Dominican Republic Wedding Reviews and Information



Dominican Republic Weddings       - Resort Wedding Stories       - Hotel Wedding Packages



Getting Married in the DR - Legal Requirements

While legal requirements regarding marriage in the Dominican Republic are the same for travellers from all countries wishing to get married in the DR, the information below refers specifically to Canadians.

    Dominican Wedding Links

La Barcaza Weddings Boat
A wonderful and different option for your wedding
reception. We specialize in private groups. Located in Bavaro/Punta Cana area.

Wedding Ceremonies in English
American Pastor available for your Dominican wedding in English! For a memorable day, make sure you understand what’s being said!
Imagine your special day at our private beachfront estate. Wedding coordinator included. Cheap Flights at westjet.com!

The information published below has been provided by Dominican Republic Services in Toronto, Canada. (Please check with whomever you have chosen to process your documents to clarify what they require - costs, number of copies of documents required, and preparation of the Statutory Declaration of Single Status may vary, particularly if you will be attending a Dominican Consulate in person to have the forms processed.)

Please also confirm with the hotel you have chosen for your wedding if they require your birth certificates to be legalized or if just translating is enough, and that your wedding date and details are confirmed.

Your Wedding in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is the ideal place to celebrate your wedding. Surrounded by palm trees, tropical flowers, live music, you will find the perfect balance between privacy and a friendly atmosphere.

You will need two witnesses holding valid passports who can be travelling with you or you can ask local hotel staff to witness your wedding.

The following documents are required to get married in the Dominican Republic. Note that legal transcripts of birth certificates, single status affidavits and divorce certificates need to be prepared in the country where the documents were issued.

  1. Original birth certificates. Send two photocopies.
  2. Valid and signed passports. Send two photocopies of the main page.
  3. Notarized Statutory Declarations of Single Status done according to the sample. Bring or send one original and one photocopy. Please see attached sample of a Statutory Declaration of Single Status.
  4. Divorce certificate or death certificate (if applicable). Send original or notarized photocopy and two simple photocopies. In both cases, a minimum waiting period of ten months applies before a woman can remarry.

The 3rd and 4th documents are translated and legalized by the Dominican Republic Consulate. The birth certificates have to be translated into Spanish as well.

If you are near Toronto and wish to drop off your documents at our office, you may do so by booking an appointment with us in advance. When it is not possible, please courier to us all above-mentioned documents and their copies. DO NOT SEND original birth certificates or passports to us, only their photocopies. Please include a prepaid courier envelope to return documents to you with your daytime phone number and mailing address. Legalization of documents takes 5 working days.

Please note that your first, middle and last name must be the SAME in your passport and statutory declaration. If name is different on your birth certificate, please indicate that in point 1 of your declaration.

Fees: $100 US each legalization, $40 US each translation

Note: Some hotels in the Dominican Republic may charge legal fees for the authentication of documents legalized by Dominican Consulates abroad by the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs.

Please note that some Canadian institutions require the Dominican Marriage Certificate to be translated and legalized by the Dominican Republic Consulate in Canada. Please contact Dominican Republic Services for further details.

A sample copy of the Statutory Declaration of Single Status is below,
as provided by the Dominican Republic Services in Toronto.

STATUTORY DECLARATION OF SINGLE STATUS

(Please do not just fill in but retype the whole document)

CANADA                                                   )            IN THE MATTER OF:
Province of __________                           )            the marriage between
                                                                  )            [full name of both parties as in passport]
                                                                  )

I, [Full Name as in passport] of the City of __________, in the Province of ________ DO SOLEMNLY AND SINCERELY DECLARE THAT:

1. I am [full name as in passport], born as [name as it appears on Birth Certificate] on [date of birth] in [place of birth].
2. I am a Canadian citizen with passport No. _______ who resides at [full address].
3. I intend to marry [full name as in passport] in the [Hotel Name] in [City], Dominican Republic during the week of [week of marriage].
4. I am single and have never been married before. [If divorced, please put: I am divorced as per divorce certificate No. ________ as of {date of divorce}. During my previous marriage I was known as [name as it appears on divorce certificate]]. To the best of my knowledge and belief there is no legal impediment or other lawful cause to prevent me from getting married.
5. I am currently employed as a [occupation].
6. The names of my parents are _______________, Mother and ________________, Father.

AND, I make this Solemn Declaration conscientiously believing it to be true and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath and by virtue of the Canada Evidence Act.

DECLARED before me at                                )
[City], Province of ________,                           )     _____________________
Canada, this __ of _______, 200_                   )     [full name as in passport]

_______________________
As a Notary Public

Contact Information
Dominican Republic Services - Toronto
2727 Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 301
Toronto, Ontario M3J 3G9
Phone: (416) 739-1237
Toll-Free: 1-866-535-7776
Fax: (416) 663-1973
E-mail: info@dominicanrepublicservices.com
Web: www.dominicanrepublicservices.com
Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Canada
130 Albert Street, Suite 418
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Phone: 613-569-9893
Fax:: 613-569-8673
E-mail: info@drembassy.org
Web: www.drembassy.org

Dominican Republic General Consulate - Montreal
1470 Peel St. Suite 263
Montreal, P.Q. H3A 1T1
Phone: (514) 284 - 5455/6600
Fax: (514) 284 - 5511
Dominican Republic General Consulate - Toronto
347 Bay St. Suite 904
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2R7
Phone: (416) 369 - 0403/1602
Fax: (416) 369 - 1685
Top of Page

Hotel Wedding Packages

The following information has been obtained from the hotels directly. While we try to keep this information current, note that information, prices, and contact info may change. Please help us keep these listings current. If your hotel is not listed, please send us your Wedding information and we will post it.

Catalonia Bavaro Resort (updated 1/23/07)
Description: Weddings at Catalonia can be arranged directly with the hotel and include: services of personal wedding coordinator, ceremony performed with a justice of the peace or priest, preparation of marriage certificate, decoration of the wedding area, special decoration of the room the night of the wedding, witness provided (if required), flower bouquet for the bride/boutonniere for the groom, special gift for the bride and groom, manicure and pedicure for the bride and groom, one hour massage, champagne for the nuptial toast, your choice of elegant wedding cake., romantic dinner in one of our gourmet restaurants, honeymoon breakfast in bed, golf reservations for the couple in the 9 hole field incl. green fee, golf cart and golf clubs.
Cost: $650.00 U.S. for civil wedding/$950.00 U.S. for catholic wedding Optional $$: Photos and/or video available for extra charge.
Phone: (809) 412-0000 Ext 7016 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Wedding Coordinator: Ruth Delania Casado (Kathy)
E-mail: bavaro.bodas@hoteles-catalonia.es


Coral Costa Caribe Juan Dolio (prices as of September, 2007)
Description: Complete guidance from a Wedding Coordinator, bride’s bouquet, groom’s buttonhole, 1 single tier wedding cake, decorated champagne glasses and cake knife, decoration of archway, house champagne toast.
Cost: $700.00 U.S. (package for bride & groom and up to 8 people) PLUS Judge’s fees of $500.00 U.S.
Optional Extras: Hors d’oeuvres, private bar, private buffet, video, photos, extra flowers, hairdresser, music.
Contact: Ana Maria Silverio
Phone: (809) 526-2244 Ext. 3659
Fax: (809) 526-1135
E-mail: banquet.costacaribe@coralhotels.com


Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa
See: Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa


Fun Royale - Fun Tropicale
Description: Wedding Package includes Judge and the wedding certificate, 1 pound wedding cake, champagne for the ceremony, sparkling wine and a plate of fruit in the room the day after the wedding, bride’s bouquet and 3 buttonholes, flowers for the judge’s table, reservation in one of the specialty restaurants for the wedding day (only for guests with all-inclusive), area decorated for the ceremony waiter during ther ceremony, translation Spanish – English, live local music, horse & carriage, room upgrade (subject to availability, breakfast in bed (morning after), hairdresser for the bride.
Also Available:
Description: - Golden Renewal of Vows - Bottle of champagne for ceremony, Wedding cake, Flowers for the table, Bouquet of flowers for the bride, Button hole for the groom, Special decoration at our gazebo, Waiter service during ceremony, Reservation in specialty restaurant on wedding day (all-inclusive guests only)
Contact hotel for further information and prices.
Phone: (809) 320-4054 or (809) 320-4811
Fax: (809) 320-6120 or (809) 320-5304
E-mail: Weddings@FunRoyale-Tropicale.com


LTI-Beach Resort Punta Cana Golf & Spa (as of Oct./07)
Royal Wedding Package 2007/2008 “Wedding of your dreams” - $1,400 U.S.
Includes: Organization of the ceremony, celebration of the wedding ceremony with a civil judge, Dominican wedding certificate and translation of the ceremony into English (also in other languages if requested), witnesses (if needed on request), room upgrade (sea view) and king size bed (subject to availability), fruit basket & sparkling wine in the room upon arrival, farewell souvenir, Caribbean music trio, flower bouquet for the bride, buttonhole for the groom, two bottles of sparkling wine for the ceremony, decorated wedding cake, photographer service with 20 prints, wedding gala dinner in specialty restaurant “La Estrella del Mar” for up to six people, “Morning-after” romantic breakfast in the room with sparkling wine and decoration, late checkout for the couple (based on availability), bridal beauty package (pedicure, manicure, hair set & makeup), aromatherapy couples massage, 55 min.

