From Overwhelmed to Overjoyed: Katie & Kelsey’s Real Destination Wedding at Secrets Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

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DESTINATION WEDDINGS

When you’re known for hosting unforgettable parties and have a background in event planning and floral design, your expectations for your own wedding are naturally sky-high. That’s exactly where Katie and Kelsey found themselves when they decided on a destination wedding. Having known Katie for over 15 years, we were beyond thrilled when she and Kelsey reached out to United Travel for our expertise and assistance with this incredible milestone in their lives.

Like many couples, Katie and Kelsey were feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to begin planning their dream wedding in Mexico or the Dominican Republic. They wanted something magical, but the details felt daunting. During our first conversation, we could sense their stress. By the end of our call, the relief was written all over their faces. Kelsey even said, “You both simplified this process so much, and we’re excited to start planning our wedding again.”  It was in that moment that the weight lifted, and the excitement began to build.

We were honored to become part of Katie and Kelsey’s wedding team as their destination wedding travel advisors and planners. Together, we helped them bring their dream celebration to life at the breathtaking Secrets Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic.

Now that their magical day has come and gone, we had the chance to sit down with the newlyweds and reflect on their entire experience. From planning to the big day, Katie and Kelsey shared their thoughts on working with us, the challenges they overcame, and the joy they felt seeing their dream wedding become a reality.
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Ready to be inspired by their story? Check out their interview below to hear all about their incredible experience and discover why planning a destination wedding with United Travel can be the best decision you’ll ever make! 

Katie & Kelsey’s Real Destination Wedding Experience at Secrets Cap Cana

What excited you about having a destination wedding?
We wanted to do it BIG! The thought of having a vacation with our closest family and friends to celebrate us was the perfect way to accommodate our aspirations for an adults-only private beach wedding with superior service, food, drinks, and entertainment!

What surprised you about having a destination wedding?
We originally went into the planning process thinking that it would be 2 straight years of work and decisions. John and Jenn laid out a board for communication with deadlines and checklists so that we would know what to do and when. It was astounding to us that most of the decision making was truly in the last few months leading up to the wedding so we were able to spend that time enjoying our engagement phase, dreaming of our wedding, and United Travel made our dreams a reality (seemingly like magic)!

What led you to choose Secrets Cap Cana as your wedding resort & venue?
We wanted an adults-only, all inclusive, LGBTQ friendly, and beautiful resort that had a natural aesthetic. John and Jenn, with their years of travel and planning experience, guided us in resorts that would suit these needs. Not only did they understand what we were looking for but they also anticipated the need for entertainment, excellent service, and VIP amenities for us and our guests. Their multiple trips to our resort (Secrets Cap Cana) helped us to have insight into what the resort was truly like instead of having to spend additional hours wading through videos, testimonials, and reviews for multiple resorts.

If you could choose three words to describe the vibe of your wedding, what would they be?
We laughed, we cried, we partied!!
Stress-free, perfect, memorable

What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
My favorite part of my wedding day was absolutely turning around to see my bride, Kelsey, for the first time walking down the aisle. The team at United Travel understood how important the timing of this first look and reaction was. John and Jenn communicated constantly with us and themselves and took every precaution to make sure that we were able to experience this moment. (John even had an umbrella to make sure I couldn't peek and see her during our "first touch" photos. He knows me too well!!) We were able to be truly present and enjoy that big pivotal moment thanks to the organization and planning that United Travel took.

What’s one “extra” you’re glad you splurged on?
The light-up dance floor and party package with lights and a DJ! That was a must-have for Kelsey (although she may say that the flowers were her favorite extra). The dance floor encouraged EVERYONE to participate and enjoy the night. I have NEVER seen some of our guests dance and everyone was out there with their foam sticks celebrating us and creating core memories together. It was a moment I'll never forget.

If you could change anything about your wedding day - what would it be?  Anything you wished you included or something you could’ve lived without?
Honestly I wouldn't change a thing (unless we could order a breeze or two in during those first-look/touch pictures). The day went absolutely perfect. Kelsey and I were able to focus on getting ready and being present with our bridal parties knowing that the team at United Travel had handled and communicated everything to all of our involved members. 

Sorry John, I probably wouldn't even trade Kelsey forgetting her bouquet because that was one hell of a memorable story. I am very glad that you have hopefully recovered from that moment but of course it goes to show you that best laid plans.

