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If you have set your sights on a beautiful beach wedding destination then read on to find out just how the Dominican Republic can turn your wedding dreams into a reality… Why Should I Choose The Dominican Republic for my Wedding?  Introduction
Beach weddings and weddings set in beautiful tropical gardens in the Dominican Republic are now becoming more and more popular and once only for the rich and famous, hoteliers are now offering great wedding packages from top to toe bridal treatments, flowers, honey moon suites, cakes and champagne, they will take care of everything to make your day extra special and ensure it is hassle and worry free for you, your groom and all your guests. By pre booking a wedding package with a hotel, all the organization is done for you, decoration and planning is taken care of, it really is just up to you and your guests to fly over and start relaxing for the big day!
 Weddings are More Cost Effective
Definitely a more cost effective way of hosting your wedding since both your wedding and your honeymoon are in the same place. Alongside that the hotel you choose to host your wedding in will usually offer a reduced wedding package rate to you as you and your guests will be staying in the same hotel. A lot of the all inclusive hotels will also include their hotel wedding planner free of charge, offer the wedding cake, and give you a free room upgrade to their honeymoon suite for your wedding night!
Since booking your Dominican Republic wedding you would normally only expect half the guest list of traditional weddings, you can then literally cut your reception budget in half!
If you are a hotelier and wish to advertise your Wedding Packages here, please click here to visit our contact page  Guests Will Enjoy It Too
During your wedding you day you hardly normally have time to speak to everyone properly, what with photographers, cake cutting, speeches and not forgetting the actual ceremony itself so instead of wishing you would have had more time on your big day to spend time with your family and friends, a wedding in the Dominican Republic will give you lots of time to do just that. It is normal to arrive a few days in advance of your wedding ceremony giving you plenty of time to chat, take dinner, lazy lunches, beach strolls with your family and friends and catch up with them in a relaxed holiday frame of mind before your actual wedding. Your guests too will love being on vacation with you at this special time.
Avoid “Family” Issues
What a great way to side step any potential tensions and expectations from either your own family or your future in-laws. No more seating and table planning problems as everything is more relaxed in the Caribbean and family members will just accept where they are seated during your wedding lunch or dinner. Remember as well that you won’t get caught up in any “planning” issues as most of it is already done for you by the hotel, so no pressure from any side of the family. That is priceless!  Children and Weddings
Maybe in years gone by, children were not a popular feature at weddings, over the last 10 years this has now changed and weddings are generally seen as a celebration of life, with children often playing a main focal point in the wedding day activities. With humor, cuteness and spontaneity, children are a great part of many peoples weddings.
Here are some tips on how to keep the kids happy and relaxed, during your big day.
Here are some great ideas for making your day a unique wedding fantasy, however, remember the Dominican Republic offers limited shopping facilities, so plan before hand and purchase/bring what ever fabrics, accessories, invitations, confetti, with you.
Use what is around you for a perfect wedding backdrop, of a beautiful blue ocean and lush tropical plants. Take inspiration from the colors of the ocean by:  Decorating your wedding arch in ribbons or swathes of fabric that are the colors of the ocean.
Glue shells onto your wedding invitations collected from the beach.
Give your guests their table favors wrapped up in blue silk or tulle.
Stick shells or bind rope around candles for a slightly nautical theme to your table decorations.
Match swags of ribbons or swathes of fabric the same colors as your wedding arch to the top table.
Decorate tables with little glass bowls full of sea water and arrangements inside them.
Use fish or dolphin inspired logos on your invitations.
Have an ice sculpture made in the shape of a shell or dolphin.
If you are a hotelier and wish to advertise your Wedding Packages here, please click here to visit our contact page Take inspiration from the beautiful, lush tropical flowers that grow in abundance in the Dominican Republic by:  Using palms (very cost effective option) to decorate your wedding arch and also top table.
Ask your wedding planner in the hotel for a guide on tropical flowers, how much they cost per stem etc, and consider fabulous tropical arrangements for the top table and smaller ones for your guests
Ask about a tropical flower headdress for your big day.
Simple is also a very powerful statement and just one perfect flower in your hair could be all you need.
Serve a fresh and thirst quenching tropical drink to your guests upon arrival.
Ask the hotel chef to make you a tropical fruit cake as your wedding cake.
Have a conch shell aisle in the sand leading to your wedding alter.
Some other tropical inspiration from the Dominican Republic:  Use logos of animals found in the Dominican Republic as part of your wedding theme, like parrots, turtles, dolphins, iguanas, butterflys and carry the theme through out your day.
Ask a local sand sculpture to make a sand castle of your favorite animal.
Local music from the Dominican Republic can be very romantic, some of the Merengue ballads bring tears to the eyes and are beautifully sung, ask about live local music or buy a recording .
Go completely surf mad and have drinks set up on a surf board, give your guest Lei's as they arrive, ask the wedding ushers to wear surfer baggies-what ever you feel like however crazy – this is your day so make it fun!!