Optional services are available, enquire for details.
For further information contact: Wedding Coordinator – Sylvie
Phone: 809–221-6640 ext. 6268
Fax: 809-221-4658 or 4649
E-mail: guestserv@ltipuntacana.com.do


Majestic Colonial Punta Cana (Updated September 9/07)
Description: The Majestic Colonial Wedding Package includes:
Specialized assistance of our wedding planner, Location of your choice - White sand beach, tropical gardens, our magnificent gazebo or your own site, Room Upgrade for the couple (subject to availability), Early Checkin and late Checkout (subject to availability), Services of a Civil Judge, Beautiful decorated wedding cake, Bouquet for the table, Ironing of grooms tuxedo and bride's gown, Simultaneous translation of the ceremony if needed, Marriage certificate in Spanish, delivered by DHL, Cocktail drinks after the ceremony, Candlelight romantic dinner for the couple, with champagne, Romantic breakfast in your suite, 10% discount at the Spa, 15% discount on horseback riding, Basket of fruit and bottle of champagne in your room twice during your stay, Room service included for the couple Contact hotel directly for further information and required documentation.
Cost: $1,500.00 U.S. ($1,650.00 with saxophone player for 30 minutes)
Book 15 or more rooms for 7 nights and get the wedding for free – offer applies for bookings made before October 25, 2007.
Optional $$: Photos, Videos, Music, Gala dinners, private reception with music, cocktails, etc., flowers, beach party
Phone: (809) 221-9898
Fax: (809) 552-9995
Contact: Mr. Aurelio Sanchez at: Weddings@majestic-resorts.com or Ms. Larissa Brache at: Weddings2@majestic-resorts.com


Melia Caribe Tropical
Contact hotel for current prices and information:
Wedding Coordinator: Sol Landy Arce
Phone: 809-221-1290 Ext. 6263
Fax: 809-688-6589
E-mail: grupos.eventos.melia.caribe@solmelia.com


Ocean Hotels - Ocean Sand/Ocean Blue (updated September 19, 2007)
Free Weddings, includes: Wedding planner to guide and assist you to archive your fairly-tale dream wedding, Ceremony at the location of your choice: our amazing white sand beach, the magnificent hotel gardens or by our romantic lake, translater, 2 chilled bottles of champagne for a toast on this great and special occasion, dinner reservation for the couple and guests at La Brasa Restaurant on the beach or section of the main buffet (parties of 10 or more, maximum 30), beautifully decorated wedding cake for ten people, Romantic candle light dinner by the beach for the couple, Late check-out for the couple, Preferential location of the room according to category reserved, 10% discount on all our Spa services, Turn down service at night.

If the client requires the services of a Civil Judge, the legal fee is $586.00 U.S. This service is not provided by Ocean Hotels, it is a public service given by the Dominican Government, which reserves the right to change the amount requested for services of a Civil Judge, without previous notification. Legalization of the certificate of marriage: $70.00 U.S. Moreover, to pay the legal fee for Civil Judge services, Ocean staff has to travel 60 minutes to the nearest Government office that handles these affairs, therefore clients will have to pay $30.00 U.S. to cover the hotel expenses.

Additional services are available at extra cost.

E-mail: bodas.hobs@oceanhotels.com.do
Contact: Julissa Figueroa, Wedding Coordinator


Palladium Hotels & Resorts/Fiesta Hotel Group (updated November 10, 2007)
Description: Wedding Package
The wedding takes place in a decorated gazebo in the garden and near the beach: a) The judge and all administration arrangements to legalize the wedding, b) The wedding cake, c) Bouquet of flowers for the bride and a buttonhole for the groom. d) 1 bottle of sparkling wine, e) A gala dinner for the bride and the groom and guests included (must be guests of the hotel otherwise charges apply).
Cost: $1,100.00 U.S. (Note that Consular registration of $60.00 U.S. is paid separately)

Extras not included in the package:
a) Horse and carriage - $45.00 U.S.
b) Musical trio - $75.00 U.S.
c) Video (American/European system) edited - $200.00 U.S.
d) Video (American/European system) not edited - $140.00 U.S.
e) Photos

Phone: (809) 221-8149 ext. 2772 or 2702
Fax: (809) 221-8150
E-mail: acliente.bavaro@fiestahotelgroup.com


Paradisus Palma Real (as of Oct./07)
Wedding & Renewal of Vows Complimentary Package (complimentary with Royal Service oceanview room for 7 nights)

”The Wish”
Includes: symbolic ceremony with our minister, expertise of our Romance Specialist, to help in planning all details to perfection, welcome letter, romantic turn-down service during your stay, alternative locations for ceremony, bouquet for the bride, matching boutonniere for the groom, recorded background music during the ceremony, bottles of house champagne for the wedding toast, Paradisus wedding cake (your choice of vanilla or chocolate), basic ceremony setup, reservation in your choice of resort restaurant in the evening, personalized menu cards, in-room bottle of domestic red or white wine or champagne on the night of the ceremony for the couple, 10% discount on spa services for the couple (not including products).
For further information contact: Romance Manager – Kelly Hunt
Phone: 809–285-3508
E-mail: Romance@paradisuspalmareal.com


Princess Hotels (prices valid from Nov./07 to Oct./08)
Princess Package - $1,450.00 U.S.
Includes: Honeymoon Package “Romance”, private checkin for wedding couple only at guest services desk, organization of the ceremony with personal in-house wedding specialist, wedding ceremony with judge, marriage licences, bouquet with tropical flowers for the bride, boutonniere with tropical flowers for the groom, wedding gazebo with standard decoration (other decorations available on request, ie. fresh flowers) at additional cost, special wedding cake for up to 20 people, toast time for up to 20 people (champagne and water), wedding dinner for bride and groom only at the Licey Restaurant (Bavaro Princess clients only), wedding dinner for bride and groom only at La Cava or El Pescador Restaurant (Caribe Club, Tropical and Punta Cana Princess clients only), photographer with 15 photos (ceremony only) (CD available on request with extra charge), nuptial breakfast in room the day after the ceremony, preparation and ironing of the wedding dress and groom’s tuxedo, use of bathrobes during entire stay, bride and groom keepsake, witnesses if required, 20 minute Swedish massage for bride and groom, delivery of wedding certificate by UPS.

Magical Package - $1,800.00 U.S.
Includes: Honeymoon Package “Romance”, private checkin for wedding couple only at guest services desk, organization of the ceremony with personal in-house wedding specialist, wedding ceremony with judge, marriage licences, bouquet with tropical flowers for the bride, boutonniere with tropical flowers for the groom, wedding gazebo with standard decoration (other decorations available on request, ie. fresh flowers) at additional cost, live Caribbean Trio (one hour), special wedding cake for up to 20 people, toast time for up to 20 people (champagne and water), wedding dinner for bride and groom only at the Licey Restaurant (Bavaro Princess clients only), wedding dinner for bride and groom only at La Cava or El Pescador Restaurant (Caribe Club, Tropical and Punta Cana Princess clients only), photographer with 25 photos (CD available on request with extra charge), nuptial breakfast in room the day after the ceremony, preparation and ironing of the wedding dress and groom’s tuxedo, use of bathrobes during entire stay, bride and groom keepsake, witnesses if required, 20 minute Swedish massage for bride and groom, delivery of wedding certificate by UPS.

Royalty Package - $2,099.00 U.S.
Includes: Honeymoon Package “Romance”, private checkin for wedding couple only at guest services desk, organization of the ceremony with personal in-house wedding specialist, wedding ceremony with judge, marriage licences, bouquet with tropical flowers for the bride, boutonniere with tropical flowers for the groom, wedding gazebo with standard decoration (other decorations available on request, ie. fresh flowers) at additional cost, live Caribbean Trio (one hour), special wedding cake for up to 20 people, toast time for up to 20 people (champagne and water), wedding dinner for bride and groom only at the Licey Restaurant (Bavaro Princess clients only), wedding dinner for bride and groom only at La Cava or El Pescador Restaurant (Caribe Club, Tropical and Punta Cana Princess clients only), photographer with 36 photos (CD available on request with extra charge), nuptial breakfast in room the day after the ceremony, preparation and ironing of the wedding dress and groom’s tuxedo, use of bathrobes during entire stay, bride and groom keepsake, witnesses if required, 20 minute Swedish massage for bride and groom, delivery of wedding certificate by UPS.

Infinity Renewal of Vows Package - $550.00 U.S.
Honeymoon Package “Romance”, private checkin for wedding couple only at guest services desk, welcome fruit basket for bride and groom, organization of the ceremony with personal in-house wedding specialist, wedding ceremony performance by an English-speaking staff member, bouquet with tropical flowers for the bride, boutonniere with tropical flowers for the groom, wedding gazebo with standard decoration (other decorations available on request for additional charge, ie. fresh flowers), special wedding cake for up to 20 people, toast time for guests up to 20 people (champagne and water), reserved area in one of our all-inclusive restaurants, use of bathrobes during entire stay, bride and groom keepsake.

Complimentary “Romance” Honeymoon Package includes: Room with king-size bed, fresh fruit basket, 1 bottle of rum, nightly turn-down service, late check out, free of charge (upon availability), special floral decoration in the room, special cocktail for honeymooners, Complimentary photo souvenir during cocktail.

Optional services are available, enquire for details. For further information contact: Wedding Coordinator - Francelia Perez Suriel
Phone: 809–221–2311 Ext. 4107
Fax: 809–552–1628
E-mail: weddings@princess-hotels.com


Sirenis Hotels & Resorts (As of September, 2007)
Description: Sirenis Hotel Weddings include basket of fruit on arrival, bottle of sparkling wine on arrival, bottle of champagne in room on wedding day, judge, wedding certificate, ceremony venue, bride’s bouquet, buttonhole for groom, 10 photos of the ceremony, sparkling wine and appetizers for 8 people, wedding cake, a romantic dinner in one of the restaurants (book in advance), wedding breakfast served in room, surprise gift, room upgrade on wedding night, subject to availability.
Cost: $650.00 U.S. (legal fees)
Additionals: (extra charge) – On stage DJ music, live band music
For further information, contact: info.cocotal@sirenishotels.com

Sunscape Casa del Mar
See: Sunscape Casa del Mar


Save on All-Inclusive Caribbean Resorts with Travelocity

Choose All-Inclusive and Save Mexico and the Caribbean From $123. If you're lured by lounge-by-the-beach vacations where your biggest dilemma is which SPF to use, then an all-inclusive getaway is for you. Choose All-Inclusive and Save Mexico and the Caribbean From $123. If you're lured by lounge-by-the-beach vacations where your biggest dilemma is which SPF to use, then an all-inclusive getaway is for you.    Fly to Canada and the U.S. with Live TV. West Jet for less!

