How to Organize Your Punta Cana Wedding to Include Friends And Family

Whilst your big day is primarily about you and the person you hold dear, if you have friends or family traveling long distances to join you on this special occasion, you may wish to find ways to include them in your celebration. 

This keeps everyone more involved, ensures that everyone gets to enjoy the wedding, and ultimately ends with a much more inclusive and social celebration that will become a wonderful memory for everyone who joins in. 

Let's take a look and see how we can make this happen!

Select a resort where everyone can visit

The primary step to making your wedding day shareable so that all your family and friends are included is making sure that everyone can actually come. The easiest way to do this is by choosing an all ages resort so that whether your guests are young or just young at heart, they can still attend your big day. 

One resort that has made itself stand out as a great option for socially inclusive weddings is Finest Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. This All Inclusive resort for all ages has the venues and facilities in place to ensure that your celebration has everything you need to make it exciting and enjoyable for all. 

Family and friends in the photoshoot

While you may wish to have a few special photos just of you and your new spouse, the photoshoot is a great way to get all your guests involved. Invite them to join you in some unique poses and special settings so that they do not just have to stand on the sidelines.

Getting everyone involved ensures that not only are they included in the activity but also that they get some souvenirs at the end of it to remember the occasion fondly. 

Make social seating arrangements

There are two main times during the wedding day's celebration when you or your event planner may need to organize your wedding seating for the guests. The first is during the actual ceremony. Whilst some may choose to have the traditional arrangement of having people separated by their family or status, a much more inclusive and social setting invites everyone to sit together.

You can also avoid having gaps between people by limiting the amount of seating. Have just the right amount of chairs so that everyone feels comfortable but also so that they all sit together in a more united fashion.

Next, you have the seating arrangements for the celebratory moments and meal afterward. Though you could have your own private table for the bride and groom, bridesmaids, family, etc, it's much more sociable if everyone gets to sit together. 

Consider having just 1 or 2 tables that include all your guests so that you can be with the people who have come so far to see your special day in Punta Cana. 

Extend your cocktail hour

In many traditional weddings, the cocktail hour is a way to keep the family and friends occupied whilst the couple takes their photos. However, what if you did things differently? Instead of making it a waiting period, join your guests in enjoying a great selection of Caribbean cocktails and make it a time to mingle, socialize, and converse with the people you love. 

Bear in mind that a cocktail hour doesn't have to be a literal sixty minutes. It can be as long as you want it to be. As long as everyone is enjoying themselves and everyone is included, that is all that really matters.

Have everyone dancing together

As the day proceeds, there will come a time for the happy couple's first dance which may be done with some live music. Punta Cana is, after all, famous for its Merengue. 

This presents a host of opportunities for inclusion. Some choose to have a special choreography that includes their friends, some do a before or after dance with their friends whilst still others choose to have all their friends join them during the first dance so that everyone is on the dancefloor together during these romantic moments. 

Whichever way you choose to celebrate your wedding with your friends and family, make sure that you do it all together and that everyone gets to enjoy this time with you so that you can make these memories as a group. 

What about those who cannot travel?

There may be some relatives or close friends who would like to be there on your big day but for whatever reason simply cannot make it. In this case, whilst they cannot be physically present, you can still include them by live streaming your wedding for them to see. 

Another way to include virtual guests is to assign present guests to video call select individuals during the cocktail hour so that they can be part of the socialization and celebration.  

You can even set up a virtual spot where other guests can chat with those who have connected virtually. You can also send a virtual guest book so they can send you their best wishes online as well as take plenty of photos and videos throughout the wedding to share with them afterward.

Create an incredible day to share!

This is your day. It should be primarily about the happy couple's needs and desires. However, it is such a joyous occasion that it is only natural to want to share such an intimate event with those that mean a lot to you.

Happiness is meant to be shared. May you create the perfect setting for everyone to enjoy. If you want some more ideas and assistance you can always reach out to our wedding planners and coordinators in Finest Punta Cana. They will be delighted to help you design something truly magical.