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

 

 

 

 

Dreams Macao Beach bohemian wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Dreams Macao Beach bohemian wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

by | Sep 26, 2021 | Blog

Dreams Macao Beach bohemian wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic:

Yajaira and Salvador met at, as they say, tender ages of 18 and 19 through a family friend in 2009. They’ve welcome daughter into the world in 2011 and it’s been a party of 3 of them ever since.

“I am not keen on big elaborate-put the attention on only me situations”, Yajaira told us, “and although he had planned a huge proposal, he soon realized after a bedside conversation that it was not going to work for me. He took those hints to heart and went back to planning a super intimate at home proposal that included our daughter and her own ring.”

Since they have always dreamt about having a destination wedding, this gorgeous couple chose a Dreams Macao Beach Resort as their wedding venue. Dreams Macao is recently built and the only family – friendly resort at breathtaking Macao Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Located 40 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport an idyllic heaven where families and couples can relax and fully enjoy the true gem of the Caribbean, it is a no surprise why Yari and Sal chose this place to have their destination wedding.

The wedding was bohemian style with rose gold/neutral color palette. The bride and the groom went from pre-decorated plans that are completely customizable. They started with the “Ensoul” collection for the ceremony and the “Wonder rose” collection for the dinner tables. The featured greenery in the “Ensoul” collection was Pampas grass. It really tied the neutral tone together with the rose gold accents. The bride’s bouquet also featured dried palm leaves along with the pampas grass to give it that tropical feel without any bright colors.

The bride walked down the aisle in amazing Stella York dress that had a corset added to the back and a cape instead of a traditional veil. The groom had an “Emmanuel” suit in a shade of pink paired with shoes from Aldo that featured the word “Love” along the sides of each shoe.

Ceremony was set up on the rooftop overlooking the Ocean which give especially elegant note to this destination wedding. During the ceremony couple included a prayer which was truly emotional moment for Yajaira’s parents.

The bride wanted to incorporate her late sister into the wedding with small details. Her favorite movie growing up was The Beauty and the Beast so they had a custom “Be our guest” photo guest book made for our guest to sign and the Groom’s jewelry featured a rose. They also had a memorial frame with pictures of her.

The wedding reception was held in the garden and GCstar DJ did a fantastic job of keeping the party alive which is super difficult when the party size was under 20 people.

The most anticipated moments of the wedding day was the bride walking down the aisle and the groom dancing with their daughter.

Here are the advice for the future couples planning a wedding that Yari and Sal shared:

“Cutting costs are great but the one thing I refused to cut corners on was my photography and videography. Those memories last a lifetime and I did not want amateurs capturing those moments just to save a couple dollars. Also take a second to step back and just enjoy the moment; look around to see and appreciate those who truly love you and wanted to share your day with you. I promise once you do that you will realize all the stress was worth it!”

 

Vendors list:

– Venue: Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana

– Travel Agent: Wright Travel Agency

– Photography: Photo Cine Art

– Videography: Photo Cine Art

– Ceremony Officiant: Sa’D Maxwell (family friend)

– Hair and Makeup Artist: Olga Montilla

– Florist: Caribbean Celebrations

– Cake: Dreams Macao Beach Hotel

– Bride Dress: Stella York

– Shoes: Miss Lola

– Bridesmaids Dresses: Mumu weddings

– Groom Suit: Emmanuel’s

– Groomsman’s attire: Asos wedding

– Shoes: Aldo

– Entertainment: GCStar Punta Cana

– Stationary: Guest book – etsy shop: PaperBoundLove, Photo Guest Book Table Sign – etsy shop: 1801 and co

– Gifts for the guests: Wedding Program Craft Paper Bag – esty shop: RedLetterVows

 

Few more Punta Cana weddings you might like:

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

Hard Rock beach wedding at Punta Cana, Cassandra and Don

Kukua beach destination wedding, Cindy and Hector. Punta Cana

 

 

 

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

 

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

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

by | Sep 10, 2021 | Blog

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

 

Jerelyn and Mariano are one of our couples from 2020 that had to postpone their wedding to 2021, but besides that obvious obstacle, their wedding was their vision executed to perfection.

The bride told us that she always dreamed about beach wedding with her favorite colors turquoise and coral. Their wedding venue Kukua Punta Cana was full with vibrant flowers. The short table centerpieces, matched with hanging ones, all filled with abundance of flowers and greenery. The ceremony gazebo was beautifully decorated with a flower garland. The welcome table had a Polaroid photo guest book and a beautiful memorial to the groom’s uncle who recently passed away.

This magical love story started all the way back to the elementary school. They’ve meet in the 5th grade where they held hands and called each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Then they started dating in senior year of high school, got 2 beautiful girls but ended up separating for 5 years. Fortunately, they found their way back to each other and 2 years later Mariano proposed on Christmas morning with a little help of the girls.

The bride walked the aisle in Galina signature dress from David’s Bridal, embellished from top to bottom with off the shoulder’s sleeves. Bridesmaid’s wore sheer coral dresses, daughters off the shoulder sheer turquoise dresses and the men wore linen vest and pants which helped them stay comfortable in the heat. Al around gorgeous, relaxed tropical look.

Jerelyn told us that the most special moment of the wedding was their first dance. “We picked a duet song that described us and our journey so well. Even though we were surrounded by many people it felt that we were alone just listening to our song and practicing to dance in our living room just like we did at home before the wedding”.

The word of advice from our bride and groom for the future couples heading on to the journey of planning their destination wedding: “Take it easy, enjoy the ride, don’t sweat the small stuff and remember everything happens for a reason and at it’s right time.”

 

Vendors list:

– Venue: Kukua Beach Club Punta Cana

– Travel Agent: Barefoot Bridal

– Photography: Photo Cine Art

– Videography: Photo Cine Art

– Ceremony Officiant: Alejandro Angulo

– Hair and Makeup Artist: Olga Montilla

– Wedding Décor: Mayte Marie

– Cake: Cake Studio Bavaro

– Bride Dress: Galina Signature / Davids Bridal

– Shoes: Davids Bridal

– Bridesmaids Dresses: Davids Bridal

– Groom Suit: Bar III from Macys

– Groomsman’s suits: Bar III from Macys

– Entertainment: HOTS Productions

– Gifts for the guests: Reny Travel Boat Party

 

More Punta Cana weddings you might like:

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

Hard Rock Resort destination wedding, Amber and Matt, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Fairy-tale wedding at Bahia Principe Fantasia Punta Cana, Gisselle and Thomas