nbulldog19

The sound system is perfect, we had 40 people and everyone heard it beautifully. FYI- I used travelers checks and that also worked out well for us.

The whole restaurant was private just for us. The restaurant is huge because it is where the main breakfast and lunch buffet is and I could not believe the transformation. They blocked off half the restaurant so it would be more intimate but there was no one allowed on the other side. It was perfect

Just read a couple of the recent July posts and I think that I can help a little. We actually used our Ipod with a playlist we made for the ceremony and the sound system was included. I asked one of my sisters friends to handle the IPOD just to make sure the right music played at the right time. Music was really important to us and I had a song for the sand ceremony and also an exit song on top of the bridal entrance at the beginning. She also played music while people where sitting waiting for the wedding to start. We had the Carribean Trio (same as the Guitar trio) for the cocktail hour and guests said they were good. We were taking pictures at the time so I dont know. However, the same Trio was in the mexican restaurant the next night and they really are good. We played $250. As far as the reception, I couldnt decide between the cascade pool or a restaurant. I ahd my heart set on the cascade pool but am so happy I went with the restaurant. It was totally private, air conditioned, and NO BUGS. We even got to party a little later because it was inside. I loved it. Lastly, I had 40 guests and none of them said anything about bed bugs. All of the room were very clean, some had a slight moldly smell but for the most part there were no complaints. Some of my guests are even heading back in April for a reunion lol. Hope this helps!

I got married at Excellence because I had 40 people coming with no kids and it just made sense. We are sort of a rowdy bunch and I didnt want to worry about that with kids present and 5 of my best friends are Teachers and it was a really nice break to travel without kids. I know you are exhausted from looking at places but check out the Excellence planning thread. The staff really go out of their way to make your day special. All 40 people loved it and some are even heading back next year. There is a gazebo which is nice but I don't know how many people it holds. I got married on the beach because it was on of the reasons I wanted a destination wedding. Dreams is defintitely more affordable for your guests (I think on average maybe 200 dollars) but Excellence truly is a palace and the wedding packages are great. No hidden fees at the end of the day and they went above and beyond what I expected. Hope this helps!

I left my vases there so maybe they still have them....There were 6 of them, cylinder shaped about 10inch tall. Here is a picture of what it looked like at home before we left for the wedding

Diva- Just 30, they move them for you at no extra cost. Also about the rooms being outdated, my guests and I thought they were great..the only complaint is the beds are definitely hard. Not a bed I wanted to spend all day in which was fine because we hardly spent anytime in our rooms except to go to bed

The rooms were definitely musty, some worse than others. My mother in law has asthma and her room was really musty, but when she told the front desk, they changed her room immediately so that was good. Basically if you are unhappy with anything, just tell them. They are there to make you happy and strive to do so.

It ended about 1045ish then there was a beach party til 2am that was for the whole resort. Here is a few pictures inside the restaurant. We provided the centerpieces, bows on chairs, and starfish favors. Once the professional phots are up, I will post them

To be honest the Glue dots didnt hold too well, if I did it again, I would still use the glue dots to wrap the ribbon around the handle and then maybe tie the postcard to the ribbon. Just an idea

about the mosquito question...My wedding was in April and they were pretty bad at night. I brought bug spray and was fine, only a few bites the whole trip. But even though I told guests in my pre-wedding package to bring some, many forgot and got eaten alive especially at night near the discoteca. I actually changed my reception from the cascade pool to the Toscana restaurant the day of the wedding because I was worried about the mosquitos. At first I was really upset because I really wanted it by the pool, but it was one of the best decisions I made. Inside there were no bugs, there was A/C and the party was able to continue well past 10pm b/c we weren't near any guest rooms. It was also nice to change it up since I had the wedding on the beach and the cocktail hour on the beach also. We saw our photographer Fran from photosouvenirs the next night and he was taking pictures for another wedding that had their reception near the cascade pool and he said he was miserable because the mosquitos were so bad. So i definitely think it depends on the time of year, but no matter what be prepared and bring bug spray.

No I actually used glue dots and attached it but you could def do a back side if you wanted

it came with a stopper which was key, I will take a picture and post later. I had to carry it on the plane because I didnt want all the sand to pour out.

we had "One Love" by Bob Marley. It was absolutely perfect and it took about 2 minutes to pour the sand so I think a song is definitely needed or there would have been an awkward pause. Hope that helps

I got my vase from Home goods-loved it, very unique, and it was only $12.99. Then got it engraved at Things remembered for $20. The sand is from Michaels.

I actually hate the idea of programs, but really wanted to thank my guests and pay respect to the loved ones Austin and I have lost especially my dad. I had a small wedding party just a MOH and best man so instead of programs I put Raffia fans on each chair with an extra large postcard I made at vistaprint as a thank you. People loved it.

