63 terms

The DR wedding
terms, decoded.

Plan a Dominican Republic wedding from abroad and the Spanish terms come at you fast — in vendor quotes, in registry paperwork, in your planner's WhatsApp messages. Here is each term as you'll encounter it, what it means, and why it matters to you. Legal, production, food, tradition and peninsula logistics.

By category

Paperwork & legal · 14 Production & services · 19 Dominican food on wedding menus · 10 Dominican traditions · 9 Peninsula logistics · 11

Paperwork & legal

The words that show up the moment your wedding touches Dominican law — in quotes from planners, in emails from the civil registry, on the documents themselves. If you plan to marry legally in the DR, you'll meet every one of these.

Acta de matrimonio: Your official marriage certificate — the document that proves you're legally married. The JCE (civil registry) issues it after the civil ceremony. For it to count back home, you'll need it apostilled (see next entry). When a planner says 'el acta', this is what they mean.
Apostilla de La Haya: The Hague apostille: an international certification that makes a document from one country legally valid in another (as long as both signed the Hague Convention). Dominican documents get apostilled at MIREX in Santo Domingo; your home-country documents get apostilled before you travel. If you marry legally in the DR, apostilles run in both directions — your birth certificates coming in, your marriage certificate going out.
Boda civil: The civil wedding: the legal act before the Dominican State, officiated by a civil-registry (JCE) official. This is the only ceremony that actually marries you in the eyes of the law — everything else is either religious or symbolic. More on this →
Boda religiosa: A religious wedding. Key detail for the DR: a Catholic ceremony carries automatic civil (legal) validity thanks to the 1954 concordat, so Catholic couples marry legally and religiously at once. Every other denomination (evangelical, Jewish, etc.) does NOT — those couples need a separate civil ceremony. More on this →
Boda simbólica: A symbolic ceremony: a ritual with no legal effect, led by anyone you like — a planner, a friend, a boat captain. The favorite format for foreign destination couples, who handle the legal marriage at home and hold the beach ceremony here with zero paperwork. More on this →
Cédula: The Dominican national ID card. Every Dominican needs it for any civil act, weddings included. Relevant to you if you're marrying a Dominican partner — their cédula will be on the checklist next to your passport.
Concordato Iglesia-Estado: The 1954 agreement between the Dominican State and the Catholic Church. It's the legal reason a Catholic wedding in the DR also counts as a civil marriage — no separate signing required. It applies to the Catholic Church only, not to other religions.
Cursos prematrimoniales (pre-Caná): Mandatory pre-marriage courses for anyone marrying in the Catholic Church in the DR: 4–8 sessions run by the parish, typically RD$3,000–9,000 per couple. If you're planning a Catholic ceremony from abroad, ask early whether courses taken with your home parish are accepted.
Declaración jurada de soltería: A sworn single-status affidavit — a notarized document in which each of you declares you're not married to anyone else. Required for the civil ceremony. Foreigners usually bring theirs from home (apostilled and translated); done locally before a Dominican notary it costs around RD$1,500–3,000.
JCE (Junta Central Electoral): The state body that runs the civil registry in the DR — births, marriages, deaths, ID cards. If you marry legally here, the JCE is the institution you're dealing with: its official conducts the ceremony and its office issues your marriage certificate. There's a seat in every municipality.
MIREX (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores): The Dominican foreign ministry — where Dominican documents get apostilled for use abroad (your marriage certificate, for instance). It's also where foreign documents get legalized for use in the DR if they weren't apostilled in your home country first.
Oficial del estado civil: The civil-registry official — the JCE officer authorized to conduct the legal marriage ceremony. They can marry you at the registry office, or travel to your villa, hotel or beach for an extra fee (see 'boda a domicilio' under peninsula logistics).
Oficialía del estado civil: The physical civil-registry office in each municipality, where births, marriages and deaths are recorded. On the Samaná peninsula there are oficialías in Las Terrenas, Santa Bárbara de Samaná and Las Galeras — the one for your venue's municipality is where your paperwork lands.
Tribunal Constitucional TC/0070/15: A 2015 Constitutional Court ruling that struck down the old 10-month waiting period for a divorced woman to remarry. Worth knowing because outdated wedding blogs still repeat the old rule. Today there is no legal waiting period — a divorce decree (apostilled and translated, if foreign) is all you need.

