All thirteen resorts we work with in La Romana hold symbolic ceremonies. There’s no shortlist to narrow here, which means the interesting question isn’t where you can have one; it’s what the format actually buys you.
Two things, mainly. You skip the document chain entirely, since the legal marriage happens at a courthouse at home. And the entry-tier packages that resorts advertise as complimentary are written around exactly this kind of ceremony, which is why they can be free in the first place.
Below are six properties where that combination works hardest. Our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists can explain how the paperwork works at home for your destination wedding.
Best Symbolic Destination Wedding Venues at Top La Romana Resorts
These six resorts hold symbolic ceremonies at the most accessible end of the La Romana market, from three stars up to four and a half.
1. Cadaques Bayahibe
Cadaques Bayahibe is the only small property in La Romana, a three-star family-friendly resort on the Bayahibe shoreline.
Small and symbolic, it’s the cheapest genuinely good wedding available on this coast. With no legal paperwork, no judge to schedule, and a property this size, a ceremony of twenty or thirty people effectively takes over the place for an afternoon. It’s the closest La Romana comes to a private venue without a private-venue budget.
Learn more about Cadaques Bayahibe and get a free quote today >>
2. Viva Dominicus Palace by Wyndham
Viva Dominicus Palace by Wyndham is a medium 3.5-star family-friendly resort with an open-air Terrace, a beach, an enclosed room, and a poolside venue all cleared for weddings.
Four settings at the lowest price band in the area are unusual, and symbolic ceremonies are what let you use them freely. Without an officiant’s schedule dictating the hour, you can put the ceremony wherever the light is best and move the reception somewhere else entirely.
Learn more about Viva Dominicus Palace by Wyndham and get a free quote today >>
3. Sunscape Dominicus La Romana
Sunscape Dominicus La Romana is a large four-star family-friendly resort with a beach ceremony venue for 100 on Bayahibe Beach.
One venue, done well, on the calmest stretch of water in the area. A large resort at four-star rates keeps the room block affordable for a long guest list, and because the ceremony is symbolic, there’s no supplement for an officiant or documents sitting on top of the package price.
Learn more about Sunscape Dominicus La Romana and get a free quote today >>
4. Bahia Principe Grand La Romana
Bahia Principe Grand La Romana is a medium 3.5-star family-friendly resort in the Bayahibe area.
The Bahia Principe group runs two properties on this coast, which gives guests a choice of price points while the wedding stays in one place. For a symbolic ceremony with a useful structure, because the format has no minimum guest count and families can book across both buildings based on what they can afford.
Learn more about Bahia Principe Grand La Romana and get a free quote today >>
5. Catalonia Bayahibe
Catalonia Bayahibe is a medium four-star family-friendly resort sharing its site with an adults-only sister property.
That pairing solves the problem every mixed guest list has. Couples travelling without children can book the adults-only side, families take this one, and everyone attends the same ceremony. A symbolic format keeps the whole arrangement simple, since there’s no registrar needing one fixed location and one fixed hour.
Learn more about Catalonia Bayahibe and get a free quote today >>
6. Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa
Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa is a medium 4.5-star family-friendly property.
The Dreams brand runs a second resort in the area, so couples who like the service style have two options at different points on the coast. At 4.5 stars, this is the upper end of what most couples choose here, and a symbolic ceremony keeps the spend in the celebration rather than in filing fees.
Learn more about Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa and get a free quote today >>
More Information for Planning Your Symbolic Destination Wedding in La Romana
Here’s what our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists cover with couples choosing a symbolic ceremony.
Symbolic Destination Wedding Venues Appeal
A symbolic ceremony means the legal marriage happened at home, usually at a courthouse weeks beforehand, and the wedding in La Romana is the one your people are at. Nothing about it is less real. The paperwork simply took place somewhere less photogenic.
What you get in exchange is control. No documents to translate or legalize, no scheduling around a judge, and anyone you choose can officiate, which for most couples means a parent or a close friend rather than a stranger. You can also hold the ceremony at any hour, which on a coast where the sun sets over the water is worth more than it sounds.
The one thing to decide early is how you tell people. Some couples announce the courthouse date openly; others keep it quiet so the day abroad stands alone. It shapes how the ceremony is written, so settle it before anyone starts drafting readings.
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.
Symbolic is the cheaper route on paper, since you skip the officiant fee and the document costs entirely. Just remember the courthouse ceremony at home carries its own small price, and budget for it rather than being caught out by it.
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 complimentary and near-free packages are written for symbolic ceremonies, which is precisely why they can be free. If a resort quotes you a no-cost wedding, this is the ceremony type it assumes, and switching to a legal one adds a line to the bill.
La Romana Destination Wedding Travel Information
La Romana International sits 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.
Because you aren’t tied to an officiant’s calendar, you can build the trip around flight prices and arrival times rather than around ceremony availability. If you want an unusual hour, a sunrise ceremony, or a late one under lights, raise it when you book rather than after you land.
La Romana Symbolic Destination Wedding Venue FAQs
What is a symbolic wedding ceremony?
A symbolic ceremony is a full wedding with no legal component. The couple handles the legal marriage separately, usually at a courthouse at home, then holds the ceremony they actually want in front of their guests. The vows and the celebration are genuine. Only the paperwork happens elsewhere.
Which La Romana resorts offer symbolic ceremonies?
All thirteen that we work with on this coast. That makes symbolic the one ceremony type available at every property in the area, so your choice of resort can be driven by venue, size, and budget rather than by what the wedding team is able to arrange.
Who can officiate a symbolic wedding?
Anyone you choose. Because the ceremony carries no legal weight, there’s no licensing requirement, so a parent, sibling, or close friend can lead it. Resorts will also provide an officiant if you’d rather not ask someone to take it on.
Get Ready to Plan the Symbolic Destination Wedding of Your Dreams in La Romana
Handle the legal part at home, and the day on this coast belongs entirely to you. Your hour, your words, your person at the front, and a package price that reflects all three.
Fill out our online wedding planning form, and one of our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists will match a resort to the ceremony you have in mind!
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.
