hollym

I definitely recommend La Sibila the gourmet restaraunt. It's not outside like the others but it's the nicest restaraunt and even though it's a lobster place, you can get steak there. The other's are more "picnic-y" Also, they don't really know how to cook steak there, it was usually over-cooked. I was not impressed with the steakhouse.

In case Yoselina hasn't gotten back to you yet, I've attached the package she sent me. I'm doing the same thing in the same place in January! Keep your eye open for pictures later! RENEWAL OF VOWS PACKAGE 2009.doc

pujbride19, Whew! That makes me feel SOOO much better! You don't happen to have any pictures or anything, do you?

I. CAN'T. WAIT! Congrats to all of you happy couples!

Soooo...I'm less than a month away from departure day! Yay! (and, holy crap!) I'm incredibly excited but I feel like I should be doing more to prepare. My wedding coordinator at the resort (Iberostar Dominicana) isn't doing much to help me plan anything. I expressed my concern to my TA, she talked to the wedding coordinator and the WC told her that we would plan everything when I got there. I HATE not knowing what to expect and having NOTHING planned. When I first decided that's where I wanted my wedding, she sent me a form to fill out my preferences but nothing has happened since then. I even asked if I needed to put down a deposit to hold the date and she said no. Is this normal? Is there something I need to be doing? Kind of freaking out!

I bought these shoes but now that my dress is finished being hemmed, I want to wear a small heel so I bought a different pair. They're brand new, I never wore them, just tried them on. The fabric is really pretty. It's not satin, it's kind of a matte finish but a little shimmery. They're a size 8 and true to size. I'm asking $30 plus $5 for shipping. Paypal would be ideal. Let me know if you're interested! jessica.pdf

HAHAHA!!!! I literally laughed out loud at many of those. I liked the one about swerving not to hit a banana peel!

Ok, so I know that the purpose of a bridal shower is to "shower" the bride with gifts and that this is basically a big party for me but is there anything that I need to do? Should I bring food? A gift for the hostess? Is there anything I'm in charge of?

I'm in the same situation and thanks to the lovely ladies here on BDW, my extra groomsman (who happens to be my brother) will be walking my mother down. I'm not worried about pictures or anything looking funny. After all, I was an art student and I know that designs look better in odd numbers! We'll make it work!

I know that this doesn't work for everybody but I went shopping with my bridesmaids at department stores and we found great dresses from JCPenney that were on sale plus a 15% off coupon. They ended up being $40 each. I only have 3 bridesmaids so I bought the dresses for them. I didn't tell them that I was buying them though, until we were at the register (so they would keep cost in mind)! Everybody was happy! If you're absolutely in love with the $200 dresses, I like the idea of only having them pay a certain amount, or you paying a certain amount. You might say, "I'll pay for $50-100 of each of your dresses" They aren't expecting you to pay so it would be a nice surprise leaving them feeling like they got a deal!

My fiance works at a law firm and knows someone who can legally marry us so we're doing it over a fancy dinner with two witnesses before our DW. I didn't like the idea of doing it at the ugly courthouse so this is perfect for us.

Hmmm, that's tough. I never thought of that. So far, none of the people I invited are bringing guests. (Well, my sister might bring a friend but that's only one person!) Personally, I think that if you allow guests to come to Jamaica, they should be "invited" to the AHR. I put invited in quotes because technically they're someone's guest and whether or not that person decides to ask them to be their guest to the AHR is up to that person. Also, it's kind of hard to control. How would you tell those people they aren't invited? That might get kind of messy. I say don't send them a separate invite to the AHR but if the person legitimately invited happens to bring someone, so be it. Those people might offset the number of people invited who won't be able to make it. As far as his mom insisting on inviting people.....Ouch. Usually that only happens when they're paying for half the wedding. If these people aren't important to your fiance, I would think of a nice way to tell his mom that the wedding costs a lot of money and you can't afford to extend the guest list. That's at least 20 more people that your mom has to bake for!!! These are just my opinions...I hope everything works out for you!

onlinebridalstore.com has super cute shoes and they come quickly once you order them. I bought the "Carmen"s. They look really really cute but I haven't worn them around the house yet to find out if they're comfy!

Wow. You ladies are great. These are all great ideas! I'm soooooo appreciative of your help! Thank you!

