The Wedding of Donnel Demi Dockery & Adlain Joseph

July 31, 2022

Photography by Junior Cruz Weddings

Last Summer amidst the blue skies and crystal clear waters of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Donnel and Adlain welcomed their closest family and friends for a weekend full of wedding festivities. For the couple, who became engaged on the island, returning a few months later for their I do's was essential to uniting their multicultural and multilingual families. The couple set out to plan a timeless and classically elegant dream wedding with the bride's Jamaican family and the groom's Haitian family.

Donnel and Adlain became engaged in the town of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. As a meticulously planned engagement, both families eagerly awaited as Adlain asked Donnel to be his bride and she beamingly said yes.

With the wedding planning in full mode, Donnel and her mother planned a glamorous two day weekend. The international guests flew in for the weekend with a complete buy-out for hotel and lodging accommodations at the TRS Cap Cana Resort. The couple's guests were treated to a welcome party on the eve before the wedding with exceptional catering and incredible entertainment: an acapella group, a guitarist, fire dancers and inflatable balloon dancers over the pool waters, and, of course, the happy couple. As guests checked in, they received a welcome bag from the couple with items such as sunglasses, towel, sunscreen, and a first aid kit since the bride is a doctor and the groom is a nurse.

The second day of the wedding celebrations included a private morning civil ceremony where Donnel wore a customized gown with a beautiful train hand made from a local dressmaker from the Rio Grande Valley with fine fabrics flown in from India. She accessorized with an ornate headpiece, white elbow-length gloves, and a lovely rose bouquet of red. Surrounded by fresh island air and their loved ones, the two of them made their wedding journey legally official with the civil ceremony.

Afterward, Donnel and Adlain spent the day getting professionally pampered. The bridesmaids donned rich purple silk robes and joined Donnel who wore an exquisite, white, lace and embellished robe of her own. The couple then exchanged gifts with one another.

The groom, Adlain, got ready with his groomsmen. The groomsmen were dressed in elegant blue tuxedos with a black bowtie and accents. They helped Adlain dress in his wedding day attire which consisted of a bespoke tuxedo made in the Bahamas. He wore a white vest and tuxedo jacket with black lapels and a black bowtie. His shirt cuffs were customized with his and Donnel’s initials.

Donnel, the bride, wore a custom Tiscareno wedding gown with beautifully embellished sleeve design and a cathedral train. Her hair was done in a beautiful up-do adorned with a decadent tiara and a longer beaded veil. To complete her bridal look, Donnel wore a beautiful pair of star-dazzled Jimmy Choo pumps with straps.

She wore her mother’s watch and her grandmother’s pearl bracelet. Her makeup look was professionally done and enhanced the bride’s soft, glowing skin and natural beauty. A vintage Bentley carried the bride and her mother to the ceremony.

The bride walked under a fresh flower arch filled with baby’s breath and down the custom white aisle lined with white roses to meet her groom standing at the end waiting for her while she sang “Love Will Be Our Home”. The couple exchanged vows and wed in a Christian ceremony done in three languages. The ceremony was officiated by two of the couple’s pastors and held outdoors at the Punta Cana Club, a private country club on beachfront property. Wed under a white pergola adorned with fresh white flowers, Donnel and Adlain said I do and exchanged personalized vows in English, Spanish, and French. A live painter sketched and painted the ceremony live, making a truly memorable keepsake for the couple. While their closest family and friends attended, both local on the groom’s side and internationally on the bride’s, there was a livestream for those who were unable to make it. The guests were gifted personalized monogrammed umbrellas for the wedding ceremony. These protected them from the momentary drizzle that came to be known as a showers of blessings on their wedding day.

Surrounded by a copious amount of white fresh florals during the ceremony, the reception ensued with a pop of color. The theme was royal glam with deep, jeweled tones of purple, royal blue, and ruby red. The bridesmaids stunned in their royal blue gowns, and the families in a variety of purples and ruby reds. This black tie affair was truly stunning amongst the immense amounts of bright florals in the jewel tones. A big highlight of the reception was the 30 traditional Jamaican wedding cakes baked by the bride’s mother and grandmother. They were flown in to be displayed and cut on a custom designed cake stand at the reception. They were also gifted to the guests in personalized boxes. The couple and their guests were treated to an “hora loca” where cultural latin dancers came out for entertainment at the end of the reception. At the end of the night, the couple departed the reception in a classic vintage Bentley and they honeymooned on the island.