We know how hard it is to find someone you trust to be the wedding officiant at your ceremony. With so many options out there, you may not even know where to start. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place!! We’ve worked with officiants all over Punta Cana and we know who and what can take your ceremony to the next level.
A wedding officiant is someone that is often overlooked for a destination wedding ceremony. Your wedding planner may not even tell you that you need to hire one. And with a million other things to plan, this seems to be something that doesn’t set high on the priority list. Obviously, it’s more fun choosing your wedding decor and your wedding dress, but an officiant is just as important. One of the biggest mistakes couples make is not putting any thought into who is going to marry them.
Remember that a wedding officiant is the person who controls the entire wedding ceremony. They’ll determine if everyone is laughing at your wedding ceremony (hello, fun couples), or if your guests will all be crying instead (pass the tissues over here). Or god forbid, if your guests will be yawning from pure boredom. Let’s hope it’s not that last one!
The wedding officiant determines the whole flow of the wedding ceremony. While you don’t want them speaking too quickly and rushing through the ceremony, you also don’t want them rambling on and on.
And your wedding officiant will be one of the most important things you’ll notice years later when you’re replaying your wedding video. Would you rather get butterflies when you’re looking back on your wedding ceremony? Or be cringing because the officiant pronounced your name wrong (yes, it happens.)
So let’s take a look at what matters most when choosing your wedding officiant.
What to Consider When Choosing a Wedding Officiant
The 4 Most Important Things:
- They match your personality. Yes, this is at the top of the list for a reason. You’ll want an officiant that will encompass YOU. Not someone who will just be reading off a piece of paper in a monotone, flat voice. Are you a fun couple that’s always cracking jokes? Or are you the bride and groom that will be crying the entire ceremony (and you want all your guests crying too)? Maybe you fall somewhere in between. Find someone that fits that personality style and it will make all the difference on your wedding day.
- They speak English. This one’s pretty important too. Really, if you don’t follow anything else on this list, please just follow this one… Your wedding officiant should be able to speak clearly and loudly enough that everyone at your wedding can hear and understand them. You want everyone present in the moment – not zoning out, watching the palm trees because they can’t understand a single word the officiant is trying to say.
- They are flexible. They’ll allow you to incorporate your own ideas into the ceremony, including your own vows, unity ceremonies, readings, etc. It’s your wedding ceremony and it should feel unique and special to you.
- They are reliable. You’ll definitely want someone you can trust to show up on your wedding day and to be on time. There’s nothing worse than a last-minute officiant cancellation that sends everyone scrambling around to figure out who’s going to perform the ceremony instead. Talk about stressful! So make sure your wedding officiant has a back-up plan just in case there’s an emergency and they can’t make it the day of.
But Also Consider If…
- You can contact them prior to the wedding date. A lot of resorts choose the wedding officiant for you (or worse, they have your wedding planner officiate the ceremony) and you don’t get to meet them until you’re standing at the altar. There are a lot of resort officiants and wedding planners that do a great job at this -and it may work for some couples- but that’s not really my style. If you’re like me and want to get to know your officiant before your wedding day, choose someone that you can communicate with from day one. Someone that responds to your emails and who is there to help answer all of your questions before the big day. Someone that will work with you to personalize your wedding ceremony so it’s what you want.
- They have experience. This one’s pretty obvious, but just double-check to make sure your wedding ceremony won’t be his/her first. If a close friend or family member is officiating your wedding, chances are they won’t have a lot of experience. So in that case, make sure he or she is practicing before the trip, and seriously consider doing a trial run of the ceremony beforehand to work out all the kinks.
- They fit your budget. I couldn’t forget to include this.. Of course the cost of your wedding officiant has to fit into your wedding budget. Prices vary depending on the person and their availability. If you’re having a resort wedding, consider that resorts are charging vendor fees for everything (since they want you to book with their vendors instead). Your resort may charge a vendor fee for bringing in an outside wedding officiant. Reach out to your wedding planner to confirm the details.
Now that we’ve gone over the most important things to consider, let’s take a look at some of our favorite wedding officiants in Punta Cana.
Punta Cana Wedding Officiants
- Jehison Cabrera
- Jermy Cabrera
- Alejandro Angulo
- Luciana Marte
- Fairy Tale Endings
- Destination I Do
- Marcos Parucker
- Pastor Marcos Lykins
- Pastor Rick York
Jehison Cabrera MC & Officiant Services
Instagram: @mc_jcabrera
Facebook: @mcnoffjcabrera
Jehison is absolutely amazing!! With almost 10 years of experience officiating weddings in Punta Cana, he is a complete expert at what he does. He’s very personable. No two wedding ceremonies are the same with him, and he’s constantly working behind the scenes to make sure your wedding ceremony is absolutely perfect. I would recommend him 100% of the time. His schedule fills up fast so if you’re interested, contact him as soon as you possibly can.