Production & services

The vocabulary of planners, photographers, caterers and DJs. Vendor quotes in the DR mix Spanish and English freely — this is what the line items actually mean.

Backup (de fotos): Redundant copies of your wedding photos. A professional photographer should guarantee at least two backups (hard drive + cloud) for 6–12 months after the wedding. Ask how it's handled before you sign — it's a fair filter for professionalism.
Bridal suite: The room set aside for the bride (and her crew) to get ready on the wedding day. Serious venues include one; some boutique hotels charge extra. Confirm it's in your contract rather than assuming.
Catering: Food + drinks + service staff for the event. It can come from the venue itself (in-house) or from an outside company — in which case many venues add an 'outside kitchen' fee. Ask which model your venue runs before comparing quotes.
Cocktail (de bienvenida): The social hour before dinner: usually 45–90 minutes of drinks and canapés. It matters more than it sounds — it fills the gap between ceremony and dinner, and it's when guests who've flown in from different countries actually meet.
Coordinador del venue: The venue coordinator: an employee of the venue who manages what happens inside their property. Not your wedding planner — they won't chase your photographer or negotiate with outside vendors. Plenty of couples confuse the two and discover the gap on the day. More on this →
Day-of coordination: Wedding-planner service limited to the wedding day itself (plus the final 2–3 weeks of coordination). The minimum level worth having for a destination wedding. Typical fee: US$800–2,000. More on this →
First look: The intimate photo moment where the couple sees each other in wedding clothes for the first time, before the ceremony. A modern favorite — it takes the pressure off the aisle moment and produces better portraits in softer light.
Flat lay: A photo composition of objects arranged on a flat surface — invitation, rings, perfume, accessories. The classic opening shot of the day. Photographers do it routinely, but ask for it explicitly if you want it.
Full planning: The complete wedding-planner service: vendor search through wedding day, usually a 9–18 month relationship. The default choice when you're planning from another country. Fee range: US$5,000–15,000+. More on this →
Generador / planta eléctrica: A backup power generator. Critical on the Samaná peninsula, where power cuts are routine. A private-villa wedding needs its own or a rented generator — get it in writing in the contract, don't take 'we've never had a problem' as an answer.
Hora loca: 'The crazy hour' — the most Dominican tradition on this list. 30–60 minutes of maximum energy in the middle of the party: masks and props, drum lines, foam, neon, or all of the above. Most DJs offer it as an add-on (US$400–1,200). Foreign guests never forget it.
Mesa imperial: One long rectangular table seating all guests, instead of separate round tables. The trend for intimate modern weddings — more conversation across the table, and it photographs beautifully.
Montaje: The setup: assembling the venue before the event — tables, chairs, decor, tableware, sound. Usually takes 4–8 hours. Make sure your contract gives vendors access to the venue from the morning of the wedding day.
Open bar: Alcoholic drinks served to guests without anyone paying per drink. Tiers matter: basic (rum, beer, wine), standard, premium (top-shelf whisky, gin, tequila). The tier you pick moves the catering bill by 30–100%, so it's one of the biggest levers in the budget.
Plan B: The rain plan. For a beach or garden wedding on the peninsula it must be nailed down in writing in the venue contract: what cover goes up, who pays for it, and when the call is made. A verbal 'we'll figure it out' is not a plan B.
Save-the-date: The early heads-up sent 8–9 months before the wedding. It doesn't replace the formal invitation — its job is to get guests blocking vacation days and booking flights, which for a destination wedding is the whole game. More on this →
RSVP: From the French 'répondez s'il vous plaît' — the attendance confirmation guests send after receiving the invitation. Set the RSVP deadline 4–6 weeks before the wedding so you can close the headcount with the caterer. More on this →
Showreel / highlight: The short edited video (2–5 minutes) that sums up the wedding day, delivered by the videographer a few weeks after. Distinct from the full film (15–40 minutes), which arrives 2–3 months later. Check which of the two your package includes.
Welcome dinner: The dinner the night before the wedding — a destination-wedding tradition, and especially useful when your guests are flying in from several countries and mostly haven't met each other before the big day.

