Julia and Haroun came from Canada to the Dominican Republic for their destination wedding. With the help of savvy experts, they were able to land on a location perfect for their needs (and the family tradition)! “The location was selected with help from a travel agent from Flight Center. I had been to Punta Cana a few times prior and loved the beaches, so we thought it was the perfect spot. As well, The Hard Rock Hotel had everything we were looking for in a hotel for our guests. Plus, we chose a destination wedding because Haroun’s two sisters both had done so it kind of became an Ali tradition. As well it was the first time my family had been on a vacation together.”
Their rather formal attire looked stunning against the beach backdrop! And even better – the beach had special meaning to the pair. “We got engaged on the beach in Jamaica so it was nice also to get married on a beach.”
We love the look of these neutral bridesmaid dress colors against the sand – all dresses the girls picked out themselves to mismatch.
To welcome guests to the big event, they gave guests beach bags complete with goodies inside for the trip! “My friend Jenna made us custom tote bags that said “Plan to get a tan”. I filled them with goodies from Bath & Body Works and Target. This included hand sanitizer, lip balm, chocolate bars, itineraries, and body balm.”
“Since we were having our wedding on the beach, we wanted everything to be quite simple and minimalistic. White was the colour theme for the decor. The green orchid bequests added a touch of colour.”
We often ask couples about their favorite moments from the day. For Haroun: “My favourite part of the day was watching Jules walk down the aisle.” And Julia: “My favourite part of the day was saying “I do.” My second favourite was my brother Paul’s speech.”
This little flower girl almost stole the show!
After a day at the beach, guests headed inside to the all white wedding reception.
The newlyweds clearly enjoyed every minute of their time on location! “One of the most unique things about Destination Weddings is having all your closest family and friends travel with you to celebrate. Having everyone in Dominican to celebrate our big day and enjoy an entire week with us was so special to us.”
And for the favors? That was personal too! “My friend Elyse who owns Sullivan and Bleeker made us flip flop cookies in bags that had our names on it.”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Nikki Leigh McKean
Wedding Vendors: Gown Designer: J.Crew, Wedding Location: Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana, Groom’s Suit: Borgo Uomo, Shoes: Christian Louboutin, Bridesmaid Dresses: Each girl chose her own, Wedding Favor Cookies: Sullivan & Bleeker, Travel Agency: Yorkville Flightcenter
love this. we are having our destination wedding in August 2014 and this just makes me happy to see how great my own wedding might be. very gorgeous couple too.