Our wedding was on April 28, and I’ve finally had time to digest everything and I’m ready to share with you all my destination wedding experience! Sorry this may be a long one!
Our wedding was on a Thursday and we arrived on the Monday prior, and departed on Sunday. If I could change anything about this, I would have arrived closer to the wedding and stayed longer after the wedding. (EDIT: We arrived multiple days in advance because 48 hours prior to our wedding, we had a meeting at Kukua with Mayte to go over final details including menu and drinks. Additionally, you get to taste test all the appetizers, all the drinks, and they bring out a full course presentation similar to what you’ll get on your actual wedding night - aka come hungry because the food is delicious!) We were so excited and anxious for our big day, but didn’t want to do anything too adventurous in case of medical accidents, getting ill, or getting sunburned etc. would have loved to do some excursions (hiking, catamaran, or day trip to saona island or Santo Domingo) but we just stayed local near the resort. The weather during our week there was insanely gorgeous, never too hot, not too cold, it only rained the last two days we were there which wasn’t a huge deal to us. I brought hand fans for my guests thinking they’d boil during the ceremony but actually the ocean breeze kept everyone cool under the setting sun and it was quite comfortable. Even Carlos who was standing facing the sun at the alter didn’t break a sweat, and my dad who sweats just by stepping foot outside, didn’t sweat at all! Day of the wedding, my bridal group (mom, grandma, sister, & mom in law) got picked up at 945 from our resort. At Kukua, we met Mayte, and Olga Montilla (make up artist) showed up right at 10. Olga organized who would go first based on the services and styles we wanted - she was incredibly thorough, gentle, and kind. She made all of us look absolutely incredible and our makeup and hairstyles held up throughout the entire night. My sister has Down syndrome and Olga was so careful and patient with her, it was such a sweet moment for my sister and Olga had no problem making her feel at ease. During our getting ready we had options for lunch and drinks. The bridal suite is air conditioned which was great and felt just right. I love how cute the bridal suite is and fit our little group just right. But plenty of seating for larger groups too! And of course the big mirror! Around 2pm Mika from Punta Cana Photography showed up and she is such a gem of a human, I was so impressed by her professionalism behind the camera and telling us how to pose and different angles. I’m no supermodel but the sneak peeks I’ve gotten have blown me away. She did a great job at telling us where to go and what poses to do. You can tell that she knows what she’s doing without being rude or obnoxious, she was in fact just the opposite very calm and meticulous and the photos so far turned out amazing! I cannot wait to see the rest! I did do a first look with Carlos and it was great to see him before the ceremony because I was less nervous walking down the aisle and I was just so excited to see him and get alone time with him. Highly recommend if this is something you’re on the fence about! Ceremony time! After the first look I went back upstairs for last minute touch ups with Olga, and then I went downstairs to greet my dad who would be walking down the aisle. I had a huge emotional breakdown at that point because everything hit me all at once, all the feelings of being overwhelmed, the excitement that this day had finally come, and that my dad was here to be with me and share this moment. I did shed a few tears but my makeup did not budge!!!! Olga’s application and expertise really showed because my emotional state didn’t ruin the makeup at all! I forgot to mention that Alejandro (Kukua’s officiant) came to meet me upstairs before the ceremony to go over the script as we had planned to do a hand fasting piece. I wish I had been more focused and asked specifically about the hand fasting because I was under the assumption that Alejandro was going to perform it for us. But at the alter, he was holding the microphone and the iPad and so had no free hands to “tie our knot” so carlos and I awkwardly held our ropes and in the moment was too flustered to do it ourselves. Otherwise the speech he gave was beautiful and really touching for our guests. I would have rather practiced the hand fasting portion and communicated better about that but it did not distract from the overall moment. After that we took a few photos with friends and family, and then we had dinner. Let me tell y’all!!!! Dinner was freaking amazing, by far the best food I had while in Punta Cana. For cocktail hour we served yucca balls, cheese balls with guava, and paella. We decided our specialty drinks were the coconut mojito and the passion fruit mojito. Our welcome drink was the blue lagoon (or blue Hawaiian) since it matched perfectly with my accent colors! For dinner We had the salad with strawberry dressing (came in a pineapple), penne pasta with vodka sauce, white fish and chicken with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes, and our cake was vanilla with guava filling. Guys, the food was so so good! But I got full really quick, I wish I could’ve eaten more of the food but I was so stuffed and also just excited about the day! Post dinner was cake cutting, and then the party started. The dance floor and bar server and the DJ were amazing, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We had such a small group that the bar server actually started bringing drinks and shots out to us on the dance floor it was great! We did an open bar for 3 hours and it sufficed perfectly. Overall, the day goes by way too freaking fast, and I just wish I had a time machine to slow it down and soak it all up. I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment and the service and hospitality of Kukua was beyond words. I don’t think my dream wedding would have came to life were it not for Rachel, Mayte, Olga, Mika, and everyone else involved. I realize this was a huge operation and everyone really put 100% effort into making our day so so special. Thank you to everyone involved and everyone who had a handle in our fairytale, it was a dream come true! Rachel: thank you so much from the bottoms of our hearts for being there from the very beginning when I thought the Pinterest wedding of my dreams was just a fantasy - you made the dream come true with the help of Mayte and I’m forever grateful for your guidance and assistance. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my review I hope it was helpful for future brides and that it solidifies your decision to have beautiful Kukua as your venue for your special day. I found Kukua on Pinterest as I kept searching for Caribbean beach wedding and Kukua kept popping up, and all the pictures were just so gorgeous. I knew after one conversation with Rachel that based on the price point and the customization options, this was where I wanted my fairytale to take place.

