How To Have A Glamorous Punta Cana Wedding For 35k

Punta Cana Destination Wedding at Jelly Fish Restaurant

Honestly, it’s weddings like Tina and RJ's that make having a destination wedding so appealing. No joke Tina said that she just showed up for her wedding and that Jellyfish Restaurant basically designed, planned and did everything from A to Z. Umm... all she had to do was enjoy her day, frolic in the clear blue sea and sip on Champagne. I am sure some planning was involved on her part, but we like that most everything was done for her.

We can definitely vouch for the Punta Cana wedding experts. Jellyfish Restaurant is part of our Wedding Chicks resource guide and every wedding we see from them is top notch.

Have we roped you into planning a Punta Cana destination wedding? Well… read on to here the whole story from Tina, and don’t miss their sexy rock the dress sunrise session. A must see.

The gallery has even more details of their glamorous beach wedding all photographed by Katya Nova.

Wedding invitation suite with passport and travel theme on wood

Bridesmaids celebrating on a beach in floral robes with champagne Woman celebrating with champagne on a beautiful beach day

WEDDING DAY
On Saturday, April 28th 2018 we celebrated our big day along with 88 of our friends and family on the beach in the Beautiful Dominican Republic at Jellyfish Restaurant, Punta Cana.
WEDDING DAY! My 9 bridesmaids and I load up a van and head over to Jellyfish Restaurant to start getting ready. We were served appetizers & mimosas and had such a relaxing morning of pampering. The coolest part was I got to see the venue transform throughout the entire day into my vision, right before my eyes! Right before the boys arrived, my bridesmaids and I in our fun robes took some AMAZING photos popping champagne in the ocean. Our photographer Katya suggested every bridesmaid tell me their favorite memory of us together, and within minutes we were all in tears – we just got out makeup done! In the meantime, the boys start arriving and we go to get dressed.

Beautiful bride holding a white rose bouquet, ready for a wedding

Romantic beach wedding venue setup with LOVE signage

Woman touching a floral arrangement under a beach venue

Bride getting ready holding her wedding dress on a special hanger Close-up shot of a hand wearing a Mrs ring at a wedding

glamorous bridal up do with sparkly hair accessory

Groomsmen enjoying drinks in white shirts and shorts on wooden deck Bottles of vodka and whiskey, with red drinks and cocktails

Bride in a beautiful white wedding gown stands elegantly on the boardwalk

Bride and groom smiling at their beach wedding ceremony Bride and groom sharing a joyful moment on their wedding day

Bride and groom share a kiss on a sunny beach wedding ceremony

The Ceremony

The Ceremony was on the palm-studded Bavaro Beach and Jellyfish Restaurant Punta Cana. Driftwood Archway draped in white roses and greenery, accented with large glass vases & white candles. The Greenery theme was carried over to reception decor with large family style tables. Lush greenery runners accented with white roses, gray and white linens, and an abundance of floral arrangements draped from the ceiling.
The best part of our wedding – cocktail hour never ended! We never sat down for dinner, we wanted a non-stop party, and that’s exactly what we got. We had all different types of food stationed around the dancefloor so people could party, and eat whenever they wanted! We had a cheese, seafood, pizza, slider, pasta & taco station. Thank god for our tasting a few days before because I didn’t eat ANY of it

Beach wedding setup with ocean view and palm trees, ready to celebrate

Bride and bridesmaids in elegant grey dresses at an outdoor wedding Elegant white rose bouquet held by a person, wedding flowers

Bride walking down the aisle with parents at a beautiful wedding ceremony

Beach wedding vows ceremony on a beautiful sunny day Newlyweds share a romantic kiss on a beautiful beach wedding

Newlyweds celebrate their beach wedding with arms raised high Newlyweds share a romantic kiss on the beach after their wedding

Wedding cocktail reception welcome sign with elegant script

Groom enjoys a refreshing drink at a beach wedding Waiter carrying tray with yellow and pink smoothies

Beach wedding party toasts bride and groom with drinks Bride groom and party toast at beach wedding venue

Punta Cana Wedding Venue

Jellyfish Restaurant from start to finish was nothing short of amazing. Our coordinator Janelkis Sanchez is heaven sent! We exchanged hundreds of e-mails leading up to the wedding and she was nothing short of kind.

As far as the planning process – what planning? JF takes care of everything from A to Z! All I did was send a powerpoint of my general vision, and then just showed up! The décor team is unbelievably talented and blew my expectations out of the water.

Tropical beach restaurant entrance with palm trees

Wedding reception details with stone backdrop greenery Wedding seating chart with floral decorations around it

Wedding table decor with shots and share the love sign

Wedding reception with greenery and floral decorations

Elegant wedding table setting with floral decorations White rose in glass terrarium on a wooden surface, close up

Floral arrangement with hanging glass orbs and white roses

Elegant wedding reception with floral decor lights Elegant white rose floral table centerpiece detail

Elegant wedding reception with floral decor and soft lighting

Bride and groom celebrate after beach wedding ceremony Wedding party celebrates on a wooden bridge at night

Newlyweds celebrate after a beach wedding at night with arms raised

Donut wall cake and cupcakes at wedding reception party Funny wedding cake Shit Just Got Real with cupcakes

Dessert Table

Dessert was a one-tier cake with a semi-offensive cake topper – hehe, as well as a donut wall and cupcakes! We had a cigar roller that was hand rolling cigars on the spot – what an amazing surprise for our guests!

Bride joyfully eats donut from wedding dessert display

Wedding party celebrating on the dance floor at night Groom does breakdance at wedding reception, bride smiles and celebrates

Bride and groom dance with fireworks during a wedding party Bride and groom share a kiss as wedding guests celebrate with fireworks

Booze Cruise

Rise & Shine its time for a booze cruise! In lieu of a cheesy favor that no one will use, we wanted to thank our amazing guests for traveling so far to be with us on our special day with a Party Boat. We had so many guests that we had to get TWO BOATS! We sailed around the beautiful Caribbean sea, and had that absolute time of our lives!

Punta Cana Destination Wedding Budget

Wedding Budget For 88 Guests:
Dress: $1950 Badgley Mischka
Veil: Complimentary, thanks to Eclat Veils!
Invitations: $900
Venue: $2000
DJ & MC: $800
Cigar Roller: $350
Cake: $120
Dessert Table: $150
Flowers: $2500
Open Bar: $8900
Food: $3800
Décor: $5300
Photographer: $4400
Videographer: $220
Party Boat For Guests: $3800
Total: $35,190

Couple kissing on a beach with palm trees, wedding day

Rock the dress Sunrise Bridal Session

This is hands down the best decision I made in my life. My husband woke up one morning in DR after everyone left, and got dressed in our wedding gear, and headed to a beautiful private beach at 6 am for a sunrise session with our photographer. Because of my husband's injury, large bridal party, and a large guest list, we didn’t have a chance to take many intimate photos, but boy did we get that during this session! It was the only time during the entire wedding week where it was all about us – just us. Katya gave us champagne to loosen our nerves, played romantic music – and captured the most stunning photos of us I have ever seen. We went into the water, fully dressed – got tossed around the ocean, and had the time of our lives. Before I knew it, my dress was off – and Katya captured incredible photos of me wrapped in my veil. I am so thankful she ripped me out of my comfort zone!

Newlyweds enjoy a romantic beach picnic with champagne and fruit Couple enjoying mango on a beach picnic setting in summer