Part 4 – Kyle and Carmen
This week, we have Destination Wedding Advice – Ceremony & Reception with Kyle and Carmen. If you are just tuning in, don’t forget to check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3! Carmen has been going through the details of her wedding, and we can’t hear the rest. Let’s begin Destination Wedding Advice – Ceremony & Reception.
The Ceremony
I had some close family friends that helped set up the ceremony site so that I knew it would be as I wanted. I knew there was so much to do, and it gave me a bit more peace of mind to know I had people double checking things before everyone arrived.
The weather had been a bit threatening the morning of the wedding which had me worried. Thankfully, the clouds cleared up just before the ceremony and was perfect the rest of the day and night.
Due to the heat earlier in the day, they recommend starting the ceremony in the late afternoon. And we were ready right on time to start at 4:30 p.m. We walked to the gazebo from our building, which was just behind it, so it wasn’t a far walk.
I had hired a violinist for the ceremony at the request of Bibia, which was another fantastic choice as he was unreal!! I heard so many comments from all the guests about how great he was, and Kyle was especially happy with him. The violinist played until we were ready to walk, and then they played our chosen bridal walk songs through the stereo.
I had my mom and brother enter just before the bridal party, and Kyle and his groomsmen were waiting at the front. My bridesmaids walked down the aisle in their gorgeous long blue dresses, to “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. That song is probably a cliché song to use, however, it’s just so beautiful, I couldn’t pass it up! Then I walked down the aisle with my Dad to a cover of Hunter Haye’s song “Wanted” done by one of Kyle’s and my favourite bands, Boyce Avenue.
We had a legal ceremony, so a Dominican Judge performed it. We weren’t totally sure what to expect. However, we had been told that it is all said in Spanish and then translated by the coordinator. So, we were picturing a long, drawn out ceremony where the judge talks, then the coordinator translates, and then we repeat everything. However, it was extremely quick, as they do not have the bride and groom repeat anything! We only said why we are here and ask each if you take the bride or groom. All we had to say was “Si” or “I do” and then exchange rings.
So in retrospect, if we knew, we might have come up with a few of our vows to add on the end, just to make it a little more personal. Regardless, it was still so beautiful, and the guests were thankful for a quick ceremony in the sweltering heat. So that way they were to be able to start celebrating sooner!
As soon as the ceremony ended, we had the recessional down the aisle to the song “Love never felt so Good” by Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. They also had champagne set up at the end of the aisle for the whole group. The violinist played again while we toasted, hugged and got congratulated.
Photos
We allotted plenty of time for photos to ensure it wouldn’t be rushed and miss any important ones. We probably spent 25 minutes or so on Family photos’ and photos’ with all the guests in front of the gazebo. Then, 45 or so on Wedding party photos on the rocks/beach and the pier, and then couple photos in a few different spots. The timing was great, as was the weather and the lighting, and we were ready for the reception to begin at 7:00.
Reception
We had our reception on the deck of the Seaside Grill, which is a beautiful setting under the palm trees and overlooking the ocean. They mostly had everything set up as I had requested- my mom just had to fix a few things with the centrepieces, but everything was perfect by the time I got there.
We hired DJ Mannia and had Kyle’s cousin MC the reception, although the DJ prepared to MC himself. We had a buffet, which was very delicious, followed by cake cutting so people could have their desserts during the speeches. We kept the speeches to a minimum and simply had my Dad, maid of honour, best man, and Kyle speaks. Because the receptions at the resort are required to end at 11:00 and we didn’t want to use up too much time on toasts.
Everything went smoothly throughout, and we started our first dance. The DJ even surprised
us with fireworks on the sides of the dance floor which began partway through our dance and
made for some more incredible photos. It was a breathtaking moment.
The rest of the night was just as perfect! Filled with plenty of drinking, dancing, and stress-free mingling! The only thing that bothered me just a tiny bit was that they have the rest of the restaurant open. However, it’s far enough away from the deck that it still feels private, but the restaurant music was playing during the speeches which made it hard to hear. Moreover, some people, of course, will always be a bit weird. You have some strangers taking pictures of your wedding and listening in to the speeches, etc. However, you can have the restaurant fully privatized for more money if that’s important, we just chose to save the money.
Overall, the wedding day was fantastic, and everything went smoothly after all the planning and organizing. The resort tries to charge way too much money for a lot of things. It ended up requiring a little more work on my end. I made and brought all my centrepieces and décor aside from flowers (flowers were also very expensive, but of course they always are for weddings). Also, I brought my tablecloths and chair sashes to save money. Luckily I had a very helpful group of guests, and many of them helped bring stuff over on the flights.
The Day After Photoshoot
As part of the photography package we purchased, there was a second day, Trash the Dress
Shoot included. I had no interest in trashing my dress, but there is a beautiful little place about 15 minutes away from our resort. It is called Altos De Chavon, which is a reconstruction of a 16th-century Mediterranean town.
Long ago, in my search for our perfect wedding resort, I had stumbled upon some photos of this place. I instantly fell in love with it, especially the old style church right in the middle. Immediately I desperately wanted to go there, and the session gave us the perfect opportunity!
We also decided that since we never actually did engagement photos, it might be a nice place to do some casual shots as well.
It was a perfect day for photos, with the incredibly blue sky and great lighting. We had a hard time stopping taking photos, as there were so many great spots! Every direction you turned, with the church and all the old looking buildings, the stone streets and overhanging trees! Moreover, the fact that the town was so high up looking over the river.
Obviously, a picture is worth a thousand words! The photos Julia and Mark captured describe it so much better than I ever could.
In Conclusion
We want to thank Carmen so much for doing this fantastic review of her Destination Wedding. She has given so much information to future brides! What an amazing end to Destination Wedding Advice – Reception & Ceremony. If you missed out on Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, make sure you check them out. What an incredible wedding experience we were thrilled to share it! Thank you, Kyle and Carmen! Congratulation and enjoy married life!
Paige Moore
Director of Communications for Liz Moore Destination Weddings. She enjoys writing about all things wedding, travel, and fashion. Notably, she has a BA in Communications and currently located in Sydney, Australia.@Paige2Travel
@Paige2Travel