TA Patty

Hi JaimeDonna - Hope your day is going well! The info I have may be the same as what is on the website but if you'd like me to send it just email me at [email protected].  We have not had a wedding group at Breathless yet but we were there about a year and half ago on an agent trip. We saw the different wedding locations and had a "mock" cocktail party and wedding dinner event at two of the location options. What specific questions did you have and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks! TA Patty

Congratulations on your engagement! I have stayed at Breathless and can answer resort questions you may have. We have the resort fact sheets, e-brochures, wedding guide etc... if you'd like those. Just let me know what questions we can answer and if you like me to send any of this information. Thanks! TA Patty 

Please let us know if we can answer any additional questions. If you're looking for a TA just click the link below and one of the BDW TA's will be happy to assist with your dream wedding! 

Hello and congratulations on your engagement! Typically hurricane season in the Caribbean is June - October but rain in general in the Caribbean is not uncommon. We've been there in the fall and the weather has been pretty mild, especially compared to the heat in June/July. A storm can come in and move out pretty quickly too, one-minute clouds & rain and then blue skies. Rates are typically lower end of August through October.  Please let us know if you have any additional questions or if you'd like a BDW TA contact you just click on the link below.   TA Patty  

Hi Kate - Congratulations on your engagement!! My name is Patty Jordan and I am one of the BDW TA's.  My understanding that as long as the proper paperwork was filed and requirements fulfilled it would be a legal marriage and recognized as legal in the US. Below is information from the US Embassy in Santo Domingo and their link.  Please let me know if you have any further questions or feel free to email me direct at [email protected]. Thanks! Patty

 http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/marriage_dr-e.html

The following information is for the guidance ONLY of civilian U.S. citizens contemplating marriage in the Dominican Republic. U.S. Diplomatic and Consular Officers DO NOT have the legal authority to perform marriages. Marriages CANNOT be performed within the Embassy or within a U.S. Consular Office in the Dominican Republic.

General Requirements for Foreigners to Marry in the Dominican Republic

In order to get married in the Dominican Republic, a man and a woman must be of a certain minimum age (16 for men, 15 for women), be legally eligible to marry, and be entering into the marriage contract of their own free will. Failure to comply with any of these basic criteria could mean that Dominican authorities will decline to register the marriage as legal.

Additionally, foreigners who wish to get married in the Dominican Republic must comply with the following requirements and present the following documentation:

1. The original passport and copies of the passport bio-page;
2. Copies of last entries stamps;
3. Proof of Dominican residence (if not a resident of the Dominican Republic, an additional fee applies and tourist card must be presented);
4. Sworn declaration before a notary public, of being single and eligible to marry; the sworn declaration then needs to be legalized at the Offices of Procuraduría General de La República. If the Sworn declaration is done before a U.S. notary, it then needs to be legalized at the closest Dominican Consulate in the U.S. (In the past, the U.S. Embassy allowed U.S. citizens to swear such an affidavit of eligibility to marry before a U.S. consular officer. The Embassy discontinued this practice several years ago, however, because local officials were interpreting these documents as meaning that the Embassy had actually verified the content of the citizens’ statements, when in fact the consular officer was merely attesting to the fact that the individual in question had made the statement. U.S. citizens needing to comply with this requirement should instead present themselves to a Dominican notary –as specified above-.)
5. Copy of foreign birth certificate and a legal translation of the certificate; central authorities in both the United States and the Dominican Republic now authenticate their own public documents, such as birth, death or marriage certificates, with a certificate of apostille (name of the authentication stamp). You can get your document apostille at the office of Vital Records in your state, or visitwww.italiamerica.org/vital_records.htm.
6. If divorced, copy of the divorce certificate and legal translation of the certificate;
7. 2 witnesses (not family).

Additionally, Dominican law requires that notice of the intended marriage must be published prior to the ceremony.

Fees

Celebration of marriages at the Civil Registry Office “Oficialia Civil”:

• Both the bride and groom are foreigners not residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $20,000.00
• One is a foreigner not resident of the Dominican Republic - RD $10,000.00
• Both the bride and groom are foreigners residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $3,000.00

Celebration of marriages outside the Civil Registry Office (if the Civil Registry Officer goes somewhere else than the “Oficialia Civil” to celebrate the marriage):

• Both the bride and groom are foreigners not residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $20,000.00
• One is a foreigner not resident of the Dominican Republic - RD $15,000.00
• Both the bride and groom are foreigners residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $10,000.00

**For updated information on the fees, visit the Junta Central Electoral´s oficial fee webpage (information available only in Spanish)

Types of Marriages

Marriages in the Dominican Republic fall generally into one of two categories:

“Civil” marriages are those in which the parties themselves register the marriage with the Dominican government. The person officiating at the wedding ceremony is a government official, usually a Notary Public. It is the couple’s choice whether or not to hold a separate religious ceremony.