Resort Wedding Stories

Bahia Principe San Juan 1
Caribe Club Princess — b
Coral Marien 1
Gran Ventana 1
Grand Palladium Bavaro 1
Grand Palladium Palace Resort 2
Iberostar Bavaro 2
Iberostar's Costa Dorada 1
Iberostar Punta Cana 1
Majestic Colonial 2
Melia Tropical Caribe 4
Puerto Plata Village 1
Sirenis Tropical Suites1
Sun Village Resort and Spa 2
SuperClubs Breezes Puerto Plata 3
More Wedding Stories on New Page Here
Bahia Principe Punta Cana
Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort
Barcelo Punta Cana Resort
Bavaro Princess
Coral Hamaca
Grand Paradise Bavaro
Ocean Sand/Blue
Paradisus
Paradisus Palma Real
Punta Cana Princess
Riu Bachata
Riu Bambu
Riu Mambo
Riu Merengue
Riu Palace Macao
Sunscape Casa Del Mar
Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada


Gran Ventana Mike and Marilyn
February 2008

We got married on Feb 5, 2008.
Wedding coordinator was great.
My mom and I met with her the day before the wedding and decided on flowers, etc.
Groom went on an excursion that day before and the morning of the wedding.
Price was exactly what we were told.
Pictures were perfect. We got 24 5"x7" and a disc with all of our pictures for $400.
We had dinner at the Italien restaurant. we had the terrance which is covered. All 52 of us got to pick off the menu what we wanted to eat. Which was perfect. They even made a special dinner for my nephew who has allergies. They made a sponge cake for the wedding that was big enough for everyone to have a piece. no extra charge. Instead of champagne we had a local drink made up to serve a the gazebo where the wedding took place. At the gazebo the hotel had the ceremony, first dance to two guitar players, small speech by groom and dads, cake cutting by wedding party. So afterwards the video guy left but everything was recorded.
While we got pictures the guests went to the quiet bar/pool area where the restaurant was and had a drink. After dinner as there is no disco we watched the entertainment, a little on the corny side and then danced to the music they played afterwards. It wasn't a late night as the bar closes with the music at about 12am. overall everything was perfect. Just no real dance if that is important. Wasn't to us as we having a dance in our hometown. We purchased travel mugs for everyone which was a big hit. Since not everyone knew each other before arriving it allowed everyone to know who was with the wedding group. They were drinking out of the same mugs.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

  Majestic Colonial  Julie ~ USA
May 2008

Our Perfect Wedding/Vacation at Majestic Colonial Punta Cana

GETTING TO THE RESORT
We flew US Airways on April 27th from Boston to Punta Cana. There were no closets even though we were in first class. We had to lay my dress folded in half in an overhead bin....it actually made it with no issues. I gave my extra suit cases to friends and family to bring for me.

The Punta Cana airport was a little chaotic, but I expected that due to past reviews. We gathered our luggage and headed to the booth that had our Tour Group "TNT vacations" posted on the overhead sign. The ride to the resort with TNT/Coco Tours was very unorganized. The driver was confused and didn't know where to drop people or how to get to some resorts. It took almost 2 hrs to get to the resort from the airport. We traveled separately with 37 other guests many of them were booked though "Travel Impressions"/VIP and they were all very happy with the tour company and transportation to the resort. Our guests ranged in age from 3yrs-87yrs old.

CHECK IN
Once at the resort we checked in at the front desk and were greeted with a wet towel, I think they offered us a drink too but I was too busy talking to the front desk clerk.

The resort was overbooked so we did not get upgraded like we had hoped. We got what we booked "Colonial Suite", when you pay for the wedding package you are suppose to get upgraded if available. A porter carried our luggage to our room. The room 2406 was great. It was pool view across from the towel hut. All of our guests got what they paid for. Two rooms were requested with double beds and they didn't get them so we had to ask for cots but they never complained. Everyone seemed happy and I had them meet us at night at the upper lobby bar to give them their welcome bags. The welcome bags were zippered beach bags with a bubba mug, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, personalized playing cards, personalized matches, room spray, first aid kit, rice krispy treats, Swedish fish, sour patch kids, face cloths, and a welcome letter. The kids got more of course.

MEETING WITH WEDDING COORDINATOR
Right after settling in we got a note under our door to meet the wedding coordinator Larissa at 5pm the next day, Monday. It was a relief to get this note so quickly.

We meet with the wedding coordinator and went over everything in a matter of 30 min....I had to meet her again the next day because I didn't bring my "stuff" the first meeting like I was suppose too. I brought center pieces, program fans, sand ceremony, seashell chocolates for the cake, pictures of how I wanted the cake and pictures of how I wanted the center pieces, seashell photo albums for favors, seashell photo frame for guests seating cards, wedding guest book, cake topper, and seating chart.

THE RESORT
The Majestic Colonial resort is perfect. The pool is clear blue and runs the length of the resort. The grounds are immaculate. Everyone in our group was able to find something to eat. We ate at the Steakhouse two nights and had the chateaubriand (can't spell) and everyone loved it. The main buffet was great and the steak house lunch buffet was very limited in choices. The only food people complained about was the hamburgers...they were never cooked enough to feel safe to eat. All lot of my guests raved about the Japanese. A few people did have some stomach problems but when you drink all day, take in the sun, and eat like a sumo wrestler your body might react.

THE WEDDING
Our wedding was booked for May 1st at 4pm. The day before the wedding I got a phone call from Larissa the wedding coordinator saying there was a problem with the Judge and we can have the wedding at 3pm or 5pm. We chose 3pm and lucked out because we got to shoot way more pictures with our photographer. The day of the wedding we only booked 4 spots to get our hair done in the spa. I brought pictures of how I wanted my hair and the ladies in the salon did and excellent job. After getting my hair done two more of my wedding party wanted to get their hair done. We started at 11am and were done by 130pm and that was 6 girls hair. We went back to my room to get ready.

I ordered room service for lunch, it was good but no one really had time to eat. I recommend you designate someone else to order the food for you at a particular time.

My sister did my make up (I got new make up from Macy's with a consultation and she just did what the Macy's lady did). The flowers arrived about 2pm and were beautiful. I ordered a calla Lillie bouquet for me and single calla lilies that we hand tied ourselves with white ribbon that I brought with me, 3 calla lilies per girl and flower petals for the flower girls. I had my friend tie my memory frame of my brother to my bouquet, didn't want to get teary eyed so soon. All the guests and the boys meet at the steakhouse bar at 245pm to wait for Larissa to escort them to the beach. Around 315pm Larissa called me and we met her at the base of our elevator to walk down to the beach.

The beach wedding was set up just as we asked and we had the Trio playing music. The judge did his thing then my sister read our sand ceremony and "I DO". The ceremony was very quick. Right after the ceremony we had a champagne toast and then a group picture. We did a few family pictures and wedding party pictures then we went off with our photographer till 630pm shooting all around the resort.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER
We hired our own photographer Rebecca Garone and her assistant Michael Garone from Sandown New Hampshire, USA. We couldn’t have asked for more. They were both great and full of ideas and so organized, we were able to do so many shots in so little time. We were so happy we brought our own photographer. We had so much fun shooting all around the resort. We also did a trash the dress shoot the next day at 6pm.

THE RECEPTION
The reception was great and everyone danced the night away. We had our private dinner reception at the Parrot Bar from 7pm to 11pm. This was an added cost of $55+26% per person, we did not do open bar because it would have been a waste of money...the private dinner included beer,wine,soda and water which everyone was happy with. I had my friend introduce us and we went right into our first dances, father daughter, mother son and then speeches then we ate dinner and listened to the dinner music. I rented the sound system for $250 and had my ipod hooked up to it with the play lists clearly labeled and ready to go. My friend Jon hit play at all the right times and did all the announcements...IPOD weddings are great. Some of my guests really liked the dinner music and danced a few slow songs while eating. After eating we snuck off with our photographer for a few night time photos. When we got back we cut the cake. We had a 3 tier white frosted cake decorated with pink and pink/white chocolate seashells and topped with our Swarovski crystal cake topper "D". The cake was chocolate/banana, everyone loved the cake. After cake we danced the night away. I guess I made a great play list because everyone danced and had fun all night. I played 8 dance songs mixing it up oldies, 80's and newbies and then two slow songs and had enough music on my play list to last 5 hours just for dancing.

AFTER THE RECEPTION
Do you really want to know? We got changed up and headed to the lobby bar for a few drinks and had some french fries and realized we were way too tired to party. I guess all the dancing wore us out. We got back to the room and the maid had made a bubble bath with rose petals for us (but she forgot to plug the drain and all we saw were suds and rose petals. Hehe) My husband really got a kick out of the letter they left us which read MR and Mrs. Lamb (Lamb was my last name) Hehe

TOURS
We only went on one tour Bavaro Runners Safari Adventure and it was great. They take you through the real country side to a ranch and you go horse back riding, then to a real house where they make coffee and chocolate, to a school house, then they feed you (the food was good but there was fly problem that really grossed out some people and they didn't eat). After lunch we went to a beach and chilled with some rum. The tour was worth every penny.

THE END
We did meet a great tour rep Jama from VIP and she helped us get a helicopter to fly us to the airport....what a grand exit and worth the money.

The vacation and wedding were awesome. The Majestic Colonial was worth every penny. I can't wait to go back. 1 week was not enough....Two weeks would have been great.

You may view some of our wedding/trash the dress pictures at www.bridalportraits.com and The password is 7542.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Majestic ColonialGerilyn and Mike
September 2007

Larissa is the Wedding Coordinator and she did a tremendous job planning our wedding and I highly recommend getting married at the Majestic. When you arrive, you’ll spend about one hour with her confirming all of the details. As I mentioned, we had a Colonial Suite as part of our wedding package. Each night, we received various appetizers – wine with fruit plate, chocolate rum balls, sushi, etc. Be careful if you get a group rate from your travel agent for the wedding as that might negate a “free” wedding. We did not get a group rate, all of our guests booked individually for a very reasonable price (cheaper than most comparable resorts in the area, e.g. Bahia). There are some things you’ll pay for if you want extra – renting the disco, flowers, etc. My wife brought her own flowers down with us. We had our wedding on the beach at 5pm. With the heat, I strongly recommend later in the day if it’s available (judge determines the time). The gazebo is nice but it would be hot as there is not much of a breeze where it is. Our wedding was on time, but be prepared to wait if the judge is running late (remember, you’re down there for a more relaxing wedding, so don’t get stressed). We had our dinner at the Rodeo restaurant and it was great – get the Chateau Briend. We showed Larissa a photo of the wedding cake we wanted and it turned out exactly as we had hoped. Our photographer was Kiko and he did an excellent job. We purchased the silver package – this included photos the day before, pre-wedding, wedding and dinner. You get to choose 20 photos the day before and 100 day of. Of course, they take many more than that. We ended up getting an additional 75 photos on CD. (I didn’t negotiate as well as I should have, but I also didn’t want to spend my time inside on my final day). So, we ended up getting 195 photos – 100 printed in 4x6 (two sets), 10 printed in 10x12 and all of them on a CD and DVD for $1,400 USD which apparently is fairly good value.

