Saying “I Do” in Dreamy Punta Cana

You bring the love and let Sunwing Weddings take care of the details

By Lorie Steiner

Home to some of the world’s best beaches, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic is the perfect place for your tropical destination wedding. A bevy of world-class all-inclusive resorts line the coast, waiting to host your special celebration – whether it’s an intimate ceremony or a big event with all the bells and whistles. The scenery is breathtaking from sunrise to sunset, and the Dominican people are simply wonderful.

It’s delightful to dream about a wedding in paradise but when it comes to planning, it can be overwhelming for couples to even know how to start. That’s where Sunwing Weddings come in. Whether you’re picturing a beach wedding, a wedding with a view or a toast to forever on a rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean, Sunwing’s expert destination wedding consultants are with you every step of the way. From helping you find the ideal resort, to booking the travel for you and your guests, arranging excursions and coordinating all the ‘wow’ details, they make the planning process a breeze.

Making plans

When you book a destination wedding with Sunwing Weddings, it comes with a Diamond Service Package that includes five hours of consulting (planning services) for couples. Elizabeth Adams, Sunwing Weddings Manager, explains, “Wedding planning is challenging to begin with. But when you’re planning in a different country, there’s often a language barrier. A complaint we hear from people who have tried to do it independently is that they have trouble getting responses. It’s not that the resort is doing a bad job, they’re just busy with events onsite. We’ve cultivated relationships with many properties, so we know who to ask and how to escalate things without even having to go to the resort. That’s a big benefit of our consulting service. With the Diamond Service Package, we start with five hours, but it really is support. It’s being an advocate for you.”

Sunwing ‘s experts work with couples throughout the entire journey of planning and executing their wedding. The sales team specializes in helping them choose the right destination and property, the planning team consults with them on building their dream day, and the travel team is a huge help because a lot of couples think they’re going to be responsible for relaying all of the information to their guests. Elizabeth notes, “We take that off their plate, so they can focus on enjoying being engaged and planning their wedding. We can answer all the questions and do all of the travel fulfillment with their friends and family.”

Budget is key

Planning a destination wedding with Sunwing is two-fold. The first part is booking the all-inclusive travel, which is always in Canadian dollars. It includes round-trip flights, all-inclusive accommodation and your ground transfers into the destination, from the airport to the hotel and back to the airport at the end of your stay. 

The second part is the wedding itself, which is in US dollars. Every resort will have a few wedding packages to choose from – at various price points and with various inclusions. For example, if you’re having an intimate affair with 10 people, and you just want to have a little ceremony and then go off on your own and have dinner somewhere – onsite or offsite. That’s no problem. But if you’re having a larger group (100 to 150) and you want all the extras and a welcome party, you can do that – depending on your budget. 

Dawn Rzepka, Senior Director of Destination Weddings & Events at Sunwing, says, “Right now, our average group size is around 35 to 40 people, with a cost of about 10 to 12 thousand dollars for the wedding itself. The average price for travel is about $2500 per person for a one-week, all-inclusive stay. That includes your flight, round-trip airport transfers, hotel, food and beverages, and we make all the arrangements.”

At the beginning of a Sunwing Weddings consultation, budget is one of the key factors discussed. Elizabeth admits, “Sometimes we find ourselves bringing people back to ground level and having an honest conversation about the actual cost of things in destination. We talk to couples about where they can save money; we give them ideas and inspiration. We are very honest upfront about expectations versus reality because ultimately it’s up to the couple.”

The Ceremony

The majority of resorts in the Dominican Republic are happy to host symbolic wedding ceremonies. Couples normally get married where they live before the wedding trip and have a symbolic ceremony at the destination. Visually speaking, the only difference is that you’re not stepping to the side to sign the legal paperwork. A huge benefit to having a symbolic ceremony is that you don’t have to worry about a justice of the peace being there to host the wedding. It gives you the opportunity to have a friend or family member officiate at the ceremony. They can share anecdotes about you as a couple, making it much more personal.

