Four steps before we publish
any vendor.
Curation isn't a badge. It's a process — and that's why it's worth writing to any listing you see here. These are the four steps every profile clears before it appears in the directory, and the reasons some don't pass.
Why we curate instead of listing everything
On the peninsula, planning a wedding today means opening five Facebook groups, sending ten WhatsApp messages down a chain, and praying someone knows someone. That friction isn't a detail — it's the problem. The reason we exist isn't to offer a bigger search box; it's to offer a shorter one where every entry has been seen in person and is worth the message.
The curation is deliberate, and we won't relax it to grow faster. We'd rather have a directory of 60 verified profiles than one of 600 listed at random.
We go to the venue (or review the portfolio in person)
What we do
We visit every villa, hotel or restaurant before publishing it. For vendors without a physical space — photographers, planners, caterers — we sit down in person, look at the full portfolio (not just the Instagram feed) and talk to the person who will actually answer your request.
Why it matters for you
Online photos are filtered. The light changes, the furniture changes, the owner changes. What we see on site is what you'll see when you arrive.
What disqualifies a vendor
If the space doesn't match its published photos, if whoever answers your message doesn't know the venue, or if no one on the team is available for an honest conversation — it doesn't make the cut.
Real example (anonymized)
A villa in Cosón sent us spectacular photos of its garden. When we went in person, the garden was real, but the neighboring building's service entrance ran right alongside the ceremony area. We didn't publish it.
We talk to couples who already married with them
What we do
We ask for direct contact details for 2-3 couples who held their wedding with the vendor in the last 24 months. We talk to them — not the owner's best friend. We ask what went wrong, what they'd change, whether they'd hire them again.
Why it matters for you
A couple who has already been through the process tells you things no sales pitch reveals: how flexible the vendor was when it rained, how they handled a last-minute extra, whether the final invoice matched the quote.
What disqualifies a vendor
If the references don't reply, if they all sound rehearsed, or if more than one couple mentions the same problem (inflated invoice, late replies, an uncoordinated day) — it doesn't make the cut.
Real example (anonymized)
A catering vendor gave us three references. Two confirmed the work; the third said the menu served was different from the one quoted, and the difference was never explained. We asked the vendor — no explanation. They didn't make it in.
We confirm they work on the peninsula, in the format they promise
What we do
We verify the vendor actively operates in Las Terrenas, Samaná or Las Galeras — not that they travel here occasionally. For venues, we confirm the real guest range they can host without straining the space (not the brochure maximum). For services, which days of the week they actually coordinate and which months are booked solid.
Why it matters for you
A photographer who lives in Santo Domingo and flies in on Friday is not the same as one based in Las Terrenas. A restaurant that says it serves 200 covers on the beach but has historically only done it for 80 is not the same thing.
What disqualifies a vendor
If the vendor doesn't treat peninsula weddings as a primary market, if their real coverage is sporadic, or if the published capacity inflates what the space can handle — they don't enter the directory in that category.
Real example (anonymized)
A hotel in Punta Cana asked to appear on our Samaná listing because they occasionally coordinate weddings there. It didn't make it in: the curation is for vendors who live and operate on the peninsula, not for those just passing through.
Every image carries the vendor's explicit permission
What we do
We don't upload a single photo without the vendor's written OK (and, where it applies, the original photographer's). We ask for a press pack: photos of the venue/work + explicit written authorization + credit to the photographer. We never lift images from a public Instagram feed.
Why it matters for you
The wedding market runs on photos. Reusing an image without permission is stealing creative work. And for the photographers in the directory, their portfolio is the product — respecting copyright is a condition of professional existence.
What disqualifies a vendor
If we can't confirm permission for every image, that image isn't published. If the vendor has no photos available, we publish them with a text listing + a generic plate until they have some.
Real example (anonymized)
A restaurant sent us 30 photos. 8 came from an independent photographer with no licensing agreement. Those 8 stayed out until the restaurant paid for the usage rights.
Tell us about your wedding. We do the searching.
Request informationOne request, several replies from verified vendors.