“Canonical” marriages are those performed by a Roman Catholic priest. Following the ceremony, the church takes responsibility for registering the marriage with the appropriate Dominican government offices.

Marriages in religious denominations other than Roman Catholicism are fully legal and permitted. However, only the Roman Catholic Church has the ability to register marriages on the couple’s behalf. In the case of wedding ceremonies in other denominations, both members of the couple must present themselves to the governmental registrar’s office to legalize the marriage. Details on this procedure follow below in the section under “Civil Marriages”.

Civil Marriages

Marriage in the Dominican Republic is a civil contract between a man and a woman who have freely agreed to marry and have the capacity to do so. In order to get married in the Dominican Republic, a man and woman must meet the following conditions:

1. The parties must express their free will to marry;
2. Men between 16 and 18 years old, or women between 15 and 18 years old may get married without the consent of their parents. Any required consent must be in writing and notarized, unless the person required to give this consent does so while attending the wedding ceremony; and
3. A man younger than 16 and a woman younger than 15 may not get married, even with their parents’ consent, although a judge may grant an exception for significant reasons.
4. No person may be married before a prior marriage is dissolved. A divorced woman cannot get married until 10 months after her divorce has become final, unless her intended husband is the same person she has divorced.

The government official performing the civil ceremony has the authority, at the time of the ceremony, to waive any of the above requirements. Such a waiver must be made in writing and outline the basis of the waiver.

The official performing the ceremony does so in the presence of the parties and witnesses. During the ceremony, the official asks the parties and witnesses whether either of the parties has been married previously, to each other or to other people. The party who has been married previously must supply the date of that marriage and the name of the person who officiated.

The Marriage Certificate includes the complete names of the spouses, the evidence of their written consent, a declaration they have been united in matrimony and the date of the celebration and the signatures of the Officer, the spouses and the witnesses. After the celebration the marriage is registered in the appropriate civil registries.

Civil marriage is dissolved by the death of one of the spouses or by divorce.

Canonical Marriages

A Canonical marriage performed by a Roman Catholic priest has the same legal effect as a civil marriage.

As was stated in the introductory section above, however, there is a procedural difference, insofar as the priest in a Canonical marriage is responsible for transmitting the registration documents to the appropriate Dominican government office(s). Even if a civil ceremony has taken place prior to the Canonical ceremony, the officiating priest must still send a copy of the marriage certificate to the government registry.

Hi Janelle - We were at Dreams La Romana this past June. Please let me know what questions I can answer. Thanks! Patty 

Hello Bloom 16 - Congratulations on your engagement!! I am one of the Wright Travel/Best Destination Wedding Forum TA's and I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding Dominican Republic and Jamaica. We were in the DR in January and Jamaica two weeks ago! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thanks! TA Patty

Good Morning - Check out our Punta Cana and La Romana Brides facebook page. Bego is a member and you can PM her. If you have any questions feel free to email me at [email protected]. Thanks TA Patty

Congratulations to all of the brides! I am a WOW Specialist and one of the BDW TA's specializing in Dominican Republic. Happy to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thanks! TA Patty

Congratulations on your engagement! My name is Patty Jordan and I am one of the BDW TA's specializing in Putna Cana. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. There are lots of great options in Punta Cana and I have been to all of the resorts you listed. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected],  714-281-6255 or Toll Free 866-208-8681. Thanks! TA Patty

Hi Scott- Congratulations on your engagement!! I am one of the BDW TA's and my specialty is Dominican Republic. I have been to Hard Rock Punta Cana and happy to answer any questions you may have. Hard Rock PC requires a minimum of 5 double occupancy rooms to block group space and with this you would receive group amenities. Please feel free to email me directly at [email protected]. Thanks! TA Patty

Good Morning ladies ~ Congratulations to all of you! We specialize in Dominican Republic and have been to Royalton Punta Cana. It's a great resort and please let me know if I can answer any questions for you. TA Patty & Kristen

Hello ladies - TA Patty here - I am one of the BDW TA's specializing in the Caribbean. I have been to Royalton Punta Cana and it is awesome! I love the clean contemporary decor and those Dreams Beds are just heavenly! I have resort information for all of the Royalton properties. Please feel free to contact us if you would like any further information or if we can be of assistance with planning your dream wedding. PM or my direct email is [email protected] Thanks! TA Patty

Thank you ladies! We love what we do and it's our pleasure to work with you and your guests! A little bit about how TA's at bestdestinationweding.com. Please let me know if anyone has any questions. Thanks! TA Patty

Your destination wedding is your special day and everyone wants to get the best rates possible for yourself as well as your guests. Absolutely rates are important and we work hard to get our clients the best rates possible, but making sure that you have an advocate working for you is also important.  We do not charge any service fees as we are paid by the supplier once travel is complete.  The TA's from the BDW Forum are destination wedding & honeymoon specialists. This means we have participated in hours of training, product updates, seminars and site visits where we visit the destinations and properties and tour all aspects of the resort. There are numerous continuing education opportunities each year as well as the opportunity to meet with our local resort and wholesaler representatives and this allows us to build strong relationships within the travel community. All of this along with years of experience in working with groups allows us to provide our clients with the best service possible. Our job is to make your job easier and and handle the travel arrangements for you and your guests. 