Dominican food on wedding menus

What you'll actually see on a DR catering menu. Reading this now saves you asking the waiter 'what is this?' in front of your in-laws — and helps you request the local dishes worth having.

Bandera dominicana: 'The Dominican flag' — the national everyday plate: white rice + stewed red beans + meat (stewed chicken, beef). You'll most often see it at the next-day brunch rather than the wedding dinner itself.
Chicharrón de pollo: Chicken cut into small pieces, marinated in citrus and spices, fried until crisp. A very common cocktail-hour bite. The gourmet version comes with roasted pineapple. Order it — your guests will thank you.
Cordon bleu local: The Dominican take on the French classic: chicken breast stuffed with cheese and ham, breaded. The 'safe' main on wedding menus — the option that pleases every palate at a multi-national table.
Mangú: Mashed green plantain, the signature Dominican breakfast. At a next-day brunch it usually arrives with 'los tres golpes' (the three hits): fried salami, egg and fried cheese. A guest favorite precisely because nobody has had it at home.
Mero al horno: Whole oven-baked Caribbean grouper (or red snapper) with lime, butter and herbs. The premium option on peninsula wedding menus — fish caught that day. Costs more per head than chicken or beef, and it's worth it here.
Pasapalos / canapés: The small bites served during the cocktail hour: mini empanadas, croquettes, skewers, small ceviches. Budget rule of thumb: 6–8 pieces per guest for the cocktail.
Pescado con coco: Fish fillet in coconut-milk sauce with tomato, onion and cilantro — the emblematic regional dish of the Samaná peninsula. If you're coming from abroad, ask your caterer to put it on the menu. This is the plate the region is known for.
Pica pollo: Dominican fried chicken, usually with tostones on the side. Street food, elevated — some modern weddings serve it as the 2 am late-night snack, which foreign guests talk about for years.
Sancocho: The thick, slow-cooked stew of several meats (chicken, beef, pork) and root vegetables (yuca, ñame, plantain, sweet potato). The most emblematic Dominican dish of all. Appears on more traditional menus or at the next-day brunch.
Tostones: Green plantain slices smashed and fried twice — crisp outside, soft inside. The default Dominican side, and increasingly a canapé base topped with guacamole or ceviche at cocktail hours.

Dominican traditions

Customs that may (or may not) appear at your wedding, depending on region and generation. As a foreign couple you get to pick — knowing what each one is lets you choose deliberately instead of by default.

Arras: Thirteen coins the groom hands the bride during a Catholic (or symbolic) ceremony, symbolizing commitment and shared resources. Spanish in origin, present at many DR weddings. Easily adopted into a symbolic ceremony if you like the ritual.
Brindis con champaña: The formal champagne toast after dinner. Traditionally led by the padrino (see below), with parents or witnesses adding words; at modern weddings the groom often opens it. If your guests span languages, plan who toasts in which one.
Cosillas (regalitos para invitados): Wedding favors handed out at the end of the night. Common in the DR: little bags of sweets, mini bottles of rum, personalized hand fans, artisan soaps. Typical cost: US$2–8 per guest — and the mini rum bottle is the one foreign guests actually keep.
Hora loca: Described under Production above — listed here too because it's the single most characteristic Dominican wedding tradition: 30–60 minutes of total energy with masks, drums, foam or neon in the middle of the party.
Lazo o lazo de unión: A decorative cord or loop placed around both partners during the ceremony, symbolizing the union. A common Catholic tradition in the DR, and another ritual that transplants easily into a symbolic beach ceremony.
Pajes y niñas de las flores: The small children (ages 3–8) in the ceremony: the flower girl scatters petals ahead of the bride; the page boy carries the rings. A fixture of traditional weddings — the DR equivalent of your flower girl and ring bearer.
Padrinos y madrinas de boda: The couple's chosen sponsors — closer to 'honor roles' than to the Anglo best man / maid of honor. Traditional roles include padrinos de cojín (ring cushion), de arras (coins) and de velas (candles). They're distinct from the two legal witnesses, though the same people sometimes do both.
Recordatorios (recordatorios de altar): Small keepsake cards with the couple's names and the date, handed out at the church after the ceremony. A Catholic tradition that's fading at modern weddings, but some families will expect it — worth asking yours.
Vals de los novios: The couple's first dance, opening the party: the newlyweds take the floor to a chosen song, typically followed by the parents and then everyone. Traditional picks: a romantic bachata, a ballad, or whatever song is yours.

