Kukua Beach Club-Punta Cana?

[MXMom]

@@tasha682 We've compared the resort prices and I guess they are about the same.  HOWEVER.  Kukua is amazing, its not in a resort so you won't have people gawking at you the entire time and its much more intimate.  If you rent it exclusively which I believe is $1,000 USD then you and your guests will have the entire resort and beach to yourself which is what we are doing.  The ambience is unbeatable and if you're looking for something less cookie cutter than this is the way to go.  Bego is really awesome and very helpful.  I'm not sure about the $500 for decorations.  We're paying the entire $1200 for the ceremony, dinner and various other decorations for the ceremony which includes all linens in your colors, centerpieces, note cards, you name it.  Its definately worth not lugging all that stuff in your suitcase.  Planning a wedding here is virtually stress free and they are willing to work with your budget.  Our resort (Gran Bahia Ambar) is right next door so we're excited that we can come check out the place by a nice stroll on the beach!

 

Please feel free to ask me any questions.  My email is my username at yahoo

 

-Autumn

Your total for everything at Kukua was only $1200?? If so, you just made my day! lol 

[Mooks85]

For all brides and grooms out there who are researching their upcoming wedding in Punta Cana, let me be the first to tell you to stop looking because you have found the best venue on the island. We recently got married there on July 7th and all I can say is that it was amazing and much more personal than any wedding at a resort.

I am, by my own admission, a control freak and perfectionist and working with Bego in the months before the wedding was amazing. Her commitment to the bride and groom in making their day special is not something you will see in a lot of places. Communicating with her via email to arrange everything was easy with replies coming back in about a day or two which really made us feel better...it really is the little things.

A few days before the wedding we met with Bego and her husband Tony for our tasting and to settle on the table arrangements. At first bite I knew everything was going to be delicious...there's not too many places where you can eat fish that is caught the day of...EVERYTHING was amazing from starter to entree.

My wife (still feels weird to say that) and I had a rough idea of some of the decorations that we were going to see on the day of but most of it was a surprise...by choice, which was obviously hard for me to agree to! Lol. However, I was glad that I agreed to it because everything was beautiful. The gazebo was beautifully decorated and what an amazing backdrop the water provided. What also impressed me, which I feel I need to mention, is the two employees you had on either side of the beach that prevented people in their bathing suits from stopping behind the gazebo to watch which would have been awkward to have in our pictures...again it's the little things that count. Throughout the evening I had numerous guests come up to me and comment on how beautiful the venue was and how it was better than anything they had ever seen.

Meals were co-ordinated precisely by Fausto who really had a handle on everything while he and the staff stayed discreet so as to not intrude during speeches and social time. The dance was amazing and 50 people fit perfectly on the covered small pool area that was decorated very nicely which you can see by my picture that I posted earlier. Best way to end the evening?....jump in the pool! Our guests had a great time jumping in and for some reason jumping in fully clothed seemed to make it much more fun!

Bego, Tony and Fausto; you made our day much more special than I could have ever thought. Your attentiveness, commitment and just the fact that you all really care about what you do is not something you will find at a wedding machine at a resort. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all that you did. 

To all brides and grooms; I said it at the start and I will say it again. You have found what you are looking for. If you want something that is a little more personal than in the middle of the beach surrounded by people in their bathing suits then this is it. If you want something where the staff care about your big day then this is it. If you want something where everything is going to be exactly as you envision it then this is it. I really encourage you to consider Kukua and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have...especially if there are any grooms on here! lol.  Send me an email at [email protected] if you would like.

 

-Akhil

[acuitino]

For anyone thinking of having a destination wedding in Punta Cana, Kukua Beach Club is the place to go. The place is gorgeous! The website is nice but in person it's unbelievable. We had a taste test a few days before our big day and the food was to die for! I am not exaggerating at all. It was some of the best food I'd ever had!

 

Bego, her husband and wonderful staff are all super accommodating and easy to work with. They will ensure your vision comes true.

 

The day of my wedding I had a room to me and my bridal party to get ready. It was breathtaking (especially for the photos).

 

The ceremony was the most beautiful and perfect ceremony I could have ever imagined. It went better than any dreams I may have ever had.

 

The dinner was amazing (but we already knew it would be from the earlier taste test) and all of my guests were shocked at how delicious and beautiful everything was.

 

Lastly, the party was incredible. We had the most fun EVER. The lights, sounds, everything was perfect.

 

All in all, we could not have asked for anything better. Our wedding was more than we ever hoped for. Recommend Kukua 150%!!!!!!!!

