Destination wedding at Dreams Macao Beach – an Honest Review from Shirley and William

Brianna and Aszah dance together in matching floral outfits at a festive destination wedding indoors.

Brianna and Aszah stand face to face at their destination wedding on a sunset beach, friends gathered.

A couple in matching tropical outfits holds hands, one with a bouquet, at a destination wedding.

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Destination Wedding Details

Ceremony Venue

Macao Beach

Reception Venue

Seaside Grill (Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana)

Wedding Package?

Beyond Memorable

Cost of Wedding Package? Did you add any upgrades?

$12,049. We did do some upgrades, bringing it to a total of $17,500 (including the wedding package). Mostly just adding a MC, some bistro lights to the venues, a photographer for just the reception, and a live music trio, and DJ.

How did Destify help you choose the perfect destination and resort for your wedding?

They asked us questions and made sure that the selection we made had everything we needed and wanted.

What was your favorite wedding moment with your spouse?

Everything. We had such a blast. We even scheduled special excursions to spend extra quality time with our guests. We went snorkeling with sharks, went on a catamaran party with all our friends, danced all night at our reception, and ate so much good food.

What was your favorite experience at the wedding?

We had a sunrise ceremony, and I think that was pretty special for us.

How was the experience for your guests, and what did they enjoy most about the wedding and destination?

They all had a blast. I think the part they liked the most was the all-you-can-drink (it being a younger crowd), but they had some much fun at the welcome dinner, reception, just hanging with us at the pool or the beach.

Looking back, what would you say to couples considering a destination wedding with Destify?

Trust the process. It will all work out.

How was your ceremony, and did you have a reception? Where was your reception?

Our ceremony was very casual and improvised in the sense that we didn’t want anything fancy, especially since we were doing a 6 am sunrise ceremony, we didn’t want our guests to feel obligated to wake up that early. BUT EVERYONE WAS THERE. It was a super special moment for us. We had a reception in the afternoon the same day. It was originally meant to be in Macao Plaza, an open space the resort had for wedding venues, but because of rain it was moved to one of their restaurants that was closed for that evening, the Seaside Grill, which honestly might have worked better. We had more privacy and since it was a smaller venue everyone was interacting with everyone. It felt pretty great.

What did you love most about getting married at your resort?

They really took charge of everything. The only stress we had was of will it rain. Which even then, we weren’t that stressed about. (There was a hurricane passing by the weekend of our wedding, but everything went great)

How did the amenities at your resort make your wedding week special?

WE got to spend special moments with all our guests. Because we are all in the same space, you get to interact with your wedding guests a lot more than at regular weddings, which was what we wanted.

What features of your resort made your ceremony or reception memorable?

The beach was pretty clutch. It was a public beach, but still. It was pretty nice, it was super clean, the water looked amazing, the view was pretty good. We had a very nice sunrise ceremony.

How did you feel about planning a destination wedding at first, and in what ways did our team help simplify the process and bring your vision to life?

We knew we wanted a destination wedding. Especially as soon as we saw how much cheaper it would be for us versus hosting something in the city we are living in (NYC). And we got to spend so much quality time with our guests that we might not have been able to get if we had hosted anywhere else that was not a resort.

Knowing what you know, would you do a destination wedding again?

We don’t regret doing a destination wedding and would do it all over again if we really had to (but hopefully getting married once is enough). HOWEVER, we had so much fun that we joke about celebrating our anniversary at the resort every year with a select group of friends.

💖 Cost of Wedding Package? Did you add any upgrades?

$12,049. We did do some upgrades, bringing it to a total of $17,500 (including the wedding package). Mostly just adding a MC, some bistro lights to the venues, a photographer for just the reception, and a live music trio, and DJ.

💖 How did Destify help you choose the perfect destination and resort for your wedding?

They asked us questions and made sure that the selection we made had everything we needed and wanted.

💖 What was your favorite wedding moment with your spouse?

Everything. We had such a blast. We even scheduled special excursions to spend extra quality time with our guests. We went snorkeling with sharks, went on a catamaran party with all our friends, danced all night at our reception, and ate so much good food.

💖 Looking back, what would you say to couples considering a destination wedding with Destify?

Trust the process. It will all work out.

💖 How was your ceremony, and did you have a reception? Where was your reception?

Our ceremony was very casual and improvised in the sense that we didn’t want anything fancy, especially since we were doing a 6 am sunrise ceremony. We didn’t want our guests to feel obligated to wake up that early. BUT EVERYONE WAS THERE. It was a super special moment for us. We had a reception in the afternoon the same day. It was originally meant to be in Macao Plaza, an open space the resort had for wedding venues, but because of rain it was moved to one of their restaurants that was closed for that evening, the Seaside Grill, which honestly might have worked better. We had more privacy and since it was a smaller venue everyone was interacting with everyone. It felt pretty great.

💖 What did you love most about getting married at your resort?

They really took charge of everything. The only stress we had was of rain. Which even then, we weren’t that stressed about. (There was a hurricane passing by the weekend of our wedding, but everything went great)

💖 How did the amenities at your resort make your wedding week special?

WE got to spend special moments with all our guests. Because we are all in the same space, you get to interact with your wedding guests a lot more than at regular weddings, which was what we wanted.

💖 What features of your resort made your ceremony or reception memorable?

The beach was pretty clutch. It was a public beach, but still. It was pretty nice, it was super clean, the water looked amazing, the view was pretty good. We had a very nice sunrise ceremony.

💖 How did you feel about planning a destination wedding at first, and in what ways did our team help simplify the process and bring your vision to life?

We knew we wanted a destination wedding. Especially as soon as we saw how much cheaper it would be for us versus hosting something in the city we are living in (NYC). And we got to spend so much quality time with our guests that we might not have been able to get if we had hosted anywhere else that was not a resort.

💖 Where did you purchase your wedding dress or attire from?

For the ceremony, Will got an outfit from Thailand to resemble a chill beach vibes, and I used one of his family’s Chinese qipao dress. And then for the reception we got matching Hawaiian shirts/pants with our faces on them.

Resort

Dreams Macao Beach

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Date

Sunday October 26, 2025

Venue

Beach

Wedding Package

Beyond Memorable

Cost

$17,500

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Wedding experience and advice

What was your favorite experience at the wedding?

We had a sunrise ceremony, and I think that was pretty special for us.

How was the experience for your guests, and what did they enjoy most about the wedding and destination?

They all had a blast. I think the part they liked the most was the all-you-can-drink (it being a younger crowd), but they had some much fun at the welcome dinner, reception, just hanging with us at the pool or the beach.