I cannot say enough good things about our wedding at the Kukua, only that it went too fast!

For dinner we had our menu slightly customized to fit our tastes and it was sensational! The favourite of the group had to be the lobster! The cocktails were also delicious. We had a micro wedding and the Kukua did an amazing job of making a small intimate seating area for us that had all the big wedding feels. Mayte did a fantastic job of decorating and keeping us all happy at the Kukua! She also put together wonderful flower arrangements for us with minimal instruction.

On an organizational note, Rachel a key organizer, went above and beyond from day one of planning. She was on hand constantly and able to help guide me through the ups, downs and sheer uncertainty of a wedding especially during the pandemic. My wedding had to be moved once, and she made it effortless. Truly enjoyed the planning experience with her.

One of the best things about the Kukua is it is so customizable. Big, small, high budget, low budget there are options for everything.

If you are thinking of a dominican wedding, this is your place!!

Wedding date: November 17th 2021
Wedding ceremony and reception: KUKUA
Group size: 70 people (6 kids)
Resort group stayed at: Paradisus Palma Real

Wow is the only word there is to describe our experience and our wedding day at Kukua.
The care and and perfection put into the details are undeniable, they have mastered the craft of wedding planning.
Pre-wedding prep time, Rachel is like your own personal planner, she is almost always available to answer any of your questions and guide you through the process. She is your person from A to Z for all the planning from afar leading to your wedding day and makes the process as breezy as can be.
Our wedding was postponed twice because of COVID (the first date was right at the beginning of it all, cancelled 3 weeks before we were meant to leave on April 4th 2020) and Rachel made pushing the date/planning again very low stress and easy.
Come when you get to the DR and on the wedding day, Mayte is your lady. She is a superstar truly. She can recreate any of your ideas on Pinterest pictures to a T. Our vision was more than brought to life. We already had high expectations because of reviews and pictures, but on our wedding day, seeing the decor in person we were blown away and so were all our guests. It was a scene from a fairy tale.

Coming from Montreal, we have a big food culture so even though the reviews about food were really good, I expected it to be “good by DR standards”, but it was also surpassed our expectations. We had the fish ceviche and surf & turf for dinner. The lobster with the butter sauce was delicious, the meat was cooked to perfection, everyone was raving about the food all week. Even the appetizers were amazing. It’s also fun to get the tasting done a few days before

The bridal suite is perfection, a really beautiful place to get ready with my ladies and made great memories with them. I don’t think it’s comparable to the resorts bridal room either. We ate breakfast together at the resort and then head there in the morning. You can preorder a lunch which was also delicious and take your pictures getting hair and makeup done there which turned out beautiful too!

Finally the whole staff were so sweet and attentive the whole day of as well! The venue was perfect for our 70 person wedding group (I was worried about the size of the dance floor but it was just right)! The outdoor experience for cocktails and dancing afterwards is so fun and special.

Kukua is an opportunity to have a luxury, dream, Pinterest wedding in the south.
There is nothing that I would have added or done differently if it were in montreal and it was definitely to the same standards of perfection (even better cause it’s by the beach!).
The cost is obviously a lot more than a wedding would be in your resort (and closer to cost of a wedding back home) but it’s not at all comparable and in my mind 100% worth it if you want a quality experience and a “real” wedding like back home.

