Sweet Stationery

A Dominican Republic Wedding

October 3, 2018
Words by Brianna Williams
Photos courtesy of Velvet and Wire

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. ā€œOur 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,ā€ says Becca. ā€œI started looking up destination wedding venues again and thanks to Pinterest, I found the Jellyfish Restaurant in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.ā€

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

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. ā€œI had an initial phone call with the planning and decorating team where I explained my vision and style for the day,ā€ says Becca. ā€œWe 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.ā€

Since the coupleā€™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. ā€œWith the travel agent, some of our guests shared rooms which made it more affordable,ā€ 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.

ā€œIf 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,ā€ says the couple. ā€œDoing it the way we did allowed us to spend time and be able to hang out with everyone that came to the wedding.ā€

The bride has some advice to other newly engaged couples looking to plan a destination wedding. ā€œRemember it is YOUR special day. Donā€™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.ā€

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, Groomā€™s Clothing Designer: Pronto Uomo, Bridesmaids/Groomsmenā€™s Clothing Designer: Show Me Your MuMu

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