My colors were fushia and orange so I just asked the WC to use my colors and add in a little greenery. Here was my bouquet, I absolutely loved it.

We recently just had our wedding in Punta Cana, and as a nurse, I felt strongly about helping Haiti any way we could. In our prewedding package, I asked my guest to bring something to donate to Haiti. I spoke with the wedding coordinator and she was very touched that we wanted to help out seeing how alot of the workers had family in Haiti. Mamy guests brought clothes, some books, toys, ect. and it felt good to help out even if it was in a small way.

honestly, I just gave them the chair sashes and they did whatever they wanted. It does look like they pinned them and yes they provided them. I didnt pay extra. That was one of the best things about Excellence, i feel like other resorts would have charged me for little things, when at Excellence it was just part of their service. No hidden charges, no surprises when it came to the bill. They always went above and beyond.

So review is up...enjoy! Nikki- we flew American Airlines and they allow 2 bags each free so 4 bags total. The rest of the stuff we divided between my mom and 2 aunts. No one paid extra so it was great. MDB- We got the silver package so the ceremony was pretty much set up for me. I did bring fushia bows for the chairs which I left with the WC if you want to use pink (there should be fifty of them. There were tiki torches, the aisle runner was a sand color which I liked because you didnt even know it was there and they lined the runner with large starfish/shells. The four posts were decorated with white drapes and flowers and there was a table with flowers and the sand ceremony. There are pics in my review but here is one.

More Photos... Carribean Trio My sister, Maid of Honor Horse and carriage boys and their cigars at the reception First dance More to come later...

Just got back from the best week of my life..hands down! If anyone is considering this resort for their wedding, I can tell you now you will not be disappointed. We had 42 guests ranging from 19 years old to 60 years old and everyone had the vacation of a lifetime. People keep laughing and saying "now i have 40 more facebook friends". To be in one place surrounded by all the people you love is priceless and then to have the wedding of your dreams is beyond words. Thank you again to all the past brides who helped me make this wedding something out of the movies. I am speechless. Airlines We didn't use a travel agent, but 10 of our guests did (Wendy Hicks from BDW forum)and loved working with her. I booked the hotel through excellence website and the flights through orbitz since we were heading to Puerto Rico after the wedding for a few nights. American Airlines on the way there was great, 2 FREE checked bags each and were able to put my dress in a closet on board. We didnt get upgraded but ow well. We then used delta on the way home, unfortunately we had 2 bags to check and it costs us $40 total but that was fine. No unexpected delays or problems either way, it went very smooth. [/b][/u]Resort[/b][/u] We booked transportation through the resort which I liked because we had our own private taxi. Drive was about 50minutes and was fine. Alot of people on TripAdvisor complained about how bumpy and long the drive was but Hello we are in a 3rd world country, what do you expect? It wasn't bad and you get to see a little of the country on the way. When you arrive, you are treated like royalty and it doesnt end til you leave. You are greeted with champagne and a cold towel which is perfect. The grounds were beautiful, the rooms were amazing (a little musty) but fantastic. There is no need to leave the resort because there is so much to do. I love the pool and the beach and could be fine laying there all day with a drink in my hand but my hubby (so good to say) Austin gets antsy and was worried he would get bored...NOPE! There are shows every night, 10 bars, pool volleyball, whatever you like to do, they got it. The entertainment crew was great especially Juan Carlos (which my crew nicknamed JC) and Jolito. Every night all my guests met at the lobby bar and headed to the disco. Not sure if we brought the party or what, but every night we rocked it out til it closed at 2am. It was a blast. And if you do have a problem or complaint, just tell them and it is fixed in seconds. The people there live to make you happy and they did a great job with the 42 people we brought all from different backgrounds and lifestyles. No complaints! Rehearsal Dinner Since my wedding party was small, just a best man and MOH. We had a rehearsal dinner in the Toscanna restaurant for all our guests...no extra charge. I picked a menu with one app, one main dish, and one dessert and Isyuney (our WC) put tables together and even printed up menus for everyone. Such a nice touch. WC-Ana and Isyuney I was a little worried because for the year I was planning, my WC changed 3 times which made me nervous but now I know that whatever coordinator you get, your wedding will be amazing. Isyuney was assigned my wedding a month before and I couldnt have asked for a better WC. I brought 2 suitcases full of placecards, program fans, centerpieces ect and she put it all together as I imagined, maybe even better. She made my day magical! Since they only do one wedding a day, she was there for me from the beginning to the end. Wedding day April 23, 2010 Austin was given a free room the night before so we could sleep apart. I woke up and had breakfast with my mom then headed to the spa at 1230pm. THey did my hair and makeup which i absolutely loved. They are experts, I had brought a picture and she did my hair even better than my picture. Hair and makeup only took 1 hour and I have a lot of hair. My biggest regret was getting ready in the spa, although it is beautiful and made for gorgeous photos..it was So HOT. There is no AC and I almost passed out, literally! I couldnt even enjoy it because I was so hot. So future brides-I recommend getting dressed in your room. Fran, the photographer from Photosouvenirs, came at 430pm to take pictures and the wedding was suppose to start at 5pm but Pastor York was late and the wedding didnt start til almost 520pm. No biggie! My sister, my mom (who walked me down the aisle) and I were escorted in a horse and carriage. When we arrived at the beach, there were people watching from balconies and in bathingsuits but everyone was respectful. The wedding itself was magical, I had music playing as my sister walked down ("somewhere over the rainbow" by israel kamakawiwo'ole) and then my mom and me to "Feels like Home" by chantal kreviazuk . It was amazing. Pastor York was great, I would def recommend him to anyone especially if you want the wedding in English. We did a sand ceremony (we played "one love" by Bob Marley while we poured the sand) and the whole ceremony took about 20 minutes. Our processional song was "no one" by Alicia Keys. Cocktail Hour Austin and I missed most of cocktail hour because we were taking pictures but everyone said it was good. We had it on the beach and paid extra for the Carribean Trio. Well worth it. Reception We chose the Silver Package and decided to do the buffet, I personally hate choosing what everyone is going to eat so the buffet was a great option for us. I decided last minute , 2pm the day of the wedding, to change the reception to indoors in the Toscana Restaurant. I really wanted it by the Cascade pool, but after much debate, decided on indoors and I am sooo happy I did. The Mosquitos were bad that night, there was no air by the cascade pool, and the reception would have had to be over by 10pm due to the proximity of guests rooms. We partied in the Toscana restaurant til 1045pm, DJ Mannia was amazing. We gave him a list of song but told him to "do his thing" lol and he did. We didnt stop dancing all night. I had bought cuban cigars from a vendor to the Right of the resort and everyone loved them. Every night at Excellence there is a show and that night just happened to be Circus night so as a clown in stilts and a boy on a unicycle where walking by, Austin asked them to come in the reception. It was unbelievable, no other wedding I have or will ever go to will have that. After Party The reception ended at 1045ish and Austin and I went to change with the plan to meet everyone at the Disco later, but as we were heading to the lobby, we saw a huge party on the beach. Friday night is the beach party and it was like having 2 receptions but only paying for one. I would definitely recommend future brides to marry on Friday, it was amazing. We danced til 2am nonstop even our parents stayed up. Well I guess that is pretty much it. It was by far the best day/week of my life. All 42 people want to know when we are going back for round 2. Hope this helps future bride.