[Viktoriyardh]

A week ago my now husband and I got married in Kukua Beach Club and Restaurant. Our 50 guests and us are completely IN LOVE with Bego and all the Kukua stuff! From our first email with Bego to the last day in Punta Cana - we received nothing but love, support, lots of kisses and hugs! Bego answered all my questions though emails within hours (sometimes even minutes). We chose Coral & Turquoise colors for our wedding and Bego did an AMAZING job and was always there to offer suggestions and incorporate every single detail we ask her. The center pieces - WOW! All the credit goes to her! Food - YUM! All the dishes were fresh and delicious (we chose menu 1 option).

Weather in Punta Cana in November is unpredictable but dont you worry about that if your wedding is in Kukua! It was pouring all morning on our wedding day but when we arrived to Kukua to get ready and do our make-up we were greeted by smiles, hugs and huge umbrellas (btw, Bego organized all the transportation for us and our 50 guests few of which stayed at different resorts). Kukua's house/special drink was waiting for us (champagne sangria with fresh fruits) and I was told to go upstairs and worry about nothing as they prepare for plan B Although rain stopped for the ceremony and we were able to have it on the beach as planned, our dance floor was moved from open lounge/ pool area to covered private Palapa for all the dancing and Crazy Hour. They moved the open bar to palapa as well and it was perfect! So even if it rains, dont worry- Bego will make sure everything is still perfect and your Big Day will be nothing but amazing! If you want to impress all of your guests and make your wedding pictures unforgettable and super colorful and unique, get FIRE SHOW AND CRAZY HOUR!!!!!!! Our family and friends still tell us how much fun they had and how amazed they were by the fire show! (All you need to do is just mention it to Bego and she will organize everything for you!) I could go on and on but I will just finish here by saying if you chose Kukua for you wedding day - you will not be disappointed! You will be in love with Bego and Kukua just like we are! and you can thank me later

[Nightingale]

I am also in the process of deciding. I heard great things about Mayte, but the place is a bit rustic for my taste. I heard Kukua is amazing too. Any other advise that you can share to help me decide will be appreciated!

[RenMichele]

I was recently married at Kukua (November 10^th) and I cannot say enough good things about Bego, her staff and the location. From day one planning was super easy and stress free. I am usually a bit of a control freak, but found myself relaxing in my planning because I had total confidence in Bego, especially after seeing pictures of how she had decorated other weddings. She was extremely responsive with every email I sent her, and I usually didn’t go more than 24 hours without a response. During the planning process I would send Bego pictures and ideas of what I had envisioned, and she seemed to really understand.  We met Bego for the first time 2 days before the wedding, and then set our menu the day before. She was everything I thought she would be, absolutely lovely! We had a quick hello 2 days before, because she had another wedding, and then we spent about 3 hours with her the day before our wedding. We came for a tasting, which we thought would be a sample of the menu. We were surprised when they took us through the entire 3 courses, along with a pitcher of our welcome drink (white Sangria-AMAZING!). We were stuffed! The food was absolutely phenomenal. We had the ceviche and fresh chips (I have never had better ceviche in my life), my personal favorite – chicken croquettes and the main course was chicken and fish with veggies. We were blown away with quality of food for a very fair price. As good as the food was, the cake was what really….took the cake! I forgot to tell Bego what flavour I wanted, so she guessed, and her guess was bang on. It was a mixture of chocolate, Pineapple and another tropical fruit, and it was unreal. My Maid of Honour had 4 pieces, and she is the size of a pin. Most of our guests had more than 1 piece as well.

 

We were really worried leading up to our wedding day because the forecast was sunny all week, except our day. There looked to be a 60-70% chance of rain, right at the moment of our vows. Bego assured us that she had a backup plan in place, so we knew no matter what, we would be taken care of. Weather is a huge stressor for an outdoor wedding, and we felt so confident going into our wedding day that no matter what, it would be perfect. And it was. In the end we had clear skies all day. We were lucky enough to be staying at the Bahia Principe, which is literally right next door to Kukua. When the big day came up myself and my bridesmaids walked literally 5 minutes next door to start getting ready. I used Kristie-Ann for hair, so it was easier (and cheaper) to use the bridal suite at Kukua for getting ready. This made things so stress free for us. We began hair at 11:30 for a 4 pm ceremony (since I had 5 bridesmaids). The suite was perfect for us, once the air conditioning kicked in! We spent over 4 hours in there, listening to music, sipping on champagne and getting ready. The amazing Fausto was there to help us with anything we needed. We even ordered some appetizers to nibble on. When I walked out to the reception and ceremony area for the first time, I was blown away! In the grand scheme of things I gave Bego very little to go on in terms of décor. I told her the colours I like, and that I enjoy romantic/shabby chic styles, but that was really it. She told me that she gets a feeling from the bride while getting to know them, and that is how she decorates, and she had me down to a tee. I was in love with every bit of decoration. I’ve been to many destination weddings, and usually the décor is minimal because the surrounding you are in is usually beautiful on its own. So I was so happy to see all the little details you would have at home in a local wedding. She had literally thought of every detail. The ceremony went perfectly, and Marc Lykins did a wonderful job of officiating. Once it was over our guests went into cocktail hour while the bridal party did pictures. From there we went into dinner and speeches, which all flowed very well. Once we were all fed and cried out we made our way to the party area. As much as I loved every details of our ceremony and dinner, the best part of our whole day was when the party began. The wonderful MC got a good sense of our group, who were all very sunburnt and sweaty, and declared the pool open instead of the dance floor. It only took a few minutes for our Best Man to jump in fully clothed! From there it was a chain reaction, and with the exception of me (and my dress), our entire group was in the pool. I loved that Bego was totally fine with this! The rest of the evening was spent in the pool, instead of the dance floor. The music was AWESOME! Most of our group were in our 30’s, so listening to 90’s R&B and pop was perfect for us. The drinks were flowing and people were having  a great time. The staff was so much fun, and incredibly attentive. We even got Elaina (not sure of spelling) up on the dance floor with us to show some merengue moves!

