eloping789

Quote: Originally Posted by Jacilynda We ordered FI's from overstock. It ended up being too big so we returned it. Overstock didn't have the right size in stock so we ordered from Eternity Rings, Mens Wedding Rings, Diamond Eternity Rings, Mens Wedding Bands They were super quick and i even had it engraved for an extra $6 or $8. he got the same ring we were looking at in the jewelry stores here and they were running $500 and we got his for $99 total (included shipping and engraving) Wow - thanks for the link to that site! I just found the wedding band I want for almost $100 less. :-)

My FI ordered my engagement ring online and we'll be getting both of our wedding rings online as well. He bought my engagement ring from bluenile.com and had a wonderful experience with them. They do have white gold and platinum mens bands, but my FI wants titanium or tungsten so we're going to get it somewhere else. Good luck!!

Wow - I hadn't heard about this place before ... I'll definitely get my Thank you cards from them though!!

Congratulations - you'll find tons of great info to help with all of your decisions here!

Congratulations and good luck!

Congratulations and enjoy your planning! You'll find tons of help here.

Quote: Originally Posted by DTHSLove JohnsonB It was only $200 for ALL the paper work needed?? I thought someone said it was $600. I have heard other brides say that different consulate offices (NY specifically) were higher, but I did email the Chicago office back and confirm that it would be a total of $200 for all 4 documents to be translated and legalized and I was told that was correct. It seem strange that other offices would charge more, but who knows? The fee to translate the marriage certificate afterward is quite a bit higher than WEDO ($150 vs. $85 I think), so if you want to use a single service for all of your documents than WEDO might still be the least expensive option.

