A Destination Wedding In Paradise

Last weekend my cousins tied the knot in paradise aka Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Every time I tell people my "cousins" are getting married, I get asked the same question - "Your cousins???? As in plural?!" Truth is they're not actually both my cousins, just the groom - Alfred, who was raised like a brother to me. And his bride, Kaicy, has been in our lives now for over 10 years and she's one of my best friends so I've never seen her as anything but family. 

That being said, this was probably one of the most important weddings I'll ever attend. The location and the honor of being asked to be a bridesmaid, was just the cherry on top of this special weekend. 

Friday we got in around 1 pm and booked it to the hotel so we could get changed and get to the beach with drinks in our hands as quickly as possible. We stayed at an all inclusive hotel (The Paradisus Palma Real) which made the weekend that much more awesome. Piña Colada here, Miami Vice there.... there wasn't one second throughout the whole weekend where you didn't find a drink in my hand. 

Friday night we had the rehearsal dinner on the beach. The resort set up dining tables, stringed lights, and a huge sign that with the couples name all in the sand. There were speeches given about the couple, endless food + drinks, and tons of Hispanic music (the bride's family is Colombian and mine is Cuban so we all felt right at home). 

Saturday was wedding day! The bridesmaids and I got up really early to head over to Kaicy's hotel suite where a make up artist and hairdresser were waiting to doll us up.

The actual wedding took place in front of a beautiful garden that included palm trees, flamingos, and tropical flowers. 

The reception was held in another area of the resort that was just as stunning. The weather was beautiful so we danced the night away under the stars and then headed to a club within the hotel with the entire family for an after party. 

Sunday was an excursion day. A huge group of us headed out into the country side to go dune buggying (which is much harder than you would think). We traveled to a cave where we went swimming, a plantation where they make all sorts of all natural foods like coffee and chocolate, and to a local beach. I loved visting "real" parts of the country that weren't filled with tourists and seeing where people actually live. 

This was definitely a weekend to remember. The memories from this trip are ones I'll hold near and dear to me for a lifetime. Needless to say, I'll be planning my return very soon!

Hopefully this post inspired you to check it out for yourself :) Happy Travels!

xo, 
Natalie