Dominican Republic Destination Wedding
Kevin and Laura were blessed with a dream wedding in the Dominican Republic. From the seaside colours throughout and the absolutely stunning setting, this destination is perfect! And you’ve got to check out the dessert table – divine!
What to Look for in a Venue for a Dominican Republic Wedding
While there are gorgeous places to visit in the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana is one of the best, most picturesque areas at the easternmost tip. With more than 32 km of beaches, Punta Cana is known for its gorgeous sparkling waters and fabulous food. When searching for a wedding venue in the Dominican Republic, you could consider one of the jazzy beachside restaurants that open out onto a private beach.
These venues along the Costa del Coco or the luxurious Coconut Coast are gorgeous to host the wedding and reception. You could make accommodation arrangements in one of the nearby hotels or resorts. The Dominican Republic also has excellent tours and entertainment packages where your wedding guests can experience some of the local lifestyles and visit some famous tourist spots.
Colour Palettes for a Dominican Republic Wedding
The wedding colour palettes should be complimentary with the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean flanking the Dominican Republic. White with pale baby blue and gold accents would go well with the overall wedding theme. To pair favourably with these wedding colours, couples can choose soft gold and sandy shades with light accents of turquoise blue to make the palette pop.
Opting for blue hydrangea, white and cream roses, and baby's breath will add elegance and beauty to floral arrangements' natural hues already present in the Dominican Republic. If you want to add extra bursts of colour, you could also consider floral arrangements in deep burgundy, blush, coral, and yellow.
Details for a Dominican Republic Wedding
For the ceremony and reception, couples can perfectly time some of their vows with soft classical music or favourite romantic songs. According to Dominican Republic wedding traditions, the wedding guests sing for the couple during the ceremony. The wedding bouquet toss and the dancing can also be worked out according to the setting sun.
The venue can be decked with altar and floor chandeliers decorated in white orchids, with spots of blue in the middle against the sandy beach. The bridal arch can be covered with gauzy, light, airy white fabric to show the simplicity and elegance of the venue. The destination wedding need not be extravagant in style but rather in grace to show the undying love that the couple share.
Food for a Dominican Republic Wedding
When it comes to wedding food, destination weddings should be all about local flavors. The couple should have their favourite dishes on the menu, but adding a few local popular items will make the wedding theme incredibly authentic.
Hors d'oeuvres like mini sandwiches of turkey, ham, and cheese, canapes of smoked salmon, caviar, sour cream, mini pizzas, croquettes of vegetables, bacon, and camembert cheese should be on the grazing table. Buffet options of fresh salads, seafood and vegetable soups, meats like beef meatballs in a red sauce, Angus rib-eye steaks, stuffed turkey thighs, and red and white wine sauces, and veg dishes like grilled vegetables, green beans, eggplants, veggies, pasta and more will be excellent for the menu.
Table Setting Style for a Dominican Republic Wedding
The table setting style can be as elegant or stylish as you both want. If you have the reception beachside, then white table cloths or round or rectangular tables with gold-coloured placemats and white or ivory plates with golden cutlery will add a gorgeous touch to the wedding colours.
The napkins can be turquoise blue with the menu and name card tied together in a golden string. Cream and white roses, white orchids, blue hydrangeas, and baby's breath can add colour to the table as floral centrepieces. You could also add tall glass votives with white lit candles to add an ethereal feel to the table and protect the candles against the sea breeze.
Wedding Dresses and Accessories for a Dominican Republic Wedding
A white wedding dress will look gorgeous against the natural beauty of the Dominican Republic. Considering it is a destination wedding and you may have plenty of local accents throughout the décor, you should opt for a traditional wedding flowy, light, and airy gown. A sleeveless full-length wedding dress will look dramatic, elegant, and keep you comfortable throughout the day.
For accessories, gold strappy sandals or wedges, minimal jewellry in diamonds and gold, a vintage bracelet in gold or silver, and an heirloom veil should complete your magical look. A braided hairstyle with loose, wispy strands should complete your get-up. You could also add some blue hairpins for your 'something blue.'
Groom Style for a Dominican Republic Wedding
Grooms can be as stylish as they want! Opting for a sandy or tan-coloured suit with a white shirt, similar coloured waistcoat, and a baby blue tie will 'tie' in entirely with the wedding colours and the destination wedding theme. Grooms can also wear baby's breath boutonnières or a baby blue pocket square. For shoes, brown loafers or dress shoes with gray argyle socks.
Many grooms opt for black tuxedos with a white shirt, black waistcoat, and a baby blue or gold tie. A sleek wristwatch, matching pocket square, well-groomed hair and beard, and black shoes will put James Bond to shame!