Hi - I just sent you a PM. My email is [email protected]. Look forward to speaking with you! Thanks TA Patty

Hi Brenda - Hope your day is going well! I heard back from the supplier and AMResorts is now allowing single occupancy rooms to count towards the room count for Now Larimar and the comp will be based on the gross amount - so it is a "free" room for the number of nights they calculate including taxes but not the transfer costs! I apologize for the confusion - I wish they would have updated us too so we can make sure we're providing clients with current & accurate information! I just sent this info to you in an email as well. Thanks! TA Patty  

Good Morning ladies! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I am one of the BDW TA's and I have been to the Jellyfish it is AWESOME! Mayte is wonderful too! All of my brides have just loved working with her. In regards to the weather - January through April is high season in the DR and weather is typically more mild, but you are in a tropical climate and it could rain at any time. Many times rain storms will move in and out fairly quickly. Last time I was there it was clear skies, a rain storm come up suddenly, lasted about 10 minutes and then blew out again. This is pretty typical. Hurricane season in the Caribbean is typically June through October with August/September being the highest time. October is very popular in the DR since the weather is more mild than the summer months. Unfortunatley weather is one of the things we just can't control! Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks! TA Patty

Good Morning - Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I am one of the BDW TA's and I have been to both Dreams Palm Beach and Dreams Punta. What are your specific questions and I'll do my best to answer. Thanks! TA PAtty

Hello ladies - I have stayed at HRPC and have some photos. Email me at [email protected] and I'm happy to send the photos and answer any questions about the property. Thanks! TA Patty

There are also services who assist for a fee: http://www.wedo.com.do/

You are urged to contact the Dominican Republic Services regarding any clarification or additional questions you may have. Please also confirm with the hotel you have chosen for your wedding if they require your birth certificates to be legalized or only translated is enough, and that your wedding date and details are confirmed.

YOUR WEDDING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

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.

• Original birth certificates. Send two photocopies.
• Valid and signed passports. Send two photocopies of the main page.
• 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.
• 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.

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:

Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the United States:
1715 22nd Street
NW, Washington DC 20008
Phone: (202) 332-6280
web: http://www.domrep.org/

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: [email protected]
Web: Index

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

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: [email protected]
Web: Embajada de La República Dominicana en Canadá | Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Canada | Ambassade de la République Dominicaine à Canada

Good Morning - A map of the resort is attached and the garden view rooms are the ones on the far right hand side. Best wishes with your wedding! TA Patty

Good Morning SammyAnna - I'm so sorry to hear you're having these difficulties. One suggestion I can offer is ask her to copy you each time she responds to a guest via email. We do this with our brides and it keeps them in the loop as to who is contacting us and booking. Good Luck! TA Patty

Congratulations to all our brides! If you are considering your wedding at Now Larimar Punta Cana something to keep in mind is the location of their deluxe garden view rooms. The deluxe garden view rooms are located in the area behind Now Larimar & Secrets Royal Beach (it was formerly another resort). These rooms do not have beach front access, you have to cross over the main road in & out of Now Larimar & Secrets Royal Beach and are also a fair distance from the main resort ares. Please see the resort map below and feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any further questions. Thanks! TA Patty

Now Larimar Punta Cana

Tropical View Rooms are located in the purple squares. Garden View rooms are located in the green squares.

Originally Posted by Lauren Lopez 

 

Hey everyone! Was just curious if anyone has been to either NOW Larimar or Melia Caribe Tropical hotels and can tell me a little about either one of them. Those are the two hotels I am currently in between. Thanks so much all!

Hi Lauren ~ Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!  I have been to both resorts and they are both nice. It just depends what you're looking for in a resort. Melia Caribe is larger than Now Larimar but the standard rooms at both resorts are comparable in size, Now Larimar is slightly larger with 495 vs 450 sq ft. I thought the grounds at Melia Caribe were nice, lush and tropical and I really liked the Royal Service. We had dinner at the Mexican restaurant at Melia and it was very good. We didn't get to sample the restaurants at Now Larimar but they had a good variety. If you have any additional questions please feel free to conatact me at [email protected] or 866-208-8681. Thanks! TA Patty