While most resorts offer a beautiful beach for the ceremony, many couples prefer to be ‘beach-adjacent’ – they don’t necessarily want their toes in the sand, but they want the view of the beach and the ocean. So, rooftop terraces are always popular. Or a pool deck for an evening reception that’s close to the beach, but your wedding party can still wear heels without sinking into the sand. 

Wedding packages vary depending on the property. They usually include décor, and sometimes a DJ, but there’s always the option to add local flavour. Resorts have preferred vendors that they work with, so you could have fire dancers, musicians, drummers…  if you have the budget, it’s doable.

Why choose the DR?

Besides the beautiful beaches and friendly locals, the price point is always favourable in the Dominican Republic. There’s an abundance of excellent hotels and plenty of flights, especially from Toronto and Montreal. Sunwing flies direct, nonstop to Punta Cana from Toronto in about four-and-a-half hours. 

According to Dawn, “Couples normally plan their wedding 12 to 18 months in advance. Our most popular months for weddings in Punta Cana are October, November, April and May because couples want to take advantage of the better rates.”

Top things to do in Punta Cana!

While on your romantic Punta Cana getaway, you can bask in the sun along the pristine white-sand shores and stroll hand-in-hand for miles along the beach. The crystal-clear waters are ideal for snorkeling – imagine swimming alongside sea turtles and parrotfish right off your resort beach. Head out on a catamaran excursion to visit exotic Saona Island and spend the day at an exclusive beach club. 

Looking for adventure? Head to Bavaro Adventure Park to try out one of the park’s 15 attractions including ziplining, Zorb bubbles, off-roading and a Jurassic World dinosaur park that kids will love. If you’re planning a fun-filled romp with friends or a bachelor/bachelorette party, head to Coco Bongo to enjoy this famous Caribbean cabaret.

Excitement abounds at Cabarete with ideal conditions for kitesurfing and kiteboarding. Tee off on iconic golf courses in La Romana like the celeb-favourite Pete Dye courses at Casa de Campo, or head out on an exhilarating ATV or ziplining excursion. Soak in the island’s history with a visit to the capital city of Santo Domingo. Go out on dune buggies, watch cigars being rolled, learn how to make chocolate, do rum tastings. Choose your own adventure or just sit back and relax – Punta Cana has it all. 

Celebrating in style

Among the many great hotel options in Punta Cana, Sunwing Weddings works closely with Royalton Resorts, RIU Resorts, Iberostar Resorts and Dreams properties to offer a wide assortment of wedding packages with something for everyone – including multigenerational properties that accommodate different age groups from babies to great grandparents, as well as accessibility needs. 

For a mixed age group, Royalton Splash Punta Cana and Royalton Punta Cana offer a lovely two-in-one option. On the Splash side there are lively pools and a water park. Next door, there are some pools that are quieter, the music isn’t as loud. They have zero entry pools in two areas as well, which is important for accessibility. They aren’t massive properties, so it’s easy to get around and there are several different room categories to choose from. Larger families can even do a one- or two-bedroom suite rather than a standard luxury junior suite. 

Another outstanding example,  the newly renovated RIU Palace Bravaro also has lots of options for accessibility and larger family rooms. They created a whole new room category because they recognized that some people have more than one or two children, and often groups of friends want to share a room and the cost. 

Top tips for couples planning a destination wedding

Elizabeth says, “Know that the planning process is quite different as compared to planning a wedding at home. And, in general, for all wedding planning, know that it’s ok to cut out the noise! There will be lots of opinions from well-intentioned family members but at the end of the day, it’s your wedding and it’s about the two of you. You’re a team!”

Dawn adds, “I would say, have faith in the experts. Let the planning experience be stress-free. The individuals you’ll be working with at Sunwing Weddings have planned hundreds of weddings, so just have faith and enjoy the process.” sunwing.ca/en/weddings