Wedding Reception Music and Entertainment for a Dominican Republic Wedding
Since you are having a wedding in the Dominican Republic, it is best to include some local entertainment. Weddings in the Dominican Republic are known for merengue. The official dance of the Dominican Republic is known worldwide and is fun, thrilling, and beautiful to learn. Hiring local musicians, dancers, and tutors for the wedding guests can help enliven the reception and make it unforgettable.
For the music, you could hire local musicians to play your favourite songs, followed by a DJ for the rest of the night. Most local vendors will be happy to help with the wedding and provide excellent service.
Portrait Props for a Dominican Republic Wedding
Wedding guests can be given sparklers to hold while the couple shares their first dance. Minor additions to the overall decor like gauze curtains, bouquets of white orchids, and gorgeous candles can add to the magical, dreamy feel of the destination wedding in the Dominican Republic. Couples can also consider hanging small bird cages painted white or gold, filled with blue and white flowers to add to the overall wedding colour theme and decor.
Some beautiful portrait props could be signages made from reclaimed wood and painted white with directions to the ceremony venue, reception venue, and bar. Couples can click some enchanting photographs with these gorgeous props while gazing at each other.
Favours and Gifts for a Dominican Republic Wedding
When it comes to destination weddings, wedding favours should be sourced locally, especially in the Dominican Republic. Sourcing local wedding gifts makes the theme incredibly authentic and allows wedding guests to take a piece of your happiness with them as they head home. If you're looking for something bespoke and highly personalised, you should reach out to local vendors to help you customise your orders.
After a night of dancing, some practical wedding favours could be personalised water tumblers, luggage tags that could also work as place cards, mini bottles of local rum, cigars, Dominican Republic souvenirs, and bottle openers. Each of these gifts will be useful to your guests and help them remember your special day.
Stylish Dominican Republic Destination Wedding
From Asia Pimentel Photography – “The venue Jellyfish Restaurant in Punta Cana was beautiful and fit the style and theme of Kevin & Lauren’s wedding perfectly. Lauren’s mom heard good reviews from a friend who had their wedding there and the venue handled the decor, flowers, cake, timeline, DJ, and everything else. On top of it all, the food was spectacular!
A pale baby blue with white and gold accents was used throughout as the wedding colour palette. Soft, subtle, Beachy décor with white/cream flowers and accents of turquoise were the colours chosen by bride and groom. White/cream roses with baby’s breath and blue hydrangea were used in floral arrangements and looked great against the natural beauty of the Dominican Republic.”
From Asia Pimentel Photography – “The altar and dance floor chandelier were decorated with all white orchids and Lauren had an orchid in her hair. She wore a beautiful Amsale dress, Bagley Mischka gold strappy wedges, and her mother’s veil which had been altered a bit. As for jewellery she wore an Ippolita gold necklace with a crystal, pendant, simple diamond earrings and her great great grandmother’s gold beads as a bracelet. The beads had been worn in all her family’s weddings throughout the years!
The bridesmaids wore flowery ice blue dresses of different styles from Amsale with nude wedges and Kendra Scott gold necklaces with a grey tiger eye jewel. The groom & groomsmen’s wore Menguin’s tan suits with white shirts and pale baby blue ties and Kevin had a bow tie. They also had matching grey argyle socks and light blue pocket squares.”
“The ceremony was short and sweet with both classic vows and personal vows that Kevin and Lauren wrote to one another. Their personal vows were what truly made the ceremony special as they came from the heart! Large lanterns were used as decorations with comfortable wicker chairs and beautiful orchids hung from the altar.
The reception was perfectly timed out from welcome Coco Loco cocktails to dinner and speeches to the bouquet toss and dancing all night. The food chose was amazing and cake/cupcakes were delicious. The table decor was simple and elegant with flowers and blue and gold accents. The dances were surrounded by loved ones holding sparklers for perfect ambiance and the DJ played all the requested music and the bartenders never left someone without a drink in their hand! When they needed a break from all the dancing guests could venture off into the sand to lay on the pillows scattered about. It was the perfect celebration!”
Credits: Photography: Asia Pimentel Photography // Videography: Live Storytellers // Wedding Dress: Amsale via Hitched // Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale Bridesmaids //Beauty: Anna Nuet Hair & Makeup // Cake: Cake Studio Bavaro // Officiant: Fairy Tale Ending // Groom’s Attire: Menguin // Invites & Paper Goods: Minted // Venue: Jellyfish Restaurant in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.\