Jermy Cabrera
Instagram: @jermycabrera
Facebook: @jermycabrera
Jermy is part of Jehison’s team, and yes, you read the names right. They are brothers!! Jermy is just as sweet and kind as his brother, Jehison, and does an amazing job as both a wedding officiant and as an MC. He knows how to get the party started. And most importantly, how to keep it going. You can’t go wrong with these two as part of your wedding crew!
Alejandro Angulo MC & Wedding Officiant
Facebook: @mcalejandro
Instagram: @janortizmc
Alejandro is full of positive energy and good vibes. He is always calm and collected during the wedding ceremony, knowing the right words to say to keep everyone engaged. And he really encompasses the beauty of each couple during their ceremonies. He’s also a wedding MC, so he’ll be sure to get everyone up and dancing throughout the night.
Luiciana Marte
Facebook: @bepinecomplevents
Website: https://themepartyplanner.wixsite.com/mysite-4
Luiciana is an energetic wedding planner and wedding officiant. She has an eye for detail, and she knows exactly what is important for each couple on their big day. Luciana started her own company, Bepine Complevents, where she sells beautiful wedding favors and accessories, including beach floaties, sunhats, tumblers, and so much more! Check out more wedding favor ideas here.
Fairy Tale Endings
Facebook: @endingsfairytale
Fairy Tale Endings is a team of wedding officiants led by Shannon Drysdale. Shannon moved back to Canada to have a beautiful baby boy (congrats, girl!!) but her team is still performing ceremonies regularly. They offer ceremonies in several different languages including English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. And, they can perform religious, spiritual, symbolic, and legal ceremonies (including the legal translation with the judge!). Most importantly, they love to personalize scripts for wedding ceremonies and vow renewals! They’ll work with you until your wedding script is absolutely perfect!
Destination I Do Punta Cana
Facebook: @destinationidopuntacana
Destination I Do is made up of two wedding officiants: Miguel and Joseph. They started out working at Fairy Tale Endings and decided to branch out on their own about a year ago. So although Destination I Do is a fairly new company, Miguel and Joseph have been working as wedding officiants for years. They are both fun-loving and a joy to be around, and their commitment to excellence will show during your wedding ceremony.
Marcos Parucker
Facebook: @marcosparuckerweddingminister
Marcos is originally from Brazil and moved to Punta Cana in 2011. He has been officiating weddings ever since! Marcos is fluent in three languages: Portuguese, English, and Spanish, and he is able to officiate both symbolic and religious wedding ceremonies. His company also offers wedding decor at a private beach or private venue of your choice.
Pastor Marcos Lykins
Facebook: @marcoslykins
Pastor Marcos Lykins is an ordained pastor with an impressive background. He is from the United States and has a Master of Divinity from Duke University and a Master’s in Social Work from Ohio State University. Pastor Marcos now lives with his wife in La Romana, DR (about an hour outside of Punta Cana) where they are both missionaries doing amazing work for the Brisas del Mar community. He is a kind soul and his love for people and the DR will show in your wedding ceremony.
Pastor Rick York
Facebook: @rickyork
Rick York is a charismatic pastor from Illinois. He travels back and forth between the US and the DR, so he’s pretty hard to book… But if you’re lucky enough to catch him while he’s here, he does an amazing job as a wedding officiant!
Friends or Relatives Officiating the Wedding Ceremony
Do you have a family member who has been your role model and guided you in your relationship? Or maybe a close friend who always knows the right words to say? A lot of couples have decided to have a friend or a relative officiate their wedding ceremony – especially when they’re having a symbolic ceremony in Punta Cana and already had their legal ceremony back home.
This can be an amazing way to personalize your wedding ceremony, but it can also lead to disaster. There’s a lot of time, commitment, and planning that goes into a wedding ceremony. And there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Professional officiants make it look easy, but it’s far from it.
If you think your friend or relative is up to the task, that’s great! Just make sure you both put in the hard work to make sure that your wedding ceremony is perfect when the big day finally comes. Practice, practice, practice. And when you think they’ve got it down, practice some more.
Final Thoughts
Although most of the wedding officiants in Punta Cana have a great deal of experience and plenty of positive reviews, the selection you make will be based on your personality, your budget, and of course, the wedding officiant’s availability. There are thousands of weddings performed in Punta Cana each year, so it’s important to book early!
We encourage you to get in contact with each of the wedding officiants to get more information! If you’re unable to reach them, feel free to reach out to us as we’re always happy to help!
We hope whoever you choose (whether from this list or not) is perfect for your wedding, and we hope your wedding ceremony is everything you imagine it to be!
