Jess

aww i didn't see this till right now - love everything Aut!!

B2B - Ange - Angela? Not sure her screen name (can someone help me with this?) Mrs - NaM - Natalia

Here were some wedding faq's I found on the site: Weddings Will the Hard Rock Punta Cana offer a romantic ambience for a wedding? Flawlessly irreverent and passionately sophisticated, Hard Rock Hotels is a dream come true for weddings that are anything but predictable. From indoor and outdoor spaces perfectly suited for weddings as spectacular as 1,000 or as intimately sublime as 70, Hard Rock Hotels provides a setting that blends lace and petals with cool and contemporary where you take center stage. Combined with impeccable service, an incomparable culinary team and an event planning staff bursting with fresh new ways to add glamour to your wedding, Hard Rock brings new meaning to celebrating your Love, Love, Love. Will the Hard Rock hotel still offer the same wedding packages that Palace Resorts offers in its other properties? Yes the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana will offer the same packages as any other Palace Resorts property as it will be operated by Palace Resorts. The new Precious Wedding Collection packages make tying the knot with friends and family effortless and affordable at Palace Resorts. The perfect low-cost complement to the already incredible value of the amenities offered with the Palace Resorts Complimentary Wedding, the six new Collections --Amber, Sapphire, Ruby, Amethyst Rose, Emerald and Diamond -- include a color scheme based on the chosen natural gem that touches the ceremony's decor, flowers and cake. How may wedding gazebos will Hard Rock Punta Cana offer? For those looking to celebrate romantic weddings in paradise, the hotel has three floating wedding pavilions. Are you going to offer beach weddings? Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana's expansive 121-acre property rests on Macao Beach, one of the most beautiful, palm tree-lined beaches in the Caribbean that overlooks perfectly clear blue waters on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic. Getting married in paradise definitely has its perks! You, can choose the beautiful Caribbean waters as the backdrop for your beach ceremony. How much event space will the hotel offer? The property will be fully equipped to handle the largest events in Punta Cana, from full-sized rock 'n roll performances, to small, intimate occasions. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana will feature more than 65,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, equipped with state-of-the-art technology. If I want to book my wedding at Punta Cana, who should I contact? For more information on booking the perfect, no-stress, value-added wedding or please contact us (877) 725-4933 or visit Palace Resorts, or contact your preferred tour operator. Will the resort name change? Yes, once the transition is complete in spring 2010, the resort name will be Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana. Is the property owned and managed by Palace Resorts or Hard Rock International? The property is owned and managed by Palace Resorts Will the appearance/décor of the resort change? The décor of the resort will be enhanced with the Hard Rock brand including an extensive collection of Hard Rock's signature rock memorabilia from both international and local artists, as well as diverse music icons incorporated throughout the property. However, all Palace Resorts signature amenities will remain including luxury accommodations with double-Jacuzzis and double showers. Will the on-site transition from Moon Palace Casino, Golf & Spa Resort to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana take place in phases or all at once? The transition from Moon Palace Casino, Golf & Spa Resort to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana will take place in smooth phases, from one resort area to another at different times throughout the next few months. The resort's transition is slated to be completed in Spring 2010. To find out about a specific section of the resort or phases that will take place during your stay, please call Palace Resorts at 1-800-635-1836. Will the property be closed during the transition? No, the property will not be closed during the transition and will operate under the same Palace Resorts high quality service and guest experience standards. Will there be construction/renovations throughout the property? Small non-invasive changes are taking place at the resort. Any renovations that could potentially impact guests will be mitigated by effective scheduling and advanced planning. When will the grand opening take place? The grand opening date is yet to be determined, but expected for Spring 2010. Will the hotel still be family oriented? Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana will have something for every member from family vacations and romantic escapes to adventurous journeys and getaways filled with friends. The resort will have special sections for children, families and adults. Is the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana going to be appropriate for all age groups? Yes, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana will have activities for all ages and special sections for children, families and adults. Will the casino size or amenities be changed? Once the resort is fully transitioned into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, the casino will be one of the largest casinos in the Caribbean, with 48,000 square feet of gaming space, offering a high-limit poker room, a VIP lounge and a Race and Sports Book in addition to 900 slots and 40 tables, where guests can try their hand at traditional Las Vegas-style gaming, including Baccarat, Black Jack, Craps, and Roulette. What are the reasons or the purpose for these changes? We have found a way to enhance our signature guest experience by entering into an agreement with Hard Rock International to bring the world's first "ultimate all-inclusive" Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Slated to be rebranded in 2010, the 1,790 room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana will combine the distinctive atmosphere and unparalleled guest experience of the Hard Rock brand with the five-star Moon Palace Resort all-inclusive experience. Are there going to be any changes to the all-inclusive features? There will be no changes to current all-inclusive features. We are adding one casino signature restaurant which will not be part of the all-inclusive package Will there be any changes to the current optional packages for golf, spa, honeymoons and weddings? No, all optional packages, including price structure, for golf, spa, honeymoons and weddings will remain the same. How can I be sure the service standards will remain the same? Palace Resorts will own and operate the resort ensuring our signature five-star all-inclusive experience with the highest standard of service.