Feel free to contact us with any questions.
danischm@nflcanada.com

Top of Page

  Grand Palladium Palace Resort and Spa  Renee
January 2008
My husband and I got married at the Grand Palladium in January 2007 and it was amazing! We had a party of 30 people join us on our week-long trip and no one had any complaints and kept complementing us on our choice of resort. Thanks goodness because we had never been to Punta Cana before.

I won’t go on too much about what the resort is like; I think most people on this site have covered that pretty well. It was wonderful and clean all around and the staff were great. I want to focus more on how our wedding day went.

Advice on preparing for your wedding:
The first morning we were there we sat down with our wedding coordinator Isuyney to talk details – music, flowers, dinner menu etc. We thought we could get this all done in one seating, but that didn’t happen. The first day we decided on the restaurant, Arrecife for our wedding dinner and that was about it. Apparently we couldn’t do the flowers that day because the flower shop was closed. When we went to talk to her at our next appointment, she informed us that the quoted price had gone up by $200, this was unacceptable to us and was the only thing about the wedding planning that really got our goat. We out up a stink and then ended up by meeting us halfway at $100. They have you there with your wedding party and know that they can get away with this kind of thing so just be aware. Two mornings turned into 3, which was a pain because they only started work at 10am…prime beach chair grabbing time, so that put a bit of a damper on our mornings. On the third morning we chose our flowers. I’m not sure why we couldn’t have done this on day 1 because all she did was show us pictures on the computer of our choices – there was no need for the flower shop at all. I was a little annoyed at this too because we could have has this morning to ourselves. It was only then that she asked us about our music choices as well. I have a feeling Isuyney was pretty new the wedding coordinator position, so that was probably why we had to have so many “meetings.

I know all this sounds bad, but really it wasn’t. They were very pleasant, the meetings didn’t take very long, but they just on Dominica time, so don’t expect things to run like a well oil wedding machine. I just want to share so that you can cut some corners and avoid the 3 morning meetings we had and build them into just 1 or 2.

Ceremony: We had booked a sunset ceremony, 6pm, which turned into 7:30pm. So a word of advice, when thinking about what time you want to hold your ceremony, subtract at least a half hour. Apparently and hour and a half late is rarely heard of, but they ALWAYS run a half hour late. It was dark by the time we got hitched, but at that point all I was worried about were out pictures. Our photographer Michael was terrific and sent someone to come back the next day at 11am to take pictures of us on the beach at no extra cost, so we didn’t miss out on those fabulous beach shots. To make up for the extra cost and time delays, Isuyney decorated our room beautifully with rose petals, champagne, a drawn bath and a really nice congratulation letter. That made up for a lot and was really sweet.

Restaurant: We had our dinner at the Arrecife restaurant right across from the gazebo where the ceremony was held. The food was good, you don’t have the restaurant to yourself, but they do corner off an area for you and you have your own dedicated wait staff. All in all, it was exactly what we wanted – something easy, casual and low key. After dinner we hit the piano bar, had some drinks and people made their speeches then. All in all, it was exactly what my husband and I wanted and we will always hold that night near and dear to our hearts.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Grand Palladium Palace Resort and SpaLynne and Martin
September 2005
We went down with a group of 13. Me, Lynne, my parents, my sister, her husband and 2 kids, Lynne’s parents and her brother and another couple. We stayed two weeks along with my parents and another couple, the others left us after one week.

My wife and I wanted a religious ceremony so there were a few more things to worry about. We did our research and found out that if we wanted it to be legal we needed a judge as well. The only thing the wedding coordinator did wrong was tell us before we got there that we didn’t need the judge and he cancelled the civic part. Funny how this wedding became a lesson in Dominican civics. Even the locals have two ceremonies. They get married in the church and then have a civil signing at the judge’s office, or so we were told. Ask a lot of questions before you get there...

We arrived on Saturday and met with Roberto, the wedding coordinator, on Sunday to finalize the plans. It was then that we heard the bad news about not having the judge for our ceremony on Tuesday. After we picked the flowers and the restaurant, we thought we would have had a choice but one was imposed on us. Then we became desperate because we only wanted one day to be our wedding day so he said he would try to contact the judge to see if she could make it on Tuesday. Luckily Roberto told us on Monday that she would be able to make it.

The resort is separated in 3 hotels. On the Fiesta side is the “nicer” gazebo in a garden, more private and intimate. The other is located at the Palace main pool. On Monday we were walking by the pool gazebo and I casually said that it would be nice to get married here in front of everyone too. Well someone must have heard me because later that night, I saw my brother in law and he said that they were tearing apart the garden gazebo. So I practically ran there to have look. This was at 11pm. They had completely taken off all the shingles of the roof and they were littered all over the floor and grass. So I ran back to the lobby and wanted to speak to a manager. He said there was nothing he could do and that Roberto would see me in the morning. What I can’t understand is that they knew we were coming for 6 months and they decide to do it that night!. Well there was no need to get my panties in a twist as they say because th! e most important thing is that we were getting married, there are worse things that could have happened. So we had it at the pool gazebo instead.

Lynne went off to get her hair done that morning and she brought a magazine picture to the hotel hairdresser, ladies I would suggest that you do the same, they don’t speak English very well, but they are very good at doing hair. She looked great. I think the cost was $55US. Her bouquet was not like the one we saw in the brochure though, it was so much nicer!

The staff had decorated the gazebo with flowers and palm tree and it looked great. We hired the trio band to sing, $75US for about 30 minutes. Nice touch.

It turned out to be little cloudy that day which was good because it was soooo hot. The clouds dropped the temperature to about 27 Celsius. It was nice to see everyone gather around the gazebo in anticipation of the wedding. They saw me standing around in my tux and I would guess 50-60 people waited about an hour, camera in hand for the judge to show up, she was 45 minutes late of course and then finally my beautiful bride. That is one thing we were afraid of when choosing the hotel that it wouldn’t be near the pool or too close to the beach and then have all sorts of people in the thongs and topless looking at our wedding but we didn’t even really notice the people. The civil part was done in about 10 seconds, we signed the register and bang, the judge was gone. Then came the Anglican part of the ceremony. It was a nice ceremony, as well the priest was great. We had met him the day before to discuss what we wanted, reading! s etc. All told it cost us more to do it this way $700US for the wedding package and $300US for the priest. We also paid to have some “champagne” after the ceremony I believe it was $25Us a bottle (Freixenet).

The best part of the wedding was of course saying I do to my wife and her not running away but also the wedding pictures. The photographer was amazing. Mauricio. Before we arrived on ground we were expecting to buy prints but all he does is digital pictures now. We ended up buying all the pictures for $400US all 283 pictures. He put them all on a CD. He even printed over 100 pictures that only had us in them, all the others included family etc. He even printed an 18”x24” poster for us. There are so many excellent pictures we couldn’t be happier with how they turned out and the professionalism Mauricio displayed. We met with him the day before to discuss prices and what we wanted and he showed us some examples. Unfortunately a close friend of his died the night before our wedding and he still did great work and we are very grateful for the work he did. I can’t say enough about his pictures.

After the pictures we gathered in the lobby and then headed out to the Spanish restaurant El Quijote for our wedding feast. I don’t know what the problem is with the restaurants, they were really get upset if you try and push some tables together to sit a larger group. We almost had to argue to get them to put three tables together. Anyways the food was great and they had a pretty big yummy cake for us. It was too much for the 13 of us so we gave the rest to another group where a couple was celebrating 25 years.

I’m not one to seek a lot of attention but everything really worked out well and it was nice to have people cheer and clap for us wherever we went that night. The hotel staff really made it memorable and I would definitely recommend the Palace for a wedding.

Just keep track and print your emails with the hotel and bring them along. Make sure you meet all the requirements to get married there and bring copies of all your paperwork.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Iberostar Costa DoradaErik and Leah
September 2005
I have to say that the wedding was the best I've ever seen (I am a little biased I suppose), and most of the people have told me the same. We were given a wedding coordinator, Santos, who was fantastic - he did everything in his power to make our day the perfect day. I think at first he was a little surprised at the number of people we had attending it (most of the weddings there tended to be quite small), but he rose to the occasion. Erik and I sat down with him to discuss all the different options for the wedding. If we wanted we could have had it on the beach, but they have a beautiful spot that feels much more private within the hotel grounds in a courtyard. For the cake and the flowers, we were given a number of choices, and were very happy with the results. The food for the reception dinner is served in the tropical restaurant and again we were given some dinner plans; however we opted for the choice of ordering off the menu since we had so many different people with us. We were able to play our own music for the beginning of the ceremony, and this was lovely as it was filter through speakers set in the lobby and throughout the courtyard. Erik and I also requested that we have our first dance after the ceremony, and again the music surrounded us as we danced by a fountain. The resort provides a photographer and our package included 12 photos. We could have had the photographer for the rest of the wedding, however my aunt from Spain is also a photographer and we used her instead - which consequently saved us a lot of $. The resort would have also arranged a videographer for us, but again we brought our own, my brother-in-law, who did the job for free! Santos was very helpful in guiding our "cameraman" to the best shots.

Erik was left to wait and sweat a bit, because the officiant was late (it's the Dominican), the flowers went to the wrong room (we had changed rooms the day before), one of my bridesmaid's had to feed her baby, and another forgot her passport in her room. But in the end I think the wait was good for him ;). My bridesmaids, my dad, our cameraman and I drove to the ceremony in a golf cart (lots of fun) and then after some photos, the procession started. The formal ceremony was short and sweet; however to make it personal Erik and I said our own personal vows to one another at the end. After the ceremony, and during the cake and champagne there was a music trio that played - it was a really nice touch. We had our first dance, which was magical (corny, I know). We then did lots and lots and lots of photos all over the resort and on the beach. After a little rest (time to get the rice out of my dress - see below), it was dinner time. The reception was relaxed and informal - just what we wanted. In the end, our wedding day was wonderful - it was like a dream - there was nothing missing.

