A Polish, Fairytale Destination Wedding in Punta Cana

Paulina and Grzegorz planned their dream destination wedding off the coast of the Dominican Republic, in the beautiful area of Punta Cana.

Paulina looked absolutely stunning in her sweetheart neckline, embellished Martina Liana wedding gown and Christian Louboutin heels. Grzegorz looked just as handsome in a sleek black suit and black tie.The ceremony was held at the gorgeous “Igleisa Nuestra Senora de Punta Cana” Catholic Church where the two lovebirds exchanged vows and said, “I do!” in their native language, Polish. The architecture and beautiful stone work of the church was a breathtaking ceremony background in contrast to the tropical beachside city.

Following the ceremony, the reception was held at a little slice of paradise in Punta Cana - the Jellyfish Restaurant. A gorgeous table setup was complete with hanging white bird cages filled with flowers, seashell accents, and pearls for a whimsical and fairytale touch.The evening ended with Dominican entertainers dancing with their guests and putting on an incredible fire show.

An interview with the bride:

How did you two meet? We were set up by my sister and her friend Jamie to meet at Jamie's engagement party. The day we met, Grzegorz invited me to go skydiving (I am scared of planes not to mention jumping off of one! hehehe), so I politely refused. But, we did exchange numbers and all is history after that.

How did he propose? He proposed exactly one year before our wedding, on September 14th, 2014 on a boardwalk in Brooklyn overlooking New York City. It was the same spot where we had walked a year earlier on our first date.

What was the vision for your wedding?  The color scheme was a mix of purple, teal and silver - with jewels. Of course, we also wanted to integrate a “beach” aspect to emphasize the beautiful location.

Why did you choose your wedding venue? I have visited Dominican Republic on numerous occasions and I fell in love with the way of life there and the people. Everything is at a slower pace and no one seems anxious or rushed into anything. That is how I wanted to experience our wedding in a form of relaxed vacation for us and our guests.

Describe the ceremony and what made it special?  I absolutely loved the architecture and beautiful stone work on the catholic church set right in the middle of a tropical paradise. The ceremony was lead in Polish by our friend Stanislaw, while my grandfather Micheal played the keyboard. It was very special to us that we were able to bring our Polish culture to the Dominican Republic and exchange our vows in our native language.

Describe the reception. The Jellyfish Restaurant is absolutely gorgeous - it’s completely open to the outdoors and right on the beach. The guests absolutely loved the venue and we had a “crazy hour” where Dominican entertainers danced the our guests, performed and put on a fire show.The flowers were arranged in different shades or purple and white. Some arrangements were in birdcages to add a “fairytale” feel to the entire decor.

What was the inspiration of your wedding cake?  Our cake was simple with pops of color, seashells and jewels.

Describe the favors for your guests. Our guests received bottles of local Dominican rum painted in our colors. It was really important to me to have a local flair at our wedding.

Photography: Asia Pimintel Photography 

Dress: Marta Liana

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Reception Venue: Jellyfish Restaurant Punta Cana