March 2009 Marisa & Don: March 10, 2009 - EdenH Real Arena Sita & Fernando: March 14, 2009 - Riu Bachata Carmen & Donovan: March 19, 2009 - EdenH Real Arena Nuc Med Bride & FI: March 19, 2009 - Gran Bahia Principe April 2009 Mamie & Joshua: April 2, 2009 - Bavaro Princess Kim & Chris: April 4, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Raquel & Dominick: April 17, 2009 - Paradisus Punta Cana Jennifer & Eliu: April 18, 2009 - Paradisus Palma Real Nancy & Kenny: April 23, 2009 - Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Brittany and Jay: April 23, 2009 (I think) - Occidental Grand Michelle & Jeff: April 24, 2009 - Meliá Caribe Tropical DRBride2009: April 24, 2009 - Meliá Caribe Tropical Aliya & Joey: April 24, 2009 - Riu Palace, Punta Cana Shannon & Dave: April 30, 2009 - Melia Caribe Tropical Christi88 & FI: April 30, 2009 - Eden Real May 2009 Shawn & Jeremy: May 2009 - Punta Cana (Still deciding on resort) Nicole & Justin: May 1, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Yadira & Alexander: May 2, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Eliu & Jennifer, MAY 3, 2009 - Paradisus Palma Real Velvet & James: May 8, 2009 - Riu Palace Punta Cana jhildebr: May 11, 2009 - Majestic Elegance Jennifer & Adam: May 11, 2009 - Paradisus Punta Cana Karen & Anthony: May 12 2009 - Ocean Sand Punta Cana Meagan & Jeff: May 15, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Nichole & John: May 16, 2009- Melia Caribe Tropical Jessica & Omar: May 22, 2009 - Paradisus Punta Cana Kristen & Craig: May 22, 2009 - Paradisus Punta Cana Heather & Joe: May 23, 2009 - EdenH Real Arena Sam & Sarah: May 27, 2009 - Majestic Colonial June 2009 melnb & FI: June 2009 - Paradisius FYB87 & FI: June 2009 - Resort undecided Vanessa & Hugo: June 19, 2009 - Paradisus Palma Real Mark and Jessica: June 19, 2009--Dreams Punta Cana Amanda and Tony: June 19, 2009-- Dreams Punta Cana Katy & Will: June 20, 2009 - Occidental Grand Rosanne & Alex: June 24, 2009- Dreams Punta Cana Sue & Steve: June 30th, 2009 - Riu Palace Punta Cana July 2009 Kylie & Chris: July 1, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Amber & Seth: July 2, 2009 - Excellence Punta Cana Nadia & Julian: July 3, 2009 - Excellence Punta Cana Lori & Justin: July 8, 2009 - Melia Caribe Tropical Jess & Dan: July 27, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Jenn & Chris: July 31, 2009 - Riu Palace, Punta Cana Cecile & Nord: July 24,2009-Moon Palace, Punta Cana August 2009 Shannon & Rich: August 5, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Ana & Adam: August 15, 2009 - Iberostar Punta Cana September 2009 Clare & Ross: September 7, 2009 - Ocean Blue (date to be confirmed) Chris & Martin: September 9, 2009 - Ocean Blue (date to be confirmed) Kenya & Eddie Sept. 12, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Kim & Jason September 18, 2009 - Dreams Palm Beach Kristy & Vince: September 19, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana October 2009 Carmen & Tiny: October 09, 2009 - Catalonia Bavaro Beach, Punta Cana Jeannie & Jorge: October 10, 2009 - Dreams Punta Cana Jen & Dave: October 10, 2009 - Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Darcy & Dave: October 11, 2009- Melia Caribe Tropical- Punta Cana Angela & Jason: October 20, 2009 - Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Kelly & Pablo: October 22, 2009 - Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana Jenny & Matthew: October 27, 2009 - Melia Caribe Tropical c & d: October 27, 2009 - Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana November 2009 Veronica & Paul: November 5, 2009 - Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Lisa & Jim: November 5, 2009 - EdenH Real Arena Punta Cana Leslie & Gerry: November 16, 2009- Majestic Colonial Andrea & Chris: November 24, 2009, Majestic Elegance Krista & Dave: November 25, 2009 - Sirenis Tropical December 2009 Julie and Rob: December 4, 2009 - Grand Palladium Punta Cana Amber and Dan: December 5, 2009 - Majestic Colonial Beth and Ian: December 12, 2009- Excellence Punta Cana Lindsay and Tracy: December 31, 2009 - Majestic Colonial January 2010 Nicole & Michael: January 23, 2010 - Bavaro Princess Shelby & Michael: January 23, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Jocelyn & Michael: January 25, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Lisa & Adam: January 2010, Dreams Punta Cana Nicole & Chad: January 13, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana February 2010 Amber & John: February 27, 2010, Paradisus Palma Real March 2010 Jennifer & Cory March 13 2010- Palma Real Punta Cana April 2010 Erin & Jeremy April 28, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Amanda & Craig April 28*, 2010 - Grand Palladium Punta Cana May 2010 mary & joey may 21st, 2010- dreams punta cana Jennnifer & Trevor May 11th 2010 - Majestic Colonial July 2010 Lynette and Darnel July 13, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Liz & Miguel - July 26, 2010 - Undecided location {Santiago, Puerto Plata, or Punta Cana}