Why Katie & Kelsey Hired a Destination Wedding Planner

What challenges, frustrations, fears, or concerns did you have about planning your wedding before you hired United Travel? 
We honestly didn't know where to begin with planning a wedding, especially in another country! Reaching out to contact vendors and resorts seemed like an overwhelming task. Luckily, with United Travel's experience and great communication skills they were able to find resorts and vendors that were aligned with our vision. They handled most of the communication with the resort on our behalf with our input, and were also able to guide us with decisions we truly didn't know how to make. They took the wedding planning stress level down to absolutely nothing and were able to provide us with unique and trending ideas to make this an event that us and our guests will remember and talk about for the rest of our lives!

Out of all the Destination Wedding Experts out there, how did you find us & why did you choose to hire United Travel?
I am so thankful to have worked with John for years in the service industry. He taught me what it was to pay attention to the customer and provide superior service so it was a no-brainer to work with him and Jenn. Jenn's organization, communication, and creativity were an added bonus as we began this process with them. The two of them together are a dream team of anticipating what we needed, allowing us the space and time to make crucial decisions, and nudging us in the right direction when we had no idea what we were doing.

What stood out to you about your experience working with United Travel?
It was full service! There wasn't any guess work for any of the guests. John and Jenn / United Travel handled ALL of the communication and questions coming from our group. With 80 people coming (and over 200 invited) we were overwhelmed with the possibility of having to organize everyone to make payments, be at the right place at the right time, and know what to expect. John and Jenn handled EVERYTHING from providing our guests information about the resort, timely updates about payments due, and organizing round-trip transportation to and from the resort. Everyone was able to trust that United Travel had anticipated our needs and gave us all of the information necessary to prepare so we could relax and enjoy the vacation and our big day!

What was one part of planning your wedding you knew you couldn't have done alone (or didn't want to do alone)? 
We would never have been able to execute pictures together without seeing each other (see testimonial about my favorite moment above).
Additionally, we didn't know where to begin with the order of events during the ceremony (when family, bridal party, etc walks) and reception. We also had so many events we wanted to fit into the reception that we never would've been able to complete without the timelines that United Travel created so that we could not only manage a T-shirt toss, best man toasts, first dance(s), but also to enjoy our wedding and celebrate with our guests! They made sure that everyone was in the right place and the right time, that the DJ and emcee had the proper music and names for entrances and events, and kept us on track so that we could spend less time on the formalities and more time doing what we came there to do- enjoy, relax, and celebrate!

What kind of feedback did your guests give on their experience with United Travel?
EVERY SINGLE GUEST told us that it was a moment they'll never forget and that it was the best wedding they had ever been to! Traveling to another country can be daunting but everyone felt prepared with all of the information and communication provided from United Travel throughout the planning process. That alone was worth its weight in gold.
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We could not have done this without Jenn and John at United Travel. From initial vacation planning to on-site wedding coordination, they were absolutely worth every penny (and much more) to make sure that we were able to actually enjoy our wedding week without the stress of herding a group of 80 people.

Advice for Couples Considering a Destination Wedding

What would you tell a couple considering planning a destination wedding & working with United Travel?
What's stopping you? After this entire experience, the team at United Travel is now family to us. They anticipated every need including ways to make our day memorable and were able to expertly organize, plan, and execute our dream wedding. From pitching fun and trending wedding ideas to prioritizing our needs, they completely understood the mission. For our large group of 80 people, we knew it would be nothing short of a non-stop party and we are so thankful and grateful that we had the United Travel team there to organize and carry out an absolute dream with our best interests at heart.

Additional Comments

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I truly don't have enough kind words to express the gratitude I have for United Travel's diligence in putting us first and perfectly executing our dream vacation and wedding. We were so thrilled to be able to share that experience with them and know that they're now a part of our big family!

Let us know when you’re ready to start turning your dream wedding into a reality—just like Katie and Kelsey did! 

Schedule your complimentary discovery call

Destination Wedding Vendors

Travel & Wedding Planning + Design: United Travel, LLC
Resort: Secrets Cap Cana
Resort Coordinator: Francisco Pardon
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Preferred Club Beach
Welcome Party Venue: Garden Terrace
Photography & Videography: Junior Cruz Weddings (use code: UNITEDTRAVEL)
Floral & Decor: CR Flowers
DJ & MC: Encore
Hair: Analea Murray
Makeup: Braden Sims
Wedding Dress: Wedding Angels Bridal
Wedding Dress Alterations: Lace Alterations
Wedding Suit: Kirrin Finch
Bride’s Shoes: Nike
Rings: Worth More Jewelers & Shane Co.
Save the Dates: PaperTales