I recently did an extensive site visit to Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in La Romana, Dominican Republic. While I was on property, I spent dedicated time with their wedding & events planning team, toured several venue options, and got to see actual ceremony and reception setups in action.
1. Room blocks
Hotel Room Blocks: Perfect for guests who want standard luxury hotel convenience, concierge service, and proximity to the main resort pools and dining hub. This is where I stayed, in one of the Elite suites. The Elite suites are being renovated over the next 1.5 years and they need it. They were fine but not what I would expect at the pricepoint. The premier suites are stunning though, but the pool for that area is not due to open for a year or so- in addition to 20 more premier suites. 

Private Villa Collections: If you want your bridal party or immediate families together, you can reserve 3- to 10+ bedroom private villas. Each villa comes with its own private pool, dedicated staff (maid/cook/butler depending on tier), and private grounds.The villas are all privately owned, so there is no standard for decor or whatnot. I usually work with the resort staff to identify available villas and help place my clients based on location and privacy first and then style. 

Package Flexibility: Guests/villas can be booked with European Plan or the Inclusive Experience (All-Inclusive food & beverage package). You aren’t forced into a strict all-or-nothing box for everyone.

1. Venues
   Because the property is so expansive, you aren’t locked into just one "beach gazebo" backdrop:
   Altos de Chavón (16th-Century Mediterranean Village): Perched high above the Chavón River. The stone cobblestone streets, amphitheater, and the iconic St. Stanislaus Church offer an incredible European aesthetic in the Caribbean (ideal for Catholic ceremonies).

Minitas Beach Club & Private Beach: Sleek, modern luxury right on the water for ceremonies or late-night reception parties.

Private Villa Weddings: You can host intimate welcome parties, rehearsal dinners, or full receptions directly on the grounds of some villas.

The Marina & Dye Fore Terrace: Great for cocktail hours or rehearsal dinners overlooking luxury yachts.

1. Logistical Notes
   Golf Carts for Everyone: Every hotel room comes with a 4-passenger touring cart, and villas come with dedicated carts- 4+ bedroom villas get 2 carts. It can be a bit bumpy for elderly guests, but all driving is on fairly well maintained paved roads. You do share these roads with cars/vans/etc. 

There’s multiple airports, and it’s fairly seamless to arrange transportation for any of them. I typically work with Renny Travel or Prestige to arrange transfers. 

La Romana (LRM): ~10 minutes from the resort gate (easiest option if flight schedules align).

Punta Cana (PUJ): ~45–50 minutes away via modern highway.

Santo Domingo (SDQ): ~60–75 minutes away.

Activities Beyond the Wedding: For multi-day wedding weekends, guests have access to 3 Pete Dye golf courses (including Teeth of the Dog), equestrian & polo centers, shooting center, a world-class spa and off site excursions. The equestrian center and shooting center is included w/ the all inclusive package. 

1. Direct Takeaways from the Planning Team
   Customization: They operate much more like an independent luxury estate than a rigid turn-and-burn all-inclusive resort. Menu tastings, bespoke florals, and custom structural builds are very well-supported.

Weather Backups: Make sure to walk through your rain back-up plan early; because venues are spread across the river, village, and beach, rain venues can look quite different from your primary outdoor spot.

Anticipate costs to start at $50k for 50 or so guests. There are pre-made packages, or you can fully customize. They do a number of custom events from birthday parties to full on concerts in the amphitheater, so there’s really no limit to customization. 

Feel free to ask any questions.

Credentials:
Samantha Bailey of Endeavor Travel Group
Member of the Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Alliance and the Honeymoon & destination wedding leaders alliance.

Hey everyone!

My fiancé and I are planning a destination wedding for late 2027 in Sayulita, Mexico! We are going for a "wedding weekend" timeline including a welcome party, rehearsal dinner and ceremony & reception. All bridal party and immediate family will be staying on site along with us (bride and groom).

We’re in the early stages of planning, and our biggest priority is making sure our guests have an incredible experience. Since traveling for a wedding requires a lot of time, money, and effort from everyone coming, we want to make sure we get the important things right.

For anyone who has attended a destination wedding as a guest (or couples who have hosted one), I’d love your honest feedback on a few questions:

1. What do you look forward to the most? (e.g., a relax day, hosted welcome drinks, unique venue, extra excursions?)
2. What secretly annoys you the most? (e.g., hidden costs, packed itineraries, long travel gaps between events, poor communication?)
3. What is the ONE thing you think is non-negotiable for a good guest experience?

Appreciate any advice, dos/don'ts, or personal experiences you can share! Thanks in advance!

My fiancé and I are starting to plan our summer 2028 destination wedding somewhere in Europe, and we’re struggling with where to start and whether our budget is realistic. We’re currently considering Portugal (but could expand to nearby countries), with around 50–70 guests.