I guess I jumped the gun on posting this, but I suppose the info I found out will be helpful to other US brides headed off to marry in DR. It turns out the consulate office in Chicago is quite diligent in responding to inquiries (got an answer to a question on a Saturday!!) and is less expensive than DRSI and WEDO! Here's all the info they sent to me. República Dominicana CONSULADO GENERAL EN CHICAGO 8700 W. Bryn Mawr •Presidents Plaza II• Suite 800 South •Chicago, IL 60631 Telephone 773-714-4924 • fax 773-714-4926 • [email protected] MARRIAGE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLLIC 1. Birth Certificates (originals to be sent to the Consulate) 2. Single Status Affidavits (IN ENGLISH), duly signed and Notarized by a Notary Public. (Originals to be sent to the Consulate) 3. If divorced, copy of Divorce Decree OR Divorce Certificate- either of them will sufficient. 4. If widowed, copy of Death Certificate. 5. Included contact information, in case of any inconvenience with your documents. We will prepare the necessary paperwork. We do not make the arrangements for the Wedding Ceremony, you will need to contact the hotel/resort or wedding coordinator for this service. In order to get necessary paperwork done, you should send them to the Dominican Consulate your AFFIDAVITS, BIRTH CERTIFICATES and DIVORCE DEGREE (WHENEVER APPLIES), for them to be TRANSLATED AND LEGALIZED. You should also include a MONEY ORDER (made out to the Dominican Consulate in Chicago) for the corresponding fee, along with a PRE-PAID SELF ADDRESSED ENVELOPE (Express mail, Fed Ex, or DHL ONLY. NO regular mail accepted) for your documents to be sent to you. All the process is done over the mail; there is no need for you to come personally to the Consulate at any time. Your originals documents will be sent back to you. SAMPLES OF SINGLE STATUS AFFIDAVIT: The Single Status Affidavit must read as follows: “I, (your name), declare that I am single, have never been married, and have not applied for a marriage license in the state of (name if the state where you live) or any other state in the United States of America”. “My fiancé/fiancée, (his/her name), and I will be married in the Dominican Republic on (approximate date of the Wedding Ceremony)”. If you are divorced it should read as follows: “I, (your name) declare that I am single, divorced, my divorce was final on (date of your divorce) and have not applied for a marriage license in the state of (name of state in which you live in) or any other state of the United States of America”. “My fiancé/fiancée, (his/her name), and I will be married in the Dominican Republic on (approximate date of the Wedding Ceremony)”. The fee is as follows: $ 200.00 (for both) if NEVER been married, $250.00(for both) if ONE has been divorced, and $300.00(for both) if BOTH have been divorced. Payment must be made in the form of a money order, cashiers check or company check. NO personal checks, cash or debit/credit cards accepted. IMPORTANT REMINDER: Once you come back to the U.S., do not forget to send us your original Marriage Certificate, for Translation and Legalization, for it to be valid here in the United States. This consular service is charged separately. The cost of this $150.00 * A Tourist Card is required for every tourist to enter the Dominican Republic. You may purchase your tourist cards here for yourself as well as your guest for an additional $12.00 (per card). If you wish to purchase the cards please include the fee in the Money Order along with a note of the number of cards desired. I confirmed via email that the fee to translate and legalize 2 birth certificates and 2 single status affidavits (for those who have never been married) is indeed a total of $200. Hopefully this will help a few other confused or stressed out brides with this process.

There are tons of resorts in DR and I think I looked at all of them. My FI and I are eloping so we were looking for something a bit different than most and found the best option for us at Melia Caribe Tropical. However, there were others in my Top 5 for sure - Majestic Elegance, Excellence Punta Cana, Grand Palladium, and the new (nearly complete, but already open) Moon Palace resort in Punta Cana. If we'd been having guests I certainly would've have found a travel agent so I think the other ladies are right about that one. I've heard wonderful things about how helpful they can be. Also, for thorough reviews of the hotels and often weddings, etc. I found that tripadvisor.com fantastic. Good luck and congratulations!!!