OMG! We are back from the best 2 weeks of my life! Brides to be...you have nothing to worry about, everything was beyond my expectations and both Ana and Isyuney made my day absolutely a dream. I couldn't have asked for anything more and they went above and beyond to make it perfect. I brought alot of things down with me...centerpieces, program fans, escort cards, favors ect and Isyuney put it all together beautifully and as I pictured it. I love putting my little touches on things but if thats not your thing, then don't push it. The wedding would have been just as beautiful without my finishing touches. I am working on my review with pictures to follow so stay posted...just know your day will be amazing!

Ok girls, Austin and I leave for Punta Cana on Sunday with the wedding on Friday. I cannot thank you guys enough for all your advice and help planning. I couldn't have done it without you. I am soo happy with the way everything turned out and cannot wait for the big day to be here. I will take alot of pictures and write my planning thread and review when I get back. I can't believe its here...OMG! I am a little worried cuz it says rain and thunderstorms all week but I am hoping its just the occasional shower here and there. I am trying to be positive and say to myself "You can't control the weather" but I am a little nervous. Any last words of advice for the bride to be? Can't wait to be Mrs Storms xoxo

I am having "one love" by Bob Marley..we are playing it when we pour the sand in. It will only be for a minute but I love it. Hope this helps...

a couple questions for past brides...does anyone have the spa prices and services? I am def getting my hair done there, and still questioning getting my make-up done there. Also was gonna treat the moms to mani/pedis but wanted to see the costs. Also did anyone have music as they walked down the aisle/beach? I want specific music playing before the ceremony, my song to walk down the aisle, and a song for the sand ceremony but wasnt sure how they do this. Music is sooo important to me, and I really wanted the songs I picked out. Anyone else have music played other than live music like a saxophone or guitarist? Or did anyone see a different wedding while they were there that did this? I am emailing Ana also. Thanks girls-Nicole only 53 days left