The only things I would change is to request that the wedding coordinator does not give the guests rice to throw at us when we head back up the aisle. It went everywhere, especially down my dress! I had provided bubbles to my guests, which they used for a bit, but once the rice was handed to them, there was no going back. The other thing to take note of is the hair salon. Three days before the wedding my fiance and I went to the salon to make an appointment for my hair. We saw them write the appointment down in a book - in pencil. Two hours before my wedding, my three bridesmaids and I went to get my hair done. We were told there was no appointment for me and they were all booked up. We were a bit upset to say the least! However between us and a family friend who was on his way to the gym, the receptionist was forced to make some accommodation - she cancelled an appointment (an hour before our wedding) and gave my my maid of honor permission to start on my hair in the salon. In the end, my maid of honor practically did all of my hair, but put the veil in - and it looked awesome!
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Coral MarienTrina
May 2007
We just got back from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic where we were married on May 2nd at the Marien Coral. I have to say we were really really impressed with this resort. It’s very clean and beautiful and above all the service is outstanding here. Food was great, I especially enjoyed the Italian restaurant above the pool bar and would recommend this place for wedding dinners. We had our wedding dinner there and everything went great. We were married at 4pm in the Gazebo by the beach and our dinner was at 6:30pm. We had lots of time for pictures and then time to relax before dinner was served. We were given a choice of a main appetizer, main dish and dessert on the menu , we chose steak and it was a great choice. The steak was served with mashed potatoes and some veggies with or without blue cheese. There was unlimited bread and bruchetta served along with lovely wine. Service at this restaurant was fantastic. After our dinner our Wedding Cake was served with our desserts and it was very good. White cream frosting on a white cake with a lemon filling. Everyone commented on how good the cake was (which was provided by the resort and included in our wedding package)

Only thing I was a little disappointed in was the ceremony itself. We did have a wedding coordinator (Ines) who took care of most things but nothing was rehearsed, so on the wedding day there was confusion as to where people should be standing in and around the gazebo area. My fiancé was not told where he and his best man should stand and all of our guests (we had 18 guests) had no idea if there were to sit inside or stand out around the gazebo. There were 4 chairs behind a table in the gazebo , one for the bride and groom and one for the best man and maid of honour but all 4 chairs were laid up on their end as to imply they were not in use . Upon my arrival to the gazebo I didn’t know if I was to sit there or not…Again, my disappointment was in the fact that we were not made aware of these tiny but important details. The sequence of events were not explained to us and that led to some frustration. I think if a half an hour was taken the day prior to the wedding to do a quick rehearsal it would of helped out a lot and this way we would have been prepared. We spoke with other couples who were there the same week as us to get married, and they said the same thing, they felt the ceremony itself was not organized.

Grounds, pool, rooms are kept very clean at this resort and the beach was terrific. I spent a lot of time swimming in the ocean and relaxing around the beach area and loved it. There was no seaweed to be seen anywhere on this beach !!

We will definitely return to the Marien Coral (maybe for our first year anniversary next year !!) because it is a great resort and I would recommend it to anyone !


Wedding Index - Top of Page

Sirenis Tropical Suites Melanie
August 2005
I wanted to make sure to send a review because as someone who recently got married at the Sirenis Tropical Suites in Punta Cana, I was disappointed at the lack of information I was able to obtain prior to leaving on our vacation.

First of all, let me start by saying that the resort is wonderful. The people that write the reviews complaining about the food and the bumpy roads and the lack of service were obviously looking for any excuse to be negative. The food at the main buffet was great with a lot of variety. We ate at the French, Italian and Mexican restaurants and they were all wonderful. I think it is important to keep in mind that you are in a different country and even though all of the dishes may not be EXACTLY as you would get at home, they are all enjoyable. For me personally, if I wanted everything to be as it is at home, I would stay at home.

The resort, although by name is divided as the Sirenis Tropical Suites and the Sirenis Cocotal, it is all one resort. There is a main walkway that runs from the lobby to the pool/beach and on the left side are the Tropical Suite buildings and on the right are the Cocotal buildings. The only difference is that the Tropical Suite rooms are actually suites and the Cocotal rooms are regular rooms. All of the amenities are shared between both.

The pool and beach are fabulous--lots of cabanas to use to stay in the shade and lots of chairs to enjoy the sunshine. I suppose it would depend what time of year you are there, but we never had any trouble getting a spot--even without getting up at 6am to reserve (although there are lots of people that do this). There are many drinks to choose from--I would recommend the strawberry daquiri's and the sirenis special. There are also plenty of activities during the day if you wish to participate.

Now, the wedding. I had some email correspondence with the wedding coordinator (Soriviany) prior to leaving but I didn't feel like I was getting a clear picture of what was going to happen when we got there. I tried to go with the attitude that whatever happens, happens but this is difficult to do, especially if you are as particular and as organized as I try to be.

We arrived late Saturday night and we met with Soriviany Sunday morning (she is part of guest services and can be located at the main reception desk). We set up a time for Monday to pick out the flowers and the cake and to confirm the time for the ceremony. The flowers are chosen from a book of pictures and although the selection is limited, we had no problems finding something we liked. The cake choices are chocolate, vanilla and carrot. We ended up having to pay an extra $100usd for a larger cake and more champagne because we traveled with 47 people. They were more than happy to accommodate us. We ended up arranging a reception dinner after the wedding at the Italian restaurant, which I set up ahead of time due to the large number of people we had with us. Due to the fact that there is only 1 judge on that section of the island, we had to book a late ceremony time--8:30pm. We opted to have pictures done before the wedding to make sure we got some daylight photos.

We were able to pay for the wedding by credit card, but I will caution you that the flowers had to be paid by cash. This was an unexpected expense for us. I believe the bridesmaid bouquets we approximately $25usd each and the boutonnieres were $10usd each.

The day of the wedding we relaxed by the pool until early afternoon, then I had a massage and got my hair done at the salon. The cost for an up do was $60usd so we opted to only pay for my hair and the bridesmaids did their own hair and makeup. The salon staff provided me with a few magazines with hairstyles and I was easily able to choose a style from their selection. I would recommend that if you have a particular style already in mind that you bring your own pictures.

After my visit to the salon I proceeded back to the room to get my makeup done and finish getting ready. Once we were all dressed, the photographer and the wedding coordinator picked us up at the room and we paraded through the resort to the beach. We had chosen to have the wedding in the gazebo down on the beach so we met my fiance, the groomsmen and the rest of our family there. This was a nice way to do it because it gave me a chance to walk up the aisle and see my future husband for the first time in a nice, romantic way prior to the actual ceremony. We did as many pictures as we could in the gazebo and on the beach before we lost daylight. After we were done, we separated girls and guys for an hour and went to the lobby for drinks while we waited.

At 8:15 we walked back to the beach and waited for the judge to arrive (this is typical). We were married shortly before 9pm in a simple, romantic, torch lit ceremony. The gazebo was nicely decorated with lights and flowers. After the wedding (which only took about 10 minutes and was translated by the wedding coordinator) we had champagne and hor'doerves while receiving our congratulations. We then proceeded to dinner where we had a lovely meal and a few speeches. There would have been an opportunity to do a few dances but we opted not to. We used our own music for the ceremony but they did have a selection of music if needed.

After dinner we headed to the lobby where we had a few drinks and played guitar by candlelight (the power had gone out for a few hours). My husband and I were given a suite for the night overlooking the ocean. It was lovely.

All in all it was a perfect way to get married. No stress, no fuss. We were given a spreadsheet of pictures after the wedding from which to pick 10 photos for them to print for us for free (as part of the package). We liked the pictures so much that we ended up buying them all. They were given to us on a DVD at a cost of $250usd. This also must be paid in cash.

I would highly recommend this resort either for a wedding or just for a relaxing vacation. You just have to go with the attitude that you are on vacation and try not to worry about the little things.

If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to email me at melanie@gualtieri.ca.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Sun Village Resort and SpaTodd & Sandy ~ Ontario, Canada
June 2008

We have just returned from our wedding at Sun Village Resort and it was wonderful. Everything went smoothly and there was very little stress. There were 17 of us for the first week and then my husband (!) and I stayed for a second week. We were married on the Thursday of the first week.

The resort was beautiful and well-maintained. Our group had a few minor problems with room requests at the beginning of the week and a/c not working right, but the staff was very accomodating and sorted everything out quickly. A few of our group (the parents, mostly) were approached by the Maxim staff, but they said ‘no thanks’ and that was the end of it. You can read other reviews about the resort itself (the 7 girls from April 2008 is bang on), I will stick with the wedding.

The wedding planner, Rocio, was wonderful. She and I had organized a lot of the details before via email so when we met with her on the Tuesday, we picked out flowers and confirmed the location (beach, gazebo or garden) and that was that. The gazebo was by far the nicest location and it meant we didn’t have to rent a flowered arch or anything, which would have been extra.

We chose the basic package with a few upgrades. We had a ‘magical moments’ dinner on the beach the night before. It’s a steak and lobster dinner and the food was incredible. It was very stormy that night so instead of being on the beach, it was moved to the wedding gazebo which turned out to be very special. We both love storms so it was really cool to have the dinner in the gazebo with thunder and lightening all around us. Another upgrade we chose was getting the guitar trio. This really made the ceremony unique. Later in the week we saw another wedding take place and they brought music and had the first dance there and it seemed out of place in the tropical setting, so we were really happy we went with the trio. The basic package includes a room upgrade to superior. You definitely want this as the superior rooms are much nicer than the standard.

I highly recommend starting the day with a massage. Book with Kay if possible – she is a wonderful masseuse. We hung out by the Spa pool for some of the morning and had lunch there as well. None of us (there were four of us that got a massage that morning) were terribly impressed with the spa food, but it’s free and you can always choose something else or go to the buffet if you don’t like what you ordered.