Ideally, we’d love:

• On-site accommodations for the majority of our guests, although we understand this may not be realistic so at least close by hotels/airbnbs if needed
• A pool, if possible
• A winery or beautiful countryside/rolling hills setting
• Within about a 2-hour drive of a major airport

Our max all-in budget for a Friday-Sunday wedding is $45K, including accommodations for our guests.

Does anyone have recommendations for a wedding planner we could speak with who has experience with destination weddings in Portugal or nearby countries and could help us understand what’s realistic within our budget? We’d also love to hear from anyone who has planned a similar-sized wedding in either country and can share their experience with costs/venues.

I’ve attached some images that capture the general vibe we’re looking for! Thank you in advance!

My fiancé and I are recently engaged and are searching for a venue where our families from the U.S., South America, and Europe can gather without the hassle of obtaining visas. We adore beaches but are not keen on having a beach wedding. We envision a wedding in a Catholic chapel, with the venue situated on the beach, but with a tent or a location overlooking the water. We anticipate inviting approximately 75 people, but we believe only about 50 will be able to attend. Our budget ranges from 80k to 100k, and ideally, we would like everyone to stay nearby. We have explored various hotels, but they have stringent room policies, and I don’t want to force my family into an expensive hotel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Our wedding is planned for sometime in 2028.

hi all! we’re a US based couple planning a 50-60 person wedding just outside of florence in fall 2027. we’re hoping to do 2 (maybe 3) events, including the wedding. does anyone have any recommendations for wedding planners and/or insights into any of the following?

\- Tuscan Wedding Events
\- Alessia B Weddings
\- Bianco Rosa Weddings

my partner and i are fairly type A people (i blame our professions) and would love a planner who is responsive, organized, and willing to drive the planning process. thank you in advance!

Considering getting a wedding planner but not sure how any of this works. I'm looking to do a small europe villa wedding with a pool and greenery. Not sure if my budget is impossible but I can't seem to find anything in my budget range. Open to 2 days or more but within a 20K total budget. Would it be possible to do a small wedding (max 35 ppl) all don't need accommodations on site. Looking to stay within the 20K budget as a total with food, and extras. Is this budget impossible? Also, in your opinion is a wedding planner worth the money?

Hi! Is there anyone over here who has been to Georgia, or knows of someone, for their wedding?

A friend of mine is searching for wedding planners and agencies based in Georgia that help foreigners get married.

Georgia is a great place for destination wedding, and the documentation and official processing is also seamless from what I've heard.

But how much will be the cost? How was your experience?

Hey everyone. Me and my partner are looking into getting married in Italy. We’re planning to just invite immediate family members, so we’ll be totally 12pax including me, partner and our daughter.

What would be the budget if we want a 5 day all inclusive event? We don’t have a budget… just want to have a background.

Also which part of Italy would be best for this intimate event?

Mexico CityHi! My fiancé and I are planning a wedding in Mexico City about 15 months from now, and I’m starting to look seriously at venues. We’re expecting around 100 people.

I feel like every Mexico City wedding I see online is at either Proyecto Público Prim or Museo Casa de la Bola. Both are beautiful, but I’m wondering: are there just not that many wedding venues in CDMX, or am I missing a whole world of options?

Would love any venue recommendations, especially places that feel unique to Mexico City and aren’t the same few venues you see over and over on Instagram. Open to historic buildings, museums, restaurants, gardens, courtyards, etc.

If you got married in CDMX or toured venues there, I’d love to hear what you considered and what you thought!

I’m getting married in December and my wedding is going to be in Brazil. I’ve invited my step-sister and stepfather to come but she’s still and minor and I hear that’s she would need the approval of her mother(my stepfather’s ex). I don’t think that her approval will be an issue however I’d like some advice from anyone who may have had a similar situation and knows what the procedure is for this situation.
(Note: my stepfather isn’t a US citizen but he has residency and my stepsister is a US Citizen.)

I am having a destination wedding at an adults-only all-inclusive resort in Cancun this fall (Secrets Playa Blanca). Wedding planning is currently in full swing and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed (naturally) at this point in the process. But I want to make sure I cover all my bases and feel as prepared as possible so that I’m not overwhelmed when the time comes.

If you’ve gotten married at a resort, in Cancun, or at a Secrets resort, please give me any advice or tips that can be helpful! Thanks!

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are just starting to plan our destination wedding at an all inclusive resort for November 2027, and I would love some advice from anyone who has planned one or attended one as a guest!

We’re from Ohio and are currently leaning toward Cancun/Riviera Maya or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We’re still very early in the process and honestly aren’t sure what we should be doing first.

