Erick and Becca wanted a small, intimate wedding with their closest friends and family and decided a destination wedding would suit them perfectly.

Unknowingly, the couple chose a venue in Puerto Rico just one week before Hurricane Maria hit. “Our wedding was six months away and with all of the devastation in Puerto Rico, we knew we had to choose a different location even though we had already put a large deposit down for the venue,” says Becca. “I started looking up destination wedding venues again and thanks to Pinterest, I found the Jellyfish Restaurant in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.”

The newlyweds had a lot of support from their friends and family in their decision to have a destination wedding. “We explained to people from the beginning who weren’t invited that we were only having some of our immediate family and closest friends so hopefully no feelings were hurt,” says the bride. “For the guests invited that couldn’t make it due to travel expenses, we made sure they knew we weren’t upset that they couldn’t come and that we completely understood not everyone would be able to make it.”

The couple had an easy time planning. Instead of having multiple vendors, they primarily leaned on Jellyfish Restaurant for all their planning and wedding necessities. “I had an initial phone call with the planning and decorating team where I explained my vision and style for the day,” says Becca. “We met at the venue a few days before the wedding to go over everything again, but I never saw anything until the day of the wedding. They completely blew me away with how perfectly they brought my vision to life.”

Since the couple’s venue was taking care of the details for their big day, Becca and Erick only had to worry about organizing travel details for them and their guests, which they used a travel agent for. “With the travel agent, some of our guests shared rooms which made it more affordable,” says the bride.

The couple concludes they were able to save money by having a destination wedding with a limited number of guests. The couple also saved money on travel costs by deciding to stay in the Dominican Republic for their honeymoon.

“If we would have had a [wedding at home] we would have had more guests, but I think there would have been a lot more stress involved and too many decisions to make,” says the couple. “Doing it the way we did allowed us to spend time and be able to hang out with everyone that came to the wedding.”

The bride has some advice to other newly engaged couples looking to plan a destination wedding. “Remember it is YOUR special day. Don’t worry too much about what people are going to think about your decisions. For once in your life, it is perfectly okay to be selfish.”

Vendors: Photographer: Velvet and Wire, Wedding Planner/Ceremony & Reception Site/Florist/Stationery: Jellyfish Restaurant, Cake: Cake Studio Bavaro, Hair & Makeup: Olga Montilla, Gown Designer: Made with Love, Groom’s Clothing Designer: Pronto Uomo, Bridesmaids/Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: Show Me Your MuMu