Dreams Palm Beach Felicia & Shaun’s Punta Cana destination wedding.

Dreams Palm Beach Felicia & Shaun’s Punta Cana destination wedding.

by | Feb 6, 2022 | Blog

Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana destination wedding.

Felicia & Shaun’s love story brought them from Canada to our “jewel of the Caribbean” – Dominican Republic for a small but beautiful wedding at the Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana hotel. Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana hotel is small family-friendly getaway for couples and couples with children on the sun-soaked beach on the east coast of the Dominican Republic. “For our wedding we wanted something that would be more than just a day to remember. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted a destination wedding. Convincing Shaun was easy, one-week free beer. Our colors were navy and blush, we wanted the simplest beachy wedding”.

I’ve photographed a lot of weddings at Dreams Palm Beach, but what sets Felicia & Shaun’s wedding apart was the amount of love and positive vibes radiating from the two of them and all their guests that made real pleasure to work with them. Felicia & Shaun’s love story is wonderful to witness. You can see their love for each other in the way they interact, look at each other, even the way they hold one another. “At age 18 and 19 we found each other. Both college students, both broke but both in love. We are polar opposites he’s quiet, and shy, and well I know some say opposites attract. I was lucky to find the one. I met my husband through a friend. She was on social media and she showed me a picture of him and I thought oh wow he’s cute. I friend requested him on Facebook and followed him on twitter. A few weeks later we met at a party. The proposal after 7 LONG years of waiting we took a trip to Point Peele with a few friends, at the beach he got down on one knee and proposed. It was the greatest day ever“, Felicia told us. I hope I succeeded to capture all those sensations on my film.

The absolutely amazing Punta Cana sunset didn’t fail me this time neither at at Dreams Palm Beach hotel. I took some amazing photos of the bride and groom after the ceremony and even managed to capture few sunset shots from the air (photos below the text). The reception was on the beach with incredible Caribbean Ocean as the backdrop. Cutest, sea-inspired decoration was so beautifully complementing long table sitting arrangement. This is what bride told us: “Having the wedding ceremony on the beach provided a beautiful background. Decorations for the reception were 3 vases for the bridesmaids DIY flowers, a few seashells on the table. The names tags for seating arrangement were DIY. We had real floral for my bouquet blush and ivory roses, my bridesmaids bouquets were DIY and brought from home. We wanted to keep the flowers simple“.

A little advice that Felicia have for all future brides: “Don’t try pleasing everyone. We started planning our destination wedding 1 year prior (2020) we all thought covid would be over. We had 30 people put down a deposit for the trip. When it came to final payments it was us plus 10. So many friends and family said we should push it back a year, but we stood our grounds. We wanted to have our wedding this year. I was beyond happy with our trip and wedding“.

They had a ton of beautiful photos from their wedding (exactly 1223 of them, from 6 hours of work). In a text below I’d share some of them for your viewing pleasure.

 

Vendors List:

– Venue: Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana
– Travel Agent: Kim Machan at Essence of Romance Travel
– Photography: Photo Cine Art
– Ceremony Officiant: Resort Officiant
– Hair and Makeup Artist: hair: Resort SPA, make up: sister-in-law Shayla
– Cake: Resort
– Bride Dress: David’s Bridal
– Bridesmaids Dresses: Etsy
– Groom Suit: Moores
– Groomsman’s suits: Moores

 

More destination weddings you might find interesting:

Secrets Cap Cana wedding, amazing Missouri couple Katie & Nick

Harmonica Palafitte amazing floral wedding, Alicia and Curt, Hard Rock Punta Cana

Dreams Dominicus Wedding, La Romana, Chelsea and Jeff

 

 

 

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

 

 

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 vows renewal ceremony at a beautiful beach in Punta Cana, Anisha and Nitin

Hard Rock vows renewal ceremony at a beautiful beach in Punta Cana, Anisha and Nitin

by | Jun 27, 2021 | Blog

Hard Rock vows renewal ceremony at a beautiful beach in Punta Cana, Anisha and Nitin.

To quote Brides Magazine “A vow renewals are a heartfelt way to celebrate your love and reaffirm the promises you made to each other on your wedding day.” Exactly that happened one week ago, at gorgeous white sand beach at Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana.

“Our wedding was beautiful, but not what we wanted. Since everything happened so quickly, we didn’t really get a chance to plan anything. Since then, all I ever wanted was to have a little ceremony with our loved ones at some beautiful beach. Life got so busy that it took us 11 years to finally plan the wedding we wanted” Anisha told us.

The couple had symbolic vows renewal ceremony at Hard Rock hotel beach. They also added Mehndi (traditional form of temporary skin decoration in which decorative designs are created on a person’s body, using a paste, created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant) and changed their clothes just before the reception, into traditional clothes made by Sawan Gandhi, as the special nod to their Indian heritage.

 

Scroll through our photos bellow to see how this amazing day went!

 

Vendors:

 

Wedding venue: Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana

Ceremony location: Isla Beach at Hard Rock Punta Cana

Reception location: Piano Gazebo at Hard Rock Punta Cana

Photography and Video: Photo Cine Art

Bride’s ring: Cartier

Bride’s gift bracelet: Cartier

Bride’s Indian Outfit: Sawan Gandhi

Bride’s Gown: Occasions Boutique

Bride’s sandals: Saint Laurent

Groom’s suit: Hive & Colony

Groom’s gift watch: Cartier

 

Kukua Punta Cana, Michelle & Michael’s destination wedding

Kukua Punta Cana, Michelle & Michael’s destination wedding

by | Jun 5, 2021 | Blog

Kukua Punta Cana, Michelle & Michael’s destination wedding.

It is always a privilege to witness two people declaring their love to one another, it is even more special to witness when two families merge into one love. Michelle and Michael’s wedding was exactly that kind of love that unites people.

All of their children had a special role during the wedding ceremony, with the oldest Michael’s son, who was performing the actual wedding ceremony and let me tell you it was awesome and then some! That ceremony gave the tone to the entire day, it was relaxed, emotional, fun and filled with love!

About the wedding venue Kukua Punta Cana: it should be written in novels. That place is straight from a fairy-tale with the main magician Mayte behind all of the world’s most gorgeous decorations and Rachel as THE wedding planner! If you have not visited them, visit them now, to see for yourself how amazing this place truly is!

 

– Venue: Kukua Punta Cana
– Photography: Photo Cine Art
– Ceremony Officiant (family): Dominik Treadway
– Hair and Makeup Artist: Olga Pipich
– Bride Dress: Lulus
– Shoes: David’s Bridal
– Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s bridal
– Groom Suit: Kohl’s
– Groomsman’s suits: Kohl’s
– Shoes: Nike