We have a wedding party of 6. 3 bridesmaids, 3 groomsmen. FI chose his best friend and two brothers. I really wanted my brother to be part of our wedding but I don't know how! We're not really having an usher or anything and I definitely do not want to add a fourth bridesmaid. Does anyone know what I can do to include my brother without making it seem like a pity inclusion? Any help/idea is welcomed! Thank you!!!!

I finally ordered my invites now that I have a resort/date booked! Sorry they're pdfs, I had a hard time uploading them! We ordered 100 William Arthur invites from weddingpaperdivas.com for about $700. It's a little more than we wanted to spend but I'm soooo happy with them. Also, I figured that since I was actually saving money by having a DW as opposed to a traditional wedding, that I owe it to my guests who will be spending a lot of money to come to my wedding. The invites, reply cards and reception cards came in sturdy boxes wrapped with ribbon. They even gave us four extra sets and tissue paper to put with each card. The ink is thermographic, which makes it raised and the paper is like 110 lb. (nice and sturdy, in other words). They also included a booklet with the traditional ways to stuff invites and address them. Very helpful. We ordered them online and they sent us electronic proofs to verify and we received them a couple of days later. They also have live chat help if you have any questions. There were a couple of different beach themes to choose from but the formal ones looked nice as well. We love them because they are simple and classic. I would recommend them in a heartbeat! Just wanted to let you know if you haven't ordered yours yet! inviteboxes.pdf DSCN0950.pdf DSCN0948.pdf

Thank you so much, imppearl!

I have my wedding booked for January 12th, 2010 at the Iberostar Dominicana. My TA suggested it and I read all the reviews and they seem really good. After comparing the four resorts I chose this one because it had the best price and that's important to my family. The Punta Cana is it's "sister resort" so if you book at either one you can go back and forth between the two if you want because they're right next to each other. From the pictures on their website the Punta Cana looks like it has nicer rooms but I figure I won't be spending much time in there anyway! So, we're planning on spending 5 nights at the Dominicana (8th-12th) then going over to the Grand Bavaro for 2 nights (or more if we push back our flight home) for our Honeymoon. I heard it's really nice and it's adults only. If you decide to go with the Dominicana and have any questions, let me know!

It looks like Butterfly Enchantress isn't on Etsy anymore... Etsy really is a great site though. We actually looked for invites there. Ended up with something else but since they're all individual sellers they have reasonable prices! Thanks for the tip, your flower looks AMAZING!!!

I'm glad you're going with dress 1! It's beautiful!

Quote: Originally Posted by Christine I have beagles too-Toby and Tess, I never would have gotten a beagle, but my FI insisted and now I cannot imagine having any other kind of dog...they are such great pets this was their first time in the Atlantic Ocean when we went to the Outer Banks-Toby swam so much he couldn't lift his tail for two days. Out of concern for your pup, I think Toby may have had "cold water tail". You should google it, I think sometimes it can be serious. -From one animal lover to another

December 1st is my birthday! I agree that it would be ok to wear a colored dress. Especially for a DW!!! If you want to wear white, there are plenty of wedding dresses designed specifically for destination weddings. Light, airy and comfortable. You just have to keep searching. I know a girl who bought her dress from the prom section of a department store. Good luck!!!

It's been confirmed! January 12th 2010, 4:30 p.m. at Iberostar Dominicana! Wooo Hoooo!!!!!!! Thanks for all of your help so far, ladies! and thanks for letting me celebrate here!

I feel so far behind! My wedding is early Jan. 2010 and we're just NOW finally choosing a resort! The family is getting a little annoying asking for details but he's in law school and I'm just finishing undergrad. We've got a lot going on! Anyway, the TA I went to gave me some estimate prices (don't know where she got them) but said I was safe picking a date and could tell people. It was really frustrating having to wait for prices, I wish I would have gone to a TA sooner just for the advice on how to get started!

Hi ladies! I was wondering if anyone knew anything about Iberostar Dominicana. I went to a couple of travel agents and this one has the best price. It seems to have pretty good reviews (nothing about weddings, though) and I know the Iberostars have a good reputation but I don't see anything on here about Dominicana. Also, what are the major differences between the Iberostars (Dominicana, Bavaro, Punta Cana, La Romana) including prices? I thought Dominicana was in Punta Cana. Are there just two in Punta Cana? I'm just looking for as much info as I can get because we're about to make a decision. I really like this one but FI thinks we can do better for the same price. Any thoughts? Thanks!!!!