Six People, One Starfish Arch: Sarah & Christopher’s Intimate Beach Wedding at Riu Punta Cana

There was no ballroom. No seating chart. No receiving line.

There was a white arch on the sand, tied with gold starfish. There were four of their favorite people. And there was the Caribbean behind them.

Sarah and Christopher’s wedding had six people in it, counting the two of them. When you look through their gallery, you notice what a guest list that small makes possible. Nothing gets lost in a crowd. Every glance, every laugh and every hug is right there in the frame.

If you’ve been quietly wondering whether your destination wedding really needs to be big, their story might change your mind.

Photography by Yoneidy for WBA Studio.

Why Sarah & Christopher Chose to Keep It Small

A destination wedding doesn’t have to mean flying fifty guests across the world. More and more couples want something simpler: say “I do” somewhere beautiful, keep the focus on each other, and celebrate with the few people they can’t imagine the day without.

That’s exactly what Sarah and Christopher did. They chose a ceremony and portrait session at the Riu complex in Punta Cana, where WBA Studio is the exclusive wedding photographer. There was no reception schedule to keep and no rushing from one event to the next. They had their vows, a toast and time to wander the resort together.

H2: The Setting: Beach, Palms and Fountains at Riu Punta Cana

A small wedding gives you the freedom to move, and the Riu grounds make the most of it. Within a short walk of each other, Sarah and Christopher had four completely different backdrops:

The beach, where a white draped arch tied with gold starfish framed the ocean
A palm grove just off the sand, layered with tall trunks and tropical green
Garden paths and open lawns lined with palms
A row of granite water fountains in front of the hotel’s white facade

With just six people, there was no crowd to clear and no one to round up between locations. The whole group could stroll from one setting to the next in minutes, so the gallery covers a lot of ground without ever feeling rushed.

Their Day, Moment by Moment

• Before the Ceremony: Christopher at the Arc

  
  Christopher waited at the arch in an ivory linen suit with a sprig of greenery on his lapel, looking out at the water. His friends stood just a few steps away, close enough to share the moment. That’s one of the quiet gifts of a small wedding: the people you love aren’t somewhere in row twelve. They’re right beside you, and they end up in the photos with you.

• The First Look: Down the Aisle

  
  Sarah and Christopher saved their first look for the aisle. When Sarah came through the palms, arm in arm with her dad, Yoneidy caught Christopher’s reaction: a hand rising to his face as he caught his breath.

  Sarah carried a bouquet of blue and ivory roses. Her lace gown, with its delicate straps and open-back cutout, trailed across the white sand behind her. At the arch, her dad handed her over with a warm hug instead of a formal nod. Small weddings have a way of skipping the stiff parts.

• The Ceremony

  
  With only a few white chairs on the sand, the ceremony felt more like a conversation than a performance. Sarah and Christopher held hands under the starfish arch, read their vows into the microphone and exchanged rings with the waves rolling in behind them. There were tears, and there were laughs in the middle of the vows.

  Then came the first kiss. As they turned to their guests, both of them threw their arms in the air, bouquet raised high, and every single person on the beach was on their feet. A full standing ovation is easy with a guest list of four, but there’s nothing small about the energy in those photos.

• The Celebration: Champagne on the Sand

  
  In place of a big reception, the glasses came out right on the beach. The couple and their guests raised a toast together, then lined up under the arch for group photos. With six people, the whole wedding fits in a single frame.

• The Portraits: From Shoreline to Fountains

  
  After the toast, the session was all about the two of them. They walked hand in hand along the water’s edge, then stepped into the palm grove for the most romantic frames of the day: foreheads touching, quiet kisses, Sarah laughing into Christopher’s shoulder.

  They finished in the gardens, first on a tiled path between the palms and then at the granite fountains. In the last frames of the day they’re sitting together on the stone edge, Sarah’s train spread across the grass.

  If you love a portrait session that moves through the whole resort, take a look at how we photograph Dreams Flora weddings.

Tips for Planning an Intimate Wedding in Punta Cana

Decide what matters most, then build the day around it. Without a long reception, you get time for the things that usually get squeezed: a longer portrait session, a walk on the beach or a private dinner afterward.

Ask your resort about small ceremony options. Your wedding coordinator can tell you which ceremony locations and setups suit a guest list of just a few people.

Give your portraits room to breathe. Time is one of the biggest advantages of a small wedding. Plan a relaxed session so your photographer can move you through several backdrops, the way Sarah and Christopher went from beach to palms to fountains. Our Punta Cana wedding timeline guide shows how to build that time into your day.

Choose your photographer as carefully as you would for a big wedding. With fewer guests there, your photos carry even more weight. For family back home, they’ll be the closest thing to being there. Look for a Punta Cana wedding photographer who knows your resort and every corner of its grounds. Here’s what to expect when booking a destination wedding photographer.

Think about video, too. A Punta Cana wedding videographer can capture your vows and the toast, so the people who couldn’t travel can hear every word.

Still deciding on a date? Read our guide to the best time of year to get married in Punta Cana, then our step-by-step guide on how to plan a destination wedding in Punta Cana.