Any wedding that involves sand and ghost chairs is bound to be a good one. I think that exact rule is #1 in the Gorgeous Weddings Rule Book. It has the modern elements that we love mixed with a sense of old world charm of the Dominican Republic and a team of unbelievable talents like design and styling by The Stylish Soiree, florals by Soulflower Design Studio and last, but in no way least, photography captured by Angie Silvy. Have a look here for even more of this destination beaut.
From The Stylish Soiree…The look for Natalia & Alex’s wedding was modern meets old world, with a color palette of cream, yellow, orange, taupe and accents of green. Some couples we work with like the same aesthetic, while other couples are on opposite ends of the spectrum. With Natalia and Alex, Natalia was much more into the modern, clean look and Alex loved Old World and rustic elements. My challenge was the meld these two different aesthetics into one cohesive look for their wedding, so we juxtaposed décor items like modern ghost chairs with burlap runners and crackle urns from Anthropologie for an eclectic yet cool look that was clean and beachy meets old world. One of the biggest hurdles we faced planning-wise was getting the right look and feel in a place that didn’t have a lot of the design elements (floral or decor-wise) that are readily available in the states. We ended up working with an amazing SF-based florist, Emily from Soulflower, who created the look we were going for by using a lot of dried flowers, importing some flowers, sourcing some locally, and even using high quality silk flowers – the end result was truly fantastic, and not something you see at most weddings since it was such an eclectic mix of sources. It took countless hours of research and setbacks to come to the final design, but I think it turned out beautifully in the end.
We also ended up each bringing 3 full-size suitcases with us (9 total), and even brought all of the floral containers with us since it was so expensive and risky to ship anything to the Dominican Republic. It was incredibly tough logistically, but the end result was so lovely it was all worth it. Because of the more affordable cost of rentals, venue, and food in a destination location, we were able to bring in most of the vendors from the states so that Natalia & Alex could meet with them in San Francisco and fly them out to the DR for their wedding. Angie Silvy, the photographer, Emily Dreblow from Soulflower Floral Design, The Stylish Soiree team, and even hair and makeup (Jane Kim from The Glamourist) were all flown out for the big day to ensure the quality would be up to par. A wonderful venue and awesome local vendors rounded out the team that pulled together to make their big day picture perfect.
[dotted]
Photography: Angie Silvy Photography | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Puntacana Resort | Rentals: Puntacana Party | Design + Planning: The Stylish Soiree | Floral Design: Soulflower Design Studio, Emily Dreblow | Invitations: The Aerialist Press | Makeup: Jane Kim, The Glamourist | Wedding Dress: Lela Rose