Is Hard Rock Punta Cana a good option for my destination wedding?

Yasmin & Ruben’s Wedding

Yasmin Grullon was a destination bride in Punta Cana but she was also involved in all her wedding planning for her celebration at Hard Rock Punta Cana, how was that possible? How stressful could this be? Let’s talk with her about her experience and how she dealed with everything.

“Planning the small details of our destination wedding is something I really enjoyed! There were several small details that I was able to incorporate into our day to make the day feel uniquely ours. For example, on my bouquet I added photo pendants of my grandmothers who have passed away. It was really touching to have them there with me in that small way. Additionally, I was able to customize a few simple decor items that were simple to travel with and added a touch of “me”.
I made table numbers, a few signs, displayed canvas photos from our engagement photoshoot, created personalized gifts for guests, and even custom kids crayon boxes and activity kits. Those projects (although they were small) allowed me to feel like I was able to put my own special touch on our day” says Yasmin with a big smile.

How can you give a personal touch for your destination wedding? “While resorts may host hundreds of weddings a year, it was important to us that ours fit our personalities and what we value most. Something we both really wanted to do was exchange personal vows; however, my husband is extremely shy about speaking in front of lots of people. As a result, we worked with our photo and video team to plan a first look. During our first look we exchanged our personal and private vows to one another and it is honestly one of my fondest memories of our wedding day. It was a time where it was just us two, reminiscing on the moments that got us to that day and making promises to love one another forever.

Hard Rock Punta Cana is one of the largest all inclusive resorts in Punta Cana and they do hundreds of weddings a year, not to mention that they do big weddings with large groups. Was that an inconvenient for your celebration?

“We really gravitated towards the Hard Rock Punta Cana because we felt that the resort offered great benefits for large groups and that it would have lots of variety for all of our guests regardless of what they enjoy in a vacation (entertainment, food, adult only spaces, kid friendly options, etc.). Some of the PROS of working with the Hard Rock include ability to earn lots of concessions, numerous beautiful venue options, and wonderful coordinators to help you every step of the way. My experience with both my Miami coordinator and On-Site coordinators were wonderful! They helped me bring my vision to life and allowed me to just focus on enjoying our festivities!”

That is not to say that there are not some CONS as well. While the property is huge which provides your guests many options – it can sometimes feel too big. Getting anywhere is time consuming and if you have any guests with mobility issues this may be something to consider. Additionally, while you can enjoy lot’s of complimentary wedding benefits – there are many that are not included. Many of the outdoor venues have a substantial additional set up charge and their outside vendor fees are expensive. However, in some cases (such as photo/video), you are still better off going with an outside vendor than using their preferred who is substantially more costly and provides a fraction of the services.

Time to talk about your love story…

“Ruben and I started dating 7 years ago when he joined a mutual friend to a game night I was hosting. That night Ruben got a parking ticket, after I gave him some apparently bad advice on where to park. He messaged me when he left to let me know – so I wouldn’t have other guests park there in the future. I felt so guilty and tried to send him the cash for the ticket but he refused. Instead he suggested I make it up to him by joining him for dinner!

A few days later we had our first date. We were up until the early morning just hanging out – singing our favorite songs together, dancing around my living room, watching “Sanky Panky” (a comedy that takes place in the Dominican Republic), and just talking into the early hours of the morning as we got to know each other. It was seriously the most magical night. We always joke that our love story started in DR with “Sanky Panky” – and therefore it only felt right to say “I Do” in that very place.

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Rivera, we wish you the best! You deserve it!