I just received an email that a Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana was opening in Spring 2010 - looks pretty cool! It also says it is all-inclusive - even better Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana

I got a mani/pedi the day before the wedding. just did a natural light pink on both.

This year we are staying home in San Diego through Christmas day and then Christmas night flying up to Northern California to spend Christmas with his family. It is a pain but we sort of feel we should do it while we don't have kids - then we are just staying here once we do.

haha Aut too funny...yeah the rooms thing was annoying...dont change it up just post it

I don't think bridal showers should be that large...if you invited every girl who you invited to your wedding it may be too much for the host. At mine I just had family and close friends

ohh ok yeah that is right next door to the regular Velas. Yeah its tough - people don't realize it really is an incredible deal when you start adding up all the food and drinks.

Are they staying at Velas Vallarta instead? It is super close and the shuttle will take them back and forth.

do you think the person was just joking?

woop!!!!!!

I think you are spending enough - if you want to give a gift though I say $50 is more than enough

aww thanks Karen - now we get to all live vicarioulsy through you

Yay Aut - welcome back!!!

hey ladies - posted my review - here it is: Jess' Dreams PV, Dazzling Details, Iglesia de Guadalupe, and Banana Cantina Review - Best Destination Wedding Forum ~ The Ultimate Destination Wedding Resource

what a score! Love them

yay Karen I really hope you get to also - it was amazing!!

Toya’s Nails – A We lucked out with this place after getting a referral from the manager of Banana Cantina. We got all the bridesmaids mani’s/pedi’s for 260 pesos each (about $20). They did an awesome job and everyone was happy with them. They are in the Romantic Zone on Amapas and Pulpito sort of near La Palapa Restaurant. One of the other girls on the forum said they dilute their nail polish – so we just brought our own and it worked out fine. Some of the girls didn’t though and their nails lasted so not sure if they really dilute all their polish. The Dazzling Details Wedding Coordinator – A+++++ I cannot thank Kristin and Michelle at the Dazzling Details enough for making our wedding so amazing. They are top notch and will blow your mind with your wedding and reception. It was more than we could have ever hoped for. They are truly worth every penny they charge – which really is not that much in the grand scheme of things. They took so much stress out of my wedding planning. I really let them handle everything and I’m glad I did, because there was nothing I was not happy with at our wedding. All of our guests kept raving that our wedding was “straight out of a wedding magazine.†That was of course awesome to hear and it was all because of Kristin and Michelle. Here’s a glimpse of some of the “details†they did – they were incredible: The Dazzling Details: Jess and Paul - Dreams PV My parents surprised us with a surprise firework show right as we were cutting our cake. It was amazing. Their friend gave them this idea and then they went to Kristin and Michelle a couple weeks before the wedding and they made it happen. This was probably the highlight of our reception and I still can’t believe they did this for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe – A We absolutely lucked out. We went for our rehearsal with Padre Esteban and they all of a sudden put this American Priest named Father Peterson on the phone. I had no idea what was going on but I guess they asked him to officiate our ceremony. Father Peterson lives in PV for 9 months and goes home to Seattle in the summer. He was seriously a blessing. He got to know so much about us in 2 days and made our ceremony so special. We are so lucky to have gotten him. If you can – I absolutely recommend requesting him, he loves officiating ceremonies and gave an amazing homily. My parents even invited him to our reception and he came, so sweet to everyone. Father Peterson – such a cute man The Church itself was breathtaking and everything I hoped for. If you want a Catholic Ceremony, this is the place – beautiful! They are a little hard to deal with but if you have a wedding coordinator it makes it a lot easier. Banana Cantina – A+ I found reviews on tripadvisor for this place and emailed the owner Debbie. She referred me to her manager Jae who was awesome. We rented out the whole restaurant on Thanksgiving night for our welcome dinner– it was beautiful and the food was great. Jae went above and beyond in helping me with the nail place and anything else we needed. She even went out with us to ZTai and Mandala after the welcome dinner. I highly recommend this place and the price is a lot better than a lot of restaurants in PV – and you get to rent out the whole place if you want – it fits about 55 people. Debbi the owners email is [email protected] Website is Banana Cantina - A Puerto Vallarta Restaurant which has pics of the restaurant – they really don’t do it justice though, it is a lot nicer in person Stephanie Williams Photography and Casa Velas Honeymoon hotel reviews to come soon – they were both so amazing I just need to get to writing the reviews!!

