Caitlin Smith

Hi, hmszafranki! I was married at Dreams in early December, and it was pretty dark by 6-6:30. I'm not sure if it's changed much since then... And, we were the same way with both the rehearsal dinner and reception - we had 12 guests and I just couldn't justify paying $15 a seat for a reservation. So, for our rehearsal, my husband's father went to Oceana when it opened to try and put in our request. Unfortunately, there was a line for the restaurant so we couldn't have it there (if you have a large party, they have to seat everyone in line before they'll seat your party). But, we were able to get in a Seaside Grill (it's right next door) with no problem, so we waited for everyone outside Oceana and just walked over to Seaside Grill together. It was really nice! They put us in the left side of the restaurant at three tables right next to each other, and it worked out perfectly. It even felt very private, even though we were in the middle of the restaurant. My advice is to have a Plan A and Plan B if you aren't doing the reservation, and to have your designated table-getting there when the restaurant opens (restaurant times will be on the daily newsletter you get in your room). Plus, there's always the World Cafe if for some reason it doesn't work out. There was always a lot of extra room and big tables in there. Good luck!!

Hi! No, we got married at Dreams Punta Cana.

thanks, karleen! we were married dec. 8. we stayed at the resort from dec. 4-14. it was amazing! 85 degrees every day with about 5 minutes of rain every day. but, it was beautiful! the cake seriously feed 30 people. we had 14 people. Everyone had a piece of cake at the reception, and we had about more than 1/2 left. and, we cut the pieces ourselves so i'm sure they were bigger than what the resort would have done (they offered, but we already started so we just kept cutting). if you have extra cake, they will deliver it to your room! haha just make sure you ask for a box. we just assumed they would give us one, and it arrived to our room on the platter it was served on in the restaurant. and, we never able to get someone to find us one ("the place with the boxes is closed... oh, they should have already given you one.... we dont know where to get one"). but, the resort brought us some foil to cover it, and that worked just fine. there are pictures of the cake on my facebook page if you'd like to see it - facebook.com/caitlinsmith70

hi! sorry about the delay in getting back to you! things have been crazy with the upcoming holiday! our ceremony was at 4 p.m. it was the perfect time - just late enough to still enjoy the day, and we still had lots of sunlight afterwards for pictures. the sunsets around 6:30ish in December. and, my facebook url is facebook.com/caitlinsmith70. that's the worst part of having a common name... there are like a million other caitlin smith's so i'm a little hard to find!

hi! we had two round tables, but they were right next to each other. we had a total of 14 (with ryan and i), so there were some extra seats because each table held 8. we bounced back and forth in between courses to talk to everyone. none our of guests seemed to mind. the set up was similar for our rehearsal dinner at the sea side grill, except they were two rectangular tables. depending on what time of year you go, i would NOT recommend doing a reservation at one of the restaurants for your rehearsal or after your wedding. apparently, in december, the resort is empty - something we did not know until we got there, but it was so nice!! yessica mentioned it was $15 per person to make a reservation. we thought about it and decided against it. on our way to the wedding, yessica told me that she went ahead and had tables set up at el patio, and she did not charge us. as for the rehearsal, we got to the restaurant when it opened and put it our request and they had no problem accommodating us. i know our family members took pictures of both events. as soon as i get one, i'll post it here for you to see. also, at the reception dinner, the manager of el patio set up a cake table for us and brought out our cake after dinner was complete, along with a cake server and knife. they even brought out champagne for everyone and our family did their toasts. no charge!! and, they will deliver the extra cake to your room... haha!

hi! we just returned from our wedding at dreams punta cana! everything was BEAUTIFUL! you will not be disappointed. we had a small group come with us - 12 family members and friends. yessica was our wedding coordinator, and she did our symbolic ceremony at the gazebo. it was perfect and just so sweet. she even read a traditional irish prayer and toast for us during and after the wedding. afterwards, she arranged for tables to be set up at el patio. it was so pretty! and, personally, i thought it was the perfect spot. the restaurant has a large open space in the back - enough for 2 tables and the wedding cake table - and it felt surprisingly private despite being in the restaurant with other people. michael weiler from caribbean emotions was our photographer, and he was AMAZING. so funny and patient, and even my fiance who HATES having his picture taken had fun! the pictures are just stunning. if you like to see them, feel free to friend me on facebook - facebook.com/caitlinsmith70. i'd be more than happy to answer any questions you might have! good luck and congratulations to everyone out there!

Ours is at 4pm at the gazebo! it's nice to find someone who's getting married the same day!

i thought that would post under your post, @worried bride. so sorry about that! i'm getting married dec. 8, too, at dreams. what time is your wedding?

me, too!

me, too!

I am! We're getting married Dec. 8 at Dreams Punta Cana!

I just read on the Dreams Punta Cana brides Facebook page that a girl just did a bon fire on the beach with drink service after dinner for her guest. She had a small wedding, too, and said it was a really nice extra without having a big reception. They rented a sound system from the resort and played music from their iPod while their guest enjoyed drinks and dancing. I'm looking into this option now. ) We're not super formal, and something like that seemed more like us. Just something else to consider! Good luck! -Caitlin

Hi! I'm getting married in December, and we are having a tiny wedding at Dreams Punta Cana. I agree with you - it seems like most people are having big weddings! My fiance and I have been together 9 years next month, so we're kind of over the whole "wedding" thing. We invited only family and close friends and have about 10 people coming. We're doing the free symbolic ceremony at the wedding gazebo (the wedding package is free when you stay in the honeymoon suite), followed by photos, then dinner at one of the restaurants. We're getting legally married in the U.S. because we didn't want to deal with getting a judge, doing all the paperwork, waiting for the marriage license, etc. I've heard from other brides/friends who have visited the resort that if you just do to the restaurant you want to eat at when it re-opens for dinner and tell them how many you have, they'll put a table together for you and just give you a buzzer so you can come back when it's ready. It seemed wasteful to send $600 on a reception for such a small number of people... And, I've heard that the beach wedding isn't really that private at some resorts. All they do it rope off a small section, so everyone just hanging out on the beach is watching you. You can have your photographer take everyone over to the beach for some photos - that's what we're going to be going. Hope this helps!