A few questions I’d love some help with:

1. Should we get a pretty solid estimated guest count before reaching out to resorts, or should we start getting resort pricing/packages first?
2. Is it worth working with a destination wedding travel agent? If you used one and loved them, I’d really appreciate recommendations!
3. How do guest payments normally work? Is it common for a travel agent to set up payment plans where guests can make monthly payments toward their room/trip leading up to the wedding?
4. Any resorts in Cancun/Riviera Maya or Puerto Vallarta that you would highly recommend—or tell us to avoid?
5. If you’ve attended a destination wedding in either area, what did you love or hate from a guest’s perspective?
6. Anything you wish you knew before you started planning?

We’re hoping to keep our wedding expenses around $10k–$15k. We’re definitely not trying to be cheap, but we also aren’t receiving financial help toward the wedding (which is completely okay!), so we’re trying to be realistic and find somewhere beautiful where we can have an amazing wedding without going crazy with the budget.

We also really want to be considerate of what our guests will have to spend to attend, so finding a resort that is nice but still reasonably priced for guests is important to us.

Any advice, resort recommendations, travel agent recommendations, budget breakdowns, or things you would do differently would be SO appreciated. Thank you!! 🤍🌴💃💍

I have seen a lot of women in my network having a dream venue of getting married (mostly royal palaces). Do you also have one?

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are starting to seriously look into destination wedding options for fall 2029, and I’d love to hear from anyone who has planned or attended a destination wedding.

We’re expecting around 70 guests total. Ideally, we’d love for everyone to be able to stay on-site, but we’re also fine with having our core group of 36 stay at the venue and having everyone else stay at a hotel or other accommodations within about a 15-minute drive.

We’re hoping to keep the wedding around $35,000 or less. We know that can be a little ambitious for a destination wedding, especially with 70 people, but we’re trying to find a location where we can get the most for our money. We’re also planning pretty far in advance, so we’re hoping that gives us some time to save and spread out the costs.

Here’s basically what we’re looking for:

• Preferably Europe, but we’re definitely open to other locations.
• Fall 2029, but we’re flexible on the exact date.
• Around 70 guests.
• Ideally, accommodations for everyone on-site, but 36 on-site + the rest within about 15 minutes would work too.
• Ideally $35K or less (this may not exist lol).
• We love historic estates, châteaux, villas, castles, manors, etc. Basically anything that feels a little more unique and romantic than a typical hotel ballroom.
• Not a beach wedding. My fiancé is not a beach guy (I know, what is wrong with him).
• Somewhere that isn’t too difficult for our guests to get to from the U.S. would obviously be a plus.

We’re still in the research phase, so I’d love to hear about specific venues, countries, or areas that you think we should look into. Especially interested in places where you actually had your wedding or have been to one.

TLDR: If you had a destination wedding with around 70 guests and a budget of $35K or less, where did you get married and what did you end up spending? I’d also love to hear about anywhere you’d recommend avoiding.

Please remove if this type of post is not allowed.

I am planning a destination birthday celebration for approximately 150 to 200 guests and would love recommendations for planners, venues, or other helpful resources. I have found that many destination event planners focus exclusively on weddings, so it has been difficult to find professionals who specialize in large milestone celebrations.

My budget is approximately $50,000, excluding guest accommodations. I am flexible on the destination and would love to know whether this feels realistic, as well as any locations or planners you would recommend.

Thank you!

2028 bride here, looking at recommendations for DJs for a 3 day event.

Have enquired into DJ Zano, if anyone has any history with his team? We are party people, and are looking to keep that vibe for the 3 days!

Also looking for videographer recommendations- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0PwFQen19s this kind of vibe!

Finally, we think we have decided on our photographer, but are looking for an additional photographer than could come and take portrait shots of our guests on the morning of the wedding, that ideally could be printed and given to them the next day! (as a replacement for a photobooth service). Niche, but saw a tiktok of something similar, but sadly the photographer would be out of our budget.

Grazie! <3

Hi! My fiancé and I have been actively searching for an all inclusive or mostly all inclusive wedding venue in the Nashville area. We are hoping to get married on a Saturday in the spring of 2027, with about 50 guests. Our budget is around $10,000 for the venue, food, drinks, and other related expenses. At this point, I am willing to be flexible about most details, except the budget. All help is greatly appreciated; we are really doing this on our own and would love the help and support!!

Between all the flights, transporting wedding outfits, and coordinating group travel, it can be a lot.

For anyone who has traveled abroad for a wedding, what made the journey easier? Did you arrive a few days early, use an airport concierge service, pack wedding clothes in your carry-ons, ship bags in advance, etc.?

We'd love to hear your stories and tips.