Dreams Royal Beach Wedding in the Dominican Republic: Lindsay & Tyler

Dominican Republic Destination Wedding Details

Wedding Date: February 23rd, 2025

All-Inclusive Wedding Resort: Dreams Royal Beach

Wedding Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Wedding Venues: Beach & Royal Gazebo

Wedding Photographer: WBA Studio Photography

Destination Wedding Travel Agent: EverAfter Travel

Dreams Royal Beach Wedding Resort Highlights

• Family-friendly, all-inclusive resort (adults-only sister property next door)

• Beachfront property located on the famous palm-studded Bavaro Beach

• Only 25 minutes from the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ)

• 14 dining options with cuisines like Italian and Asian plus a pizzeria, ice cream shop and more

• 12 bars/lounges including a swim-up bar, beach bar, sports bar and a music lounge for adults

• 4 pools with two main pools, one children's pool, and one Preferred Club pool

• Waterpark with seven slides and a splash park

• Small onsite casino with blackjack, roulette, poker, slot machines, and table games

• Discounted green fees at the Cocotal Golf & Country Club

• Non-motorized water sports like kayaking are included with your stay

• Daily activities and entertainment including live shows and theme nights

Dreams Royal Beach Wedding Review: Lindsay & Tyler

Why did you decide to have a destination wedding?

We wanted something fun and relaxed and didn't want to spend too much time planning.

What were your biggest concerns about planning a destination wedding? What were you struggling with the most before reaching out to EverAfter Travel?

We weren't entirely sure of where we wanted to go and we weren't sure how to even start the process. Once I spoke with Jodi, I had a much clearer picture of what the next steps were and she was able to pare the options down considerably for us!

What were your "must haves" for your destination wedding? What were the deciding factors for choosing your resort?

We wanted it to be relaxed and not have a big party element. We knew that families and our older relatives were coming so we wanted somewhere that was accessible for them. We chose Dreams/Secrets because it was moderately sized and had all the resort amenities we were looking for. It also had "sister resorts"-one resort for families and another for adults.

Tell me about your wedding e.g. events, venues, special touches, etc. How many guests did you invite to your destination wedding and how many people ended up attending? If you're comfortable sharing, how much was the total cost of your destination wedding celebration (not including things like travel expenses, your dress, etc.)? 

We invited about 100 guests and 50 attended, which was actually far more than we were planning for initially!

Our (somewhat unreasonable) budget was $5000, but we ended up spending around $6500. Knowing what I know now, there are some things I would not have included, had I known more about the location of our reception.

The main factor of the price being what it was, was additional guests. Our wedding package was for 30 people so any additional guest was an additional expense.

Was there anything you splurged on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?

No, we didn't feel like we intentionally splurged on any one thing. Most of our budget went to adding more guests to our package.

We did welcome bags for our guests—again it didn't feel like "a splurge" but a nice addition to the week. I assumed many people would forget beach bags, so every room got a beach bag tote with our welcome letter that included QR codes for our photo app and a personalized puzzle page on the back. We also made little bags of necessities like sunscreen, aloe, Tylenol, eye masks, etc.

Was there anything you tried to save on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?

We didn't want to spend the time or energy on decor or any added traditional wedding element.

We did do very basic centerpieces for tables that cost no more than $10 total and about 15 minutes of time. We could have been fine without those centerpieces, but they were nice to have.

We tried to stick with everything included in our package. We didn't get a DJ and we are grateful we didn't because just having a playlist going was just as fun, if not more so.

What were the most helpful online websites/social media groups/content creators/YouTube links that helped you during the planning process?

The Facebook group for our resort was a godsend! There was a bride-specific one and it was incredibly helpful to get other brides' experiences and have some of my questions answered. It took a lot of the anxiety of the unknown away!

Shout out to any wedding vendors you loved e.g. photography, DJ, makeup, etc.

Our catamaran, Hispaniola Tours, was amazing and accommodating! My parents booked that and just raved about the communication and helpfulness of the staff.

What kind of feedback did you hear from your guests? This could be about the resort, the wedding, and/or EverAfter Travel.

Our guests raved about everything—the resort, the staff, the food, how beautiful the wedding was, and Jodi! Several of my relatives even said they wanted her as their personal travel agent!

What advice do you have for other couples planning a destination wedding?

I'm not entirely sure because I think everyone has a different reason for having a destination wedding. Maybe one piece of advice is to find helpful sites, like the Facebook site I referenced, or other people who have had their wedding at that specific resort.

I think everyone's experience would be slightly different depending on their resort. Our resort were absolute professionals in every way and so it made everything very streamlined.

What were your favorite parts about your destination wedding?

We loved having more than a couple hours with our guests! It was great to spend time with people before the wedding day and after. We all created so many lasting memories throughout the week.

When we talk about our wedding, we get to remember and talk about an entire experience and trip not just one day. It was a really special and unique time to get to spend with our family and friends.

We also did a private catamaran trip the day before and it was definitely a highlight of many of our guests!

Is there anything you would change about your destination wedding?

The only thing I would change is to arrive one to two days earlier than everyone else. I felt like we spent the first day or two of our trip focused on wedding stuff when really I just wanted to hang out with everyone at the beach. I think more organized brides would have not needed as much of that time, but there were a few last minute details that I needed to complete before our wedding.

Why did you choose to work with EverAfter Travel for your destination wedding?

Jodi was highly rated online and once I realized she was local, I decided to reach out. After easy and clear communication online first and then speaking to her on the phone, it was a really easy decision to work with her.

She was friendly and knowledgeable and understood what we were (and weren't) looking for in regards to our wedding.

How did working with EverAfter Travel make planning your Dreams Royal Beach wedding easier/better/less stressful?  Would you recommend EverAfter Travel to other couples planning a destination wedding?

Oh boy, I can't imagine having done this without Jodi.

I loved not having to answer guests' travel questions and concerns. Jodi was INCREDIBLY communicative and responsive! She handled all of the different requests that people had.

The most stressful part of the planning process was choosing a resort. But once that was decided, Jodi took 100% of the travel responsibilities. I absolutely would recommend EverAfter Travel to anyone looking into a destination wedding.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Jodi, thank you SO much for all you did to help make our experience amazing!

Review posted by Lindsay and Tyler about their experience:

I highly recommend Jodi and EverAfter Travel for your destination wedding!

From the first point of contact, Jodi was incredibly friendly and communicative. She had great questions to help understand what my partner and I were looking for and hoping for our destination wedding. She helped us narrow down resort choices and once that was decided, she took over all the hard work!

It was incredibly helpful to have a travel agent field questions from our guests and help accommodate them in whatever unique ways they needed. We ended up with 50 guests and Jodi was always quick to respond to their needs. Our guests raved about her and even wanted her as their personal travel agent for the future!

Jodi anticipated our needs before we even had them. She sent us helpful information, tips, and tricks for our destination in Punta Cana and our resort. She had recommendations for excursions, tipping, food, and many other areas we didn't know we would need once we arrived in the Dominican Republic!

I honestly cannot imagine having tried to do any of the trip planning for our wedding on my own and I'm so grateful that we connected with Jodi. If you're thinking about a destination wedding, work with EverAfter Travel!

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