The ceremony was set to start at 4pm. They recommend later in the afternoon so it’s not so hot. Ours didn’t start on time because the judge was late. For myself, my MoH and my dad, it was a little annoying because we were stuck in my room, but for everyone else it was fine because the waiter kept bringing them drinks! 45 minutes and 3 rounds later, the judge finally showed up.

The ceremony was short and sweet. It’s in Spanish with Rocio translating. There’s no preamble (‘we are gathered here today, etc’), the judge jumps right to it. He asks ‘do you take…’, you each say ‘I do’, then he declares that you’re married. You exchange rings, kiss, and sign the registry. Then there’s champagne and pictures and it’s off to the bar and then the reception dinner. It’s all very laid back (and quick!).

The photographer is amazing! We bought the photo package that gave us all 250 photos on a CD and it was great (we got 14 printed photos with the basic package as well). We’re so glad we didn’t have to choose because they all turned out great. We were a little anxious about this because we don’t enjoy getting our photos taken (we tend to blink or make funny faces, lol!) but we were happy with all of the photos. You get the photos a day or two after the wedding.

The reception dinner was at the Citrus – this is by far my favourite restaurant. I LOVED it there. The décor is amazing, the waitstaff is the best I’ve ever seen anywhere (Alex is so professional – he’s very good at his job) and they made it really special for us.

Some tips:
If you’re getting your hair and makeup done at the spa, definitely have a trial run to make sure you’re happy. My mum didn’t do a trial run and wasn’t very happy with the results.
If you care about the ceremony’s structure, get a walk-thru before. We didn’t and we didn’t know which way we were supposed to stand or in what order to exchange rings or sign the registry. It’s totally laid back so it’s no big deal but it could have been a bit smoother. Everyone laughed about it anyways – one more thing to remember fondly (we ended up ‘kissing the bride’ a couple of times – eager, I guess, lol!)

One thing that’s a little weird – only in some rooms, when the power goes out (and this happens a couple of times a day in the DR), the TVs come on when the power comes back on. So after a day by the pool, you return to your room to discover the TV on and think ‘oh my god, who’s been in my room??’ It’s a little disconcerting the first time it happens.

I have to emphasize how great this resort is. I’ve been to the south coast and the east coast and this resort is by far the best I’ve been to. The levels, which you’re warned about because of the stairs, are actually its strongest selling point. There are so many different locations to hang out during the week that you don’t get bored of the same spot at all. And the staff is FANTASTIC. It’s true the sand is not as white or the water as blue as the east coast, but we’re not beach people anyways (salt water, yuck). The water was more turbulent, meaning more waves, but this is great for people that only like to watch the ocean.

My email is sandygreene@rogers.com. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. I don’t regret a second of it. We will definitely be planning a return visit.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Sun Village Resort and SpaCarmelina & Tomas
March 2007
Me and my husband went to Sun Village Resort with about 35 friends and family. Me and my husband arrived one day before our guest. The first night we stayed in a regular room which was nice. Each room has a balcony.

The remaining of our stay we stayed in the Spa room. Which is highly recommended. It is amazing!!!!!! It was not much more extra then the regular room and a big upgrade.

The hotel is truly amazing. Nothing I have ever seen before. Every where you look there was a pool. The food was good and the people were amazing.

After researching for a place to have my wedding I was a little nervouse since many said the entertainment wasn't that good. In my opinion it was great. The first night it was just me and my fiance and we had a blast!!

Then when our guest came it was even more fun. Through out the weekend we all did different activities like hourse back riding, ATV's, banana boat (which is so much fun as a group), clubbing, and dipping in the pool at 3 in the morning after the club. There is restaurant open 24 hours so most of us would go eat something after the club. Most nights the majority of our guest was going to sleep at 4 in the morning.

My dream wedding has always been to get married on the beach. The resort was an excellent place to have my wedding. We even selected the Mexican restaurant as our rehearsal dinner. Which was great. The workers at the restaurant made us feel like if we were celebrities by attending to us in such an amazing matter.

One thing i would like to advise those who are planning to visit this hotel is there is alot of stairs. You will get a work out, but believe me when I say its sooooooo worth it. The staff is amazing, the food was good, and the grounds are the most beautiful you will ever see.

Wedding
Once we arrived the coordinator was out of town. It was ok since she told me in advance. We met with Carla instead just to go over a few things and make sure that everything that was planned with Rocio was set. Carla was amazing and very nice. I enjoyed working with her. I met Rocio the day of the wedding. She was nice too. I picked calalilies for the bridesmaids (i had 5). the cake was very beautiful along with the setting. We had our reception at the Italian Restuarant with was breath taking. The service there was amazing as well. As far as the ceremony and the reception everything was beyond amazing and the staff did an amazing job. The only thing i didn't like was the service of the photos and video. The package i bought was $350. Honestly they look like they were developed in a pharmacy and then they did not even put the pictures in the album they gave me. The album was not one that I have ever seen before making it difficult to put the pictures in it without scotch tape. After watching the video a few times it now skips throught out the video. The only reason why i bought the silver package for the photos was because the photos came out beautiful and in order to be eligible to buy the negatives you must buy a silver package or higher. But no matter where you go there will be little problems like that. Nothing serious at all.

The salon did a great job with the make up and hair for all of us. Just make sure you go very early, especially if you have a large bridal party.

My husband can't wait to go back!! If you are planning on getting married on an island I would highly recommend this place. It was inexpensive and the BEST decision I made. I got everything as a traditional wedding (bridesmaid flowers, private reception, DJ, rehearsal dinner) and I did not spend much. The decorations at the ceremony location was beautiful as well.

For brides-to-be if you have any questions or would like to see pictures please feel free to email me @ chula8106@hotmail.com
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort and SpaMandy and Ralph
January 2007
We stayed at the grand Palladium Punta Cana (GPPC) from January 6th, 2007 to January 13th 2007, and were married on January 9th, 2007 at the Grand Palladium Bavaro (GPB).

We had already booked for our annual vacation at the end of June for the GPPC, we later got engaged in August. At that point we started to think that perhaps it may be a good idea to get married in January seeing 20 of our closet family and friends were already booked.

We tried to get in touch with the wedding coordinator at the GPPC at the end of August and had no luck. We tried emails and faxes and had no responses. I eventually called Punta Cana and spoke with Lourdes Soto of guest services and she promptly sent me the wedding info. We then had her confirm that we could get married during the week we would be there, she confirmed it, and we then booked an additional 11 guests, for a total of 31.

We basically planned the wedding in 3 months. I won’t review the hotel, just the wedding.

The wedding package includes: Ceremony, decorated gazebo, bouquet for the bride and flower for the groom, and one bottle of champagne. This was $750 US. We also hired the Trio band ($75), and ordered 3 additional bottles of champagne ($90).

We used WeDo for our documentation, we sent them FedEx and they were returned in 4 business days. I think it was about $280 US. We then faxed them to the resort to verify that everything was OK.

We conversed with the resort via email the whole time leading up to our departure. We dealt with Carolina Beck and Lourdes Soto; both work at guest services at the GPB and provided excellent service always replying to our email with in a day usually with in hours. I can’t say enough about these two ladies. They are awesome. We pre-made reservations at the international restaurant before we left for all 31 guests.

We met with Lourdes on the second day after we arrive at the guest services desk. Within 20 minutes we picked the Photo Package, Flowers, decided on table arrangements for the dinner, picked the wedding cake, and settled other details.

We didn’t find out our wedding time, which ended up being 2:00 p.m. until the day before the wedding. Not a big deal except all our guests needed to know when to show up at the Gazebo.

Everything about this wedding exceeded our expectations. The Gazebo was beautifully decorated, and they had red carpet laid over the brick path leading up to it. They had white chairs for all our guests and a waiter there serving water and wine (before and after the wedding). He would also go for trays of beer. When the ceremony was over he poured everyone a glass of champagne.

The groom and groomsmen were picked up at our room in a large golf cart around two and then when the judge arrived about 2:20, the golf cart picked up the bride and bridesmaids. The ceremony took about 10-15 minutes and Lourdes translated it all for us. It was very nice.

We then took all kinds of photos around the garden before going to the beach for more. We used the resort photographer named Duiexnor, and his work was phenomenal. The pictures are unbelievable and once again exceeded our expectation. I’ve included a link to our photos. The photo package we chose was a CD with all our 268 pictures, DVD of the day and an unbelievable photo book. This was $800 and worth every penny.

While the photos were being taken and for hours after all of our guest stayed at the Gazebo and partied, until it was time to go for dinner which was just across the pathway. The waiter stayed at the Gazebo the entire time. Dinner was at 6:30 and they set up a traditional head table and 4 round tables in front of it. They served appetizers, and then we all ordered off the menu. The meal was very good and the service was top-notch. There was another Trio band here and they sang at each table. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves.

We did say about 4 or 5 speeches at dinner, and had our wedding cake for desert which was excellent, and very nice. After dinner we went to the GPB lobby where there is a live band each night. When we arrived they announced it and we had our first dance. After that the entire wedding party had a dance, followed by the throwing of the bouquet and garter.

We then went to the disco where we had a blast dancing, before retiring to our loft suite. All in all we would highly recommend a tropical wedding and the GPB.