 

Our entire day blew my expectations out of the water. There was not one detail I would have changed from beginning to end. We had so many guests tell us that this was the best destination wedding they have ever been to! Not that it’s a contest….but it’s definitely nice to hear! I am so thankful that we stumbled across Kukua when we were doing our planning, and I will never regret our decision. Thank you Bego, and all of your team for your incredible hospitality! I wish you all the success in the world!

 

And as a side note, for all you dog lovers out there, be sure to meet Kua, the cutest dog ever!

[KukuaCouple]

DEFINITELY RECOMMEND KUKUA!!! 

 

We had the perfect wedding day and hope you will too! Wedding date was Nov. 8, 2014.

 

Services used:

16 guests

DJ and MC - Raul is AMAZING AND SO FUNNY!

Saxophonist - PERFECT!

Fireshow - STUNNING and GRACEFUL

Cake - Beautiful and tasty! Everyone complimented how yummy it was! (vanilla/passionfruit for tier 1, and almond/chocolate for tier 2)

 

Pros:

-BEGO!! She is a great sales person, but will make sure you get EVERYTHING you want perfectly on your wedding day, to the last details. She tended to all the decoration details and made everything look so beautiful.

-FLEXIBILITY! Everything is customizable to your desire

-Staff/service, everyone made us feel so welcome and special

-All the vendors through Bego were really on point

-AND BEGO!!!

 

Cons:

-Non exclusive beach, so although people kept their distance during the ceremony. It was a little challenging to take pictures after, but we managed okay.

 

From the start:

Bego was always very responsive. ALWAYS! We made lots of changes and she was so accommodating. We made deposits via Western Union and had no problems.

 

3 days before the wedding:

We met with Bego in person. Went through all the details of the wedding. She had a sample table set up, it was so beautiful. We had a 'tasting' which really was eating the whole meal in full portions. We even set up a plan B in case it rained...

 

Day of the wedding:

Perfection! Bego tended to every detail, all we had to do was enjoy it. 

 

If we had to do it all over again, we would do it exactly the same!

 

THANK YOU TO BEGO AND EVERYONE AT KUKUA!! Love and kisses to you all!

 

Tips:

Ask a friend to officiate to save some $

Ask your guests to bring swimsuit/towels to jump in the pool

Do only 1 hour of dinner drinks, more time for the party openbar (min 2hrs)

Definitely get the DJ/MC

Good fake flowers look really nice, can't tell the difference in photos

 

Other:

We stayed at Paradisus Palma Real, used Ambrozy Studio for photography, and Diego Films for video.

 

Flowers

Bouquet were from wedideas.com

I bought a few decorations from afloral.com

 

Hair/Makeup

Hair - salon at Paradisus Palma Real

Makeup - self

 

 

[Yosi1460]

Hi Ladies,

 

Congratulations to you all!!!  I am considering Kukua, however, I am kind of hesitant for two reasons. First, I am a little apprehensive about submitting payment via Western Union.  It's unusual for a business not to accept any other form of payment other then cash.  After reviewing the blogs, it appears that no one has any issues. Second, I would like to get ideas on what it will cost to have a wedding at this venue.  If anyone would be so kind as to share their invoice so I get a better idea and set a budget. Please send it to yosip6969@@gmail.com Thank You!

 

 

[2bmrsthopson]

I am also considering this venue but am having difficulty finding pricing and contact info for the wedding planner. Any help?

[DR2015]

Hello, looking for an email address for Bego and their website is under construction. Would some one be so kind to share! Thanks!!