpieces. I’m pretty sure they needed to order all pampas grass available in DR! There was no such thing as NOT ENOUGH pampas grass or macrame. All 50 of Our macrame place-mats were handmade just for the big day! The bridesmaids macrame bouquet wraps were personally cut and shaped. Our ‘The Moore’s” neon sign hanging on the greenery wall with the boho chair was a must!” the bride told us.

Circular wedding ceremony infinity arch added an extra modern touch with a perfect mixture of pampas grass in-between white, ivory, blush, greenery and terracotta color-based flowers.

The bride looked breathtaking in her Pearl by Enzoani wedding dress, while handsome groom, looked sharp and on point with his suit – Bar III. The outdoor ceremony took place on the beach, where the couple exchanged their personalized wedding vows.

At the end of the night all of the guests (bride and groom included) ended in the swimming pool. I believe that the explanation here is not needed to describe how fun was that!

After this amazing wedding day, we went to do a trash the dress photoshoot, this time with a twist! By Kayla’s wish we added underwater shoot at famous Punta Cana Cenote. Scroll down to see the results.

 

Vendors List:

– Venue – Kukua restaurant Punta Cana

– Travel Agent – Patty & Kristen at Unique Romance Travel

– Photography – Photo Cine Art

– Videography – Photo Cine Art

– Ceremony Officiant – Alejandro Angulo

– Hair and Makeup Artist – Anna Nuet

– Cake – Dulce De Leche

– Bride Dress – Pearl by Enzoani 2021

– Bridesmaids Dresses – Terracotta Infinity dress

– Groom Suit – Macy’s Bar III

– Groomsman Shoes – Cole Haan