Link to photos:
http://community.webshots.com/album/557002012YvLvEx?vhost=community
Wedding Index - Top of Page

SuperClubs Breezes Puerto PlataMichelle and Mark
April 2007
Photos
Was perfect. The flowers were beautiful. I would recommend anybody to get married here!!! Monday morning we met with the wedding planner and picked the flowers and meal and got shown the wedding cermony sites. I picked the gazaboo and loved the location. The photographer did a really good job. I hagled him to give me the small package and put all pictures on a CD for $290.00 USD. the small package is usually 30 pics, album, 4 enlargements, and the 30 pics on a CD for $210.00. All group weddings are in the Italian restaurant, enless there are more weddings then some will be in the mexican. because we had 14 guest we had to pick from the preselected menues. we picked chicken breezes style (which was chicken parmsean) and it was EXCELLENT!!! The cake was really good too. I had a massage at the spa ( a bride and groom special) it was amazing. we picked the sunflower package which included: steam room, 1/2 hour message, manucare for me and scalp massage for him for $80.00 USD. I also got my hair and make up done there for $40 USD, but i gave the hairdresser/makeup artist a $20 usd Tip because she did a beautiful job and she doesn't make the $40.00 the resort charges, she gets about $1.00 from that. Don't be scared to get married here, its beautiful, they know what they are doing
Wedding Index - Top of Page

SuperClubs Breezes Puerto PlataSarah & Gilles ~ Halifax, NS, Canada
November 2006
What can I say, I was a bride to be, nervous and a little sick to my stomach when I read some of these reviews. I think I stressed out my travel agent more by saying are you sure about Breezes and how nice it is? My fiance and I are not well seasoned travellers, but out of our guests of approximately 50 people, some were. A few guests had been to the caribbean more times then I can count on both hands, so lets just say I was waiting for the big oh my god, where did I book my wedding, in a rundown, bug infested, waterhole of a resort. Wasn't I pleasantly surprised. Yes I was.

1.The Resort/Grounds: The resort was beautiful, the gardens were manicured, workers were seeding and weeding and tending to the flowers all day long. The beach, yes not long but soooo clean, no garbage no seaweed, the waves were incredible, if you wanted calm waters, go to the pool. The waves were so much fun, you always came out of the water with laughter on your face, and the ocean was warmer then the pool.

2.The Restaurants: The food was fabulous, for one of the well seasoned caribbean travellers, she and her husband said it was the best tasting food they had in a resort. The buffet was different every lunch,and every night as it was themed, the a la carte restaurants, Japanese, Mexican, French, Italian, to die for, especially their desserts. Good size portions, and the flavor, yum. Best advice, book your restaurants as soon as you get there at the resort (you do that in the front entrance of Jimmys Buffet)

3. Staff: I don't know if it was because of our large group, but we always had great service, I know the resort says no tipping, but I am sure between all of us, they made a lot. Bring small trinkets to leave for the maids every morning and you get very clean rooms, and lots of towels and they are willing to make your room as comfortable as you would like. On our arrival, our patio door, which we had a ground floor corner room over looking the ocean and the pool as well, was not closing and locking properly. My fiance asked a maintanence worker if he could fix it, gave him 3 cigarettes (Canadian brand) and by lunch, our door was fixed. My reception was held at the Mexican restaurant which during every other hour except between 6-9pm is the Beach Bar. The staff was awesome to say the least. They went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect even after 10pm we were still having a "reception" the staff closed the bar and the "24hr" bbqe grill to the rest of the resort guests, stating it was a private party. They did not have to do that, they had no obligation to do that and they were definitely not getting paid to do that. They saw our wedding reception as a private event and they kept it that way. I must say the staff at the beach bar made our trip even better, not just that night but for the whole week. And to my surprise, being maritimers we did drink the bar dry of beer the first night. After that night they made sure they had an extra keg just for us.

4. The Rooms: Some of the rooms had deficianies, but unless your an uptight snob, a little crack in the tiles, or paint chipping off the wall, there is nothing wrong with the rooms, actually it gives it character. If you don't have hot water, wait an 1/2hr, because most likely the rest of the resort is probably showering at the same time you are and they just don't have enough hot water pumps. If you keep your doors open, yes you will get a cockroach or a geiko in your room, plus all the hot humidity. Bring a fabric softner sheet and put it over the airconditioner, your room will smell less musty. But hey unless you have crappy weather, your not spending much time in your room anyway and if you are maybe you should of stayed home it would of cost you a lot less money. But if you are really unhappy, don't wait to get something fixed ask for another room, one couple in our group did (their toilet wouldn't flush) and without any argument they were moved to another room.

5. Illnesses: If you have a weak stomach, bring immodium and antacids. My aunt got really sick the second night and ended up on IV therapy. The doctor was there 1hr after my uncle went to the front desk. He made in a period of 24 hrs, 6 visits to see her. Treatment wise, out of 50 of us, half are paramedics, 3 doctors, 4 nurses. The doctors who are ER docs, went and checked her medications the island dr was treating her with and said, "this Dr knows what he is doing" 24hrs from the initial symptoms, my aunt was at my wedding and the reception, up dancing and enjoying the rest of her vacation. He also ran out of some medication and he drove from Caberate to Confresi looking for the correct medication. and on top of all that he was able to direct bill my aunts insurance company, they did not have to fork out any money for her medical treatment. Now that is service.

6. My wedding. Unbelievable. Took less the 45 mins to plan. Everything my fiance and I asked for we received.The menu for the reception had a little bit of everything, and the food was again unbelievable. Ladies if your planning on getting married, the spa will do your hair for a good price and do your makeup complimentary.Flowers, you look in an photo album, select the arrangement you want and they will get you the flowers that you desire plus the colours you want. Pictures, came back the next morning in a beautiful album, no complaints. Video took 2 days because we had music added and they edited for us and everytime I watch it it makes me cry all over.

7. Excursions: Go out and do them, some of the group (the men)went deep sea fishing, they had a blast, the girls went horseback riding in the mountains, sore but the views were breathtaking. Banana Boat Catarmaran, totally a hoot. The buggies, if you don't get one that breaks down, you'll won't have any worries, though our group there were a few mechanical problems, but they knew how to fix things, looks scary (they used a coat hanger and a shoe lace for added tension on the brake pedal, but it worked)

Overall as you can probably tell all, of us had a great time, we had no outstanding complaints about anything, and if one of us did, the staff did everything possible to correct it. I would highly recommend this resort, and if I had the vacation time I would definitely go back in a second, maybe next year since I as the bride get 50% off on our anniversary week.

(Just a side note: for all those uptight snobs who think the rooms are what makes a vacation, they are renovating the rooms, slowly but surely, room by room and remember it is the caribbean and what might be considered a 4 star resort in the US or the UK and Canada, it is not the same standards, if you want that then spend the extra cash and stay at a 5 star resort and you'll get the 4 star equilivant in your country)

So if you already booked your vacation there, and you read all those bad reviews like I did and began to panic, take a deep breathe relax and just enjoy yourself, you make your own happiness out of your vacation, others don't and it's not their responsibility to do so.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

SuperClubs Breezes Puerto PlataS & J - Canada
August 2006
I read everyone's review and it helped me out so I think it's fair for me to post mine :)

We stayed at the Superclubs Breezes Resort Spa Casino in Puerto Plata July 15- July 22 2006. The hotel was very nice I was pleased. We did have some of my family who waited a long time to check in so that was disappointing but I know how it is sometimes lol I had 22 family and friends come so it was a lot of people for a wedding away.

The wedding day was beautiful and perfect! It was hot and sunny! I had the wedding at the earliest day that I could so I could get it out of the way so we could all just relax after Everyone thought it was a great idea. I arrived on Sat and had the wedding on Mon. It was short, sweet and the wedding coordinator was great! I wasn't sure what to expect but it ended up being a great day and we were both extremely happy! We had a lot of fun on our wedding day I'm very organized so it was hard not knowing exactly how things get done. I met another couple and the bride was just as nervous not knowing anything but she got some tips from me. I hope there wedding was as great as mine!

FLOWERS- I had a picture of my flowers and they did them exactly the same They did a great job, since I was worried about that. I was so shocked how beautiful they came out!

CAKE- It's just a white cake so if you want to decorate it bring stuff. I put some flowers from my center piece and the cake looked gorgeous!

DINNER- Our dinner was at the Italian restaurant and the food was great! But when you are choosing your dinner ask what exactly the meals are. We picked a balsamic/vinaigrette salad. We thought it was going to be a green salad and it ended up being tomatoes with cheese inside and 2 lettuce leaves lol The presentation was great but we wanted a green salad They served bruschetta before, then the salad, we had a tomatoe basil soup it was good our guests enjoyed it too. Main course was chicken parmesan with pasta and desert our wedding cake. We had the vanilla it was yummy fresh whipped icing. I'm a chocolate lover but there chocolate is different so i went with Vanilla instead.
The table was set up beautifully I was very impressed and the staff were so sweet I tipped them of course!! They were really great to my whole family.

PICTURES- The photographer was good, my pictures came out very nice I was surprised. But he doesn't really tell you how to position yourself to ensure you get good photos sometimes. I had a few photos with eyes closed which I think he should of took a second one and sometimes people needed to be positioned closer etc. I think my family was driving the photographer crazy as they were busy taking there own photos and he was always waiting for them to take there shots lol I made some jokes with him to lighten the mood. But I had my paparazzi family with me lol I have tons of pictures. I did a lot of fun pics on the beach after the photographer was done and those are gorgeous!! It helped that my sister had a professional camera Oh ya he comes to your room to take a few photos before you leave to the ceremony, I didn't know that was going to happen I was only expecting Amelia with the flowers.

I received my fruit plate and two bottles of Presidente the first day we arrived those went down easy lol We also received another fruit plate and Champagne bottle in our room on the wedding day!! Breakfast in bed the next day was very nice too

I loved the music trio, my Dad laughed the whole way walking me from my room to the Gazebo lol
We even had a first dance for about 2 min in the Gazebo, we danced to a Bachata :)
You can have them play at your reception for additional cost.

As for the wedding it was great and I would recommend it to anyone at this resort! Amelia the wedding coordinator was very nice she did everything I asked for! It went smooth and we were able to enjoy ourselves!!!

Oh and I received my marriage certificate 1 1/2 weeks later I was so shocked I thought it would take longer, I was pleased!! I did leave Amelia a gift as well as a thank you but that's just how I am, I like to do things like that she was really happy and thankful!!

I have some pictures posted but they are from my sisters camera some poses the photographer did and had a clear shot but all the beach ones were done by my family:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bachatafreak/

If you have any questions you can send me a PM to Bachatafreak on Debbie's site as I am a member.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Iberostar BavaroHasina and Karl
April 2007
I am married to my best friend. That was the highlight of the trip.
The Iberostar Bavaro is not a place to wed for the bride that (1) doesn't want to get ripped off (2) doesn't want to have to micromanage (3) does want to have to worry.

Leading up to my arrival after emailing my wedding coordinator Raiza and chatting with her I had very little concern that there would be much involvement on my end. All I needed to do (I thought) was finalize the welcome reception for our guests.