Dreams Food - A The food was also very good and there were only a handful of dishes we didn’t like. For our wedding meal we had the calamari (excellent), and the poblano cream soup (guests were raving about this soup – it was awesome), and the breaded chicken and the fish fillet. The breaded chicken was okay, but the guests love the fish fillet. If I had to do it over, I’d probably go with the fish and something else for the main course. In trip advisor reviews we read that the buffet was not very good. We did not find this the case at all and always enjoyed the buffet food. I didn’t get to try the Mexican restaurant but Portofino, Seaside, and Oceana were our favorite restaurants. Some of our friends at Portofino one of the nights – they were very accommodating and gave us a table of 16 (4 tables of 4) right next to each other Rooms – A+ Preferred Tower, B Regular Tower The preferred tower was awesome, we did have some guests complaining about mold smell in the older tower. There is a huge difference in the two towers and I don’t think we did a good job telling our guests this so make sure you do so there aren’t any surprises for yours. Still, the deluxe rooms were fine for the most part, and most of our friends were just as happy with these rooms. Another thing to note is in the preferred tower you get free internet, where you have to pay for it in the older tower. Also, in the older tower they charge you an extra $20 per night for a balcony when you get there Deluxe Room regular tower Regular Room in Preferred Tower Balcony in Preferred Tower View from that balcony The only downfall with Dreams I would say would have to do how they handled upgrades with our group. We reserved a block of 30 rooms, which you would assume would give the bride and groom or parents of the bride and the groom an upgrade of some sort (if available of course). We asked for it but they said it would be $700 a night to do so. The irritating thing is that this same day, two of our friends (two separate friends) – were upgraded to penthouse suites in the new tower for no reason and for no additional cost. If I had a group of 30 rooms, I would move the bride and groom or parents of the bride and groom to the upgraded suites and put the other guests in the room they had been staying in. I honestly just do not think they think to that level though – but they really should when they are getting that much business from a group. I know Dreams Cabo is really good at this but Dreams PV is definitely not. Paul did get an upgrade to a penthouse suite in the old tower out of luck for 2 nights but the regular rooms in the new tower are a lot nicer than his was (we had separate rooms until the wedding night) – it was a really weird set up. We hear from our friends the newer tower penthouse suites are a lot better though. A random, funny thing that happened was that on the wedding night they put a “Happy Honeymoon†sign on my sister and her boyfriend’s door instead of ours – they were busting up laughing when they walked in – not a biggie and we didn’t care, just funny. Pool – B The pool at Dreams is not that great. It is not horrible but I think they can do a better job with some remodeling. I guess I’m also comparing it to Dreams Cabo who has an amazing pool, so this may not help. The pool was just so so though. The beach though, made up for this as it was awesome and the water was so warm. Spa - A I got a stress cure massage which was great, not the best but very good. Some of our guests said the massage was the best they have ever had though – so I would recommend their spa. I got my hair and makeup done by Blanca in the spa and she was great. I had a trial a few days before the wedding and I’m glad I did, because I totally changed my hairstyle after I saw pics. Blanca was happy to help me out till it was perfect. Turtle Release – A+ They had no turtles hatching the week of our wedding, but then on our wedding night they did - we were so happy. It was amazing to be able to let two little turtles release into the ocean on our wedding night – we loved this. I absolutely recommend the turtle release if it is going on when you are there. I know it is seasonal so it does not go on all the time, but if it does when you are there – do it! If you are in your wedding attire, the staff makes sure you get turtles to release also. General I don’t know if it was because it was Thanksgiving week, but there were tons of kids at Dreams. We didn’t mind this, but for a honeymoon I definitely wouldn’t want to stay there just because of this. As I said though, this could be because it was Thanksgiving week – I’m not sure.

Love your pics - so glad you are happy with them

eeek that is really gross - i'm really sorry

9lbs- poor Kendra! she is so little!

I did mine on Christmas Cards, Holiday Cards, Photo Cards, Photo Books, and Photo Share Sites | Shutterfly and it was super easy. I did the leather book and I found a code - I think it was only $30. It was great quality also.

awww so cute Holly