Peninsula logistics

Terms specific to weddings in Las Terrenas, Samaná and Las Galeras — airport codes, permits and place names that will fill your vendor emails and don't translate.

AZS: The airport code for El Catey international airport in Samaná — charter flights, Air Canada and a few commercial routes (Air France from Paris). The closest airport to Las Terrenas (35 min) and Samaná town (50 min). If your guests can route through AZS, their transfer day gets dramatically shorter.
Boda a domicilio (civil): An on-site civil ceremony: the JCE official travels to your venue (villa, hotel, garden) instead of you going to the registry office. There's a travel surcharge of RD$8,000–15,000 depending on distance from the oficialía. This is how you get a legal ceremony on the beach at your villa.
Carretera del Atlántico (boulevard): The main coastal road along the north of the peninsula, connecting Las Terrenas with Samaná and El Limón. In good condition; Las Terrenas to Samaná takes about 45 minutes. When vendors quote transfer times, this is the road they mean.
Cayo Levantado: A small island off Samaná bay, reachable only by boat (15–30 min from the Samaná pier). An iconic setting for intimate weddings with a beach ceremony on the island — but budget and plan the boat logistics for every guest.
Cosón: The residential zone west of Las Terrenas, known for private villas and the longest beach in the area (Playa Cosón). 8–12 minutes from the center of Las Terrenas on a paved road. If your villa listing says Cosón, this is where you are.
El Limón: The village between Las Terrenas and Samaná, known for the waterfall of the same name and for 'eco-adventure' ceremony formats. Paved road access, then a hike (or horseback ride) to the waterfall itself.
Permiso de playa: The municipal beach permit — authorization from the town hall (Las Terrenas or Samaná) to hold an event on a public beach. Costs RD$5,000–20,000 depending on scale. Crucial fine print: it does NOT grant exclusivity. The beach stays public, swimmers and all.
Playa Bonita / Playa Cosón / Playa Punta Popy: The three main beaches of Las Terrenas. Bonita: the most photographed, small and central. Cosón: the longest and widest, ideal when your wedding needs space. Punta Popy: closest to the tourist center, restaurants a few steps away.
PUJ: The airport code for Punta Cana international — the DR airport with the widest international coverage. If your guests fly in from many countries it's usually the easiest entry point, but budget the transfer to Samaná: 4–5 hours by road.
SDQ: The airport code for Las Américas international in Santo Domingo — the most-used gateway to the peninsula for commercial flights when there's no direct charter to AZS. SDQ to Las Terrenas: about 2h 30min on the Samaná highway.
Transporte de invitados (shuttle): Guest shuttle service between venue, hotels and airport. Essential on the peninsula, where distances between accommodation and venues aren't walkable. Cost: US$200–1,500 depending on headcount and routes. For a destination wedding, treat it as a fixed line in the budget, not an option.

Missing a term?

If a vendor or planner used a word you can't find here, tell us and we'll add it. This glossary grows when a real couple asks about something that wasn't covered — useful entries, not filler.

To verify our sources (legal, climate, tourism), see the page of official sources we cite.

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