Arrival. Upon our arrival to the hotel with 10 of our 30 guest we checked in and were provided with a room next to an empty lot on the edge of the resort. Though our travel agent (my father in law) and I requested an ocean view room , at least since we were bringing 30 people to their resort at the end of October slow time.

A new coordinator KATTY demanded that I met with her immediately where she inundated me with items that I thought were already resolved. After a long day of travel desperately wanting to spend time with me friends and family that had tra so far I was stuck in a well air conditioned tiny little office with the coordinator and one of the people from my wedding party. We left her office at approximately 8PM.

The next morning when I located the coordinator to provide my final decisions. She admonished me for not returning to her the previous evening with my conclusions. She chastised me, the bride. I was too tired and alone and felt that I had done something wrong. UNTIL the wedding party member that meet with us the evening prior pointed out that the wedding coordinator advised us that she was leaving for the day after we met and that we had agreed to meet the following morning.

When I complained about the room the coordinator realized we had been given the wrong room. We were given another guests room. A guest with the ( Go figure!) same last name as my husband. How could this happen well big surprise to the hotel when there is a wedding at times family members that attend have the SAME LAST NAME. Which is how the assigned the rooms. It was an easy mix -up forgiven until the front desk accused us of purposefully switching the rooms. This was the first instance of many where the resort failed to take ownership of let alone remedy there errors.

We paid an extra 2K for a full bar premium private reception. We received mediocre liquor that I had to tell other guests was not for their consumption. The Bartender knowing full well this was a private event was happy to serve anybody and everybody. I let husband handle that he and his friends are very proprietary when it comes to liquor and beer.

The wedding day itself my original coordinator Raiza appeared. With her winning smile I rested assured that the rude behavior of Katty that now even my guests were complaining about would come to an end. WRONG. IN my gown I decided I had to take the arm band (for the inclusive meals) off. It just did not coordinate with my wedding gown. Just be for I disembark from my private golf cart to walk down the aisle. I see KATTY and tell her I had to remove my arm band would she be able to get another please. She chastised me for removing the arm band. Literally at the end of the aisle for me to walk to meet my husband.

The aisle was not wide enough for me to get down let alone with my mother. I am a size 8. They did not envision that somebody would walk down the aisle. I purchased extra bottles of champagne I clearly explained to KATTY this champagne was to be served at dinner with the the lobster that we were required to provided for with additional payment. As I am signing the documents I see the champagne bottles being popped and handed out to guests.

All and all I made it a point to tip Raiza who was so helpful and friendly leading up to the event and when available upon our arrival. Katty got and deserved nothing. She made problems that were unnecessary and she was exceptionally rude.

The staff overall at the hotel was nice. By Staff I mean the Bartenders and the chefs. The Pool people that double as talent for the evening were very talented and very RUDE. The front desk staff I would terminate with 1 weeks notice if I was their manager and run the front desk myself.

My husband and I feel in love with the resort two years prior to our marriage. We would've returned yearly to celebrate. We will now go to another resort. I encourage an bride to explore another resort and visit it before you confirm your wedding. Much changed in two years and not for the better.

Other problems:
salon appoitnments never materialized
the karaoke machine ahd been broken for weeks though I was assured it was available repeatedly
coordinator did bare miminium
everybody got sick except for me
food tasted bad- it is more European now, though the country is in the carribean
2 months to get marriage license in Spanish

Good side:
I got the man of my dreams!
The cake was really good
The ocean is always good
the hair dresser Raiza was really good and does all types of hair
The sun was warm
The food was better refrigerated
Marriage license is really pretty- colourful with lotsa stickers.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Iberostar BavaroKrista
April 2007

I just wanted to fill you in on our wedding at the Iberostar Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We got married on October 25, 2006, when we arrived we met with the wedding planner to pick out my flowers and the location, we chose the beach! That is all we had to do until the day of the wedding. I was picked at my room in the golf cart and they brought me right to the beach where my husband was waiting. We chose the guitar trio and they were great! The ceremony was performed by a Judge which was in Spanish but they also had a translator. The ceremony only took about 10 minutes, perfect!!! Then we got our pictures taken by Ricky who I would highly recommend. He was very friendly and made me laugh so I wouldn't have a cheesy smile. Once the pictures were over we ate dinner at the Steak house, the food was good, it was just extremely HOT in there, no AC. I would definitely recommend having a destination wedding. Everything was perfect. I want to do it again!! With the same guy of course. I would give it a 10 out of 10!
Wedding Index - Top of Page

  Caribe Club Princess   G L Rogers
2003

It’s been 4 years since I got married at the Caribe Club Princess in Punta Cana, and people who went with us still talk about the place and the wedding site.

We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. The wedding was a double wedding, with my husband and me, and his brother and wife. Meeting with the wedding coordinator was easy and simple. Both the coordinator and the assistant were helpful and friendly. Things were done quickly.

On the day of our wedding, we played in volleyball in the pool and finally got some boogie boards and enjoyed the beach. It was 90 minutes before the wedding and my husband and I had to be reminded to get dressed for the wedding. We were just enjoying our day ! Having such a day like that, so relaxed, easy going, and doing things that were so much fun - it was great.

Both brides and maids/ matrons were picked up and whisked away on a golf cart. And delivered to the wedding site. And as per expected the judge showed up a bit late, but hey, we’re in the Caribbean and that’s how you just enjoy life !

We had our ceremony at the Brazilian Restaurant. The bar was closed off just for us, as was the restaurant. The wooden deck was our entranceway /walkway down to the grooms, ending with us standing on the beach with the judge. The beach was in the background, along with several interested guests of the Caribe Club Resort. We knew that people along the pool and beach would be keen on watching, so that was fine for us. They all just stayed to the side, and most of them cleared out of the end where we stood.

There was a table filled with champagne glasses in a decorative pyramid, which our guests enjoyed while we had our pictures taken. Our pictures were all taken down by the beach. There was a wooden boat where all 8 of us had a group shot taken. It is one of my favourite pics. As we had our pics taken, we had organized for a small band to play. They followed us down to the beach and kept us and everyone else entertained.

Another person commented on how lively the meal was at the Brazilian Restaurant. And it was ! The food was excellent and to have such a different experience was a highlight for all our guests (50). But it was the staff who were so delightful. Thru out the night, conga lines started up, the small kids were entertained by staff and guests alike. We too stayed late at the restaurant. Although, we had to request a cd player for ‘our traditional wedding dance’. That took some time to get there, and then it was quickly returned. But that was ok, for one wedding party went to the front lobby for the live entertainment, and the other wedding party went to the beach grill. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Many still talk about going again for a 10 year anniversary celebration.

I write this review after attending a friend’s wedding in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It too was enjoyable, perhaps not as well organized. There were some additional costs for things, and there was no ‘organized’ wedding dinner for the wedding guests. All in all, it is DR that remains top of my list. It is the quality of the resort, the many, many activities for all ages, the staff, and the unbelievable sand in Punta Cana that put it at the top.
Wedding Index - Top of Page

Caribe Club Princess Christine & Dan
April 2005

Upon arrival, Gabriel had an information package waiting for us. It included the details of when we would meet and an itinerary of the wedding day.

We met with Gabriel on Monday for about half an hour. We picked flowers, went through the details of the wedding, and reviewed the ceremony location and restaurant selection.

On the day of the wedding, both Dan and I relaxed! We swam, tanned, and Dan was out banana boating a few hours before his nuptials! We split around 11:30 where he went to his best man's room and I headed to the spa to have my hair done. Gabriel had pre-booked the spa for our group which was nice. I had my nails done the day before and they did a great job (and it was cheap). Once at the spa, I showed Dolce (the hairdresser) a few pictures I had brought down and she got to work. It turned out really nice and she was really quick! A lot of my friends came by and took pictures plus some of the family got their hair done too! Very nice staff!

We got back to our honeymoon suite and started to get ready. The flowers arrived around 2:30 and they were perfect! I had asked for a bag of loose flower petals to be used for petal baskets, so my 'flower women' got to work filling those right away. The girls helped me into my dress and then my family showed up. We got all the flowers together just in time for Pedro, the resort's photographer, to take some nice pics.

Our guests met at the beach bar and they walked down to the site. The Caribe doesn't actually have a beach wedding site, but the Punta Cana Princess does and they are both within the same resort chain, so it worked just fine! It was about a 5 minute walk down the beach.

Dan got ready in his best man's room. He and his family were picked up in a golfcart around 3:45 and were brought to the site. The golfcart came back and got my flower women and then came again and picked up myself, my sister (my maid of honour) and my parents. We arrived at the site just a little after 4.

The site was beautiful! The gazebo is about 25 metres from the ocean. All of the chairs have white covers and deep magenta bows on them and we had a Caribbean trio play during the ceremony (part of the wedding package). We had Dan's nephews make us a sign that said 'no shoes please', so all of our guests were barefoot!

We had Dan's sister act as an usher who handed out homemade programs (I brought them down) and individual petal baskets filled with loose petals for our guest to throw at us as we walked out the aisle.

Dan walked his parents down the aisle first. Then, I had 7 of my best friends act as flower women for the wedding. They walked down the aisle carrying handmade velum flower baskets. As they walked, they threw loose flower petals on the sand and created a beautiful aisle for me to walk down. My sister and Dan's best man went next and then both my parents walked me down the aisle. There are some great shots that captured the emotions of the moment.

Yes, a lot of people gathered around. But, the resort staff will do their best to move people out of the way for the sake of your pictures and privacy. The crowd actually added to the excitement as they clapped and snapped pictures!

The ceremony was VERY quick! 10 minutes and a little Spanish later, we were married! We did say our own vows, but kept them short.

After the ceremony, there was an international bar available for our guests that was set up next to the gazebo. This gave people time to mingle and take pictures and the trio continued to play music.

About an hour later, Pedro started to take the formal pictures. We got a great group shot, and so many others! Pictures took about an hour, but it was fun! After that, we headed back to the Caribe and waited for our dinner reservation.

We had the Rodizzio booked for our group. Our seating time was for 8:30, but they were ready ahead of time. The resort set up the restaurant exactly how we asked it to be. Our wedding party set up a beautiful guest book table and added some fun details to th