Go completely golf mad and ask about having your reception in one of the many golf clubs available in both the north, Puerto Plata and the east Punta Cana/Bavaro regions and if it’s just the 2 of you over here then the caddie will always step in as a fine witness for the day!
You’re Wedding Dress & Wedding Day Hair
Rule of thumb is to remember you are in a tropical climate and what might be great at home, whether that is a wedding in a Scottish castle or a draughty old church, over in the Dominican Republic temperatures can soar to over 105 F in the summer months!!
 Off the shoulder dresses, strapped slip dresses, even a white sarong and bare feet for a beach wedding are all fantastic options, with most “tropical” grooms going for linen pants and an open shirt.
Remember the wind can get up in the afternoons in the Dominican Republic, so bear this in mind when choosing a veil, as if you are having a wedding out on the beach then maybe a traditional long cathedral veil wont work at all, Tropical Frizz can be a bride and hair dressers nightmare, the Dominican Republic is a tropical and humid country, so a simple hairstyle is usually a better option, hair tends to drop down or fall limp after a few hours wilting in the outside, so try some hairstyles out with the hotel hairdresser a few days before the event, to see what suits and works for you. If you are a hotelier and wish to advertise your Wedding Packages here, please click here to visit our contact page Documents and Paper Work Required for Getting Married in the Dominican Republic  Pretty much any type of wedding can be arranged in the beauty of the Dominican Republic, not everyone’s tastes are the same. For some a quiet affair at either sunrise or sunset on one of the many beautiful beaches here, for others a wedding is an extravagant opportunity and many people like to treat and include themselves with their guests to a week of pre-wedding activities for example, massages and spa beauty treatments, golf games, a fun jeep safari or catamaran trip.
 To really ensure that your wedding day runs smoothly arrangements should commence at least 3-6 months prior to your wedding date. You can make the arrangements on your own or with the help of a wedding planner from either your tour operator, or by being in direct contact with the wedding planner via email/fax of the hotel that will be hosting your wedding. If you are of independent mind and are going to plan your wedding directly with the hotel without the help of a local wedding planner, then get help from a friend or teacher that can assist with Spanish language.
First steps to getting married:
 You do not need a marriage license in order to get your marriage Certificate in the Dominican Republic. The first step towards getting your Marriage Certificate is that you register to be married with the Oficialia del Estado Civil (City Clerk). They will charge you a nominal fee for registration. (If this is already sounding like a total nightmare then a wedding planner, tour operator or hotel wedding officer will sort this all out for you in your wedding package – phew). Listed below is all the paperwork that you need and must be submitted before your wedding day in order for them to register you. These are all important documents so to ensure that they are not lost in the mail or post, yet speed up the paperwork process, you can send photocopies of the following documents to the Oficialia del Estado civil, and then when you arrive in the Dominican Republic you can produce the originals. You will need:
Passports
Birth Certificates
Single Status Affidavits that have been translated by an Official Translator into Spanish at the Dominican Consulate where the document was issued.
If Divorced, then the person(s) will require a Divorce Certificate(s) that have also been translated by an official Translator into Spanish at the Dominican Consulate where the document was issued.
PLEASE NOTE: If one of the persons getting married has been divorced in the Dominican Republic under the Special Divorce Law (7.6 Divorce or fast divorce provided in the Dominican Republic), this person will have to wait a minimum of 24 hours before getting married again!  You will need to have 2 Witnesses for your marriage, besides the person who performs your marriage ceremony. If the Witnesses are not of Dominican Origin or residents, they will need to bring their passports to verify their identity. If your witnesses are Dominican Residents, then they will need to bring their Cedulas which are Dominican Republic Identification Cards), to verify their identity.
Civil Ceremonies
After the wedding/marriage has taken place, the Justice of the Peace that performs your Civil Ceremony will need to provide documentation proving the marriage was performed to the Oficialia del Estado Civil. The Oficialia del Estado Civil will then issue you a Marriage Certificate that is recognized as a legal certificate through out the world. Remember again that if using your tour operator for your wedding this will be done by them.
In either case, usually after 2 days your Marriage Certificate is ready for collection.
An Example of What The Hotels in The Dominican Republic Will Include in Their Wedding Packages:
Judges Fee
Marriage Certificate
Ceremony translation
Decorated Area
Floral Bouquet and Button hole
Wedding Cake up to 10 guests
1 Bottle Sparkling Wine
Live Music – Guitar Duo
Wedding Dinner up to 10 guests in one of the "A la Carte" restaurants
Breakfast in Bed the morning after!!
Fruit Basket and Bottle of Rum on arrival
Special Candlelit Dinner for two
One Framed Photo
Upgrade to HoneyMoon Suite
Turndown Service
Discount at Health/Beauty Spa’s if wedding is taking place at same hotel
Superb beach and tropical surroundings
Recommend a wedding photographer 
If you are a hotelier and wish to advertise your Wedding Packages here, please click here to visit our contact page
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Dominican Travel 
