Beach Receptions

Just wondering if anyone else is planning a beach reception in the Dominican. We want to have a DJ and so we are forced to have a private reception and our two options are either the steak house (which is only partially closed off) or the beach.

I was really interested in the beach reception but then we got the cost and now I am really struggling to decide if it is reasonable. We are getting married at the Riu Palace Punta Cana next May and they are quoting us $80/person with at least 50 adult guest attending (so at least $4000). We will already be paying $2600 for the wedding package which includes a free reception at the steak house if you don't want a DJ or a private reception.

I am curious what other resorts in Punta Cana are charging for private receptions as I am considering changing resorts if they are much cheaper. I feel that $80/person is a lot for a buffet that us and our guests are already paying for.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I totally agree! We are looking at Las Brisas in Huatulco Mexico and they are quoting us $90/person! It's an all inclusive resort. I understand there are extra costs involved but that seems really steep!

You should check out Dreams Punta Cana. They have some good packages that will include 10 or 20 people in them and then you pay a per person charge for everyone over the limit.

So for us we are thinking of getting the Ultimate package includes ceremony, flowers, some pictures, massages and gold cocktail hour and dinner for up to 20 people ( I think) for about $2600 and then we'll have to pay something like $34/person for everyone over 20 for the cocktail & dinner.

It's my understanding that we get to chose from various private locations at the resort for the cocktail hour & dinner. We are most likely not paying a DJ but brining an Ipod with all the music we want.

Dreams Resorts

hope that helps a bit.

I am having my reception on the beach. i am also considering using a DJ (i believe the cost is $200/hr and we would need him for 3 hours) but there is also the option of using an IPOD. My wedding is at Paradisus Palma Real. There the buffet is around $55 per person but once you get into the details it really starts to add up. That really bothers me because i feel as if my guest have already paid for the food since it is an AI. If i had to do it all over again i may have choses Sandals because a lot of the wedding/reception costs were already included.

Thanks for all the feedback...it is really helpful.

What is the Ipod option, because I would rather bring my ipod than pay $300 for a DJ that I will provide all the music to anyway.

I am getting frustrated with the resort we chose as they can't seem to answer any of my questions. We were looking at the dreams resort but we read some questionable reviews on it...but it seems like a lot of people are going there so we may change our minds. Does the $2600 include the beach reception? Because our $2600 includes a restaurant reception with food and drinks for 2 hours but I wanted to have music so we are forced into a private reception.

Our beach reception was included, and we only had to pay a minimal fee per person to make it private, I think 15 dollars a person. We had a dj on the beach and we danced in the sand it was fun. The wedding package was free and all you had to do was pay for your upgrades, the food was amazing, and they even did nice menus with your name on it for your guests. We got married at the Ocean Sands/Blue.

WOW!! That sounds great! How many guests did you have?? At the Riu i don't qualify for a free package as we have too many guests.

I had 45 guests, but the more you have the better because you would most likely fill the beach reception venu up so you would not have to pay the private fee. The menu was absolutely delicious with lot's of variety. The free wedding came with so many rooms booked. Again I had upgrades but it was reaonably priced

I will have to look into that resort! That sounds so much more reasonable that what we are currently looking at!!

Thanks for the info.

So the saga with this reception continues...I just got an email stating that the minimum price for a beach reception is $5000 and you cannot have more than 50 guests. The sales coordinator at this resort cannot seem to get things straight!

I am very tempted to change to a different resort...only problem is my fiance is dead set on this one. ughhh!

Like what in the world could they give you at the reception that costs $5000?!?!?!