A few random tips:

-Mayte offered for me to give her a list of groups I would like to have pictures with so she can gather people after ceremony (during picture taking time) which I never did. Then my guests were scattered all over for pictures. Take on this offer and prepare this in advance if you want to get your specific portrait pictures in and don’t want to be waiting around for your guests!

-If you get the international or higher bar option, they offer all the alcohol from the “lower” options so when ordering from the bar, you need to specifically ask if you want the higher quality alcohol, would be good if your guests know they have options!

-Tartar was good for appetizer when we tried at the tasting but it gets warm quick under the sun.

-I have no idea if the DJ is good or not, I slowly prepared 3 playlists over a few months for “wedding cocktail hour, wedding dinner music and wedding party” and it was basically my playlist playing the whole time!

-I sat the kids on their own table (they encourage you not to but I think it’s the best option!) on the table near their parents and got a bunch of stuff from the dollar store in Canada to keep them entertained! Thought this was a good idea!

-I created a guestbook in advance with pictures of my husband through the years with all of our guests so it’s a guestbook and a memory album. I brought it back to the resort This was such a great project and now amazing memory to have and keep.

-We stayed at Paradisus Palma Real (you can check out my review for them) but HIGHLY recommended! As a wedding group we were treated like royalty there and it was a perfect size resort to have options and space but still easily find everyone without planning too much. They accommodate your group dinners and plans for the week and it’s a beautiful resort. The bar by the beach is a perfect get together place!

Hope all this helps!
If you are hesitating, hesitate no more, Kukua is your place!!!

We got married at Kukua Beach Club in Punta Cana (DR) in January 2022 and it was the best decision we ever made! We started planning a little over 1 year out and they make everything so easy and stress free! My friends that had a traditional wedding at home were so much more stressed and spent so much more time planning. First off, their wedding planner Rachel is a godsend and is there for your every need. Communication was beyond perfect with quick and informative responses as well as the best support you could ask for! (Get ready to gain a new best friend). She is 100% the reason that everything leading up to your wedding is easy and perfect. She will give you real advice and suggestions and not try to upsell you for things you don’t need.

They have created a community of current and past brides that are all there for each other with planning, answering questions and again making your wedding planning as easy as can be. This resource is something you won’t find at other venues!

While Rachel is on top of everything leading up to the wedding, once you to the DR for your wedding week you will meet an equally amazing human being who is in charge of executing your wedding plans and literally making your dreams come true. Mayte is the sweetest and will make you feel like family as soon as you walk on property! She walks you through your food tasting and creates the magic that is your wedding!

Everything on our wedding day was absolutely perfect, the decor was extraordinary, the venue was gorgeous and the food was AMAZING! Don’t think twice about booking here for your wedding, my guests will be talking about it for years to come! I am eternally grateful for Rachel and Mayte giving me the perfect wedding day!

Peep these photos by Love and Sea Photography of our wedding day!

If you’re looking for a cost friendly venue with excellent communication, top notch food and beautiful wedding decor then look no further! We got married here in November 2021 and we couldn’t be happier with how everything went. First, our wedding planner Rachel was the best to work with. She was always so fun to talk to, easygoing, and professional from the start, and made us feel very welcome. You couldn’t ask for a more friendly, understanding, drop-everything-to-help you type of person to work with and anyone who has planned a wedding knows you have a LOT of contact with your venue prior to the event. The best part is that Kukua takes care of EVERYTHING! From flowers, to decor, transportation to/ from the venue, to food and beverages, even a DJ and all other outside vendors. Their prices are always transparent and they do not charge any vendors fees like resorts do. This was one of the main reasons we did an off-site venue like Kukua. On my wedding day I felt so calm and comfortable knowing I had the best team at Kukua taking care of everything that day. Mayte was the one who made my wedding dreams a realty with her very talented decorating skills and creative ideas. We made a small change to the chicken for our guests in which she created her speciality pineapple sauce.. talk about going above and beyond! We had almost 90 guests including 9 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen.. a big destination wedding! Everyone from our wedding is still talking about how it was the most amazing wedding they’ve ever been to. All our expectations were met and then some. Thank you to everyone at Kukua! Especially Rachel and Mayte!