Kelly: “I couldn’t picture myself without Marcos in my life, he completes me! Even when I doubt myself, he shows me a reason not too!”
Marcos: “Kelly has these two little dimples on her lower back … I absolutely love them!”
Kelly: “It melts my heart when Marcos gives me a hug from behind and I can feel his heartbeat!”
BRIDE & GROOM POST-WEDDING REFLECTIONS:
“Watching everyone arrive! It made our hearts melt … so much love! Our family and close friends flew from all over: Luxembourg, Portugal, Brazil, USA..made us feel so special.
Also, just as we were about to be announced in our wedding party… Katya & Rob pulled us away to capture the most breathtaking sunset EVER!! We would do it all over again!!!”
Any regrets? What would you have done differently if you could?
“No regrets!! Our wedding was more than we expected … everything went smoothly! At times I felt a bit scared to do a destination wedding: all the details running through my mind, what if I forgot something back at home? How will everything go? In the end all the little details don’t really matter. We felt SO LOVED, it made everything so worth it!”
What inspired you to have a destination wedding? How did you pick the right venue?
“I always wanted to have a destination wedding. I would dream of getting married on a beach with my toes in the sand. When we started wedding planning I told Marcos I wanted Punta Cana (our favorite vacation spot), and although he was hesitant at first, we eventually agreed and it was the best decision!
Ocean Blue & Sand: it had been our second time back visiting and we thought it would fit our needs and our guests as well.”
What inspired your color palette / decorations / any DIY elements / any unique details or traditions?
“We really wanted beach colors, so we went with light mint/white/beige/silver… and it came out amazing! Everything matched perfectly from our wedding invitations to our welcome letters and even our bridal party! We wanted to make sure our wedding looked simple and elegant at the same time and we nailed it!!”
Comments about vendors, resort etc
“I LOVED ALL my vendors, we had a really good team, starting from our resort, Ocean Blue Punta Cana resort is a small resort that helped keep my family and friends together, so it was easy to find each other throughout the week. Our wedding planner was great and accepted all of our ideas and needs. Anna Nuet was simply amazing, she made all my girls look so fabulous and I felt like a princess! She was super funny and kept us going through the morning/afternoon.
Lastly, our AMAZING photographers Katya & Rob who knew just what to say at all times with the perfect words, music to make every moment so precious! Thank you!”
How did you stay on Budget?
“Staying on a budget was a challenge!! We had to pick and choose. For example, we either had great photographers or great videographers … and we choose photographers. We felt that if we had great photographs, that would make our dream wedding memorable. We can look back at pictures in 30 years and show our children. That to us was more important! We also choose a resort that wasn’t too pricey for our guests, but still had everything that we were looking for within our budget!
Also we saved a whole lot on flowers (flowers can be super expensive). We actually made our own arrangements for the bridesmaids (we bought baby’s breath at a local Punta Cana flower shop) & I had bought some burlap cord and made individual bouquets for my girls … this saved us some money!”
Guest list: how did you narrow it down to a reasonable number?
“Oh boy!! Marcos and I both have hugeee families … back home when we had our couple’s shower I remember our list was 270 guests! I wanted a small/intimate wedding and we knew if we would have a wedding back at home it would be 300+ guests! This helped: we made a list and asked ourselves if 1. We spoke to them one a daily/monthly basis 2. Would we likely speak to them in 10 / 20 years … and that’s how we narrowed it down. We ended up with 60 guests: perfect!”
Communication: any challenges in keeping your friends & family informed about your wedding plans?
“Believe it or not.. this was a breeze for us!! Our guests were amazing. When we told them about the destination wedding plans, they all got excited and immediately started booking. We worked with an agency, who made sure everyone was on the same page. For family & friends in different countries, all we had to do is give them the information and that was it! The bridal party also had a group on “whatsApp” and we kept in touch on a daily basis. When guests started to arrive I had welcome letters and itineraries ready for them, they all loved it!”
Bridal buys?
“I got most of our wedding details on ETSY! From our unique invitations ( I really wanted something cool and that would stand out … we did boarding passes), our welcome letters, my veil, garter, flower girl basket, my favors, the goodie bags for the guests, my cake topper, foot jewelry, you name it. Etsy was “my go-to website.”
My wedding dress was “Katie May -The Sienna gown,” since their store is located in the West coast, I was able to find a store in New York that carried her dresses – “Lovely Bride NY.” (Advice for the future brides: make sure the dress is lightweight, so its easy to walk in the sand, plus it’s super hot/humid so a lightweight dress helps tremendously). The bridesmaids dresses were from “Lulus.”
The groom’s and groomsmen attire were from Macy’s.”
Were there any special heirloom pieces used?
Any advice for future Brides/Grooms!
