It’s casual baby. That’s right… a casual beach wedding. I love how the groom wore jeans and the design of this wedding was quite literally the beautiful surroundings. Chalk up another reason why destination weddings are so cool!! Special thanks to Jennifer Kathryn for sending us this special wedding! Below the photos, Jennifer wrote about her experience capturing this lovely wedding:
“Working with Brittany and Reed before and during their beautiful wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was such a wonderful experience!! Brittany is also a professional photographer (InSite Creatives based out of Humboldt, Iowa) and we were connected through some mutual friends of ours (Bob and Dawn Davis). We hit it off instantly and I had so much fun getting to know them both in the months leading to their wedding. Since they live quite a distance from Chicago, we planned to meet up in historic Galena, IL for their engagement session. My engagement sessions typically last 2-3 hours, but since we both traveled several hours we wanted to make the most of our time, and we spent all day together shooting and hanging out. I loved hearing their story (they are high school sweethearts!) and so enjoyed watching them interact! Brittany is sweet, fun, spunky and sassy and Reed is laid back, easygoing and a blast to be around. Getting to know my clients is so important to capturing images that authentically reflect who they are, and what I love about Brittany and Reed is that building relationship is a priority for them as well. They come from a small town with a very tight knit circle of friends and family, and when planning their wedding the thing that was most important was that they be surrounded by those they love while they exchange their vows. They decided they’d like to get married on the anniversary of their first date (January 17th) and since it was winter in Iowa, they figured why not invite all of their loved ones with them to sunny Punta Cana? I took another photographer friend with me both to their e-session and to the wedding so they’d have ample coverage of their celebration, and from the moment we stepped onto the resort they invited us to be a part of everything. Brittany put a lot of care into planning certain details such as custom designed luggage tags, plane ticket themed invitations and personalized beverage holders for their guests. The guys wore colored ties with white button down linen shirts and jeans while the girls rocked chic dresses in matching bright colors. They chose their own funky jewelry and shoes and each held a fan instead of a traditional bouquet. Guests were given fans at their seats both to take home as a souvenir and use to stave off the heat! But when it came to the logistics of the day, Brittany and Reed left it up to the resort staff to do what they are best at. They entrusted me with the agenda and direction of the day and focused on what really mattered to them- having fun and celebrating with their guests! It was such an honor to capture their day and I’m truly thankful to have been a part of their celebration. Staying at Ocean Blue was a fantastic experience and there was never a shortage of things to do. They had plenty of shops and I loved the variety of restaurants. It was my second time to Punta Cana and I would come back to this resort in a heartbeat.”
NOTABLES:
Resort: Ocean Blue & Sand Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The resort had its own wedding coordinator, musicians, wedding area on the beach, private restaurant and catering for events, and a full service spa for bridal use. (Wedding link) The all inclusive resort offered excursions and had 9 restaurants to choose from.
Photographer: Jennifer Kathryn
Dress: Alfred Angelo
Shoes: Fergie
Invitations: Since Brittany is also a professional photographer, she used her own lab to custom design her own Save the Dates, Invitations and post-wedding reception invitations.