I'm trying to find a service or consulate to get our documents translated and legalized for our civil ceremony in DR this July. I've gotten quotes from WEDO and DRSI and am waiting to hear from the one of 7 Dominican consulates in the US I've emailed who actually responded to my email, but forgot the attachment with the information (two of the email addresses listed on the DR consulate website came back undeliverable - YIKES). Here's my dilemma, WEDO and DRSI both give "warnings" about the other and the consulate isn't appearing to be overly reliable. We are US citizens and WEDO is based here and less than half the price of DRSI who said they could still do our documents even though the site only mentions canadian documentation. I still don't know what the consulate will charge or how long they will take to process the docs. Obviously, at this point we will pay whatever is necessary to ensure we are legally married, but can anyone who has had some recent interaction with any or all of these organizations give me some insight? Thanks!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by blushingbride Hi eloping 789, My fiancee and I are in a similar situation, we want to run off and get married just the two of us to Punta Cana, possibly next May 2010. Can I ask how you got in touch with Melia Caribe, as I have tried and I haven't yet received a response? All the other packages I have seen include more stuff than we need, so we are trying to see if there are any resort wedding packages that cater to "elopements" or just for the bride and groom? We both really love Paradisus Palma Real! First, let me say Congratulations!! Of all the resorts I contacted Melia responded the quickest and they are extremely helpful. My WC is Laura Kreutz. I think she has Mondays and Tuesdays off, but here is her direct email address and phone number as well as another WC who contacted me several times before I was assigned to Laura: Laura Kreutz: [email protected] om, + 809 - 221 1290 ext- 6372 Angelica Albuerme, [email protected] If you are interested in package details, I posted the entire Wedding Package pamphlet in this thread that provides all of the pricing, options, etc. for 2009: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t36563. If you don't have enough points to download it, send me a PM with your email address and I'll send it to you. They may change it for 2010, but it'll give you a ballpark. Good Luck and let me know if I can help with anything else!!

I'm definitely going to wear mine at the reception. A friend of mine did the same thing after her destination wedding and it was wonderful for all of the friends and family who didn't get to go and see her. Her FI also wore the suit he got married in which was pretty cool too since it was the one and only time any of us will ever see him in a suit! ;-)

Congratulations!! Be sure to check out the DR forum - there's tons of info on all the different resorts and wedding packages, coordinators, etc. It's a terrific resource!

Congratulations!! As soon as you pick a location - I'm sure everyone here will help you get all the info you need on the ceremony and reception options. Good luck finding your perfect spot!

Congrats! Welcome to the forum - you'll get tons of great info here!!

Thanks to everyone for your ideas! We finally found a location and will be getting married at Melia Caribe Tropical in Punta Cana!!

Quote: Originally Posted by SunnyCherries yet another date change Upcoming Majestic Brides: June 2009 Christinamaria22- June 4, 2009 July 2009 eloping789- July 8, 2009 August 2009 Melwhip- Aug 3, 2009 cgf- Aug 15, 2009 November 2009 lscilley- Nov 16, 2009 December 2009 SunnyCherries - Dec 8, 2009 xcandilkx-Dec 31, 2009 January 2010 trance angelxOx- Jan 19, 2010 I had to change locations and will be getting married at the Melia Caribe Tropical now! Good luck to all the Majestic brides and wish me luck at Melia!!

Congratulations! You'll get lots of wonderful info here to make your wedding just what you want!

Congratulations and welcome! You'll find some great info here!!

What everyone is saying is absolutely spot on. We are actually eloping to DR to save $$ and then having a reception that will be a little less formal than a traditional reception for our friends & family when we get back. But, if 15 people have already booked you'll be pretty hard-pressed to change your plans very drastically now. I guess the big question is, is he worried about your expenses, your guests expenses or both. Once you know that it will be easier to come up with some compromises to alleviate financial burdens where necessary. Best of luck to you!!!

I'm not certain, but many of the resorts I've looked at in DR and Mexico won't perform weddings on Sundays or holidays - so check the local holidays too.

Quote: Originally Posted by DarcyJAde Any melia brides know if there is music during the cocktail hour with the tropical fairy tail package? What kind of music? Thanks! I don't know about music, but I did just get their detailed wedding package packet and F&B packet this morning. Maybe that will have more info for you ... it's attached. Romance_F&B_Guide_MCT_2009.pdf Romance_Guide_MCT_2009pt1.pdf Romance_Guide_MCT_2009pt2.pdf Romance_Guide_MCT_2009pt3.pdf

Quote: Originally Posted by seaprincess Today is our one month anniversary and we have our certificate in our hands. They did tell us it would take about 3months for us to get it, so I was surprised how quick it was. Good luck with your decision! Thanks and happy anniversary!! ;-)

Congrats! My fiance and I are eloping too!! I can't wait! Have a wonderful time and best of luck.