Wedding Date: July 25, 2026 ~ Resort: Dreams Macao ~ Photographer & Videographer: Adventure Photos ~ Bridal Salon: Baily's Bridal
Why did you choose Romance Travel Group?
After deciding to explore our interest in a destination wedding, a coworker convinced me that I needed a travel planner. I had no idea how to begin the process, but she assured me that Romance Travel Group would hold my hand every step of the way to ensure the travel aspect of my wedding didn't turn out to be a pain point in my celebration. She herself used Romance Travel Group for her wedding, and she insisted that it was a necessary step in making sure her wedding experience went well. I have never planned such a large event before, and I have not done much traveling in my life. After talking with her, I was sure that I needed expert assistance in my plans. It was hard to believe that their services were free as their work, encouragement, and support ultimately was incredibly valuable.
How did you select the resort? What were the deciding factors?
We were led to our resort selection by the experts at Romance Travel Group. We initially wanted to have our wedding on a different Caribbean island we had visited years prior. My spouse and I had an amazing time on that trip, and thought it would be special to relive those memories with our closest friends and family. We were later advised by our expert that that resort in particular was very difficult to work with. Weddings are a business transaction and cost a lot of money, so I therefore was not comfortable making an agreement with a resort that already had a poor record regarding wedding contracts. The other resorts on the island did not impress us, so we were left to the support and expertise of our RTG agent. She was able to find a resort that met our budget needs, accommodated our wide variety of guests invited, was accessible via nearby international airport, and had incredible perks for the wedding couple. She made us feel assured that things would run smoothly (as they did!) because she and her group have had positive experiences working with this resort.
What were some of your biggest fears about having a destination wedding?
I had some fears about putting my wedding in a country and place I had never seen before. We did not plan to do any site visits, so it felt overwhelming to select a resort based on internet testimonials and images. There is a lot of pressure to make your wedding day the best day of your life, so putting such an important event in a foreign location was definitely an uncomfortable thought at first. It took time and support from friends and family to see the positives in the adventure rather than focusing on the fears. Some of my fears were that the food and drink would make people sick, the cost would be too high for our guests, the weather would be poor, an unforeseen natural disaster or airline issue would cause last minute cancellations, and people would be bored at the resort.
Describe what it was like working with the wedding coordinator at the resort? What went well? Any challenges?
​My wedding coordinator at the resort was named Andry. He had many years experience working in this industry and has helped hundreds of couples navigate their big day at a resort. Andry was incredibly organized right from the start of working with him. He introduced me to each individual vendor and regularly updated our shared spreadsheet with add-ons, selection, and plans. He was constantly available via video chat whenever I or my mother had questions. He said things would be easy, and I did not believe him at first. I was wrong! Andry makes things easy because of how organized, attentive to detail, flexible, and caring he is.
My only challenge with Andry and other vendors at the resort was the language barrier. It is clear that everyone's native language was Spanish, but most everyone had strong conversational English. I did have times where I felt like the message was getting lost, and I had to reword or rethink what I was trying to say. This did not take away from my overall positive experience, but just made me take pause and have patience when working with people who do not speak my native language.
What were some of your biggest fears or things you worried about as your wedding date drew near? How did you get through this?
My biggest worry was the tropical storm that was due to hit on my wedding day. Our party of about 70 people had traveled from all different parts of the United States to be there. Nobody from our wedding guest list lives near a beach, so having our celebration on the sand was exactly what was going to make this celebration so beautiful and unique. I had to stop myself from checking the weather forecast constantly: a tropical storm was not something that I could change. It did not make sense to spend time or energy worrying about something out of my control. I had to rely on the expertise and judgement of my planner Andry. The resort had a back-up, indoor plan for the wedding if the weather indeed was poor. Thankfully, there was not a cloud in the sky during the wedding! Aside from some intense heat at the start, it was a beautiful, dry night!
Tell us about how you chose your bridal party and asked them to stand up with you.
My bridal party consisted of my older sister, college best friend, three coworkers, and a childhood friend. It was very surreal to have these people from all different eras in my life come together in the same room to celebrate me. It really was a treat to watch them all meet one another and become fast friends. When you think about it, it's no wonder that your friends automatically get along! They are friends with you for a reason, so naturally they tend to get along with birds of a feather. I sent each a little bridesmaid box with some cute items and a note asking them to stand by my side! I was careful to choose items that were not one-time-use "bridesmaid" things. I am pretty eco-conscious, so I selected various travel items that they could bring on trip such as silicone, refillable shower bottles!
Describe the meeting you had with the onsite wedding team when you arrived at the resort.
My wedding planner Andry was the most calm, organized person! When my husband and I met with him, most all details of the wedding had already been settled. He carefully went through our planner spreadsheet line by line while taking notes to be sure he fully understood our wants and vision for our wedding. Because most everything was decided ahead of time, the meeting with our planner was only about 20 minutes. Andry did take our wedding clothes from us to be prepared and steamed prior to our big day. Andry was warm, welcoming, excited, and empathetic.
Were your guests wowed by the resort and the all-inclusive concept? What was their reaction upon arrival?
Not everyone on our guest list had been to an all-inclusive resort before, so many people were surprised to a wonderful treat! The resort is gorgeous and newly renovated. The entryway has a breathtaking view of the ocean where you are met with champagne. A quick tour of the property showed us the various bars, lounges, pools, waterpark, lazy river, spa, zipline, bowling alley, and many other fabulous amenities. Our guests were definitely wowed at the all-inclusive concept. I am not exaggerating when I say that this resort provides 5-star service at all times. From housekeepers to bartenders to butlers, every single staff members is bending over backwards to make sure the guests are happy and comfortable.
How easy/difficult was it to travel with your wedding attire? Did you carry-it on, where did you store it? Did you get a lot of comments at the airport?
I brought my wedding dress in a garment bag as my overhead carry on item. My dress was a form-fitting and rather light item, so the bag was not very heavy. The garment bag was black, so nobody at the airport knew I was carrying a wedding dress. Because we flew business class, we could hang the garment bag in the coat closet of the airplane. I was not very worried about it wrinkling because Andry and his team would steam the dress prior to the wedding. The dress did fall from its interior hook during security. I had to have my husband turn his back towards me while I got on all-fours in the TSA security area to lay my dress out on the ground and get it all fixed inside the bag!
What is your most favorite memory of your wedding experience?
My favorite memory of my wedding experience was certainly the quality time. We were in Punta Cana for 9 days, and most of our guests stayed an average of four days. The wedding day was a busy time, but aside from that, it really changed our entire experience to have so much quality time in paradise with the people we love. A whole week at an all-inclusive is not something that can be replicated easily in the United States. Of course our wedding was fabulous, but what I will treasure forever are the moments we spent with guests throughout the week.
In what ways did Romance Travel Group make the planning less stressful for you?
Travel planning is such a big part of our guest's wedding experience. While the details of their travel and transfer are important to them, it truly is information overload for a couple trying to plan a wedding. I just don't have the bandwidth to interact with everyone's bookings, flight changes, cancellations, accomodations, questions, etc. There is no other way to describe the feeling other than relief: I am relieved that a group of experts was there to field all the questions and comments regarding travel!
What surprised you the most about having a destination wedding?
​The most surprising thing we learned about a destination wedding is how many people came across the world for us! About 50% of our guests accepted the wedding invitation. We were sure with busy summer travel and the cost to our guests that many would opt not to come. I think our destination wedding had nearly as many people as a local wedding would have. Many people considered our wedding to be their "vacation" for that year, and are immensely grateful they spent their time and money flying across the world for us.
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