The Dominican Republic is a Catholic country, and that changes what’s possible. Priests here are used to visiting couples rather than puzzled by them, and the resorts that offer sacramental ceremonies have working relationships with local clergy instead of scrambling to find someone willing.
The part that catches people out isn’t the destination. It’s the calendar. A Catholic wedding starts at your home parish, often nine to twelve months before the date, and no resort can shorten that for you. Couples who begin with their priest and work outward toward the venue have a far easier time than the other way round.
Three resorts in La Romana arrange Catholic ceremonies. Our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists coordinate with the resort while your parish handles the rest of your destination wedding.
Best Catholic Destination Wedding Venues at Top La Romana Resorts
Three resorts in La Romana support Catholic ceremonies, spanning five stars down to three and a half.
1. Casa De Campo Resort & Villas
Casa De Campo Resort & Villas is the only five-star property in La Romana and the most established name on this coast for a religious wedding.
It supports Catholic, Jewish, and South Asian ceremonies as well as civil and symbolic, which is a range no other resort in the area comes close to. For a sacramental wedding that matters in a specific way: a team used to working with clergy understands that a Mass runs longer than the hour most timelines allow, that the paperwork comes from a diocese rather than a registrar, and that the religious elements are the event rather than decoration around it.
Learn more about Casa De Campo Resort & Villas and get a free quote today >>
2. Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham
Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham is the largest resort supporting Catholic ceremonies here, a 3.5-star family-friendly property with six wedding venues.
Catholic weddings tend to bring wider guest lists than the destination average, often three generations of one family, and a large resort at this price point is what makes that affordable. The venue spread helps too: an enclosed room for 100, a 200-guest poolside space and a beach, so the celebration after the ceremony has somewhere to go whatever the weather does.
Learn more about Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham and get a free quote today >>
3. Viva Dominicus Palace by Wyndham
Viva Dominicus Palace by Wyndham runs the same ceremony range at the medium-sized sister property next door.
Being the smaller of the pair is an advantage for a religious wedding. Your family occupies a larger share of the resort, the coordinators are handling fewer events that week, and a ceremony with a fixed start time set by a priest is less likely to collide with somebody else’s. Guests can still use both properties, so a wide family can spread across the two.
Learn more about Viva Dominicus Palace by Wyndham and get a free quote today >>
More Information for Planning Your Catholic Destination Wedding in La Romana
Here’s what our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists raise with couples planning a sacramental ceremony abroad.
Catholic Destination Wedding Venues Appeal
A Catholic destination wedding gives you the sacrament and the week together. At home, that usually means a ceremony in one place and a reception in another with everyone driving between them. Here the Mass, the dinner, and the next three days all happen within a few minutes of each other.
The Dominican Republic is also genuinely Catholic rather than merely accommodating of Catholics, and the difference shows. Arranging a priest is a normal request on this coast, and the resorts that offer it have done so many times.
Start with your home parish, not the resort. Expect marriage preparation, baptismal and confirmation certificates issued recently rather than decades ago, and a letter from your pastor to the Dominican diocese. Requirements vary by diocese and do change, so confirm the current ones with your priest and your Certified Destination Wedding Specialist before committing to a date. Build in nine to twelve months, and say at the very first conversation whether you need a full Mass rather than a shorter rite, because it affects the priest, the timing, and the space.
La Romana Destination Wedding Cost
The average couple marrying in the Dominican Republic spends around $8,959 in total, with most landing between $7,000 and $11,000. That covers the wedding package, accommodations, airfare, and extras. Rooms average roughly $350 per person per night across a typical four-night stay, with airfare of $300 to $700 per person, and couples average 38 guests.
These averages reflect real spend data from couples who booked their destination wedding with our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists.
Catholic ceremonies carry costs the base package rarely includes: the priest’s offering, document handling, and often a translator. None are large alone, but together they’re a line worth asking about directly rather than discovering late. Guest count moves the total more than anything else, and religious weddings tend to bring more people.
La Romana Destination Wedding Packages
Resorts in the Dominican Republic offer complimentary and deposit-only wedding packages with a qualifying room block, running roughly $800 to $3,000 at entry tier, $3,500 to $5,000 mid-tier, and $5,500 to $14,000 and beyond for full productions.
The officiant included in a standard package is not a priest. Ask explicitly how the resort arranges a religious ceremony, which parish or clergy it works with, and what that substitution does to the price. It’s the most common gap between a quoted figure and a final one on Catholic weddings.
La Romana Destination Wedding Travel Information
La Romana International is 20 to 30 minutes from the Bayahibe resorts but serves few routes, so most guests fly into Punta Cana International and transfer roughly 90 minutes west.
Catholic ceremonies draw a wider age range than most destination weddings, which is worth planning around. Direct flights matter more when grandparents are travelling, and arriving a full day before any rehearsal gives older guests time to recover from the transfer. December through April is the most comfortable window for anyone sensitive to heat.
La Romana Catholic Destination Wedding Venue FAQs
Which La Romana resorts arrange Catholic ceremonies?
Three. Casa De Campo Resort & Villas is the only five-star among them and supports the widest range of ceremony types in the area. Viva Dominicus Beach and Viva Dominicus Palace, which sit side by side, both arrange Catholic ceremonies at a more accessible price point.
How far in advance should you plan a Catholic destination wedding?
Nine to twelve months is realistic. The resort can usually be booked far faster, but marriage preparation at your home parish, obtaining recently issued baptismal and confirmation certificates, and getting a letter to the Dominican diocese all take time that can’t be compressed.
Does a Catholic ceremony in the Dominican Republic make you legally married?
It depends on how the marriage is registered, and it works differently from Mexico, where a religious ceremony carries no civil effect at all. Confirm the position with your resort coordinator and your Certified Destination Wedding Specialist, and decide early whether you’re adding a civil ceremony or marrying legally at home first.
Get Ready to Plan the Catholic Destination Wedding of Your Dreams in La Romana
A sacrament in a country that takes it seriously, on a quiet coast where your whole family can be together for a week rather than an afternoon. Begin with your parish and the rest follows.
Fill out our online wedding planning form, and one of our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists will match you with a resort whose team has done this before!
About the Author
Maggie Sabin
Maggie has always loved traveling and discovering new places and cultures. Before joining DestinationWeddings.com as SEO Manager in 2024, she spent nearly a decade teaching at international schools across Europe and Asia, from the UK and Spain to Taiwan. Today, she creates and manages all of the blog's content, making sure couples can easily find the answers and inspiration they need to plan their destination wedding with confidence. When she's not working, you'll find Maggie learning a new language, curled up with a good book, working out, or soaking up the sun at the beach. She's happiest at home snuggling with her dogs, Lola and Minnie.
